Serving God's Mission

Romans 12:1-8

God has given each of you gifts from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another (1 Pet 4:10, NLT)."

     For most of my life, I have had a deep longing to be a part of a Christ-centered community in which those things that usually divide human beings from other human beings will be broken down and we will be able to live in unity and peace.  Over the years, I’ve become convinced that this kind of unified and peace-filled community will never be brought about better laws, political maneuvering or military force but only by the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ operating within local churches like we long to be here at LAC.  Today, I seek to show you that one key to this kind of unity across racial, generational, gender, socio-economic and all other kinds of divisions is something very practical, i.e., that we learn to serve together toward the shared goal of furthering Christ’s kingdom in the world.  Listen to what Jeremy Rose said about that:

     When I was a freshman in high school, I went on my first trip to Mexico to build houses with other students from the youth group here at Lake.  Upper-classmen didn’t typically associate much with lower-classmen and we were always a mix of different grades and different ethnicities, and then we were all from different schools!   However, when we spent a few days together camping in the dirt and traveling each morning to the middle of a village to build a house, we became closer than you could ever expect.  And from that day forward, when I walked into the youth group room, I had deep bonds with many.  I was no longer a mere freshman sitting on the sidelines, I was a core member of the group.  And this sense of belonging has had a deep and lasting affect on my life.

     I am praying that all of you might experience what Jeremy gives testimony to.  So, we come to Romans 12:1-8. That Bible passage has played a central role in how I think about how God does his work in our individual lives, in our church as a whole and through our church to the world. He does it through church people serving.  Let’s let this great passage be a primer for us to about “serving God’s mission”.

Lesson 1:  When you come to God the Father through faith in Jesus, you also are made a member of his family.  In Christ, we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others…  (12:5)

   Look at how the Apostle Paul begins in v.1: “In view of God’s mercy, offer your bodies as living sacrifices…” If you read only Rom 12:1 on its own, you might think that following Jesus means that you make a private decision to believe in him and then, as the old gospel chorus said, “It’s just Jesus and me along life’s pathway.”  But No! Rom 12:1-2 lead directly to verses 3-8, verses that talk about how Jesus-followers are not only connected to God but also to other Jesus-followers! 

     The point is that, when we enter into a relationship with God, our Heavenly Father personally brings us into a larger family, into a body of people all of whom have been saved through faith in Jesus, indwelt by God’s Spirit, and called upon to serve one another.  That’s what we to be are here at LAC!!  So, followers of Jesus are not private religious hermits who sit at home and watch a preacher on TV.  Our Father calls us to be actively involved in a church family serving one another.  

     Ed Dayton, who once was a vital part of LAC, once said that “when we become believers, it creates a ‘You’ shaped hole in the Body of Christ that we are to fill. We use our gifts to enhance the Body for the glory of Christ, who presents us before the Father.

       Paul’s analogy of a physical body in Rom 12 is so vivid!  The liver and eyeball cannot live on their own.  Each one of us must be a part of a larger body functioning together with many other body parts in order to survive.  And, beautifully, each has a distinctive contribution to make to the metabolism and function of the body.  One needs the other.  In the same way, your response to the good news about Jesus is not simply one of coming to Jesus and walking with him alone. 

     Make note of this:  Part of your becoming complete in Christ is an essential connection, a commitment to serve others in the church.  Like a limb cut off from the body, you die without living and serving in your God-gifted place in the church.  So… do you seem to be making no progress in your walk with God?  One thing you that might be lacking is active involvement in his church.  When you serve others, you soon find you must depend on the Lord.  In that way, you bless others and, as you do, you grow stronger yourself.

Lesson 2: God commands you to evaluate humbly and honestly the role you should play in the church. Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but think of yourself with sober judgment (12:3).

    Don't miss the fact in v.3 that each one of us is ordered by Scripture to evaluate humbly and honestly what role God would have us play in the church. We all need to sit down with God’s Word and God's people and say, “At the great cost of the blood of Jesus, God has graciously made me a part of this local church family.  What role would God have play in it?”  If you don’t do this, the whole church will hurt because the very need you could fill is going unfilled – or must be filled by someone not gifted in that area.       

     This is what I want you to do today — even as I speak to you: Take a moment right now to ask God what role he would have you to play in service to further his mission in this world.  (I’ll pause here.)

      We need you and you need us!  Evaluate yourself prayerfully and then serve as God leads you and gives you opportunity.

Lesson 3:  You have a God-appointed role to play in your church family. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ… (12:4ff).

     These spiritual gifts we have: Who has given them?  (Not a hard question.)  The answer:  God.  God doesn’t give unimportant gifts!!  Each gift He gives is important for the life of the family.  The problem we humans have is that we tend to value certain gifts more than other gifts This tendency leads to some service in the church being devalued.  Biblically, our gifts are different only because God gave them differently.  If we could see with His eyes, we would see that each is significant.

    For example, churches like ours have often valued gifts like preaching, teaching and making music.  Those gifts are important! That’s true.  But other gifts are equally important.  Think of the body illustration:  It cannot be that this body of Christ should just be a big pair of lips – or one big tongue. 

     The point is that all God’s gifts are important.  No person is greater or more worthy simply because he or she has a particular gift.  Let me show you something from Exodus 31:1ff:  The LORD said to Moses, “See, I have chosen Bezalel, son of Uri… and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability, and knowledge to….”  To do what?  Unexpectedly, God gave a man a gift of His Spirit to be a craftsman – to build a facility of worship. 

     From this, we see that in the life of the God’s family people like carpenters and builders, those with financial acumen, those who understand matters related to the law, those who can design systems, etc. etc. can be doing God’s work to build up the local church.  That kind of service, done simply in service to the Lord, can be as spiritual as preaching.  So, today, 1) consider the place God would have you serve within the church.  And then, 2) consider also how you can serve the Lord when you leave church — by caring for those in your neighborhood or work, by using your Instagram account to give subtle witness to your love of Jesus, by mentoring kids in the schools, etc. etc.  You see, we have to broaden our notion of the gifts needed to further God’s mission.  God raises up people within the church and gives us the gifts we need to do whatever he calls us to do. I assure you of this: when you ask Jesus to come into your life, you will discover God gives his Spirit to you. And the Spirit of God empowers you to play a significant role in his mission in the world.

Lesson 4:  Begin serving and then let God’s family members help direct and encourage your service.

…if (a person’s) gift is ______, let him…..let him….let him….  (Verses 6b-8)

    When I was in high school, I told people I to study law. Over a period of months, several church members came to me and told me they thought God’s hand was on me for the pastoral ministry.  It was a small church.  They knew me well.  And God used the church family to direct me in the use of the pastoral gifts God had given.  Their words still rang in my ears as I left the university presidency to return to the pastorate 9 years ago.  The Bible teaches — and I’ve experienced personally — that God uses the people in the church family to help direct our lives.

    This sort of thing is somewhat challenging for a large church – but it is not impossible. So, here’s what I encourage you to do:  Find a place in church where you can begin serving – and then listen as others tell you what they see in you as you serve.  Paul says again and again, “If God has given a particular gift, let him, let him….”  You need to begin serving in some way so others can see something in you.  So, begin serving!

     Then, those you serve and serve alongside have to have the love and courage to tell you what they see when you serve. So, church family, please do this: If you experience people being used by God when they serve in church, then tell them how God is using them.

    And, I think the opposite is true.  If a person is no good at something, don’t let him.  This was applied to me in the first church I served.  I was living in a church-owned home.  One Sunday, after I had preached about Romans 12:1-8, we had a plumbing problem in the personage.  I tried to fix it personally.  I made such a mess of it that the chair of the trustees had to come to our house and spend hours undoing what I had done.  As he left he said, “Pastor Greg, I loved your sermon today on Rom 12.  That sermon really spoke to me — so now I’ll apply it to you:  You preach the sermons.  I’ll do the plumbing.”

    No man, woman, boy or girl has every gift.  It’s not only impossible to think this might be so – it’s unbiblical. God gives us different gifts in a church like ours specifically so that we will serve one another.  Just think about what happens when you serve as Romans 12 calls us all to serve:

1.  When you serve, you grow spiritually.  Over the past three weeks, we have said that the essential parts of growing to become complete in Christ here 1) worshiping in unity, 2) growing in grace-filled communities, and 3) serving God’s mission.  Participating in the worship and community life is our spiritual intake -- like eating food and getting the right amount of rest is physical intake.  But, physically, if you only eat and sleep, you will not grow to be strong — just large!  When we serve, we learn to trust God and we experience seeing the hand of God at work.  As exercise is to the body, so service is to your soul.
2. When you serve, you participate in something bigger than yourself.  Your life counts for eternity because you are doing the work of the Lord.  When you see the work of God’s Spirit through you, you experience the joy of the Lord.
3. When you serve, you draw closer to those you serve and to those with whom you serve.  Our closest and most trust-filled relationships are almost always forged when we work at something together.  Serving to accomplish a shared goal forges our lives together — like soldiers seeking to defeat an enemy, musicians creating a new song, athletes struggling play after play to win the Super Bowl.  When church people serve one another and serve alongside one another, we are drawn into the unity Jesus wants for us.

     This is what Pastor Bill Mead gives testimony to when he talks about alongside Peter Gazanian in the Emotionally Healthy Spirituality ministry or his service in the car ministry with the whole Rich Kasten family — Rich, Bia, Isaiah Talia, Seth and Skyler.  Pastor Bill says, “Through serving together, despite our age differences (many decades), we have moved from ministry colleagues to friends."

     It’s what Ministry Council member, Kathy Hollimon, spoke of when she wrote me: “Our Mission and Evangelism Division made a decision not just to have meetings together but also to serve together. For example, we sometimes take over serving at our LAC community meal.  We prepare the meal — and then we serve it together.  This has drawn us together and helped us get to know each other better in ways that sitting in meetings does not.  It has also given faces to many of the people in our neighborhood Jesus has called us to care for.   And the more we serve, the more we want to serve individually and corporately."

     Finally, it’s what the Executive Director of the Lake Avenue Community Foundation, Nancy Stiles, testified to me about:  "When I got to know Sandra, my mentee from our Teen Moms program, I went into the relationship thinking I had some things to share with her and teach her—parenting advice, spiritual advice, etc.  And while that was somewhat true, I also learned so much from her—resilience, hospitality, and a relentless commitment to making a better life for her daughter.  Seeing Scripture through her eyes was so amazing—and my own experience of Jesus’ love was enriched by seeing and hearing her experience HIS love. Walking together through life's challenges--challenges for both of us--has bound us together forever.”

      I want each one of you to experience the life-transforming reality of serving in God’s mission as a part of your local church family.  So, this week we’re going to show you some opportunities where you might serve at LAC.  Your life can make a difference here.  And… as you serve, you’ll grow.  It’s just the way God has made you.  Pastor Jeff Mattesich will now come to tell you how you might take your next step.

大使命的一部分：在神的大使命中事奉祂

羅馬書12：1-8

各人照所得的恩賜彼此服事，作神百般恩賜的好管家。（彼前4：10）

            在我大部分的人生裏，我深切地渴望自己能夠成為一個以基督為中心的團體之中的一員。那些通常會造成人們彼此分裂的那些因素，恰恰能使我們這樣的團體得享合一與平安。多年來，我堅信，這樣充滿合一和平安的團體，就是像我們這樣的教會，永遠都不會帶有政治計謀或為軍事力量所操控，而只會由耶穌基督福音的大能來運作。今天，我想告訴大家，假如一個團體囊括了不同種族、年齡，性別、社會地位和其它所有不同因素，而仍然能夠如此合一，關鍵就在於一個簡單而實用的因素，那就是，我們學習彼此服事，朝向我們共同的目標，在全地擴展基督的國度。請聽耶利米·羅斯說的這一段話：

            在我還是高中一年級新生的時候，我和湖邊教會青年團契的學生們第一次去墨西哥建造房子。高年級和低年級的人一般不太來往，但是我們卻常常都是由不同年級和種族的同學們混合起來，而且大家都來自不同的學校！然而當我們花了幾天的時間一同在泥地上露營、每個早晨一起去村莊之中建造房屋之後，我們竟然變得親密無間。從那時起，每當我走入青年團契的房間，我就與其中的很多人都有了很深的連結。我不再是一個局外的一年級新生，而是這個小組中的一個主要成員。這種歸屬感深遠地影響著我的生命。

        我向神禱告，希望你們所有的人都能經歷耶利米的見證中所說的。為此，我們要來一起讀羅馬書12：1-8。正是這段經文使我明白了神如何在我們每個人的生命中、在我們整個教會中、乃至在全地的教會中作工。祂的工作是藉著教會中人們的服事而成就的。讓我們將這段經文作為“在神的大使命中服事”的聖經根據。

        功課一: 當你藉著相信耶穌來到父神面前的時候，你同時也成為了祂家裏的一員。我們這許多人，在基督裏成為一身，互相聯絡作肢體，也是如此。（12：5）

            讓我們看看使徒保羅在第一節是怎樣開始這段經文的：“我以神的慈悲勸你們，將身體獻上，作為活祭。” 如果你只單獨念羅馬書12：1，你可能會想，跟隨耶穌就意味著你個人決定相信祂，就像一首老歌裏面唱的：只有耶穌與你同行生命之路”。其實並非如此！羅馬書12:1-2 直接引向3-8節，其中說到，耶穌的跟隨者不單與神聯結，還與其他耶穌的跟隨者相聯結！

        關鍵是，當我們進入與神的關系之中，我們的天父就親自將我們帶入一個大家庭，使我們成為一體、歸屬於一個團體，其中所有的人都靠著相信耶穌而得蒙救贖，有聖靈住在心中，蒙召彼此服事。這就是我們的教會！耶穌的跟隨者不是獨坐家中、在電視中看講道的個人修行者。我們的天父呼召我們積極參與教會之中，彼此服事。

            艾德·戴敦曾是湖邊教會的重要一員，他曾經說過，當我們成為信徒之後，在基督的身體中就會形成一個‘你’的形狀的洞，那是我們任何人都無法填充的。我們使用我們的恩賜來充實基督的身體，為要榮耀基督----那在父神面前代表我們的那一位。神其實並不需要我們，然而祂允許我們做祂的工，以使我們在祂的裏面成長，向世人彰顯祂的良善，並榮耀祂的名。

            保羅在羅馬書12章中提到的身體的比喻非常形象！肝臟和眼睛不能獨自存在。每個部分都必須與其它部分一起形成一個身體才能生存。更美的是，對於整個身體的新陳代謝和功能，每一部分都有獨特和重要的作用，彼此互相需要。同樣的，你對耶穌福音的回應，也不僅僅是獨自跟隨耶穌、與祂同行。

        請留意，若要在基督裏成為完全，其中一個部分就是重要的相互連結、並在教會中彼此服事的委身。若不在神所賜給你的教會中生活和服事，你就如同從身體中被割下的肢體一般。因此，你是否在與神同行中沒有任何進步？你所缺少的一件事，可能就是積極地參與祂的教會。當你服事他人的時候，你很快就會發現，你一定要依靠主。如此，你就成為他人的祝福，自己也會變得剛強。

功課二：神命令你謙卑並誠實地鑒定你在教會中當有的角色。不要看自己過於所當看的。要照著神所分給各人信心的大小，看得合乎中道。（12：3）

            不要忽略了第3節中提到的，聖經命令我們每個人，要謙卑誠實地鑒定神讓我們在教會之中扮演的角色。我們都需要坐下來、與神的子民一同讀神的話語，並說，“因著耶穌寶血的代價，因著神的恩典，祂使我成為這個教會大家庭中的一分子。神讓我在其中扮演什麽角色呢？”如果你不這樣做，整個教會就會蒙受損失，因為那只有你才能夠填補的需要將會無人填補，或者必須要由在那個方面沒有恩賜的人去填補。

这就是我今天想要让你做的，請你現在花一些時間，來求問神，祂想要讓你在敬拜中做什麽，來擴展祂在全地的大使命。

我們需要你，你也需要我們！用禱告的心鑒定你自己，跟隨神的帶領和祂賜你的機會來事奉祂。

功課三：在你的教會中，神為你指定了一個角色。正如我們一個身子上有好些肢體，肢體也不都是一樣的用處。（12：4）

            我們所擁有的這些屬靈的恩賜是誰賜下的？當然是神。神不會賜下不重要的恩賜！祂所賜給我們的每一個恩賜，對這個大家庭的生命都是重要的。我們的問題是，即使所有的恩賜都由神而來，我們仍會看重某些恩賜過於另一些恩賜，這樣做是錯誤的。這會降低某些恩賜的價值，根據聖經的教導，我們各自的恩賜不同，只是因為神的賞賜各有不同。如果我們能夠用神的眼光來看這些恩賜，我們就會知道，每種恩賜都是重要的。       

            比如，我們這樣的教會常會看重像講道、教導、和聖樂方面的恩賜。這些恩賜的確重要，但是其他的恩賜也同等重要。想一想身體的比喻：基督的身體不能光是兩片漂亮嘴唇，或是一個能說的舌頭。

            重點是，神的所有恩賜都是重要的。沒有人因為有特別的恩賜就更偉大、更有價值。讓我們一起看看出埃及記31：1，耶和華曉諭摩西說，看哪，猶大支派中，戶珥的孫子，烏利的兒子比撒列，……,我也以我的靈充滿他，使他有智慧，有聰明，有知識，能……”能做什麽？出人意料的是，神將祂的靈賜給一個人，讓他做工匠，建造敬拜之地。

            從這裏，我們可以看到，在神的家中，有些人是木匠、建築工人,有些人在財務上聰明過人，也有了解法律事務的，有能夠設計系統的等等，他們都能作神的工，建造教會。那樣的事奉，只要是為了服事主的緣故，都和講道一樣屬靈。所以今天，1) 讓我們想一想，神想要讓你在教會中什麽地方服事，2) 也要想一想，當你離開教會之後，你要怎樣事奉神，比如關心你的鄰居或同事，在網絡上見證你對耶穌的愛，輔導學校的孩子們等等。你看到了嗎？為了擴展神的使命，我們需要拓寬我們對於恩賜的理解。神在教會中將我們升高，賜給我們事奉所需要的恩賜，做祂呼召我們要做的事。我可以確定地告訴你，當你求耶穌進入你生命中的時候，你就會發現，神將祂的靈賜給你。神的靈會賜給你能力，使你在祂的大使命中承擔重要的責任。

功課四：開始服事，讓神家裏的人幫助、引導並鼓勵你的事奉。

……或做_______, 就当……就当……(6-8节)

當我還在讀高中的時候，我告訴人們我想將來去學習法律。幾個月之後，有幾個教會成員來告訴我，他們認為，神的手在我身上，為要帶領我去從事牧養事工。那是一個小教會。他們很了解我，神使用這個教會，引導我去使用神所賜給我的牧養恩賜。九年前，我離開了大學院長的職位，重新回到牧師的職分上，他們的話仍在我耳邊響起。這是聖經的教導，我已經親身經歷了。神會使用教會的人，幫助和引導我們的生命。

對於一個大教會來說，這件事具有一定的挑戰性，但並不是不可能。因此，我願意這樣鼓勵你：在教會找到一個你可以開始服事的地方，然後在你服事的過程中，仔細傾聽別人告訴你，他們在你的事奉中所看到的你的恩賜。保羅曾一再強調，“如果神賜給人一個特別的恩賜，就当讓他事奉......”你需要以某種方式開始你的事奉，而使其他人能在其中看到你的恩賜。所以，請你開始服事主！你所服事的人群，以及與你一同事奉的人必須有愛心和勇氣來告訴你，他們在你的服事中看到了什麽。因此，教會中的弟兄姐妹們，請你這樣做：如果你遇到在事奉教會時正在蒙神使用的人，你應當告訴他們，神是如何使用他們的。

反之也是正確的。如果一個人在某些事上並不擅長，就不要讓他去做。這一點適用於我在第一間教會的事奉。我當時住在教會的房子裏。有一個主日，在我講完羅馬書12：1-8之後回到住處，發現水管管道有問題。我試圖親自修復它。結果我將那裏弄得一團糟，以致房管部的主席不得不來到我的住處，花上幾個小時將我所做的全部復原。他臨走的時候說：“Greg牧師，我非常喜歡你今天關於羅馬書12章的講道。這篇講道實在是針對我講的。所以現在我要把它應用到你身上：你還是來宣講神的道，我來修理管道”。

無論男人，女人，男孩或女孩都不可能具有每一種恩賜。這樣的想法是不正確、也是不符合聖經的。神在教會中分別給了我們每個人不同的恩賜，使我們能夠彼此服事。試想，當你像羅馬書12章所說的那樣去服事的話，將會發生什麽：

第一，在事奉中，你的靈性會成長。在過去的三個星期裏，我們已經在這裏講過，生命

成長直至在基督裏成為完全的關鍵是：1）合一的敬拜，2）在充滿恩典的群體中成長， 3）做好神的宣教事工。參與崇拜和屬靈團體的生活是我們靈命的營養，正如吃食物和獲得適當休息是給予身體的營養。但是，對於身體來說，如果你只是吃和睡，你不會長得強壯，而僅僅只是虛胖！在我們的事奉中，我們學會信靠神、經歷並看到神的手在做工。正如體育運動對有益於身體一樣，這樣的事奉則對你的心靈有益。

第二、當你投入事奉時，你所參與的事情要大過你的自我。你的生命具有永恒的價值，

因為你是在做主的工作。當你看到神的聖靈通過你來作工，你就會經歷到主的喜樂。

第三，當你投入事奉，你會更接近你所事奉的人以及與你一同事奉的人。人與人之間最

親密、最能充滿信任的關系，通常都是在一同工作時建立起來的。為實現一個共同的目標而事奉，會使我們的生命一起被建造。就像士兵要打敗敵人，音樂家要創作新的歌曲，運動員奮力拼搏為要贏得超級獎杯。當教會的人們彼此服事、共同事奉時，是為要進入耶穌所希望的合一之中。

     比爾·米德牧師見證了他與彼得·卡紮尼亞一起創建的“情感健康靈性事工”，或與賴斯·卡斯滕整個家族一起建立的汽車事工。這個家族中有賴斯，比亞，以賽亞·塔利亞，塞特和斯凱勒。比爾牧師說，“通過同心合一的事奉，盡管我們年齡有差異（幾十年），我們從事工中的同事變為了朋友。”

     下面就是教牧委員會委員之一，凱西·荷莉蒙在寫給我的信中所說的：“我們的宣教和布道部門決定，我們不僅要在一起開會，而且要在一起事奉。例如，我們有時會擔負起為湖邊教會預備飯食的事工。我們準備食物，然後就一同來分派。這使得我們對彼此之間的了解，要多過大家坐在一起開會時相互的了解。這也讓我們認識了周圍的許多鄰舍，他們正是耶穌呼召我們去關心的人們，我們事奉得越多，就越想要事奉，無論是單獨事奉還是一同事奉。”

     最後，湖邊大道社區基金會的執行主任南希·斯泰爾斯曾對我談到過這樣的見證：“桑德拉是我們“青少年媽媽”這個項目的成員，在我剛認識她的時候，我覺得我可以在為人父母和靈性成長方面和她分享並且教導她。我的確在某些方面對她有所幫助，但我也從她那裏學到了很多的東西，比如韌性、熱情好客，以及她為了女兒生命的成長，而堅持不懈的委身。通過她的視角所看到的聖經是如此的精彩，在看到和聽到她對耶穌的愛的經歷之後，我自己對耶穌的愛的體驗也被充實了。一同走過人生的挑戰之後，我們兩人的生命已經永遠聯系在一起。

我希望你們每個人，作為所屬教會的一員,在事奉神的事工中，都能經歷到生命真實的改變。因此，這周我們會分享一些在湖邊教會事奉主的機會。你的生命可以在這裏有所作為。並且當你事奉的時候，你就會成長。這正是神給你預備的道路。傑夫·馬泰斯基牧師現在要來告訴你，你應如何邁出下一步。

榮耀歸給神，

Greg Waybright 博士

主任牧師

祂的荣耀，

格雷格Waybright博士
主任牧師

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