A Word about the Church as A Ministering Creation

 

Today I want to share a word about the church as a ministering creation.

We have been looking at “Kingdom Qualities for God’s Church”.  In doing so, we’ve seen how the church has a divine nature, and we also have seen several operational qualities of the church. The fact that the church is both a worshipping creation and a praying creation gives it a solid foundation for ministry. In our last episode, we also saw that God intends the church to be a maturing creation as it grows in numbers and in discipleship, so that it can be effective as a missionary creation and a witnessing creation. In our focal passage for today, we will see another powerful aspect of our ministry, as we realize that the church is a ministering creation as well.

Sometimes the people we expect to help us turn out to do just the opposite.   Paul Harvey has told the story of a man who traveled often, and just about every time he was gone, his house was burgled.  One day the thefts stopped, because his travel agent had been arrested!

Among the charges Jesus has given to the church, an important one is to meet human needs, to help people.  As we continue to study Kingdom Qualities for God’s Church, today we are going to look at our commission to minister. Let’s read Isaiah 49:1-13:

Coastlands, listen to me; distant peoples, pay attention. The Lord called me before I was born. He named me while I was in my mother’s womb. He made my words like a sharp sword. He hid me in the shadow of His hand. He made me like a sharpened arrow; He hid me in His quiver. He said to me, “You are My Servant, Israel; I will be glorified in him.” But I myself said: I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and futility; yet my vindication is with the Lord, and my reward is with my God. And now, says the Lord, who formed me from the womb to be His Servant, to bring Jacob back to Him so that Israel might be gathered to Him; for I am honored in the sight of the Lord, and my God is my strength—He says, “It is not enough for you to be My Servant raising up the tribes of Jacob and restoring the protected ones of Israel. I will also make you a light for the nations, to be My salvation to the ends of the earth.” This is what the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, his Holy One, says to one who is despised, to one abhorred by people, to a servant of rulers: “Kings will see and stand up, and princes will bow down, because of the Lord, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel—and He has chosen you.” This is what the Lord says: I will answer you in a time of favor, and I will help you in the day of salvation. I will keep you, and I will appoint you to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land, to make them possess the desolate inheritances, saying to the prisoners: Come out, and to those who are in darkness: Show yourselves. They will feed along the pathways, and their pastures will be on all the barren heights. They will not hunger or thirst, the scorching heat or sun will not strike them; for their compassionate One will guide them, and lead them to springs of water. I will make all My mountains into a road, and My highways will be raised up. See, these will come from far away, from the north and from the west, and from the land of Sinim. Shout for joy, you heavens! Earth, rejoice! Mountains break into joyful shouts! For the Lord has comforted His people, and will have compassion on His afflicted ones.

The Appointment to Servanthood:

Verses one through five tell us about an appointment from God to a role that may not be a natural one for us. My experience with people tells me that few folks seek out the role of servant. This is particularly true with Americans, because we have inherited a spirit of “rugged individualism” from our Revolutionary forefathers, but few people across the world would become servants voluntarily if other options were available to them.

Most servants in the Bible were captured in war or born into it as the children of bond servants. Others were sold into slavery to pay-off debts. Servanthood is not glamorous, nor is it sought after. Most people, when confronted with the idea of being appointed as a servant, would react like a child who had not done their homework, hiding from the teacher and afraid of being called.

In John 12:25-26, Jesus taught His disciples to have a different attitude towards service:

The one who loves his life will lose it, and the one who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me. Where I am, there My servant also will be. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.

He echoed this thought during the Last Supper, in Luke 22:24-27.

Then a dispute also arose among them about who should be considered the greatest. But He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles dominate them, and those who have authority over them are called ‘Benefactors.’ But it must not be like that among you. On the contrary, whoever is greatest among you must become like the youngest, and whoever leads, like the one serving. For who is greater, the one at the table or the one serving? Isn’t it the one at the table? But I am among you as the One who serves.

Whatever we may think of service, the reality is that our God is the Sovereign God of the universe and God calls servants. Some servants of God are individuals, like, Abram, Isaac and Jacob, but also David, Nehemiah, Isaiah, John the Baptist, the twelve disciples, Paul, or Priscilla and Aquilla. Some servants of God are nations, such as Israel, and others are congregations of people like the church. Regardless of whom God calls, He expects to be answered!

What Isaiah knew, and what we must come to grips with ourselves, is that God’s call cannot be denied. Isaiah knew he was called from the womb and so are we. We can resist God’s call, but it is still there. Once, after U.S. forces had captured some international terrorists, President Ronald Reagan advised potential terrorists in the world that, “You can run, but you can’t hide.” That may not always be true for terrorists, but it is true with God, as the story of Jonah attests!

What are we to do? We need to answer the call to servanthood.

The Authority of the Servant:

Verses two, five, and six show us the authority of a servant of God. The idea that a servant might have authority could be surprising to us, because of the very nature of servanthood. Biblical servants were personally insignificant. Generally, they had no money, power, or authority. Many did not even exercise control over their own body, spouse, or children.

Paradoxically, servants, who have no personal authority, can often exercise great authority, just not their own. Servants can, and usually do, have authority delegated to them from their master in varying amounts. When they speak in that instance it’s as if the master himself spoke. I once saw a housekeeper in Africa excoriating a watchman for being late to work and sleeping on duty. The housekeeper was a woman, and in that society, women would never speak to a man publicly in the way that she did. In that case, however, she was representing the owner of the property, and so she gave the watchman a thorough verbal thrashing!

In our case, we represent God. We are stewards of His name and His ministry on earth and because we represent Him, we have a certain authority. Verse two also tells us that He provides us the tools and training to do our work for Him, and Verse five says that He has our back!

I remember the first time I led the Lord’s Supper as a pastor. I met with the church deacons before the worship service to rehearse how we would administer communion. One of them must have thought that I looked a little nervous and said, “Don’t worry, we’ve got your back.”  I am not quite sure how that would apply in a worship service, but I took comfort in it, regardless!

What are we to do? We need to exercise the authority given to us by God as His servants. We need to represent Him well, and like Jesus, be about our Father’s business.

The Assignment of the Servant:

One very important thing that servants need to know is their assignment. When people are misused, their efforts are wasted.

In the late 1990s, a marble bust was discovered being used as a doorstop in a shed in the town of Invergordon, Scotland. It had been purchased by the town council back in the 1930s for the dollar equivalent of $6, but its significance had been forgotten over the decades. The bust was casually holding open a door until someone finally recognized its true value.

As it turned out, it was a masterpiece by Edmé Bouchardon, a celebrated 18th-century French sculptor who worked in the court of King Louis XV. The bust depicted John Gordon, a Scottish landowner believed to be the founder of Invergordon. Bouchardon sculpted it in Rome in 1728, and it had originally been housed in the Gordon family’s castle before being sold at auction.

After its rediscovery, the bust was authenticated and valued at around $3.2 million. The Highland Council eventually agreed to sell it to a private buyer through Sotheby’s, with proceeds going back to the town that unknowingly safeguarded a treasure for nearly a century.

That story ended well, but what if the correct nature of that marble bust had never been discovered? What a waste!

As servants of God, we must clearly understand our assignment. We must understand what it is we are to do, and that is this: it is to do the Master’s work for Him. It is to take care of the master’s business. It is to be an extension of the master. The British have a saying that applies here, 

Why have a dog and bark yourself?

God has called out people to be His servants, and we should not expect Him to do what He has asked us to do. 

What did God expect Isaiah to do? Isaiah was told to edify God’s people, and to witness to the Gentiles, and to minister to those in need. What does God expect us to do? The same types of things. We are to edify believers, witness to the lost, and to minister to those in need. These assignments are congruent with other passages of Scripture as well. Micah 6:8 says,

Mankind, He has told you what is good and what it is the Lord requires of you: to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God.

Of course, servants must be humble, but we also must do good as well! In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus was clear and to the point, saying, 

You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. For He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing out of the ordinary? Don’t even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Paul taught about our service in Romans 12:1-4 & 9-13:

Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one . . . Love must be without hypocrisy. Detest evil; cling to what is good. Show family affection to one another with brotherly love. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lack diligence; be fervent in spirit; serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer. Share with the saints in their needs; pursue hospitality.

What are we to do? We are to carry out our assignments!

The Accountability of the Servant:

Like every good master, God will hold us accountable for our service. Jesus told many parables which refer to this, such as: 

• The Parable of the Wise Servant in Luke 12 
• The Parable of the Unjust Servant in Luke 16
• The Parable of the Double-Duty Servant in Luke 17
• The Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25

All of these demonstrate that as servants, we are accountable to our Lord and Master, but Jesus taught us directly about this, in Matthew 25:31-46,

“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you took care of Me; I was in prison and you visited Me.’ “Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink?  When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or without clothes and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and visit You?’  “And the King will answer them, ‘I assure you: Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’ Then He will also say to those on the left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels! For I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger and you didn’t take Me in; I was naked and you didn’t clothe Me, sick and in prison and you didn’t take care of Me.’ “Then they too will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or without clothes, or sick, or in prison, and not help You?’ “Then He will answer them, ‘I assure you: Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me either.’ “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

James, the half-brother of Jesus and the pastor of the church at Jerusalem told his congregation that having a servant’s heart was evidence of salvation. James 1:27 says,

Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

In James 2:14-22 he went on to teach,

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can his faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you don’t give them what the body needs, what good is it? In the same way faith, if it doesn’t have works, is dead by itself. But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith from my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. The demons also believe—and they shudder. Foolish man! Are you willing to learn that faith without works is useless? Wasn’t Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?  You see that faith was active together with his works, and by works, faith was perfected.

Our God has saved us through the blood of Christ, and because we are bought with a price, we are not our own. We belong to God, and our God will discipline us as Proverbs 3:11-12 teaches,

Do not despise the Lord’s instruction, my son, and do not loathe His discipline; for the Lord disciplines the one He loves, just as a father, the son he delights in.

Hebrews 10:31 reminds us that,

It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God!

What are we to do? We are to serve our Lord with dedication and honor!

Conclusion:

It is a common practice for church pastors to give a vision of their church which proclaims, “Every member is a minister,” or that “Every member is a missionary.” This is a good concept, but some, or maybe many members might say, “Not me! I am not a preacher! I don’t even want to pray aloud in public.”

The key issue is not what we do, but the attitude of our heart. We must first become servants of the Almighty God, and then we can be used of Him in ministry. As 1 Peter 4:10-11 says,

Based on the gift each one has received, use it to serve others, as good managers of the varied grace of God. If anyone speaks, it should be as one who speaks God’s words; if anyone serves, it should be from the strength God provides, so that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ in everything. To Him belong the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt