7 Aspects of Christian Service

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~ How’s Your Christian Service? ~

 

The Commission  ~  “Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen” (Matthew 28:18-20).  “And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’  And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’  And let him who thirsts come.  Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely” (Revelation 22:17).

 

The Condition  ~  “So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?’  He said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.’  He said to him, ‘Feed My lambs.’  He said to him again a second time, ‘Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?’  He said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.’  He said to him, ‘Tend My sheep.’  He said to him the third time, ‘Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?’  Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, ‘Do you love Me?’  And he said to Him, ‘Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.’  Jesus said to him, ‘Feed My sheep’ (John 21:15-17).

 

The Motive  ~  “For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died” (2 Corinthians 5:14).  “And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey?” (Hebrews 3:18).

 

The Resources  ~  Jesus said, “Take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.  For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.  And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 25:28-30).

 

The Preparation  ~  “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).

 

The Power  ~  “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God” (2 Corinthians 3:5).  “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

 

The Spirit  ~  “Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy.  He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him” (Psalm 126:5-6).

 

additional note:  For those interested in looking deeper at the subject of Christian Service the ALN Index in the left column lists a 5-part post in May of 2014.

 

sidebar: This is the 100^th ALN post of 7 things.

 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

 

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Ministry, 15of15

~ Will We Be Unashamed to Meet Christ Face-To-Face ~

Prolog  ~  “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (1 Peter 4:10).  

In this post we look at: SPECIFICS OF OUR SERVICE.

Our God-Assigned Responsibility  ~  Service, or ministry to the body of Christ, is not optional for the Christian—it is something which is expected of a Christian who is walking worthy of his calling (1 Peter 4:10).  At physical birth we were all born with various natural abilities.  At spiritual birth we were all born with various spiritual gifts.  We use both in our labor of ministry to those around us.  Look at some aspects of the realities of our position and calling.

Our Appointment  ~  We serve in Christ’s place as His ambassadors while He is away preparing our future mansions.  “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:20-21).

Our Task  ~  We are to be consistent in our witness to others about the Truth, even in this day when so many do not believe there is any ultimate truth.  “Preach the word!  Be ready in season and out of season.  Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching” (2 Timothy 4:2).  “This is the Truth and everyone should accept it.  We work hard and suffer much in order that people will believe it, for our hope is in the living God who died for all, and particularly for those who have accepted His salvation” (1 Timothy 4:9-10).

Our Goal  ~  We are to grow in maturity as we work towards enlightening all people about the Truth of Jesus Christ and His saving work for us on the Cross of Calvary.  “We preach about Jesus Christ, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus” (Colossians 1:28).  “Until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.  Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.  Instead, speaking the Truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Him who is the Head, that is, Christ” (Ephesians 4:13-15).

Our Responsibility  ~  We are accountable for making the riches of salvation through Jesus Christ known to those around us.  But it is God Himself who is responsible for the results.  “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.  For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing” (2 Corinthians 2:14-15).

Our Resources  ~  We are “complete in Him” and have been given all we need to accomplish the task which He has given us (see Colossians 2:10 and 2 Peter 1:3).  “If any lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5).  “Our sufficiency is from God” (2 Corinthians 3:5).

Our Special Helper  ~  The Holy Spirit provides direct assistance as we minister for Him (and in other areas of our lives as well).  “The Spirit also helps in our weaknesses.  For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groans which cannot be uttered.  Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God” (Romans 8:26-27).

Our Tradeoff  ~  We minister on His behalf in response to His love to us—however, it turns out to be a great bargain on our part.  “The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be when compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18).

Our Reward  ~  God is light and we will be with Him forever without any night or darkness of any kind.  In that day nothing will ever diminish in its brilliance and glory.  “Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever” (Daniel 12:3).  “When the Chief Shepherd appears, we will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away” (1 Peter 5:4).

CONTEMPLATE:  Since God has provided all of this to help us accomplish the tasks He has given us, what excuse could we give for not following through when we meet Him who gave His all for us?  

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

NOTES:

(1)     The current TOP 10 ALN posts are listed at the very bottom of this home page.

(2)     There is an INDEX of all ALN posts accessed by scrolling down the left column.

(3)     You may LINK to any ALN posts on your own blog or website. 

(4)     You may COPY any ALN post, but please credit ALN as the source by prominently displaying the following statement:  Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid Biblical insight at http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/ .

Ministry, 14of15

~ Are You Fulfilling Your Triple Ministry? ~

Prolog  ~  “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (1 Peter 4:10).  

In this post we look at: THE TRIPLE ASPECT OF SERVICE.

Ministers of God  ~  “In all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God” (2 Corinthians 6:4a).  “Timothy, our brother and minister of God, and our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ” (1 Thessalonians 3:2a)

Ministers of Christ  ~  “Are they Hebrews?  So am I.  Are they Israelites?  So am I.  Are they the seed of Abraham?  So am I.  Are they ministers of Christ? — I speak as a fool — I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often” (2 Corinthians 11:22-23).  “Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf” (Colossians 1:7). 

Ministers of the Word  ~  “We will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:4).  “I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom:  Preach the word!  Be ready in season and out of season.  Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching” (2 Timothy 4:1-2). 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

NOTES:

(1)     The current TOP 10 ALN posts are listed at the very bottom of this home page.

(2)     There is an INDEX of all ALN posts accessed by scrolling down the left column.

(3)     You may LINK to any ALN posts on your own blog or website. 

(4)     You may COPY any ALN post, but please credit ALN as the source by prominently displaying the following statement:  Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid Biblical insight at http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/ .