For God's Kingdom
Our God has called us to be like Moses. Our God is calling us in the same way He called Moses to deliver His people from bondage. All through Scripture we see men and women with God’s call upon their lives to know Him, to follow Him, and to be used by God for His special purposes.
Many of us respond the same way Moses did—with a lot of reasons and excuses as to why we can’t! Notice the question God asked Moses in vs 2 “What is that in your hand?” As people who claim the name of Jesus this is one of the most important questions that confront us. God wants to use each one of us in His own and unique special way. Our God is not a one size fits all. God tailor makes how He uses us with that which He has already given to us….our SHAPE and our available resources.
How we use what God has already given to each of us, we call stewardship. Stewardship may be a church word, but the functionality is an every day event. A steward is as person who takes care of something that belongs to another but who is entrusted to care for that which is entrusted to him.
Who are stewards in our world? Banks, investment firms, auto mechanics, dentists, doctors, teachers, nurses, caregivers, and even pastors. As Stewards each of these is charged with taking care of something that doesn’t belong to them. Does the doctor own your body? The mechanic your car? The teacher your child? The bank your money? Not at all.
In the same way you are a steward of all that God has given to you. You do not own it. God has given it to you for you to take care of while you inhabit planet Earth. Once you leave this earth, it all goes to someone else to take care of in your place.
Moses had a staff. God didn’t expect Moses to have a Presidential seal in his hand, nor an assault weapon, nor a letter from an enemy king, and not even a laptop computer. He had a staff and that is what God used to deliver His people from slavery.
Whatever it is that God has given you, He wants you to use for His Kingdom and His glory. Notice vs. 5 “‘This,’ said the Lord, “ is so that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has appeared to you.”
Moses first met the Living God and then the Living God called Moses to use the staff that he had to do something great. God is calling each of you—if you claim the name of Jesus—to do something great and important in God’s Kingdom. It may not seem like much and it may not seem great to you, but just remember—what God deems as important and great is far different than our perception of important and great.
Also notice that Moses first met God and entered into a personal relationship with Him. That is the vertical aspect of our Christian walk and comes first. Then comes the ‘what do we do know?’ question. This is the horizontal aspect of our relationship with God—the one another part.
In two weeks we are going to give everyone of you the opportunity to use the ‘staffs’ that God has given you “For God’s Kingdom” through SUMC through committing your life in several ways to Jesus.
Stewardship, i.e. using our staffs is multi-faceted. It includes your worship attendance, your prayer and devotional time, your involvement in our adult CALL classes, small groups, and Bible studies. It involves the ‘staff’ of your money—your income. All this is the vertical aspect of knowing Jesus.
Stewardship also involves your abilities, your time and your talents, your expertise, your knowledge, your passion and the things your love to do. This is your SHAPE.
Kathy, our Director of Equip Ministries, is going to address this aspect of our stewardship as Christians.
As
Jerry just mentioned, stewardship involves not only money – it
involves “all” that God has given to you. And God has given each
of us a unique SHAPE .
Some
of you may remember the sermon series we did last year on this.
We
looked at how God SHAPED us for a purpose. He didn't SHAPE
us just so we could be unique! He didn't put forth all that effort
just so we could be different. He did it for a purpose. He did it
so we would be shaped for significance, that our life would
matter, that we would make an impact in this world with
our lives. God SHAPED us to serve.
The
acronym SHAPE stands for:
S
– Spiritual Gift
A
special ability, given by the Holy Spirit to believers for the
purpose of serving others and building the body of Christ.
(What
am I gifted to do?)
H
– Heart
A
– Abilities
P
– Personality
E
– Experience
Those
parts of our past, both positive and painful, which God can use.
(Where
have I been, what has happened in my life and what have I learned?)
But
do you really understand God made you to serve? I know many of you
do. You give of your time and talents. You get it and you do it –
you don’t do it for yourself, you do it “For God’s Kingdom”.
Yet
there are many Christians who simply “go” to church on Sunday
mornings. They come with their hands in their pockets, they warm up
the bench/pew and they leave with their hands in their pockets. They
never get in to the game. Sadly they’re not understanding that
their hands need to go from here (in pockets) to here (hold out) –
if they’re ever going to love as Jesus loved and serve as Jesus
served. Let’s look at Paul’s letter to the Ephesians 2:10
“For
we are God’s workmanship (the
word is poh – a – ma in the Greek – it literally means
masterpiece) “created
in Christ Jesus to do good
works”
For
what? Good works! Paul doesn’t say we’re created to sit in
church
You
were created to do something – “for good works which God prepared
in advance for us to do”
In
other words, before you were ever born, God saw something in mind for
you and he has SHAPED your life accordingly and he gives you all the
tools necessary to do that.
But
if we keep showing up here on Sunday with our hands in our pockets,
just sitting and watching – something is desperately wrong.
Let
me paint this picture for you…..
Today,
some came today wearing this (it’s a bib)
-
this bib is what babies wear.
-
It says feed me, burp me, take care of me….it’s all about me.
-
And when you walk in to the church it’s pretty well feed me,
entertain me, make me cry, make me happy, sing my favorite song –
cause it’s all about me
-
Now listen, if you’re new here today….or your just staring out in
your Christian walk, it’s OK to wear a bib – cause life is messy.
And sometimes we need someone to help clean us up. And maybe that’s
why you’re here today. And we’re glad you’re here. Keep
coming back so we can help you.
-
But if you claim the name of Christ, if you say “I know Jesus” –
then a bib should be something of the past.
Yet,
some came today wearing what Jesus wore – an Apron.
-
Because somewhere along the way you got it.
-
And you understood it wasn’t about you.
-
You found a place to serve you feel good about and have found joy in
serving.
-
And you’re wearing what Jesus wore when he washed the disciples
feet.
And
do you know what I’d love to see as the months and years go on?
I’d
love to see every single person move from this (bib) to this (apron).
Because
when you get into this, you’re never gonna be the same again.
You
see the heart of the Lord Jesus is put this way in Mark Chap. 10 vs.
45 “For even the son of man did not come to be served, but
to serve” - That’s Jesus way of saying I didn’t come
wearing a bib, I came wearing an apron.
So
now let’s ask ourselves why there are many Christians not serving?
Why
is it so many still have a bib on? I think there are some very valid
reasons and I don’t think it’s that our hearts are so callous
toward God that we don’t want to serve – I think there are some
legitimate things going on in the body of Christ that we need to
acknowledge.
1)
I think one of the reasons we’re afraid to serve is “fear”.
-
I think there’s a fear of “what happens when I put that apron
on?”
-
But know you have been SHAPE’d by God and you have been given
certain gifts.
-
Don’t be afraid to say “Lord I want to know what it is that
you’ve created me to do – what you want me to do or at least
try”.
-
Don’t be afraid because we will help you in that journey.
-
SHAPE Class
2)
Another reason we don’t serve is “busyness”.
-
We’re so busy with the speed of life that we skim right over the
kingdom of God and
we become too busy building our own Kingdom.
-
We’re busy yeah….but what should matter the most to us is why God
created us and what He has created us for. It’s really a matter
of priority.
See
many of us want to serve but think we have to do it like others.
-
Some would want to preach like Billy Graham (or Jerry),
-
some would want to play piano like Dave or drums like Bob
-
Some might want to bring art and décor to the walls and rooms
of this building like Rachel Fabian – or the Devoe’s at
Christmas.
-
But you know what – listen here ‘cause I think we miss this –
God never asked you to be like anybody. God never called you to be
like anybody else.
You
see many of us think we have to be shaped perfectly.
(Like
Barbie – for the women).
-
We grow up as little girls believing this.
-
But let me show you how we are really shaped.
-
You are either a pear or an apple shape - You can decide your shape.
-
But the point is do not buy into the lie of “perfection” because
God didn’t make us that way…..he made each of us
unique/different.
-
Who are we to tell God “I’m not gonna serve because you didn’t
make me right or you didn’t make me like him or her.
-
He made you right, he made you just right – to serve him.
-
You belong in an apron, not a bib.
-
That means we’ve got to get out of the bib and we’ve got to put
an apron on.
There
is nothing that will bring you more peace than when you put an apron
on and begin to serve. Do you know why you’ll feel that peace?
-
Because that peace comes close to the reason why you were created.
-
It comes from doing what Jesus did.
Remember
Jesus – on the night he was betrayed – he had a thousand things
going thru his mind, like death and torture – and what did he do on
the night he was “betrayed”? He washed the disciples feet. Is
that not a servant? So do you know what I think Jesus would tell us
this morning? He’d tell us to get an apron. And this is what he’d
say “when you do - remember me”.
Let
me share something with you. There was a woman by the name of
Elaine. She used to sit right about here on Sunday mornings. For
the time I’ve known her and most of us have known her she wore an
Apron. Her gift was teaching and she loved it. In her later years
her health declined….she needed a walker to get from point A to
point B. Her voice was low. Could she serve in the nursery chasing
little ones? No probably not. Could she have done some other things
that may have required strength or what have you? No probably not.
But did she wear an apron until her last breath until she went home
to the Lord? You bet. Elaine never complained about what she
couldn’t do…she embraced what she could do. And she wore that
apron everyday.
The
reason I share this with you is because you would be shocked at what
ministry might be waiting on you. When you stop thinking ‘I can’t
do this’ and begin thinking but ‘I can do this’ – You
will be amazed at what God has in store for you.
As
you think about the full aspect of Stewardship, is it your desire to
honor God by serving Him, worshiping Him and giving to His Kingdom?
In two weeks, you’ll have opportunity to make those choices.
Is
it time for you to put this apron on?
Will
you stand with me as we sing “Lord I Give You My Heart”.