Many Christians will be surprised in heaven with a question "What have I done in the service of the Lord?" Can we respond with:
"I attend the worship service in church"
That's great that you attend church. But attending is not serving, even though it's called Worship Service in some religious denominations. But think about it, does worshiping the Lord for one hour a week, while comfortably sitting in cushioned seats, enjoying the performances on stage, listening to entertaining sermons while sipping free coffee, and occasionally singing the songs, clapping our hands, and responding with "Amen!" to the preacher sound like serving to you? If that is serving, we will need to change what servers are called in restaurants.
"I give my tithes to the Lord."
Tithes, the first ten per cent of our income (not the remaining or the extra money), is what we bring to church regularly as part of our worship to God. It is to honor the God who provides our daily bread. Remember what Deuteronomy 8:18 says, "But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth."
By the way, if we're really giving ten per cent of our income, then yes, call it tithe. Otherwise, it's just a tip. Oh well okay, it may qualify as an offering. But what is an offering? That's another topic.
"I invite people to church!"
Thank you for your good efforts. But what was your purpose for inviting? I suspect you would say, "to make the church grow." That's a nice purpose but we are taking over the Lord's role in His church when take that for our reason to invite. Read the Lord Jesus' response to Peter's in Matthew 16:18 "And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it." It is Christ's role to build up the church, not ours.
So for those who do this sort of "evangelism," sorry but the church is not the Gospel. The church did not save us. What we need to do is invite people to Christ first, then invite them to the church where they can be nurtured in the faith. Let us avoid passing on to those in the church our responsibility of sharing Christ.
Here is how Philip said it when he invited Nathan in John 1:45-46, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. . .“Come and see”.
Philip invited Nathaniel, not to go to the Temple, but to meet Christ! When we invite people, our goal should be to introduce them to Christ. That is why it is absolutely imperative that we personally know Christ in order for us to do the task right.
If you don't know how to share Christ, you need to ask yourself if you have indeed met the Savior yet. If not, read and follow the "How can you know if you're a true Christian?" on the right hand column of this blog, and then fill up the "follow by email" to receive further lessons in introducing Christ to your friends.
How then can we serve God?
The answer is in what Spiritual Gift God has given you. Below is a list of some spiritual gifts that are mentioned in several passages that we can use for service:
- Leadership (Rom. 12:8).
- Administration (1 Cor. 12:28).
- Teaching (1 Cor. 12:28; Rom. 12:7; Eph. 4:11).
- Knowledge (1 Cor. 12:28).
- Wisdom (1 Cor. 12:28)
- Prophecy (1 Cor. 12:10; Rom. 12:6).
- Discernment (1 Cor. 12:10).
- Exhortation (Rom. 12:8).
- Shepherding (Eph. 4:11).
- Faith (1 Cor. 12:9).
- Evangelism (Eph. 4:11).
- Apostleship (1 Cor. 12:28; Eph. 4:11).
- Service/Helps (1 Cor. 12:28; Rom. 12:7).
- Mercy (Rom. 12:8).
- Giving to meet needs (Rom. 12:8).
- Hospitality (1 Pet. 4:9).
For a definition of each of these gifts and to know what has God gifted you for service, read Gene Wilkes' article Discover Your Spiritual Gifts. You can follow the link here.
Whatever your Spiritual gift is, always remember to use it to serve the Lord's purpose as He builds up His body, the church. For the Lord who watches over us is a great rewarder of those who diligently seek and serve Him.
"Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward.
And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward” (Matthew 10:41-42, NIV).
0 Response to "ATTENDING CHURCH IS NOT A SERVICE"
Posting Komentar