Perfecting training – 2 Sat.
May 7, 2011 held in Markham meeting hall
Verses: Romans 12: 1-13
Brother Minoru’s burden – don’t let the word drop at the
wayside. Be equipped and furnished – be
perfected.
In Romans we saw the 4 statuses of the living of the apostle
Paul. We should be the same. Paul’s gift may be higher than ours, but we
need to have the same office – to perfect all the saints – enter into the same
function as Paul.
- Slave – no
right – to serve God and righteousness.
We need to have the spirit of a slave and let this spirit permeate
the church life. Then we will have
a good foundation in the church life: starting with the leading ones. We all are slaves; He owns us and
control us.
- Priest –
every saint belongs to the Holy priesthood and royal priesthood – one who
serves Him. This is to worship
Him. Preaching the gospel is to
offer up spiritual sacrifices to God.
In the OT offerings – they are just Christ. Praying is also to offer Christ to God. Function to serve the saints, not just
to them, but to God – for His satisfaction. Praising in the meetings is toward
God. Material offerings also to God
– a sweet smelling savor to God.
- Deacons –
practical serving ones. As
mentioned in Romans 16:1 Phoebe – patroness, protectress. Various practical services in the church
life – love feast, signing checks, 1st items of the deacons in
the church in Jerusalem
was to serve the matter of food, due to some saints who were not properly
cared for. These services sustain
saints. Most of the Levitical
services are needed (will cover more in the days to come). New ones saved, then we need to help
them to serve on small items.
- Ministers
– public servants: to minister the gospel to the gentiles, to the
world. Matt. 28 says – go to
disciple the nations. This is
commissioned by God. This is to all
mankind. We need to turn to our
community. Paul says in Rom. 1:9 I
serve in the gospel of His Son.
How to serve - in 2 main
areas – critical things.
- serve God
in our regenerated spirit, in the mingled spirit.
- Serve God
in the Body.
1. Romans 1:9 and Phil. 3:3
are sister verses – to serve in spirit.
In John 1:14 He became a man. In
1Cor:15 He became a life-giving spirit.
That spirit was breathed into us – the Triune God came into our human
spirit. Today He is in us – resides and
mingles into our sprit. He is joined to
us in spirit. To serve Him, we have to
go where He is – in spirit. In John 4
the Lord told the Samaritan woman – that God is not in some physical location,
but God is in our spirit today. We have
to worship (by serving) in our human spirit.
Our spirit is different from our heart, or soul, or our natural
life. Paul emphasized he served not by
these faculties. Therefore we cannot
serve properly in these faculties, definitely not in our natural life. For this reason, we must know how to touch
our spirit. When we call, pray, we are
using our spirit.
Heb. 4 says that we must separate our soul from the spirit. All the problems comes from the mind,
emotions, natural love, hatred, stubbornness, our will – unsubmissive, all
these things will damage the church life.
Living in the natural life causes much damage. They are 2 different realms. We have to reject and deny our natural life
– our natural ability, ways of doing things – put them to death. Let our heart be denied. Le the spirit be our manager – so our
faculties can be brought into subjection.
2Tim Paul says he serves with a pure conscience, that is in his
spirit. Otherwise the church life
becomes a worldly place. We must know
the realm of the spirit. So the first
thing to do is to pray – pray to be out of our soul, then we can serve.
Romans 6:4 old man has been crucified, buried. Therefore we have a new daily life, a new
walk – in newness of life. 7:6 to serve
in newness of spirit – our regenerated spirit.
Since we have been discharged from law – to be one with Him, leave the
old man outside of the church life. The
new man must be identified with Christ.
Declare that, believe in that! As
such, we need to serve in the newness of life – where the spirit dwells. In the spirit, nothing is old. In 2Cor 5 new life and new spirit. Everything is new in our spirit. When we serve in our spirit, everything is
new. OT priests – according to
ordinances, the letter – everything becomes ritualistic and routine and
old. In the church life, we serve Him in
spirit, in newness, because we exercise our spirit. Saints will be served and touched by this
newness. Every meeting is new, and not
by a set program. We must touch the
newness of the spirit. Our spirit is the
source of the newness of God, of resurrection.
Romans 12:11 do not be slothful in zeal, burning in spirit – not
just in spirit, but hot, not dragging.
In Rev. the Lord said you are neither hot or cold. Don’t be lukewarm. We must be burning in spirit. Take the lead in the church to be
burning. The gift has to be fanned into
flame. Don’t be passive, cold,
indifferent, but be burning all the time.
Refuse to be a lukewarm Christian.
The strength of our testimony is how much we are burning. This is when our gift is exhibited. Tea bag should never be put into cold water,
but in boiling water. Otherwise nothing
happens. When tea bag is put into hot
water, it is so tasty. Serve Him in our
burning spirit, in newness of spirit – in a burning way.
2. Romans 8 mentioned spirit
is life. So set our mind on the spirit,
full of the mingled spirit – no spirit, no church. No spirit, no service. In His Body, not individuals
independently. I want to mention 10
points:
i) By presenting our bodies to the church. It is reasonable service. Be available to the saints. Care for the Body and YOU are not there!
ii) Transformed by the renewing of the mind, not fashioned according
to this age, not the world. Be delivered
from the things of the world interest, which occupies you. How can we serve – how can we prove what the
will of God is?
iii) Serve y thinking soberly as God has apportioned to us a measure
of faith. Otherwise we are out of
place. Don’t think highly or lowly of
ourselves, but soberly. Then there will
be no conflict and disharmony.
iv) By knowing we are the Body of Christ, we don’t all have the same
function. In the Body there is a
variety. We must have the Body sense –
not individuals. All the function must
fit together for the building of the Body – in coordination – to help the Body
life
v) By realizing we are members of each other; we are organically
joined – from member to member. All
members function together. It is of life
and organic relationship. We should
never be serving individualistically – this is the principle of the Body. Coordination is a 3-legged race. We need to learn to be bound together. That’s the Body way – in harmony.
vi) By exercising the different gifts according to the grace He
measured to us: some prophesy (12:6), some teach, some cannot give a message,
but can give and offer to the Lord, some can lead diligently – different gifts
but harmonious church life.
vii) Love and honor one another, even to a new one. (Brother Minoru’s testimony – even honor new
ones) New one has his portion.
viii) Living in the Kingdom
of God, under His
headship (14:17) – serve with fear within us.
The Kingdom is righteousness, peace, joy in the Holy Spirit.
ix) By helping and sustaining and supplying
the saints – example of Phoebe.
How do we serve? Everyone
pick up the burden; fill those needs. We
don’t need to care for a position. We
care for the building up the church and the Body of Christ. First serve in he spirit, and serve in the Body.