Talking About Money

No body likes to talk about it, especially at church. However, it is part of the stewardship that Jesus has given to us.

The following are the big ideas from today's teaching and the questions we can use to evaluate our use of money for the kingdom of God...

1.Everything we are and have been given is a gift from God and for God—including money.

2.Honoring God with the best of what we have been given.

3.Investing money wisely from a kingdom perspective is a reflection of our understanding and application of reality #1 and #2
a. Local Church
b. Community Missions
c. Missionaries/Church planting
d. Laying up treasures in heaven

4. Don't worship money or pursue riches

Now the questions...

1.Does our use of money reveal an unhealthy attachment to this world and the things of this world instead of the priority of the kingdom of God? (1 John 2:15-17)

2.Does our use of money reveal a heart that seeks first the kingdom of God or are we pursuing after the things the Gentiles seek? (Matthew 6:25-34)

3.How does our use of money reflect our citizenship in another kingdom? (Philippians 3:19-20)

4.How does our use of money reflect our desire to seek the city that is above? (Hebrews 13:14)

5.Does our use of money demonstrate extravagant love to Jesus? (John 12:3)

May God use these principles to call us to more faithful stewardship in loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength with respect to money.

Spiritual Gifts

Here are some points from the sermon last week on spiritual gifts...

The following are major passages on spiritual gifts:
1) 1 Peter 4:7-11
2) 1 Corinthians 12-14
3) Romans 12:1-8
4) Ephesians 4:1-16

Here is part of the sermon manuscript:

What are spiritual gifts?
They are not…
• Natural talents (sports, speaking, a learned skill) - God gives natural talents to be incorporated into the exercising of one’s spiritual gift
• Personality traits (good listener)
• The Fruit of the Spirit

They are…
• Dr. Aiken – “a supernatural enablement or ability given at conversion by God that equips the recipient to perform a spiritual function or assignment with efficiency and ease that strengthens the church, the body of Christ”
• John MacArthur – “a God-given capacity through which the Holy Spirit supernaturally ministers to the body. Your spiritual gift is a unique capacity to minister to the body of Christ through the channel of the Spirit of God, who supernaturally touches the lives of other people.”

Where did they come from and to whom were they given?
Spiritual gifts come from…
• God’s grace – 1 Peter 4:10 – “as each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God”
• God’s Son – Ephesians 4:7-8 – “But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore, He says: ‘When He ascended on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men”
• God’s Spirit – 1 Corinthians 12:11 – “But one and the same Spirit works all these things distributing to each one individually as He wills.”
Spiritual gifts are given…
• To all Christians at the moment of conversion

For what purpose were spiritual gifts given?
Spiritual gifts were given for…
• The Glory of God…
o 1 Peter 4:11 – “that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen”
• The Edification of the Church…
o 1 Peter 4:10 – “as each one has received a gift, minister it to one another”
o Ephesians 4:16 – “from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love”
• The Work of Ministry…
o Ephesians 4:12 – “for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry”
• The Maturing of the body…
o Ephesians 4:13-15 - until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,

How should spiritual gifts be exercised?
Spiritual gifts should be exercised…
• With faithfulness – 1 Peter 4:10 – “minister to one another as good stewards”
• With the ability (strength) God supplies – 1 Peter 4:11
• With humility – Romans 12:3 – “for I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith”
• In their God-given functional role – 1 Corinthians 12:18 – “but now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased”
o Organization of the body for service – “Organizing around the gifts of the people will allow the church to focus on ministry, not maintenance”
• In love – 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 - If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Summary – Dr. Black – “Different Christians will have different functions in the body, or course, but it is the duty of every Christian to serve every other Christian in love and humility. Let us then work, and work hard, and work together, not to advance ourselves or our denominations or our paltry kingdoms, but to advance Christ upside down kingdom…”

May the Lord use this to build you up in service for his kingdom.

Every Member a Minister

Today's message will be on the subject of spiritual gifts. All spiritual gifts, I believe, are of "equal importance" for the church to function properly in her context.

Though there are "special" qualifications for "offices" (elders, deacons - 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1) within the church, these offices should not be viewed as representing those who have a more important "status" among the congregation. The qualifications are given, not to set up a false division within the church, but to accentuate the "responsibility" given to those "gifted" to serve in these capacities to care for the body of Christ.

Every member is a minister (servant). The exercising of "all" spiritual gifts is necessary for the building up of the body for the work of the ministry.

I hope to post parts of the message later today.

God bless.

Unbiblical division between "clergy" and "laity"

God has been teaching me and convicting me much over the last month about this reality in the local church where I serve and churches in general.

As I am reading about this and studying and questioning, it is becoming more apparent to me that the division of "professional" ministers and "unprofessional" laity is a detriment in local churches--particularly in smaller, rural congregations.

The unintended consequences, and I believe they are unintentional in most cases even though they have become the norm, of this division has bred a generation of church members in our pews who are spectators making sure "the pastor" is doing his job.

Granted, not everyone sitting in the pew has this mindset--that I will readily admit. However, we cannot pretend like it doesn't exist either among many church members.

Some of this mindset has been perpetrated (strong word, I know) by men in my generation who I went to seminary with who came out of seminary with the attitude "I'm the pastor" and the attitude of "me vs. the congregation."

Friends, some of this is our fault as "pastors", because we "think" we know how to "run" a church and we have a "seminary" degree. God forgive us.

It is my prayer that this will change. That we, as those called by the church certainly, would serve in these positions with and among the members while immersing ourselves in the life of the body not serving above and over and in competition.

I know that with the current mindset of many people in churches, the one serving as "pastor" will always be an "outsider"; however, it ought to be our goal as pastor/teachers to seek ways to eliminate that division as much as possible for the glory of Jesus Christ and his mission moving in the direction of a more biblical understanding and practice of leadership within the church.

May God grant us wisdom and discernment in knowing how to proceed to become more biblical and less traditionalistic for His glory alone.

Going through the Fire

I heard the verse referenced a few weeks ago, and the Lord brought it to my attention again this morning during my bible reading in the minor prophets.

Zechariah 13:9 - I will bring the one third through the fire, will refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, This is my people; and each one will say, The Lord is my God.

The grand promise is that God will test us and refine us to burn off the dross and the impurities in our faith. The one who is doing the refining is the one who is control of the process and the temperature of the heat. Therefore, God promises to bring us through the fire--"I will bring the one third through the fire".

Malachi reinforces this truth-3:3-He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; he will purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold or silver, that they may offer to the Lord an offering of righteousness.

In the fire you are going through, what is God seeking to "burn out" of your life and mine? In what ways is God "rounding off the edges" that we may be more like Jesus?

Times Achangin'

Here are some resolutions by Jonathan Edwards concerning counting our days taken from John Piper's book Don't Waste Your Life...

Resolved, never to lose one moment of time; but improve it the most profitable way I possibly can.

Resolved, to live with all my might, while I do live.

Resolved, that I will live so, as I shall wish I had done when I come to die.

Resolved, to endeavor to obtain for myself as much happiness, in the other world, as I possibly can, with all the power, might, vigor, and vehemence, yea violence, I am capable of, or can bring myself to exert, in any way that can be thought of.

How are we making our days count for the glory of God and the mission of Jesus?

Getting Ready

I thought about how much we get ourselves ready "physically" to meet with God's people this morning. We spend time brushing our hair (if we have any), we make sure the ties are straight, the pants and shirts are ironed, the make up is on just right (for the ladies), the children are dressed in cute clothes...

I wonder if we prepare ourselves "spiritually" with as much time and energy and focus?

My first thought...I doubt it.

Meeting with God's people is such a gracious aspect of the work of God's redemption. He saves us and places us into a local community of believers for mutual fellowship and accountability and love and service.

Yet, our coming together to worship God collectively and serve one another in love seems to be a "second thought" instead of a first thought in our preparation.

Have we stopped to pray for the bible study classes...what about the teachers for those precious children...what about the children and youth...what about the worship service...what about asking the Holy Spirit to move among us for His glory...what about the leadership that God has placed among us?

Have we stopped to pray for ourselves and how God would us to serve others today through love?

Have we sought to confess and repent of any sins that might grieve the work of the Spirit among the body?

How are we getting ready today?