A Compelled or Committed Disciple?…Dec. 29th

As a young boy I remember my parents telling me, “You don’t have to do the chores, you get to.” My opinion was not that I was being honored by the work, but I was being compelled to do it. My dad’s opinion was just the opposite. If I wanted the benefits of eating mom’s cooking and the privilege of sleeping in a warm bed, then I would show my commitment to the family. I would get to do my chores. We often see what lies before us as a ‘have to’ task. But is that our focus in the church?

Matthew, Mark and Luke all record a certain man who helped Jesus carry His cross, Simon of Cyrene. But as you read the passage, he wasn’t a ‘put me in coach, I’m ready to play’ type of guy. He was “…pressed into service to bear the cross.” (Matthew 27:32) Though we don’t know his heart, Simon was compelled to serve. As a disciple of Christ, are you pressed into service or are you doing your task because you’re committed to the family?

“…I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also.” I Corinthians 14:15

Sunday morning, December 29, 2013

The following songs are found in the hymnal, Songs of Faith & Praise.

“I Stand in Awe” 96

A song to open our worship to God which calls upon us to proclaim our adoration to Him. To not only say “Holy God”, but to stand in awe of Him. We’ll stand physically, but how is your posture spiritual? When the world sees you outside of Sunday morning, do you stand in awe of Him?

“Leaning on the Everlasting Arms” – 589

This old song will transition us from standing in awe of our Father to the realization that I can’t stand without Him. And I’m not alone. Each of us, when we’re truthful, know we must lean on His arms. When we understand that (when we sing it), we’re in fellowship.

“Holy, Holy, Holy” – 47

This old hymn, sung to Him, echoes the scene from Revelation 4 as we sing around the throne of God. ‘Holy, Holy, Holy!” For our edification we’ll have the soprano sing the first verse and add each part as we sing each verse. not to miss the message notice the third verse, “…tho (even though) the darkness hide Thee, Tho the eye of sinful man Thy glory can not see (even though sinful man can not see Your glory…only You are Holy). Only Thou art holy, there is none beside Thee, perfect in power, in love and purity.”

“Must Jesus Bear the Cross Alone” – 319

As we consider the topic for this morning, and as we prepare our minds and hearts for the Lord’s Supper, we sing this about service. Written over 300 years ago, this message calls believers to ‘take up the cross’ (Matt. 16) and serve! Jesus carried the cross so we could see resurrection day. Are we willing to “deny himself (ourselves), take up his (our) cross and follow Me” (Jesus)?

“Beneath the Cross” – 314

“Beneath the Cross of Jesus I fain would take my stand…” Do you know what you’re singing? What did you mean when you said I would “fain” take my stand beneath Jesus’ cross? The poetry is saying, ‘I’m glad to stand up for the death of Jesus.’ What about, “O safe and happy shelter, O refuge tried and sweet, O trysting place where heaven’s love and heaven’s justice meet.” Trysting place…what is that mean? By definition; an agreed upon place where two come together. In this song, heaven’s love and heaven’s justice met at Calvary.

“I Want to Be a Worker” – no book

Before our lesson this morning it seems only fitting to sing about being a worker. How we will work is our own, individual decision. The verses give us some suggestions; “I want to be a worker (who will) love and trust His holy word…I want to be a worker every day…I want to be a worker strong and brave.” The chorus is our proclamation, “I will work, I will pray in the vineyard of the Lord!”

“Where He Leads Me I Will Follow” – 876

Not under compulsion, but willingly do we sing this song, “Where He leads me I will follow…” A simple song that indicates my life in Christ, my work in His kingdom, is not compelled but committed.

“To the Work, To the Work” – no book

We’ll conclude our together with a song that encourages us to get out there and get to work. We’re not made to bear His cross and we don’t have to ‘do our chores’, but as ‘servants of God’, disciples of Christ, we must be committed! The chorus is a beautiful echo of unity, “Toiling on, toiling on…let us hope, trust, watch, pray and labor till the Master comes.” Christ will return and we’ll either be serving because we had to, or because we wanted to.

1, November 2, 20121, October 15, 2012

Using Your God-Given Talents…Part 3

As we conclude this three part series let’s discuss the use of our talents. Being involved is more than just doing a little here or there. It’s a life style of giving God my ALL. Jesus gave His life for me, should I give Him anything less than my life?

Christ tells the parable of the three men who were each given talents “according to his ability.” As we read Matthew 25 we see that two of the men labored in such a way as to double their talents, and in the end they were praised for their work. This serves as a clear example of what we should be doing with what God has entrusted to us. The third man, however, buried his head in the sand and did nothing with the talent his lord had given him. Consider the consequences for this action: “You wicked, lazy slave…Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness…” (Matthew 25:26, 30) Folks, we all have talents! God has blessed you with talents that He might not have blessed me with. Perhaps I have talents that you don’t have…how will we use what God has given us?

Recently, one of our senior members here at Waterview encouraged some of her friends to come together each week and take a hot meal to one of our elderly shut-ins. An elderly, aging senior is blessed by the compassion of her friends, and these friends in their golden years are still serving. It would be easy to sit back and say, “Somebody should do that,” but these senior sisters are serving the Lord’s church! Another member here serves the younger people with letters of encouragement, hugs of sincerity and has an attendance record that models faithfulness. Others within our Prime Timer’s Ministry meet monthly to encourage each other and reach out to those in declining health. Perhaps Mr. Spencer was right when he wrote, “There is much to do, there’s work on every hand. Hark! The cry for help comes ringing through the land; Jesus calls for reapers, I must active be. What wilt Thou (what do you want me to do), O Master? Here am I, send me.”

So what does your schedule look like today? What will you be doing when it comes to the kingdom? Christians young and old will be faced with new opportunities today. We must ask ourselves if we are willing to work and labor for our Lord only while it’s convenient, or if we’ll work till Jesus comes. Many of our older brothers and sisters are weary and have spent their lives working in the service of the King. THANK YOU for your example, but let me encourage you to keep on serving and remember your goal.

“O land of rest, for thee I sigh! When will the moment come, when I shall lay my armor by and dwell in peace at home? We’ll work till Jesus comes…and we’ll be gathered home.”

My life is much more than just getting up and going to work. The student studies hard to ‘make the grade’, but how much time do we give in preparing ourselves for the FINAL? Sitting back and expecting others to do the work God calls us to do is a dangerous option at best.
Would that each of us use our God-Given Talents…

1, July 26, 20121, July 23, 2012

Doing Chores…Part Two

What kind of chores do you have? You know that we all have work to do, and in an earlier article we discussed a two-fold idea of ‘doing chores’.

The idea of working on the farm (doing chores) and how we, through God’s Word, are referred to as sheep. Understand this clearly, we are sheep, and at the same time we have an obligation to tend sheep. How can we be expected to do both? Can we be sheep and at the same time be ‘shepherd’ sheep?

Perhaps the following song, written in the 1960s by Robert Arnold and Clyde Williams, gives the details of our task, our chore, when it comes to working with sheep. Though not often sung in our congregations today, this song speaks to us about doing our chores. The basis for this song is found in John 21:15-17; “So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?’ He said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord: You know that I love You.’ He said to him, ‘Tend My lambs.’ He said to him again a second time, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love Me?’ He said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.’ He said to him, ‘Shepherd My sheep.’ He said to him the third time, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love Me?’ Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, ‘Do you love Me?’ And he said to Him, ‘Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Tend My sheep.’ ” Referencing Christ’s discussion with Peter by the Sea of Galilee, you’ll notice this song of encouragement is really Christ telling Peter (and us) to bring those who are lost back to Him. If we love Him, we will be doing our chores and tending His sheep. Perhaps we need to examine ourselves and see who we really love.

“In the good Book we’re told how to the saints of old, Jesus said, ‘Go feed My sheep;’
As He commanded then, we’ll be commanded when Jesus says children feed My sheep.

Chorus:
Lovest thou Me, My child, more than these? (repeat)
These are the words Peter of old, by our Lord then was told,
And today, Jesus says, these are My sheep.
Lovest thou Me, My child, more than these? (repeat)
As of old, so today, Hear the Lord, He will say,
Lovest thou Me, more than these?
Feed My sheep!

“Jesus commanded those, who would obey His call, ‘Go the lost and bring them in.’
Bring ye the wanderers home, wherever they may roam, Help them eternal life to win.

There are chores to be done no doubt. And like those years of my youth on a small, rural farm in the 70’s, you too have a chore. But unlike those early years, you have a choice. You don’t have to do your chores. You can skip out on ‘tending the sheep’ and just play around in the garden. If that’s the road you take you need to remember this; one day you’ll be ask how you did with your chores? Did you love your Father and obey His directive? Did you (do you) really love Him? We can answer like Peter did, “Yes, Lord! I love You…” But the results of your labor will be the real answer to the question, “Lovest Thou Me?” When we love our God, we’ll be doing our chores!