Sustaining Christian Ministry-2

SUSTAINING CHRISTIAN MINISTRY-II—2Peter 1:12-15

Attention:

Nuns Out Of Gas:

Two nuns were driving down a country road when they ran out of gas.

They walked to a farmhouse they had seen just down the road.

The farmer had gasoline, but it could only be pumped out of a huge barrel directly into a vehicle or a smaller container.

The only other small container the farmer had was an old bedpan. The nuns were happy to take whatever they were offered, & gratefully returned to their car with the bedpan full of gasoline.

As they were pouring the gasoline from the bedpan into the tank of their car, 2 locals drive by.

They slow down & are shocked & surprised when they witness the nuns pouring in the ‘bedpan fuel.’

Wide-eyed, they quickly look at each other & say, ‘Man I wish I had faith like that!’

They knew the Nun’s ‘bedpan fueling method’ could not be sustained!

Neither can the Gospel be sustained thru unsurrendered flesh!

*Thankfully, the Good News of Jesus Christ, IS sustainable & absolutely MUST be faithfully sustained!

Need:

Some people, who are numbered among the saved, never grasp & are never empowered by the life-changing fullness that comes with their being born-again.

They wander thru life with no direction, just as if they had never submitted themselves to Jesus at all.

They may claim membership in churches, but never discover God’s desire for themselves.

Such people have fallen victim to the devil’s mantra—‘You’re not good enough’ or ‘God can’t use me!’

*IF such a ‘defeatist attitude’ were to be maintained by ALL of God’s people, THEN God’s ‘Good News’ would be ‘Bad News’ & would never be shared! And it’s life-transforming message would die with our generation!

Such spiritually poverty-stricken outlook, willingly overlooks the fact that God calls, equips, & wants to equip, EVERY SINGLE ONE of His children, in order to further His Kingdom work on earth.

But God’s equipping must be individually invited, accepted, & individually applied.

The apostle Peter was concerned with sustaining Christian ministry.

So:

Christian ministry must be sustained indefinitely.

But:

?What sustains Christian ministry?

Or:

?How is Christian ministry sustained?

We’re attempting to answer those questions by looking at:

4 concerns, by which Christian ministry is sustained.

Last Sunday, we found that:

Christian ministry is sustained thru...

1. PERSONAL CONCERNs(:12-15)

•We looked at the personal “I”s of our verses(:12-15).

•And the TIME constraints Peter faced(:13-15).

Today we’ll find that:

2—Christian ministry is ALSO sustained thru...

NEGLIGENCE CONCERNs(:12a)

Explanation:(:12a)

:12a—“For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know & are established in the present truth.”

“For this reason...” & “...of these things...”

“For” WHAT “reason”, & to what “things” does Peter refer?

“For” the “reason” that is summarized in Verses :10-11!

And “these things” refers to the exhortations of verses :1-9!

•All “these things” lead up to & give rise to Peter’s summary “reason.”

There are major things at stake in the lives of God’s people, in regard to God’s design, so Peter refuses to “be negligent” as the Church’s “reminder”!....

•Peter is concerned & consumed with putting His God-ordained calling, authority, & spiritual giftedness to work, so that all God’s people will receive an “abundant” “entrance” “into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ.”

:12a—“...I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things,...”

God’s people must be ever mindful of the fullness of, & the intent of, God’s revelations, that they are for the benefit of mankind.

WHY is it of such concern to Peter that God’s people should “always” be “reminded” of the “truth.”

•That is, WHY should they be “reminded” of something that they have already received, & “know”, “& are established in”?

•BECAUSE, God’s revelation of Himself to mankind is not part of the wisdom accepted by the world at large!(1Cor. 1:18(ff)

•There are many others who carry that same burden—particularly the apostles, preachers, pastors, teachers, etc.

*BUT, shouldn’t ALL of God’s people, carry that burden/attitude with us into ALL our ministries, even as varied as they are?

•YES! We ALL should “not be negligent” in order to ensure that others of God’s people, are “always” “reminded” that the growth of our faith is to be attended to & nourished individually & together!

But what about you!? & What about every other person who is saved by God’s grace in Christ!?

No matter what purpose you & I have been individually & corporately called to by the Lord, we all need that constant “reminding.”

•BECAUSE, raw human nature—untouched by & unsubmitted to God—compels each one of us to be INTENT ON the ultimate control of our own personal world!

•BUT such personal control, flies in the face of surrendering personal control of our hearts & minds to God’s control!