Pastor’s Page
Volume 10 Week 44
Reformation Day Is
Extraordinary Servant Day!
Extraordinary Service By
Every Child Of God Is A Reformation Foundation!
On
The revolution began with the simple act of asking for a debate on the gospel, a discussion to clarify the Bible’s teaching that we are saved from our sins, death and the devil by God’s good will, not by our merit. The 95 Theses were points for guiding that discussion. When it was all over, the Christian Church had been “reformed,” that is brought back to the teaching of Jesus and the apostles that salvation is the free gift of God.
Someone once said that the Reformation could be summarized by the two great consequences that resulted for the people in the pews. That’s you. The Reformation is not a pastor thing. It’s a people thing.
Extraordinary Servants!
The first consequence is taking the treasure of the gospel, the news of the saving love of Christ, away from the pastors and placing it in the hands of the people. The pure and unfettered gift of God’s love is a possession of every baptized, redeemed child of God. It does not belong to the clergy. No pastor or church hierarchy has the right to dispense the saving grace of God as they see fit. It is always freely given to all who will hear. Number one, the love of Christ belongs to the people.
The second great consequence you might not recognize at first. It really caught me off guard when I first heard it years ago. Not only did the Reformation return the Word of God and the gospel to the people of God, it also returned to them the work of God.
In
the church of the middle ages, it was taught that ordination gave certain
people the honor of doing holy work, the work of the
What you do in service to the King, motivated and prompted by faith in Christ and love for God and neighbor, is the work of God himself in our world. Your service is extraordinary, because the saving love of Christ has transformed you yourself from ordinary to extraordinary.
Living the Reformation!
Our “extraordinary servants” mission statement is our testimony that we will seek in every way to be a church of the Reformation. We want to be a church where the saving love of Christ is not hidden or kept from anyone who comes repentantly seeking God’s grace.
And we want to be a church where the extraordinary privilege of sharing in God’s work in the world is not withheld from anyone, but where every ordinary person who has been touched by God’s grace will offer every gift of God in service to his kingdom.
That’s why we recently enjoyed a two-year emphasis on the discovery, development and deployment of those gifts in our Gift Oriented Ministry. I pray always that that process has been helpful in guiding you into service to others.
That’s why we also conducted the 33 Days of Stewardship. We honestly and sincerely believe that every one of us is a steward of the treasures of God, a manager of his good gifts.
All that you are and all you have come from God. We are the servants in the many parables of Jesus that begin, “There was a rich man who went on a journey and left his servants in charge…” We believe in the imminent return of Christ who even now is watching for those who will be faithful to his calling so that he might return with those most eagerly anticipated words, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness” (Matthew 25:21).
As part of the 33 Days of Stewardship, you were invited to bring a pledge of your extraordinary service to the front of the church, a commitment to offer first your very life to the lord, and then a sacrificial portion of the wealth God entrusted to you for the work of his kingdom.
Christians believe that God will provide. Often, however, we’re hesitant to believe that he already has provided! I’m writing today to encourage you to believe that he indeed has provided all the resources we need to do our work.
Some would look at our offering baskets and say, “God has not provided, for our offerings so often fall short of our plans for ministry!” Jesus would return that the Master has entrusted the servants with all the wealth that is needed. Some of the servants, in fear and distrust, hidden the Master’s wealth and not used it to his glory.
God has provided all we needed. In his wisdom he has chosen to place it first in our hands, and then in his kindness has invited us to share in the privilege of bringing it back to him. It’s the Master and his servants, his stewards, working in partnership.
Commitments!
Many in our church family are bored reading this, because it is old news. Their commitments have already been lovingly placed on the altar. If you have not yet done so, I encourage you to bring your commitment card to the altar of the Lord for the following reasons.
It is a spiritual exercise. By prayerfully considering the privilege of serving God in your offerings, you are making a testimony of the faith God has given and your humble recognition that everything is a gift from him. A commitment to given generously is a witness to your Savior’s love at work in you.
It is a partnership exercise. God has brought us to this congregation to serve side by side. We offer different amounts, but with equal sacrifice. We are called to serve together, pooling the gifts of our God for our common effort in our community.
It is a
practical exercise. Our church leaders
would love to see the day when our members annually, consistently and
universally make their commitments so that ministry planning for the coming
year can be built on your indications of God’s provision for
And it is a disciplinary exercise. Few of us are as disciplined as we ought to be in bringing our offerings week-by-week and month-by-month. Making a commitment can help us resist the temptation to give less than we ought through the months ahead. Such commitments are an ancient practice designed to help us grow in the grace of generous giving.
How good is God to provide the gospel of Jesus through such simple acts as our words, our deeds of kindness and our offerings? God bless your faithful commitment to his kingdom work among us.