From Ben Fronczek... Use Those Talents!

Use Those Talents!

Use Those Talents  1 Peter 4:10-11

I would like to share with you an amazing Bible verse. 

Isaiah 6:1-8 “In the year that King Uzziah   died,   I saw the Lord   seated on a throne,   high and exalted,   and the train of his robe   filled the temple. ² Above him were seraphs,   each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet,   and with two they were flying. ³ And they were calling to one another:    “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;    the whole earth  is full of his glory.”  

⁴ At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.    ⁵ “Woe  to me!” I cried. “I am ruined!  For I am a man of unclean lips,  and I live among a people of unclean lips,  and my eyes have seen  the King,  the Lord Almighty.”

⁶ Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal   in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. ⁷ With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips;  your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for. ”

⁸ Then I heard the voice  of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send?  And who will go for us? ”

And I said, “Here am I.  Send me!””

What does it take to get you to do God’s will? Would it take a vision like Isaiah saw?  Do you think Isaiah was an instrument in God’s hands? I believe he was and more. What about you and me, are we and an instrument in God’s hands. Do you feel like a tool that God can use to bless others? Have you allowed God to use you like that?

We’re in 1 Peter chapter 4. In the text Peter told these early Christians that the end is near. Rome was about to come down hard with a heavy hand on Jerusalem. Jesus told them earlier that not one stone would be left on top of another. And so Peter is preparing them.

In 1 Peter 4:7, Peter writes that they needed to be clear minded and self-controlled so that you could pray. He tells them to love one another deeply, because that kind of love can cover a multitude of sins. Considering what is about happed and people fleeing for their lives he tells them to show hospitality to others without grumbling. In other words, get ready and be there for each other!

And then Verses 10-11, he concludes this little section by showing us how we can become a tool in God’s hand and how we can funnel God’s gifts and grace to those we come in contact with. He writes, 

“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. ¹¹ If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.”

I appreciate this verse, because it answers several questions about how to use our gifts. Number one: It answers the question “Who should be doing this?” Peter says “EVERYONE! EACH ONE should use whatever gift he has to serve others.” Everyone who believes in Christ has something they can do to make people’s lives a little bit better.

I don’t know of any Christian or anyone else without some ability or some kind of talent, if not many talents. Peter was instructing them and I believe us as well to stop standing around, get off our duffs and start using those abilities to serve one another.

I believe that is why God made us so different and diverse.

In 1 Corinthians 12, I like how the Apostle Paul compares the church to a human body with many parts and with each part having a different ability and function. Just like a human body has many different parts like an eye, an foot, a stomach and a brain, which all have different functions, the church is composed of a diverse array of people with different abilities; some can teach, some can preach, some can sing, some can counsel, some can cook, some can cheer others up with kind words, and some will even get their hands dirty to help another. We are all different, but we are all part of one body.

But just like in the human body, if all of a sudden one part ceases to function, say an arm, well it not only makes that person less productive, it also has an adverse effect on the whole body.

I believe that is what Peter was concerned about in light of what was about to happen. He did not want Christians to shut down of become dysfunctional and hurts the church, nor the cause of Christ because of the coming trial. Rather, just the opposite, he wanted them to get ready to help others utilizing whatever talent they possessed. It may be the only ways some would survive.

But here we are today, there is no major catastrophe about to befall the church in the immediate future, at least as far as we know. Is this still a relevant command for us? Of course it is!

Listen to what Paul writes to the Romans in Romans chapter 12. In verse one he writes, 

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.”  

And then in verses 6-8 very similar to what he writes in 1 Corinthians 12 he writes, 

“⁴ Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, ⁵ so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. ⁶ We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. ⁷ If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; ⁸ if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.”

Some go years without serving in any way or form. And many complain that their church is a bore, and isn’t doing much to meet the needs of or serve others. They forget that it’s not just the preacher or elder’s job to do these things, but rather we are all called to minister and serve. In this letter, in 2:9, Peter calls us a “royal priesthood”. As a priest, it is our duty to serve others. I love what John Kennedy said which is now famous quote, “Ask not what your county can do for you – ask what you can do for your country,”

We should have the same attitude when it comes to church; Not what can the church do for me, rather what can I do to serve the church, to serve others, to serve Jesus.  We need to remember it’s not all about you, or all about me.

Do you realize that when you help others even in the most minute way you personally become a distributor of God’s grace and blessings to others. That’s right, many times God shows grace and blesses others by using you and me to do his bidding. It’s a shame when we don’t step up to the plate.

But I find that there are few things that we have to do before we can do this.

#1. We must Yield our self to, or give into God. This is a personal decision on our part. It’s not something God makes you and me do.

Isaiah put it this way when he yielded himself to God when he said to God, “Here am I, send me.” (Isaiah 6:8) God was looking for someone to do His work and Isaiah said, “I’ll do it.” Isaiah volunteered! Are you as available when you see a need that you know you can help with?  Yielding yourself to God is as simple as telling Him from your heart that you are willing for Him to work through you and use you as a tool in His hand, and then acting on it when opportunity avails itself. God does not force Himself upon anyone. He doesn’t make you serve Him. He offers you the opportunity to enlist but He doesn’t draft anyone. He calls but He does not coerce.

#2. We need to learn to ‘serve with the strength and energy that God supplies.’ (Verse 11)
 

The opposite, of course, is relying upon your own strength. Bad idea. Many times you simply aren’t strong enough on your own. The Apostle Paul wrote,

“I can do all things thru Christ who give me strength.” (Philippians 4:13)

  There a lot of things that we can do with our own strength, but even Paul realized that some things are simply too hard, to stressful, maybe even a little beyond our own ability. We need to turn to God for help. In doing so, many are surprised and go far beyond what they ever thought they could ever do.

#3. We need to learn to do all these things for God’s glory.
 

Notice again how verse 11 concludes: 

“If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.”

When you find ways to serve others and utilize those unique gifts that you have been blessed with, our goal should be that whatever we do will bring honor and praise to God; not  for ourself.

In 1 Corinthians 10:31 the Apostle Paul wrote   

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

I can’t help but believe that when Paul wrote this and when Peter wrote what he did in his letter they knew that when God was given the Glory for all the blessings and service rendered, they knew that many unbelievers would take notice and some hearts and some attitudes towards Christianity would be changed.

You have heard it said, that our actions speak louder than our words. Our love and a willingness to use our talents become evangelistic. They bring glory to God.

Challenge: My encouragement this week is to make some time to start using those talents and special abilities that you have to bless others to God’s glory.

If this is not a personal habit for you, start out small, even if once a week you find a way to do something for another.

If it is encouragement, encourage someone this week.     If you are a good cook, cook something for someone this week.     If you are a good listener, take time to listen to someone who really needs to unload this week.   If you are good a fixing things, fix something for someone this week.    If you like to clean, help someone clean.

Whatever you are talented at, use that talent and don’t forget to give God the glory!

In doing so I believe you will find a blessing.

To read more Sermons click on the following link: http://granvillenychurchofchrist.org/?page_id=566

From Jim McGuiggan... A public God and private one

A public God and private one

Why aren’t we bitter toward God when the roof falls in on us and life is wrecked almost beyond repair? Why don’t we call God into question when our young husbands are killed at work and a young family is bereft? Why are we so unlike the psalmists and prophets who speak with a boldness against God that takes our breath away? Part of the answer is that our theology differs from theirs.

Of course prophetic protest is not all we read in their writings. The psalmists contributed to "praise" literature but the strength of their theology and their lives is explained in part because they dealt with the one true God rather than some domesticated deity that has to be protected against criticism by elaborate discussions about randomness and free will. When they said yes to God they said yes to a God that is up to his neck in bringing invading armies, devastating drought, famine and other "natural calamities" (see Amos 4 and Habakkuk 1). When they came away from a conference with God they knew they had been in with the only God there is so that their "yes" was uttered with their eyes wide open. For good or ill, blessing or calamity, this was the God they committed to and more importantly this was the God that committed to them.

But the truth is that we moderns and particularly we Western moderns engage so much in double talk. We have a public rhetoric where God is always in the right and the cause of all our pain and loss is the Devil or our personal and individual sins or bad luck (called "randomness") or human stupidity or human oppressors. These we rage against in public and when some poor "ignorant" soul says she thinks God is behind it all we turn on her like a bad-tempered pit-bull—"how dare she; imagine laying all that awful stuff at the feet of God!" But in private—or at least in a setting not too public—we turn to God and want to know, "What are you up to? How could you let this happen, why didn’t you prevent it?"

Yes, I can see that the logic of the distinction can be maintained between God being involved in bringing it about and allowing it, but the fact is that we’re still sure that God isn’t running the show correctly. If he were doing his job right such things would not happen to us. So on one hand we have God standing helpless before free-will because he can’t interfere—that means he shouldn’t be criticized but on the other hand we privately work him over because he didn’t prevent or immediately remedy the bad situation.

You can’t read the Bible and shut God out of this whole mess. Prophets and psalmists and other biblical characters won’t hear tell of that. They’d rather argue with him, protest before him and ask him to change his mind rather than deny his hand is bringing it about. We usually speak our doubts or difficulties in private so no one will hear but the psalmists sang their protests and the prophets preached them. But they never gave God ultimatums nor did they ever imagine to say, "Dear God we know that you don’t bring calamity on us so it must be Marduk or one of those other pagan deities. Why don’t you go and whack them." And it wasn’t that they were ignorant of secondary causes. They had some basic understanding that wind and clouds and such were involved in rainfall or that eating bad food could make you sick or that it was actual foreign forces that devastated them during battle. They knew all that and still said God was doing it!

We’re just not robust enough for that. Too much political correctness and too much modernist theology still clinging to us from Ritschl and Harnack and others. Can you imagine what would happen if we asked some brother to frame our congregational prayer for us and he said something like this. "Dear God, we haven’t wandered from your will but you have given us over to our enemies. We have tried to walk in your way but it doesn’t seem to matter to you because our enemies prosper at your hand and we go to the wall. You made promises to protect us from the enemy nations and instead you brought them against us and they have destroyed our freedom to worship. When are you going to wake up and do right by us?" See Psalm 44 and ask yourself if that would go over as a hymn in any congregation you know. (I’ve developed this a little in a book you might be interested in. The God who commands the impossible.)

©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.

Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, the abiding word.com.

From Mark Copeland... Edifying And Comforting One Another (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

               "THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS"

              Edifying And Comforting One Another (5:11)

INTRODUCTION

1. To be prepared for the coming of the Lord, Paul exhorted Christians
   to be "sons of light and sons of the day" - cf. 1Th 5:4-7
   a. Which necessitates putting on the armor of God - cf. 1Th 5:8
   b. Which also includes edifying and comforting one another - cf. 1 Th 5:11

2. This last charge to edify and comfort one another is just one of many
   "one another" passages in the New Testament; here are some of them:
   a. Love one another - Jn 13:34-35
   b. Be affectionate to one another, and honor one another - Ro 12:10
   c. Serve one another - Ga 5:13
   d. Bear with one another - Ep 4:2
   e. Submit to one another - Ep 5:21
   f. Be kind to one another, and forgive one another - Ep 4:32
   g. Exhort one another - He 3:13

3. These are based upon the principle that we are "members of one
   another" - Ro 12:5
   a. Implying an interdependence where we need one another
   b. An interdependence felt and expressed most keenly in the local
      church

[In this lesson, I wish to focus our attention upon the charge to
"comfort each other and edify one another", especially in our
relationship as members of the same congregation.  We note first the
command...]

I. COMFORT EACH OTHER

   A. THE WORD "COMFORT"...
      1. The Greek is parakaleo
      2. Lit., to call to one's side, call for, summon
      3. Hence, either "an exhortation, or consolation, comfort"
         (Vine's)
      -- The picture is one where someone walks alongside of another,
         providing comfort, even exhortation

   B. SOURCES OF COMFORT...
      1. Each member of the Godhead is a source of comfort
         a. The God of all comfort - 2Co 1:3; Ro 15:5
         b. The Lord Jesus Christ - 2Th 2:16-17
         c. The Holy Spirit - Ac 9:31
      2. The Word of God is a source of comfort
         a. Such as the Old Testament writings - Ro 15:4
         b. As well as New Testament promises - 1Th 4:18
      3. Our brethren are to be a source of comfort - 1Th 4:18; 5:11
         a. As Paul expected Tychicus to do for both the Ephesians and 
            the Colossians - Ep 6:21-22; Col 4:7-8
         b. As others had done for Paul - Col 4:10-11
      -- We are blessed to have so many different sources of comfort
         available to us!

   C. RECEIVING THE COMFORT GOD INTENDS...
      1. We must as individuals be in a right relationship with God 
         - 1Pe 3:12
         a. Which involves doing the Father's will - Mt 7:21-23
         b. Which involves keeping the Lord's commandments - Jn 14:21-23
      2. We must as individuals feed upon the Word of God - Jm 1:21
         a. The source of much comfort - Ro 15:4
         b. Comfort that comes from the joy and peace it gives - Ps 1:
            1-3; 119:165; Jer 15:16
      3. We must as "members of one another" comfort one another - 1Th 5:11
         a. With the comfort we each have received from God - 2Co 1:3-4
            1) Each of us receive comfort through our individual 
               relationship with God
            2) Each of us receive comfort through our relationship with 
               one another
         b. Can we not see the importance of involvement in the local 
            church?
            1) Unless we are active members, comforting one another...
            2) We miss out, and brethren miss out, on the comfort God 
               offers His people!
      4. God intends for us to receive comfort from two angles:
         a. Horizontally, through our relationship with Him
         b. Vertically, through our relationship with one another in
            the local church!

[Why deprive ourselves of the great blessing of comfort from God?  Why
shortchange ourselves when God desires us to have comfort "coming and
going"?  We hurt not only ourselves, but also our brethren!  Don't
forget Jesus' words in Mt 25:41-46.  Consider now also the charge to...]

II. EDIFY ONE ANOTHER

   A. THE WORD "EDIFY"...
      1. The Greek is oikodomeo
      2. Lit., to build a house
      3. Used metaphorically, in the sense of "edifying," promoting the
         spiritual growth and development of character of believers, by
         teaching or by example (Vine's)
      -- Each person is undergoing a spiritual construction project, 
         aided by the efforts of those around him or her

   B. THE IMPORTANCE OF EDIFICATION...
      1. Building up one another is something to "pursue" - Ro 14:19
      2. We need to be careful not to "destroy the work of God" - Ro 14:20
      3. We must be willing to bear with one another if it means 
         edification - Ro 15:1-3
      -- Building each other up is an obligation that has been placed 
         upon all Christians!

   C. ACCOMPLISHING THE EDIFICATION GOD INTENDS...
      1. It is done through the church, which Christ designed to edify 
         or build up its members - cf. Ep 4:11-12; 1Co 14:26
      2. It is done through the working of each individual member, doing
         his or her part - Ep 4:16
      3. It is done through kind and graceful words to one another - Ep 4:29
      -- The key point is this:  edification (like comfort) takes place
         through our involvement with one another in the local church!

CONCLUSION

1. To the Thessalonians, Paul was able to follow-up his command to
   comfort and edify one another with this statement:  "...just as you
   also are doing." - 1Th 5:11
   a. They were already comforting one another
   b. They were already edifying one another
   -- Yet like the command to love another, there is always the need to
      abound more and more - cf. 1Th 4:9-10

2. Could Paul have said the same of us as a church?  Of you as a
   Christian?
   a. Are we engaged in the ministry of providing comfort and 
      edification to our brethren?
   b. If you are not an active member of a local congregation, how can
      you?
   -- May this command of God motivate us to examine ourselves and our
      relationships with our brethren in the congregation where we work
      and worship!

If Paul could have written the same to us ("...just as you also are
doing."), then keep up the good work, and remember the words given to
encourage another congregation:

   "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always
   abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not
   in vain in the Lord."
                                       - 1 Cor 15:58

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011

From Gary... A more wonderful sky...

This is a picture of a beach in Australia on its national holiday.  There is a lot going on here: From left to right, a sunset, fireworks, a sandy beach with spectators, a comet, green waters, sunlight emerging from a diffusing thunderstorm (next to the lightning), two radically different lightning bolts.  I sought out this picture from my collection because this morning on the dog walk, the sun was so bright it startled me.  And frankly, it was wonderful after a few days of overcast skies.  So, I began to think of the sky and its fascination to me.  Just think of all the things that can be in it- birds, airplanes of all sorts- not to mention the obvious things like the sun, the moon and the stars.  Almost every day (or night) I see something interesting.  But, there is one thing in the sky that I haven't seen and look forward to... someday... 

Acts, Chapter 1

 1 The first book I wrote, Theophilus, concerned all that Jesus began both to do and to teach,  2 until the day in which he was received up, after he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.  3 To these he also showed himself alive after he suffered, by many proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days, and speaking about God’s Kingdom.  4 Being assembled together with them, he commanded them, “Don’t depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which you heard from me.   5  For John indeed baptized in water, but you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” 

  6  Therefore when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, are you now restoring the kingdom to Israel?” 

  7  He said to them, “It isn’t for you to know times or seasons which the Father has set within his own authority.   8  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth.” 

  9  When he had said these things, as they were looking, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight.  10 While they were looking steadfastly into the sky as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white clothing,  11 who also said, “You men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who was received up from you into the sky will come back in the same way as you saw him going into the sky.”

I confess; I am a bit of a dreamer!  But, look around; the world is one that is full of contradictions.  From the beauty of the heavens and the Earth, to the destruction from wars and all the other evil that human beings do to each other.  From my perspective, it is a very rational thing to be looking at the sky and wondering.  Wondering about a lot of things, from beauty to the less than wonderful things in life.  Most of all, as I age, I realize that I am closer to seeing Jesus with each and every day.  Wouldn't it be nice if HE came BEFORE I DIED???  As marvellous as the beach picture is, I pray that I have a camera when Jesus comes again.  Why? To leave a picture behind for those who DO NOT BELIEVE, in order that they find proof they might need to change their lives and join me as soon as possible, THAT'S WHY!!!!