Excerpt from CLC’s Open Your Bible: The All-in-one Bible Guide
Section: Living the Christian Life - Pages 774 & 775
Available at all CLC Bookshops or online at www.clcbookshops.com
SERVING SERVING
Service for life KEY TRUTH Every Christian is in full-time service for Jesus; there are no part-timers or reservists in God’s “army”.
Ready for change The Holy Spirit is dynamic – he is always on the move, always working. We, on the other hand, usually prefer a quiet life which is secure and stable. When Jesus spoke to the church in Ephesus, he said that while they had been faithful to him, they had lost their first love. They needed to be open to change, ready to follow him wherever he led, just as they had once done. That has always been a challenge to Christians. We need to ask frequently, “Lord, what do you want me to do?”
Giving everything to Jesus In one sense, we have already given everything to Jesus – our whole selves, our lives, in return for his forgiveness and new life. But there may be a further way in which he wants us to give ourselves to him; by being willing to give up our jobs and join the staff of a church or missionary society, or enter some other form of Christian work. Our commitment to him may also be expressed in our willingness to give up more of our spare time to take on church responsibilities. However, if we have families, it is important not to neglect them.
Supporting his workers “The worker deserves his wages” is a New Testament principle which reminds us that church leaders and workers, some of whom have given up well-paid jobs to serve Jesus in
16
the church, need food to eat and clothes to wear. And if we do not provide those things for them, they will be hungry and cold. God expects us to share their ministry to us by sharing our earnings and goods with them. Paul considered that such support was a right. In Corinth, however, he did not exercise that right, to avoid being a burden on the church. Instead, he earned money by making tents. But that was his personal decision, and did not alter the principle on which he usually worked.
Praying for God’s servants Some people do not seem to have much to give in the way of Christian service. They may be old, infirm, poor or with little time to give to the church. But of course, they can love and care about others. And above all, as with everyone else, they can give time to prayer.
God works the world over through the prayers of his people. Moses, the Jewish leader, once needed someone to support him physically as he led Israel in battle; through prayer, we support spiritually those who are on the front line of spiritual warfare. Without us, the going would be tougher.
BIBLE CHECK Ready for change Revelation 2:17; John 3:8 Giving everything to Jesus Jeremiah 1:4-10; Luke 10:1-12; Romans 10:14-17 Supporting his workers Luke 10:7; 1 Corinthians 9:3-18 Praying for God’s servants Exodus 17:10-13; Colossians 1:9; 4:2-4
POSTSCRIPT Christian service is a work of love. It is hard work, and it is more effective when it stems from our love for Jesus and his people.
TO TH I N K ABOUT • How has your Christian service changed already over the time you have been a believer? What caused those changes? • What is your service like at the moment? Do you need to find fresh ways to serve God? Or do you need to renew your enthusiasm for your current activities? • Is God calling you to some form of Christian work? How can you test this call? You should also look for opportunities to support other Christian workers. • Are there any people you know who need your support at the moment?
• What steps can you take to find out about their needs, so that you can pray for them and give to them more effectively? In the world of work, retirement comes when a person reaches a certain age. • Does a Christian ever retire? How does this make you feel? Thank God that he will always have work for you to do, whatever stage of life you are at. Pray for strength to serve him faithfully to the end.
BIBLE SUMMARY
PAU L, A S E RVANT OF GOD In some respects Paul the apostle was an exceptional person. The amount of work he got through would have killed a lesser person (2 Corinthians 11:23-29)! But despite that, his service for Jesus remains an inspiring model for us to follow.
Dedicated to Jesus Paul did not believe in doing things by halves. Jesus had given everything for him, so he gave everything for Jesus (Galatians 2:20). Such was his dedication that he never slackened, right up to when he died (2 Timothy 4:6-8). That is the basis of all Christian service – we cannot expect to achieve great things for God unless we are ready to follow him fully.
Controlled by God’s word Before his conversion, Paul was a Jewish scholar (Galatians 1:14) with a good knowledge of the Old Testament Scriptures. After his conversion, God revealed the full truth about Jesus to him (Galatians 1:11-12), which was in full agreement with what the other apostles had been teaching (Galatians 2:1-2). All his teaching was firmly built on the basic facts of who Jesus was and what he had done on the cross, and Paul firmly resisted all attempts to alter that gospel or add to it (Galatians 1:6-9; 2 Timothy 1:11-14). That is a key to effective Christian service; we cannot expect to win others for Jesus or to help other Christians to grow, if we ourtselves are not firmly teaching and applying his truth.
17