Fresh Speaking
(Nancy's notes from Lord's Day fellowship, Mar. 7, 2010)
The Lord saw a treasure and sold all to buy it. This treasure has been echoing in His heart from the dawn of time! For this He created man. This treasure has been in His heart for eternity. He desires a masterpiece. God saw something and He did something about it. He gave His only begotten Son. He was motivated because of this treasure. He gave the resources (His Son) needed to gain this treasure.
Matt. 13:44-46
"The kingdom of the heavens is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid, and in his joy goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of the heavens is like a merchant seeking fine pearls; and finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it."
God saw something in us. We are that treasure, that pearl. He bought us on the cross. This is a free gift. All we do is believe and it is ours. But this doesn't give God His building. We are just the resources to build. To have a life geared toward what God is after makes our lives so much more worthwhile! Hallelujah!! We are a part of what God is doing.
Matt. 25:14-15
"For the kingdom of the heavens is just like a man about to go abroad, who called his own slaves and delivered to them his possessions. To one he gave five talents, and to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability. And he went abroad."
Christ came, purchased us, and delivered something to us. He charged us. Some he gave five talents, some two, and some one. Five talents-apostles- for the perfecting of the saints. We may have only one talent, but this is for the body.
Eph. 4:16
"Out from whom all the Body, being joined together and being knit together through every joint of the rich supply and through the operation in the measure of each one part, causes the growth of the Body unto the building up of itself in love."
Through the operation of each one part-always a problem. "I might make a mistake!" So you bury your talent. You want someone Else's talent. Each one part is always a frustration to God. God has co-laborers to bring us into the body. He also has given us a talent according to our ability. We all have a part. Even just one "paint stroke"! How precious to Him. This is the treasure He is after! We look at others and say "Wow, God has really given that one a measure!" God says,"I have also given you a measure!" Don't worry about someone Else's measure, take care of your measure. Then the Lord is happy.
Rom. 12:1-3
"I exhort you therefore, brothers, through the compassions of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be fashioned according to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and well pleasing and perfect. For I say, through the grace given to me, to every one who is among you, not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think, but to think so as to be sober-minded, as God apportioned to each a measure of faith."
I exhort you - only you know what the Lord has brought you through. "The compassions (mercies) of God." Present your bodies. "Here I am Lord!" Living sacrifice - not dead. "Lord, I'm here for Your treasure, Your masterpiece!" That is your reasonable (logical) service. Just as children love their parents - it is the logical thing to do as they are the ones caring for you. Don't be fashioned according to this age.
God is so big! He should never be boxed in. He is so big! How boring it would be if we all had the same experiences. (yawn ) God is not boring! Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Our way of thinking and doing things needs to be changed. Not to think more highly of himself. We can think ourselves right out of the function of the Lord. We go home and dig a hole and bury our gifts. Think as a sober-minded person. I am never going to be a Billy Graham. Think according to being a one talented member. According to the measure of faith. He sought us, and is still seeking us to meet up to the measure He has given us. Live according to the measure of faith that He has given us. Don't try to go beyond your measure.
To be faithful to the measure God has given is not an easy thing. Our measure is so crucial. There is an exercise of faith for our portion. Think of church history, full of those with a "Hallmark" measure of faith. (Billy Graham, etc.) We are the one talented members. Our measure is unto the building up of the Body of Christ. This is the goal! Somehow the Lord has advanced us to this place. We all have our problems and dispositions. Look at Wesley and Whitfield. They were a pain in the neck! They had to be that way to do what they did. Whitfield preached down in the coal mines and many were saved! Then Wesley, who was more organized, was able to care for all these new believers. Developed many methods. That was the progression of the kingdom at that time.
What is your portion? We can't tell you. You have to go to the Lord. We are the biggest hindrance. Others functions make us uncomfortable. "I can't do that." You may be just a "little pinky finger" to itch inside my ear! You are needed. New believers have no problem just enjoying the Lord. As we learn things, we start to think and consider so many things. We feel like we have no place. We don't even know what the Lord can do! Can we just spend time with Him? Some physically can not make the prayer meeting. Just be faithful in what you can do. We sometimes lay a guilt trip on others. Mike once rebuked his mom for not going to a prayer meeting, not taking into consideration that she worked all day and came home to care for the family, etc. She told him she would be praying at home. He was touched by the Lord to see that most likely she was praying more than he did at the prayer meeting! This brought him to repent and to go to his mom to apologize.
The Lord is opening new doors that we can not define, but we know it is so much more than what has been. If we could just be with the Lord, and respond to Him! If what we do is not related to God's goal, then what is it? If this is part of what God is doing, I want to be part of it! He is so big! Bigger than church history! How He operates is different from locality to locality. What will the Lord do here? Can we just be free to allow the Lord to operate?
Rom. 12:4-8
"For just as in one body we have many members, and all the members do not have the same function, so we who are many are one Body in Christ, and individually members one of another. And having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;or service, let us be faithful in that service; or he who teaches, in that teaching; or he who exhorts, in that exhortation; he who gives, in simplicity; he who leads, in diligence; he who shows mercy, in cheerfulness."
Can you see the wide gamete of things the Lord is able to do if every member functions? The diversity of things He is able to do, leads to Christ being ministered for the building. Our root here is not away from the Spirit, but let us co-operate and see what the Lord will lead us into. Sometimes we are held back by our history - (already tried that!). We need to be free, have a sober mind and be for one another. Be encouraged that a bunch of "zeros" took another step in what God is doing!
(Judy's notes from Lord's Day fellowship, Mar. 7, 2010)
The meeting was very touching. I felt it was the Lord calling out to each of us to cherish the portion the Lord has given to us and the portion He's given to others ... to each of us was given. So many times we want to do something "grand", but that might not be our portion - He is calling us to exercise the portion He's allotted to us. We should not to feel like it's not good enough and bury it! We need to have confidence and exercise what is within us. Christ has given us Himself, but each of our experiences in our human life are different. I have gone through things in my life that no one else has gone through, the same with you. In addition, we have different experiences of Christ. The result is that the Lord will be expressed through us in various ways.
As we are loving the Lord, being in the Word, enjoying Him, spontaneously He will come out - we may not even be aware of it! How touching it is when a sister cheerfully answers the phone, "Good morning". This may seem so simple, but when that "Good morning" is mingled with Christ, how watered we can be! In other words, don't look down at what you have! We need to exercise our portion, large or small, and, if in the process we make mistakes, this still gives the Lord the way for us to be perfected, paving the way for what He has given us come out.
Also, we shouldn't look at someone else's portion either coveting it or demeaning it - that portion has been given to them, not to us. In church history, there have been some five talented ones, but actually when you consider the millions, and millions of believers, there really aren't that many that stand out, (thank the Lord that there have been some whom the Lord has given to perfect us!). Mainly though, what are there? Faithful ones! Because of these ones, we are here today loving our Lord! May we too be faithful to what the Lord has given to each of us.
I was particularly touched that we shouldn't be critical of one another, or to judge, or impose how we think that person should be. A very touching example was given of how, when a brother was young, he criticized his mom. She had to commute to a difficult job, come home, and then care for the family. One night she felt she was too exhausted to make the prayer meeting. The brother rebuked his mom, but she told him she would be home praying. On his way to the meeting, the Lord came to the brother, speaking to him that yes, he was going to a prayer meeting, but in actuality, his mom would be at home, praying more than he would! He was so touched by this, and he, knowing the preciousness of his mom, realized how true this was. When he came home that night, he had to apologize to his mom. This experience stuck with him all his life and has affected his attitude towards others.
Over the years, we have all gotten older, we have responsibilities we didn't have when we were young - caring for children, grandchildren, elderly parents, physical limitations, financial limitations, etc. - in whatever our situation, may we find our own portion, as well as to appreciate the place the Lord has for others. We are all in a different place than we were years ago, and so are others. May we allow the Lord the freedom to be expressed through us in whatever way He would have for us. The Lord is broad! May we not limit Him by our concepts. May we give both ourselves and others latitude that we would not restrict Him. The Lord is moving on in the very place where we find ourselves - may we move on with Him, and exercise accordingly. May we treasure the Christ in ourselves and the Christ in others that His church would be built!