pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: service


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Asking the Right Question

Micah was a prophet in the old testament. In chapter six God, through Micah, begins by calling the people into account and they respond with a ‘what more can I do?’ attitude. God could just as easily be speaking to us today. Although we do not make animal sacrifices to atone for our sins, we do make what we call ‘sacrifices’ to God. We give Him a whole hour on Sunday morning, maybe two if we go to Sunday school! We give Him a few hours once a month to serve a meal at the mission or to help with a project at church or in the community. And then if we have a twinge of guilt over not doing more for our faith, we shrug and whine out, ‘what more can I do?’ And just like the Israelites, God looks down, gives us a loving smile, and lets us know we have our attitude all wrong.

In verse 7 of Micah 6 the people ask mockingly if God wants the first born of their bodies for the sins of their souls. What a powerful question! Maybe the people were thinking back to Genesis 22 where Abraham goes as far as having his son Isaac bound and upon the altar’s wood – ready to be sacrificed. As Abraham raised the knife, the angel of the Lord intervened. But don’t you think God wishes they (and we) had that much faith in Him?

The attitude that God desires is not for us to offer up our own son or daughter for the sins of our souls. He already did that with His son Jesus. The price for us has already been paid through Jesus’ blood on the cross. But in verse 8 God spells out what He does expects of us: “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”

And this is a 24/7 request – not an hour on Sunday, a few hours here and there once a month. It is about being in relationship with Christ ALL the time. It is about being in the world and not succumbing to what the world says is important. It is treating our fellow man with justice. It is about extending mercy to those in need. It is about walking humbly and acknowledging that it is God who is in control of our lives. In the end, our question should not be ‘what more can I do?’ but ‘what else CAN I do?’


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The Tools in Your Toolbox

In the “New Beginnings” series we have looked a lot at the call to share our faith. Peary developed the idea that once we come to know Christ within, then the journey becomes outward as we seek to serve Christ. Keihwan continued the concept with the idea that our call is to make a difference in our world, one person at a time, one moment at a time. Last Sunday we looked at Jesus being our new BFF. The overall idea was that we so grow in our relationship that Jesus is our best friend and that through this we share Him with those in our worlds.
The primary means through which we can share Jesus are prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness. All of these are important to have in our ‘toolbox’ of faith. All of these need to be ready to be used. After all, a dull tool will not cut anything very efficiently. Similarly, a jumbled up and rambling story of faith will not be effective. So… which do you need the most practice at? Or, put another way… If you were presented with an opportunity to share Christ with someone desperately in need and I were to randomly draw one of these five out of a hat and you had to go with that means, which would you really hope I did not draw?

If you are like me, and I believe like most people, you were hoping that ‘witness’ was not the one drawn. So that is the one you and I need to work on, to hone into razor sharpness so that when presented with that opportunity, we can nail it.

The natural means through which most of us share our faith is presence. We try to live out our lives as a loving, caring person. We often back this up through our prayers that we follow up a situation with. Many share their faith through their gifts – be that time volunteering at church, through financial support of the church, as so on. And some are natural witnesses. Some are able to naturally work God and their faith into a conversation as easily as some of us talk about the weather!

But to wrap up, again, it is about being prepared to use whatever tool the opportunity requires. If someone is hungry and you have $5 in your pocket, don’t tell them you will pray for them. That’d be like using a screwdriver to cut down a tree! But if someone needs to hear your faith story at that point in their lives, you better be ready to share it. If they just need you to be there to listen, you better pull up a chair. Practice each of these means and be a willing and faithful servant. The world needs Jesus and we are the ones to bring Him to them.


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Citizenship and Our Gifts and Talents

In 1st Corinthians Paul opens by sharing his love for the church and all he sees in it. He recognizes the grace they have, the way they have been enriched in speech and knowledge – gained through Christ. Paul reminds them that they have been given every spiritual gift they need. He closes the opening with a reminder that Jesus will keep them strong and will always be faithful.

Paul is reminding the church in Corinth that they do good things through Christ and that together they are equipped with all they need. The key here is ‘together.’ Each and every one of us has a gift given to us by the Holy Spirit to be used for the building up of His kingdom here on earth. When I think about our body of believers, the variety of gifts we possess is astonishing. Some are singers and some play instruments. Some teach and some meet and greet. Some help provide a meal and some lead an art project. Some care for babies in the nursery and some drive a bus so others can come to worship or class. Some clean, organize and restock and some say hello on the phone. Some encourage and some pray. The list is long, but I know there are many gifts I missed.

Also running through this opening to the Corinthians is the thread that they are all part of the church, all part of the body of Christ. Some of the gifts people have extend outside of the church world. For example, a person with skill in dealing with money and investments may serve on the Finance committee. The gifts and talents God gives us to use in the world can and are used in the church as well.

But we must also be careful here. We are first and foremost a child of God. If we do not also use the gifts and talents that make us a good doctor, a good teacher, a good banker, a good… to build His kingdom, we are missing the point. We are called to first serve God. Many do serve in our church and in various organizations in our community. Yet more certainly could. Before we identify ourselves as a nurse, lawyer, officer or as a father, husband, grandpa or as a wife, mother, … we must first identify ourselves as a child of God. As a child of God, we love, care for, and serve the body of Christ. Through your gifts and talents, are you building the kingdom?