There are five things that he must do
immediately after he become to know the Lord.
First, he must see a vision.
What is the will of God?
Second, he must learn to know something about
this life that he possess now.
So that his life can grow in the
spirit.
He also have to have a share in
the gospel.
He must know God's word.
And there is one more matter that we
would like to share this afternoon.
He must learn to serve in the church.
So shall we now turn to Romans 12.
And we will read the entire chapter.
We are so thankful that in Chinese Bibles
we have one version.
Even though there is a revised version, but
most of us we share, we use the
same version.
So you can read together.
But in English we have some difficulty.
Because we have many versions.
So we cannot read together.
So if you read in English, you will
read it silently to yourself.
We will read the Chinese together.
Don't read it too fast, and don't read
it too slow.
We read as one.
Romans 12.
Verse 1.
Verse 2.
Verse
3.
Verse
4.
Verse 5.
Verse 7.
Verse 8.
Verse 19.
Verse 29.
Verse 31.
So if you are hungry, give it to
him.
If you are thirsty, give it to him.
Because your conscience tells you that he is
greedy.
You cannot ask God for food.
Lord, we are so thankful to you.
We can gather in your presence.
We thank you that we can read your
words.
We now look up to your Holy Spirit
and lighten your words.
May your words speak to each of us.
May your work in our lives be accomplished.
We trust your words.
We trust your Holy Spirit.
May you glorify yourself.
And we want you to glorify yourself.
And then Lord Jesus.
After one who came to know the Lord,
immediately he must learn to serve in the
church.
If after one who is saved, if he
fails to serve in the church immediately, if
he will serve later, he will have some
difficulty.
And more than that, he has already wasted
some very precious time.
So we hope every young person, after you
come to know the Lord, you must learn
to serve immediately in your church.
We remember when God sent Moses to Egypt.
Moses said to Pharaoh, God said, let my
people go.
So they may serve me.
So we know when God delivered Israelites, set
them free, not that after they were liberated,
they can do as they wish.
Formerly in Egypt they were slaves.
And now they are liberated.
And now they can live their own lives.
No.
God said, let my people go.
But they might serve me.
So we know after we have obtained grace,
the purpose of redemption is so that we
may serve our God.
The aim of one's life on this earth
is to serve God and to worship Him.
So when the Lord's people were brought to
Mount Sinai, and God revealed to them the
purpose of their redemption, God told them, He
said, if you obey my commandments, and if
you will keep my covenant, and among the
people you will be in my sole possession,
all the whole earth is mine.
And to me you will be a kingdom
of priests.
So we know after we've been redeemed, is
that we may turn ourselves to God, and
to be His peculiar people, and to be
a kingdom of priests to Him.
What is priest?
Now I'm sure we all know.
Priests are those who have been set apart.
They were set apart for the purpose of
serving God.
So all of us who have been saved,
we have been set apart by God.
And we are all set apart for the
purpose of serving the living God.
When we come to the Book of Romans,
we know from Romans 1 to 11, we
can see the multitude of God's mercy and
grace.
And in Romans 1, Paul told us, Romans
12 verse 1, he said, I urge you
therefore brethren, but in mercy of God I
urge you, what are God's mercy?
The mercy he referred to, referred to chapter
1 through 11.
And we saw how previously we were in
sin, but because the blood of Jesus, He
wiped away all our sins.
No matter how much we have sinned, no
matter how deep our sin is, and the
blood of Jesus washes all our sins.
Not only He washed our sins, even this
person, this sinner, and He took this sinner
to the cross and crucified with Him there.
Not only He removed the old man, but
He also has given us His very new
life.
And also given us the Holy Spirit.
And the Holy Spirit bear in our witness
that we are the children of God.
He not only justified us, He also sanctified
us.
And He also wants to glorify us.
Previously we were all Gentiles, we are the
outcasts, by the sovereign arrangement of God.
And He brought the nation, the Gentiles and
the Jews together in Christ.
In Christ they become one.
They are neither Jew or Gentile.
So today we will say it's the sovereign
choosing of God.
Before creation, in Christ Jesus, He has already
chosen us.
Before even World War, and before our parents
were born, even before our ancestors were born,
even before Adam, even before the creation of
heaven and earth, but before the creation, in
His beloved Son, He has already chosen us.
This is a mystery.
This is a glorious mystery because He is
God.
Back in time, and when the Gospel comes
to us, and then we can believe this
Gospel and we believe with our heart, and
we touch the mouth, then we become a
great person and we praise God.
So we can see the way of God
is most marvelous.
All things are of Him.
All things are through Him and all things
are unto Him.
And He is forever to be praised.
This is what we see from Romans 1
to Romans 11.
These are the multitude, manifold mercies of God.
And all of us, we are the recipients
of these manifold mercies of God.
And after we receive such mercy, and what
should be our response?
It tells us here, therefore brethren, I urge
you by the mercies of God, present your
bodies as a living sacrifice.
It is acceptable.
It is holy.
It is pleasing to God.
And if you offer such a sacrifice, it
is acceptable to God as a living service
or worship.
When I newly believed in the Lord, I
attended a retreat.
I wanted to be saved.
And I was seeking and hoping to be
saved.
And I wondered why the other people seems
to be, they get saved so easily but
I have such a difficult time.
Because I was brought up in a Christian
home.
My father is a minister.
And in our family, in the evening we
have our family altar.
So I'm quite familiar with the Bible.
I know some truth.
But I was not a safe person.
So I went to this summer retreat.
The purpose for going is I want to
be saved.
But when I was at the meeting, there
is a meeting in the morning, in the
afternoon, in the evening.
I attended all the meetings.
So day after day I was still not
saved.
Praise God.
When I come to an end of myself,
it's at that very afternoon, God show His
mercy to me.
At the last day of this retreat, according
to the custom in those days, most likely
they are still doing the same thing.
And the minister was preaching and now you
are saved.
Now you have to consecrate yourself.
You must offer yourself.
To what?
To preach.
So at the platform there is a big
map of China.
Hang there.
And the minister said, if you really love
the Lord, you must give yourself, offer yourself
to be a minister.
You can choose where you want to go.
You come to the platform, and put your
finger wherever you put your finger and there
you go.
At that time I was only 15.
I was newly saved.
You know after seeking so many years, now
I am saved.
I am so happy.
And I was very young.
So I was thinking, I want to go
to the furthest point to show that I
love the Lord.
So I went to the platform.
So I put my finger on Mongolia because
in a Chinese concept, I want to offer
myself and go to Mongolia.
I indeed offer myself.
I determined to go to Mongolia.
Since that day I spent one whole year.
I gathered all the books about Mongolia because
I wanted to go there.
After I graduated from high school, I said
if I go to college for a year,
it is just wasting of my time.
I want to go to Mongolia to preach.
So I choose a Bible school.
I want to go to Bible school.
Then I can go and then preach.
After this day I never been to Mongolia
because God's way is harder than man's way.
God's way is harder than man's way.
But at that moment there was a major
overlook mistake because the minister he was preaching
wrong and I heard it wrong.
I assume to consecrate yourself is to preach.
So if you don't want to be a
preacher, you don't need consecration.
So if you don't want to be a
minister, you can live for yourself.
But you cannot live for yourself if you
become a preacher.
That is a wrong conception.
The Bible says therefore brethren therefore apostles therefore
apostles and you have to offer your body
as a living sacrifice.
So all the prophets you have to offer
your body as a living sacrifice.
So all those who preach the gospel you
have to offer your body as a living
sacrifice.
You must offer your body as a living
sacrifice.
But the Bible says brethren.
Now Florence, who are the brethren?
All those who are saved by grace they
are brethren.
I have said it before they are female
brethren and they are male brethren.
Because the life we have is the life
of the son.
One time brother me told another brother he
told the brethren and that brother answered You
want me to go and tell the male
brethren or the female brethren?
But he knows what he means by brethren.
It includes brothers and sisters.
So for the sisters you cannot get away
from it.
You must also offer your body as a
living sacrifice.
Everyone who are saved who are saved by
grace those who have obtained mercies from God
we must offer our bodies as a living
sacrifice.
Why it puts here the body?
Because this body represents your whole life, my
whole life.
It represents our whole life on this earth.
It represents all faces aspects of one's life.
In other words after we obtain God's mercy
then we cannot hold ourselves back because the
love of Christ restrains, constrains us.
And when we think about when one dies
for all men and all have died so
those who are alive we cannot live no
longer for ourselves.
We must live for the one who died
for us.
This is what it means by offering the
body in the Old Testament.
When one is moved within he offers a
goat or a sheep and if he is
poor he will offer a pigeon and he
brought this animal before the altar and slaughtered
and put it on top of the altar
and the bone offering is totally consumed.
And the whole offering was consumed until it
becomes ashes.
This is the food of God.
This is the offering of praising.
But in the New Testament praise God.
God does not want us to offer a
lamb or a cow or a pigeon or
a sparrow God wants us to give of
ourselves to Him.
He wants us to put ourselves on the
altar and to be a living sacrifice.
God does not want to kill us.
He wants us to be a living sacrifice.
It means from this moment on when I
live I no longer live for myself.
When I live I live for you.
To that we all give consecration is to
do something for God.
But the most fundamental principle of sacrifice is
simply giving of yourself to allow God to
do the work He wants to do in
you.
Since He has done the work in you
and therefore you can serve Him then there
will be a service unto Him.
Consecration means you give yourself to Him put
yourself in His hands and allow Him to
manage you.
Allow Him to control you and to give
Him the opportunity to do the work He
wants to do in you so that you
may serve His will.
So the Bible says you must offer your
bodies as a living sacrifice.
Everyone who believes in the Lord after we
say we believe in the Lord we must
consecrate ourselves to the Lord.
None of us can hold ourselves back from
God because you do not belong to yourself
because the Lord has purchased you with a
price.
So we say consecration is the
first spiritual experience of a believer.
If you have not had the experience of
consecration you have not began your spiritual life.
Today we see many Christians their spiritual life
seems to be a celebration just a celebration.
So there are many Christians as we look
at them today they are merely just believing
in the Lord.
There is not a going on there is
no goal.
And the key to this problem is that
they have not consecrated themselves.
But some may say I have consecrated but
your consecration is not thorough because you did
not present your body as a living sacrifice
or you consecrate a part of you is
not your whole person.
There is a story this way after a
person believes in the Lord and after you
have said you will be baptized so when
the person when he was being baptized now
when he is baptized you put the whole
person into the water so when they were
putting him into the water he sticks his
hand out he refused to have his hand
go under the water.
Why?
Because he wants to do something with his
own hand he will not allow to be
made known.
Sometimes our consecration is just like that.
Yes?
In the same thing you have your consecration
but not a total consecration it is not
a consecration of all of you.
Like Mrs. Pink Louis and when he consecrated
herself how did she put it?
I take everything that belongs to me and
what I am and also what I will
be I offer everything up to you This
is really what we mean by the offering
of your offering the body as a living
sacrifice God will say this is holy Are
we seeking holiness?
This is holy This is acceptable in his
life Are we all seeking to be acceptable
to him?
Don't we know what is acceptable to him?
How can we be acceptable in his life?
Point is very simple When you offer yourself
as a living sacrifice that is acceptable to
God and this is a reasonable service So
in the original it has two ways of
putting it So one conversion says this is
a reasonable it is rational reasonable service This
is a reasonable service The other translates as
spiritual worship spiritual worship So if we cannot
separate spiritual service and spiritual worship So we
offer our bodies as a living sacrifice Then
it begins our spiritual worship So we offer
our bodies as a living sacrifice Then our
reasonable service begins Another words If a person
here is not a concentrated person he has
not began the life of worship He has
not began a life of service So here
we see We must allow all God's mercy
A lot of mercies to urge us to
offer ourselves up to him It is our
response to all God's mercy This is consecration
We offer ourselves up as a living sacrifice
This is the beginning of our service Why?
Because Even though after we have been saved
we have a new life within But strangely
enough But our mind is still an old
mind What does it mean to be born
again?
Born again is a story that is taking
place in our inner spirit The Bible says
we were dead and sinned and transgressed Our
spirit was dead It is separated from God
So after we believed in our old Jesus
and the Holy Spirit quickens our dead spirit
and has given us a new spirit and
the spirit dwells in our spirit So in
our spirit we have a new life My
fellow sisters After we have been saved our
thought, our mind have not been renewed True
It's true Repentance is the change of mind
But this change of mind is one It
is not a continuous thing So after we
believe in the Lord we often see a
Christian He has a new life But he
still has an old mind The way he
looked at things The way he evaluated things
It is still using his old mind Before
he was saved what he considered as important
Today he is still important to Before he
was saved The way he looked at things
The way he looked at things is still
the same You know when we live on
this earth how we think determines our conduct
Our thought life determines our behavior Even though
after we are saved we often find Christians
very much like the people of the world
Even though inwardly he has the life of
Christ and a saved person he does not
have the life of Christ But aside from
this he is still laughing at this world
He still values the world He values what
the world values He pursues what the world
pursues This word is in the Do not
laugh at this world In the original this
world is like a mold You put yourself
You do not have to squeeze yourself into
that mold You do not squeeze yourself into
that mold If you put yourself into that
mold you come out of that mold The
Lord has delivered us out of the world
We are bigger than the world Allow yourself
to be squeezed into the mold of the
world Put it more in a plain way
Do not be fashionable Do not conform to
the world This world means the age Do
not follow the current of the world The
world has a current Have you seen a
ray a fish If the fish is alive
and the fish will swim upstream then what
was the flow with the current of the
fish Only fish will follow the current So
what does this mean The people of the
world have found the current of the stream
because there is no life in them But
we who believe we have life and we
can swim against the current This is the
grace God has given to us Because our
minds have found the renewed So what the
world seems important is important to us So
we are still very fashionable And we still
squeeze into this mode of the world So
often time we tell young people Now after
you believe in the Lord you cannot conform
to the world What the people of the
world do you cannot do What the people
of the world love you cannot love So
what is the world They put it in
the theater Give an illustration And the people
of the world they go to theater So
you go to theater There is no separation
I can share my own experience Before I
was safe I liked to go to theater
If it's not by the Lord's mercy I
may become even a star So whenever the
newspaper comes I always look at the theaters
the ads about the movies theaters I am
a minister's son On the Lord's day I
did not go to movie house And I
did it once But on Lord's day I
did not go to theater So Saturday I
go to the movie theater I like to
see movies But after I was safe I
was told that after you say the question
you should not go to bad movies But
there are good movies you can go So
I still want to go Yes I go
And somehow there is a business within me
But I bow my head and I go
to the theater I
still have a desire within me I still
want to go So later I feel very
uneasy It is not appropriate to a Christian's
conduct So I determined myself I will not
go But I did not say it So
if I said it if I go later
I will be in trouble So for several
months I did not go to the movie
theater So I feel very comfortable I was
victorious But unfortunately there is a religious film
in town And also I was given free
tickets So there is a conflict within me
It is a shame to sacrifice this ticket
This is a religious movie Why can I
not go?
So I went I was sitting there for
two hours I was not looking at the
movies Inside I had the conflict I wished
that movie would come to an end When
it comes to an end I can get
my first gun from that day onward I
never went back Yes I went back to
theater to preach the gospel We used the
facility for gospel preaching But I never go
to the theater to see a movie Because
there is no love within There is no
desire I remember my
aunt told me You young Why don't you
go to some of the amusement park Can
you give me money?
So I don't know how to reply But
my heart said don't know how to reply
I have more joy in my heart Up
to our minds can renew God sisters Do
not conform to this world And by this
transform and by renewing of your thoughts But
you may prove what the will of God
is and what is good, acceptable, perfect Here
are two things One is the world And
the other is God's will We who believe
We must obey God's will We should not
conform to this world We And
then I see circle, the circle gets smaller
and smaller, and then he circle to that
table there, and he put a candy and
put it in his mouth, and he was
so cold the other way, and he came
back and he was so cold again, and
couple of times, so we were all looking
at the other guy, and he was in
the embarrassment.
So that when he turned around, and when
he came to the table, and he put
a piece of candy, and he put it
in his mouth, and he said it in
a voice, he said, I know I should
not eat it, but I want to eat
it.
Today, we treat our young brothers and sisters,
we say you should not conform to this
world, you cannot do this, you cannot do
that.
And we give them many rules and regulations,
and we impose from outside, but the mind
has not been renewed.
That is not Christianity, that is Judaism, that
is not grace, that is law, but thank
God, our mind can be renewed.
How can our mind be renewed and be
transformed?
It is based on your consecration.
When you consecrate yourself to the Lord, and
then the Lord still will do the work
of transforming and renewing your mind.
You cannot change your mind or renew your
mind, but consecrate to
him.
And then the Holy Spirit will begin the
work of renewing.
What you loved before, you no longer love.
What you previously despised, and now you value.
Before Paul came to know the Lord, he
looked to his own achievements, he looked at
his birth, his education was important to him,
and his law was important to him.
He was more advanced than his contemporaries.
But when he came to know the Lord,
when I look at those, they are all
like rubbish to him.
Before he despised the Lord, and he thought
the message needs to be crucified, renewed.
But now he knows the Lord Jesus is
everything to him, he changed his direction, and
now he is serving his God.
And he is serving the one who saved
and died for him, for the sisters.
So you can see, consecration is so important
to a person.
It can renew and transform your mind.
And you can prove what is the will
of God, that good and perfect acceptable will
of God.
Here we have the will of God.
This will of God recorded here is singular.
We know God has many wills.
God's will for your life, God's will for
my life.
God's will for me today, God's will for
me tomorrow.
As though God has countless wills.
But in all these wills of God, there
is only one will.
This will here is singular.
So that what is good, acceptable, perfect will
of God.
This is an acceptable will, a good will.
It is acceptable will.
It is perfect.
So what is this will?
For our sisters.
This will has vital relationship with our service
to God.
Today we want to serve God.
What does it mean by serving the Lord?
Serving the Lord is serving God's will.
We cannot say we are serving the Lord.
And we serve the Lord with our own
will.
If we use our own will to serve
God, in fact we are serving ourselves.
But today we discover many servants are of
this type.
They serve God according to their own will.
Like in the early days.
Most say I want to serve God my
way.
Because I choose it myself.
So many servants do not know God's will.
The will I mentioned is that will.
That eternal will of God.
Dear brothers and sisters.
Before creation.
In His delight.
He had a will there.
All God's works.
All His deeds.
They are all related according to that will.
Until one day.
Until that will is fully accomplished.
That eternal will of God.
Brothers and sisters.
Do we know this will?
This will will be revealed to?
One who is not consecrated.
He cannot prove what is God's will.
He will never know.
He can never prove it.
But one who is consecrated.
God's delight to reveal His will to the
one who is consecrated.
What is this will?
This will we discover in verse 5.
Verse 5.
So we who are many are one body
in Christ.
And individually members one of another.
In the book of Romans.
That good, that acceptable, that perfect will of
God.
Is that for His beloved son.
He want to give him a body.
Because God's will is center in His son.
Because God consider him to be alone.
Is not good.
And so God wants for him to have
a help me.
And to help him.
So we know what is that good and
pleasant will of God.
It is the body of Christ.
For Christ God wants to give him and
to allow him to have a body.
This body is not the body that Mary
gave to the Lord Jesus when he was
born.
This body is because of his penance work
on the cross.
And because through his death he have gathered
a people.
This people to himself.
And this people, the people that he gather
to himself they become his body.
And this group of people.
This is the good and acceptable perfect will
of God.
This matter of concentrating your body as a
living sacrifice.
In the original language the body is plural.
Body.
Because brethren they have many bodies.
Because each of us we have a body.
So everyone of us we must offer our
body as a sacrifice.
I cannot offer your body.
You cannot offer my body.
The parents cannot offer the body.
Children cannot offer the body as a sacrifice.
And then the body of Christ will manifest.
Because you no longer live for yourself.
Because we all live for Christ.
He is our head.
We are his body.
We carry out his command.
We carry out his instruction.
This is the body.
So brothers and sisters.
Today our service is within this body.
In the body we serve our God.
And when we serve together.
We serve each other.
We are serving the Lord.
So the moment we are saved.
We must serve in the church.
Church is the body of Christ.
Our service is not only for the building
up of the church.
The Lord loves the church.
He gave his life for the church.
And those who are saved by the Lord.
We must love what he loves.
So we must serve.
So our service is for the church to
be built up.
The body may grow and mature.
Full of the statue of Christ.
So it can meet.
Can be put into Christ.
And church is also the sphere of our
service.
We serve within the body.
You can see that all the members of
my body.
They are all functioning within my body.
So that the Lord.
So you see our service is in the
church.
Our service is for the church to be
established.
In the ancient, in the olden days.
The priests and the Levites.
They were set apart by God for service.
Their service is vitally related to the temple.
The moment their service is unrelated.
Not connected with the temple.
Then they have problems with their service.
You remember?
In the book of George.
There is such a story.
Because in those days there was no king.
And everybody do as they wish.
There was one Michael.
And he took away his mother's money.
And then the mother.
The top of the money was gone.
So she cursed.
Then the Michael said the money.
I took it.
Then the mother said ok.
I will try to repay you.
And how to undo the curse.
And he took part of the money.
So this is our God.
We worship.
And at that moment there was a Levite.
And formerly he was living.
He was from Bethany of Judah.
He ought to go to Jerusalem.
And serve at the temple.
Bethany.
And he was drifting.
And find a place that he can settle
down.
And he came to this very home.
Then Michael said.
He said I have an idol image here.
But we have no priest.
He said you are a Levite.
You can be the priest in our home.
I give you ten shekels.
And I give you clothing.
And I give you food to eat.
And then this Levite settled there.
He become a priest.
He became a priest for this family.
And the tribe of Dan.
And they were looking for their tribe territory.
And they came to this place.
And they saw this thing.
I will not go into detail.
And they said to this Levite.
Do you want to be a priest to
a family?
Or do you want to be a priest
to a tribe?
If you want to be a priest to
a tribe.
You go with us.
So he stole the image and went with
the tribe of Dan.
So he became the priest for the tribe
of Dan.
How did the Bible put it?
God's covenant enshrines all The time that the
tent of Israel.
The time of the tribe of Dan was
enshrined.
The time for this image in the tribe
of Dan is also the same time duration.
In other words.
In the nation of Israel there is a
counterfeit.
Now who was this Levite?
This Levite was Moses' grandson.
The grandson of Moses.
So one person you see.
The Mormon.
The one who serves in the house.
So he left the house.
Then he separates God's people.
And at the same time he establishes a
counter-worship place.
So our service must be within the body.
And when he is serving the body.
When we serve the body we are serving
the head.
How do we serve?
He said when we serve we have to
have a right attitude.
Verse 3.
For through the grace given to me I
say to every man among you not to
think more highly of himself than he ought
to think.
But to think so as to have sound
judgment as God has allotted to each a
measure of faith.
We are a member of the body.
God according to his wisdom he put us
in the body of Christ.
So we must not think of ourselves higher
than we ought to think.
According to our own natural.
We cannot really look at ourselves in a...
Either we overestimate ourselves or underestimate ourselves.
When we think of ourselves too highly.
Then pride comes out.
And we interfere other members of the body.
If we look at ourselves lower than we
ought to.
Then we self-pity.
Then we will not function as we ought.
And we must look at ourselves with sound
judgment.
Do not think highly of yourself.
And do not think too lowly of yourself.
You look at yourself.
You look at the you that is in
Christ.
And according to the measure of faith.
What God has given you.
You serve in that measure of faith.
When we serve.
There are two categories here.
Verse six.
Since we have gifts that differ.
If prophecy according to the proportion of faith.
Service in his serving.
And who teaches in his teaching.
And who exalts in his exhortation.
And who gives with liberality.
And who leads with diligence.
And who shows mercy with cheerfulness.
When we, today we serve God.
We serve with the gifting of God.
We do not serve with our natural gifts.
If we use our natural talent to serve
God.
We cannot help God.
But in fact we disrupt what God is
doing.
When we serve.
We serve with the gifting that we receive
from God.
God has given each a gift.
God cannot put you in the body of
Christ as a member.
Without giving you a gift that you can
function in the body.
Look at the members in your body.
Every member has grace.
God has given me eyes.
And he gives me grace to see.
God gives me the hands.
So I can do things with my hands.
God gives me feet.
So I have a gift of walking.
So all the gifting are from God.
Everyone has a gift.
So we use the gifting from God to
serve.
Gift is the manifestation of the Holy Spirit.
Holy Spirit wants to manifest himself.
And Holy Spirit use gift to manifest himself.
So we serve according to the gift we
have given by the Holy Spirit.
So we see there are two areas of
service.
On one side is the ministry of the
world.
So we have the prophecy.
We have the teaching.
And we have the exhortation.
Now these are words.
Prophecy has to do with the spiritual inspiration.
And teaching is calling to God's word.
And the exhortation has to do with practical
living.
Now these three areas are related to the
ministry of the world.
And the other area.
There is the practical ministry.
Those who lead.
Those who serve.
Those who gain.
Those who lead.
Those who show mercy.
Now we know in God's house there are
many things we need to do.
And there are widows that need to be
taken care of.
And there are poor that need to be
cared for.
And there is the need to protect.
And those who sick need vegetation.
So when we need to get out somebody
needs to clean the place.
And we need to have many things we
need to do.
That is the service.
The giving.
And in the church we need those who
can give.
And we say those who give with liberality.
Also those who lead.
And we need those who will manage and
take the leadership.
And they will have to be diligent.
And those who show mercy.
And they have a sympathetic spirit.
They can comfort people.
And sometimes when you want to comfort people
you don't need to say much.
Just be there with that person.
Because you do a willingness.
So in our service there are two areas.
Like 1 Peter 1.4 we are told.
We have these two areas of service.
One we use in words.
And one is just practical affairs.
But both put together is a service.
We serve according to the gift.
And according to the measure of faith.
And we all serve.
We don't do too much.
And we do not withdraw from serving.
And we serve under the direction of the
head.
We give our gifts to serve our Lord.
Dear brothers and sisters.
In the church.
We need all to serve.
Now you may think.
I don't know what's my gift.
Well how can I know what to serve?
But it's very simple.
You know when a child was born.
And he has all the members of his
body.
God has already given all the gifts there.
But all these gifts need time to manifest.
When a child is born and eyes are
cannot see.
But as the light grows.
Then the sight is there.
And through exercise.
And the more is experienced.
Then he sees better.
So some people can exercise their eyes.
So that he can see in the dark.
So we see life and exercise has a
vital part there.
If we are seeking the Lord.
And our life grows.
Then the gift will manifest itself.
No.
People may not notice.
You notice.
But people do not think.
The Lord will unite you.
People think people don't care.
But you have a care.
And so the Lord puts some burden in
your heart.
Brothers and sisters.
And you exercise.
You try it.
And you try ask you serve.
You have the experience of the anointing.
Is you feel the presence of the Spirit.
And when you do it.
Then whether people receive help.
Brothers and sisters.
If it is a gift from God.
And as you exercise.
Then it will manifest.
If you faithful in small matters.
Then the Lord will entrust you with bigger
things.
Family was a problem.
But when he was a child.
When he was in the temple.
He was the person who opens the door.
And you know it is not a small
matter.
When you entrust the task of opening door
and shutting door to a child.
It is very risky.
Now if he sleeps late.
Then the door of the temple will not
open.
Then you are going to worship him into
the house.
Brothers and sisters.
But this little child was faithful.
He was faithful in small things.
So the good Lord came upon him.
And he became a prophet and a judge.
Brothers and sisters.
May we all rise.
Serve God in God's house.
Begin with small things.
Some people put it this way.
I want to open my mouth.
If I open my mouth.
Three thousand people must be saved.
Brothers and sisters.
If you do not open your mouth.
Even though you open your mouth.
No one saves.
You must learn to open your mouth.
Maybe witness to just one person.
As you are exercising your gifts.
Who knows.
God may want to use his power.
To be a minister of his word.
So brothers and sisters.
This is most natural.
It is not something someone tells you what
to do.
Because you love the Lord.
Because you are seeking the Lord.
As you seek the Lord.
The Lord will give you his burden.
And he will allow you to seek.
No one opens the door.
You come earlier.
You open the door.
Brothers and sisters.
As you do.
Gradually.
And the burden will become heavier.
Then God will use you as the watchman
in his house.
In the matter of prayer.
In matter of prayer you can be a
watchman over God's house.
Brothers and sisters.
Do not despise small things.
This serves him humbly.
Serving God.
Not only means gifted.
Serving God.
Is based on grace.
So from Romans 12 verse 9 and onward.
Is all about grace.
Gifts.
Differs.
Grace.
We all have.
Gifting is the manifestation of the Holy Spirit.
Grace.
Is the Lord himself.
Grace is life.
It is the growth of his life within
us.
Because of his life growing us becomes our
character.
This character will build the church.
Gifts.
There is no character.
Gifts has no persons.
Gifts is not life.
Gifts is not the Spirit himself.
It is the manifestation of the Spirit.
That's why I said this.
The Spirit of prophet submit to the prophet.
Because if the Spirit, Holy Spirit, you must
submit to the Holy Spirit.
Brothers and sisters.
When we serve God we are using gifts.
Gifts is but a challenge.
But what really can serve is grace.
Like in the Book of Zechariah you can
see the pipe that is the golden pipe.
The pipe which the gold flows.
There are two olive trees.
And there is one lamp stand.
So there are two pipes from the two
olive trees that is feeding into the lamp
stand.
But most amazing.
The pipe comes out of the olive tree
is gold.
And when it comes to the lamp itself
it becomes the oil.
Now what does it mean?
It means.
The one who is full of the Spirit.
Is one who is full of the Spirit.
What comes out from him is Christ.
Because Christ, gold is Christ.
It is the life of Christ.
So when the life of Christ enters into
the church.
It becomes the oil for the light.
So the light is the testimony of the
church.
It becomes the Holy Spirit.
It becomes the power of the Spirit.
And then we can testify for the Lord.
So brothers and sisters.
So the real ministry is by grace.
Initially when we serve the Lord.
We use more gifts than grace.
Because we have possession of grace.
But as we continue in our service.
So we should have more grace than gifts.
And we must.
We must allow grace to manage.
To manage the gifts.
Today we see.
If there is not sufficient.
And there is lot of gifts.
Now not only church cannot be built.
And church will enter confusion.
That is what we find in the Corinthian
church.
Because there was not enough grace.
But praise God.
But when it comes to 2 Corinthians.
When it comes to minister Paul.
We can see there is a fullness of
grace there.
It is channeled through gifts.
But what you feel.
What you sense is grace.
You do not see the poor.
You sense a gifted person.
And you say the Christ that Paul preached.
Is grace.
This is our ministry.
Because of time.
Because you are all weary.
Our God.
Our Lord.
Our heart.
Our hearts will praise to you.
You are such a glorious God.
And yet you call us to serve you.
You want us to be in your body.
To be members.
So that by your grace.
And through your gifting.
To serve you.
We worship you.
We ask you.
In your house.
Stir the hearts of your people.
That we may all rise up and serve
you.
According to the grace you have given to
me.
According to the message you have given to
me.
That we may serve you.
That your body may be filled.
So that your return may be pleasant.