CALLING ALL BROTHERS & SISTERS!
“I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.” Revelation 3:15-16.
BEWARE! Lukewarmness is a dangerous form of blasphemy. It says, “Lord, we believe in you but we are not excited anymore.”
Our guest speaker asked the Church a question, he said, “Please stand up if you serve in the ministry.” People began looking around at each other. Then all the pastors and Sunday school teachers, and some pastor’s wives stood up. Incorrectly, we were thinking that the ministry belongs to our spiritual leaders. But WE WERE WRONG! We are ALL princes and princesses of the most High King, our Lord Jesus Christ. This means we are ALL called to the ministry!
Keeping it real — Our lack of understanding of our importance in the ministry may shed some light on our “temperature” for God. Sometimes we get in a spiritual rut, where we cannot hear God and feel like our spiritual growth is stagnant. Other times we are so busy with daily life and things we feel “have to get done” that we forget our most important job. And yet other times, our carnal minds get despondent and plain old unhappy. We are not “cold” to God but we are not on fire for God either. When this happens, our walk requires ACTIONS. What actions are the right ones? Read the scriptures and discover Jesus’ examples: fed the poor, went to the sick and encouraged them, FASTED, went to the prisons and spoke with them, helped the downtrodden on the wayside, exalted a woman for washing his feet and another for helping rescue Israeli spies.
We, the Church, are part of Jesus’ ministry and are called to live Christ-like. What could you do to help the Church and minister to others? Cook a meal for the pastor’s family? Clean the church for a month? Plan a youth night? Paint the old church sign? Hold a Bible study at home? Take home baked goods to your neighbors and testify? Fast with purpose? Visit the elderly, help them with chores and take them groceries? The opportunities are endless, and before long you will find yourself out of that spiritual rut and back on the road up the mountain.
When you allow God to use you for His will, you allow the “perfecting process” to lead your life (Ephesians 4:11-16). None of us are or ever will be perfect, but when we dedicate our life to God, we offer ourselves as a sacrifice to continually work on being more Christ-like. It is when we are willing to follow God’s will that He works on the perfecting process in us. Our love for Him should continually drive us to be more like Him, keep us on fire with a burden to draw ourselves and others closer to Him, and reach out to the lost.
Everyday we use our bodies and minds to serve something – work, family, home duties, friends, money, etc. If you are not serving Christ, even in everyday activities, then who are you serving? What or who we dedicate our time and out thoughts to is who we are serving. In all things, let God guide your actions and thoughts. This can only be accomplished by studying His word and talking to Him daily. Today more than ever we need our actions to magnify God’s love and reach the lost. Die daily in prayer, live humbly in obedience, and walk in the perfecting process.
WE ARE THE MINISTRY!
