Saved to Serve

Ephesians 2:10

Ephesians 2:10, Is A Fascinating Passage on Christian Service!

Salvation is not from man or by our efforts. Why? The answer is, because salvation is God’s “workmanship;” It is not our performance that will earn us salvation as a reward. Furthermore, the word “workmanship” refers to a work of art or a masterpiece. Believers are God’s masterpieces because we have been created in Christ Jesus for the purpose of doing good works. God’s workmanship is not achieved by our good works, but it is to result in good works (Titus 2:14; 3:8).

Also notice that God prepared beforehand certain works for each of us to “walk in them.” The purpose of these prepared-in-advance works is not “to work in them” but “to walk in them.” In other words, God has prepared a path of beneficial services for believers which He will perform in and through us as we walk by faith. This is not referring to doing a work for God; instead, it is God performing His work in and through believers (Phil. 2:13). This path of good works is detailed in the practical part of Ephesians (chapters 4-6).

So, Why did God Save Us?

God Saves Us To Become Servants Like Jesus 

Ephes. 2:10, For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

The foremost characteristic of the life of Jesus Christ was and is service. We are most like Him when we are truly servants at heart. The Lord Jesus in John 15:16, said, Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

A.     GOD SAVED EACH OF US TO SERVE HIM IN SOME SPECIFIC CAPACITY! (Eph. 2:10)

1. One Reason God Saved Us Is For “Good Works.”

While it is true that we are not saved by good works, it is equally true that we are saved for good works. Good works are not the root but the fruit. We do not work in order to be saved, but because we are saved (James 2:14–26). We are not saved by faith plus works, but by the kind of faith that results in a life of good works. Works prove the reality of our faith. Good works are not incidental to God’s plan; they are instead an essential part of His redemptive plan for every believer without a single exception. Good works are demonstrated in gratitude, character, and actions.

We are “His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works.”

God’s order then is this: Faith—Salvation—Good Works—Rewards

 Faith leads to salvation. Salvation results in good works. Good works will be rewarded by Him.

2. But The Question Arises: What Kind Of Good Works Am I Expected To Do?

The answer is those good works God prepared beforehand for us to walk in (Eph. 10b). In other words, God has a blueprint for your life as with every Christian’s life. Before our conversion He mapped out a spiritual career for us. Our responsibility is to find His will for us and then obey it. We do not have to work out a plan for our lives, but only accept the plan which He has drawn up for us. This delivers us from fret and frenzy, and insures that our lives will be of maximum glory to Him, of most blessing to others, and of greatest reward to ourselves.

The following are some considerations:

            a. Sharing the gospel regularly and consistently

            b. Serving through your church  

            c. Feeding a homeless person

            d. Fighting pornography

            e. Tutoring a child

            f. Fighting human trafficking

3. In Order To Find Out The Good Works God Has Planned For Each of Our Lives, We Should:

            a. Confess and forsake sin as soon as we are conscious of it in our lives;

            b. Be continually and unconditionally yielded to Him;

            c. Study the Word of God to discern His will, and then do whatever He tells us to do;

            d. Spend time in prayer each day;

            e. Seize opportunities of service as they arise;

            f. Cultivate the fellowship and counsel of other Christians.

“God prepares us for good works. He prepares good works for us to perform. Then He rewards us when we perform them. Such is His grace!” –MacDonald, William: Believer’s Bible Commentary 

B.     WE ARE NOT LIKE THE LORD JESUS MERELY BECAUSE WE SERVE.

    1.  Many Seem to Think That a Person Is Most like Jesus When He Preaches like Jesus Preached, and Teaches like Jesus Taught.  

         a. Jesus Does Not Require That We Preach or Teach Exactly As He Did—His Style.  

         b. In Christian Service, Be the Unique Vessel That God is Building for a Special Purpose and Ministry.   

     2.  Some Think That They Are Most like the Lord Jesus When they Heal like Jesus Healed, or Performs Miracles like Jesus Performed Miracles. There are no promises in the Scriptures that performing miracles by individuals would be the norm throughout the Christian age!

     3.  Some Look Primarily at the Outward Manifestations of a Person’s Witness and Ministry as Key Indicators of Effectiveness.  They are careful to count the number of souls saved, baptized, church’s numerical growth, number in the Sunday school, number of Bible study units/groups ect.  Many feel that these outward “signs” indicate spiritual maturity, godliness, and acceptable service to God. While measurable numerical growth is a metric in the book of Acts, it is the same bragging point of secular and religious organizations alike. You do not need God or His blessings on a ministry to have great attendance or numerical growth! I know this may sound uncomfortable and maybe even counter intuitive, but I ask you to remember the Mormons, Buddhists, Catholics, Muslims, Atheist, and Jehovah’s Witnesses have results and impressive size followings. So, the question is does numerical growth necessarily mean the evangelist, church or pastor is a good servant in God’s eyes?

C.     WE ARE TO BE MOST LIKE THE LORD JESUS IN THE MOTIVES OF OUR SERVICE.

Mark 10:44-45, And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. [45] For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

Philip. 2:5-7, Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: [6] Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: [7] But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

These incredible passages place tremendous value on possessing the heart and spirit of a genuine servant of God! Jesus was and is a Servant of the highest order!

     1.  We Need to Look Beyond the Outer Manifestation to the Motivation for Jesus’ Life (Mark 10:44-45). That motivation was always service. Christ was essentially a “minister” and “servant” of God! As such he gave voluntary and sacrificial service to the glory of God!

        a. Jesus Preached, Taught, Healed, and Performed Miracles in Order to Help Others, Never to Call Attention to Himself. Time and again, Jesus said to those He had healed or helped, “Don't tell anyone what has happened.” The reason for this was that Jesus didn’t want others to respond to Him as an earthly political savior. He didn’t want them to focus on His potential to rule over them, but, rather, to focus on our loving heavenly Father and on Jesus’ role to serve humanity as Savior, Deliverer, and Redeemer.

        b. He Poured out His Very Life So That Others Might Be Saved, Never Thinking for a Moment to Save Himself. For Jesus service involved selfless, sacrificial, sustained, voluntary efforts to improve the welfare and wellbeing of others (Mark 10:44-45).

    2.  The Critical Point for Us to Recognize is: God Has Called You to Serve Him and Others Just as Jesus Served God and Others. He didn’t save you or call you to service so that you might be exalted, praised, glorified, or put on a pedestal. He saved you so that you might serve others and in so doing, bring praise and honor to God’s holy name (2Cor. 1:2-10; 4:5-16).  

  

    3.  The Good News Is That Any Person Who Is Saved Can Serve God and Bring Glory to Him. The nature of the ministry task or calling is not the only important factor; what is also important is the motivation behind our service. God loved us so that we might love others. That’s what the Christian life is all about.

Conclusion:

Philip. 2:5-7, Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: [6] Who, being in the form of God … took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

God wants us to have a heart for service like the Lord Jesus. Adopt this attitude of Christ; become a genuine Servant of God with a Heart to serve voluntarily and sacrificially. Let this mind be in you! Live like our Savior motivated by voluntary and sacrificial service to God’s glory. God was motivated to save us because He loves us and as we develop into faithful servants we will glorify Him. Oh God, give us a servant’s heart!

Why not ask God today for a servant’s heart? God, please give me a heart to love others voluntarily and sacrificially as Jesus did. Father, give me an inner yearning to see you glorified by your work in and through me. God I realize this is why you saved me—this is my purpose and the meaning of my life—to glorify you.

Standing Firmly Against Homosexuality, Part 2

This article is a continuation of the first and previous one bearing this same title. After looking at the medical and scientific reasons for rejecting homosexual behavior, let us now consider some national and biblical reasons.

The National Reasons

Secondly, Evangelical Christians should reject homosexual behavior for national reasons. Homosexual behavior places children at risk.  The protection of our youth and young men from this aberrant lifestyle, sexual abuses, and violent rape by homosexuals is the mandate (http://www.frc.org). Legally and socially sanctioning homosexual practices can only result in our children becoming more vulnerable to those who prey on them. Homosexual literature already promotes preying on young boys! “Approximately one in twelve adults seen by sexual assault services are men” (http://laurelhouse.org.au).

Homosexual practices will drive up medical costs nationally. One way to reduce medical insurance cost is to reduce medical risks. Conversely increase risk drives up medical cost. Homosexual behavior is high risk for AIDS and other STDs; thus driving the cost of medical premiums upward for the average American. 

Homosexual activity transmits HIV and STDs throughout the country. With the increase of homosexual practices there will be an increase in the vulnerability of the American population to HIV/AIDS and STDs. This could lead to a national AIDS crisis (http://www.cdc.gov /hiv/statistics /basics /ataglance.html). The prevalence of HIV and the vulnerability to contracting HIV is a grave problem on the continent of Africa because of homosexual behavior. An AIDS infected population can dramatically slow economic and social progress. Potentially it will negatively impact the growth, development, education, and employment opportunities in every facet of the country.

Biblical Reasons

Thirdly, Evangelical Christians should reject homosexual behavior for biblical reasons. God’s Word irrefutably condemns this behavior in the Old  Testament. This is part of the reason the ancient cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed directly by God (Genesis 19:4-5-12-13). The Law of God prohibited and condemned homosexual behavior for the nation of Israel (Lev.18:22-30; 20:13).

God’s Word explicitly and consistently condemns this behavior in the New Testament (1 Cor. 6:9-11; 1Tim. 1:10; 2 Peter 2:6-9; Jude 1:7)

God’s Word clearly condemns this behavior whether practiced by men or women (Romans 1:24, 26-27; McDonald & Farstad, 1995). Homosexual behavior is an unnatural rebellion against the Creator! The rejection of homosexual practices is not merely Christian intolerance. The standard is divine and not social, political, or personal. God’s standard promotes human welfare and wellbeing, but homosexual practices are destructive on multiple levels. Homosexual practices are wrong because they are violations of the design and purpose of God for human relationships.

“God values monogamous, heterosexual marriage (Gen. 2:22-24),” reproduction within that marriage covenant (Gen. 1:22-28), and heterosexual family life (Psalm 127) (Alban (2012), p. 562, 563).

Applying Our Reasons to Objections

Forthly, Evangelical Christians must wisely respond to objections, and articulate this position with truth and compassion.

Objection #1: The Bible does not condemn loving monogamous homosexual and lesbian relationships (Wood & Marshall, 1995). The Bible consistently characterizes homosexual and lesbian behavior as immoral and sternly forbids them. Research demonstrates that homosexuals generally do not maintain monogamy beyond five years—65% are promiscuous. In addition, monogamous homosexuals engage in sexual acts of greater risk for HIV and STDs (Frank Truek).

Objection #2: The field of psychology does not condemn homosexual conduct nor view it as deviant behavior. This is because they were bullied by homosexual activists, lobbyists, and political correctness. The APA’s change was not based on a preponderance of evidence, or groundbraking clinical research. The new notion of sexual identity, later sexual preference, and now sexual orientation, has pervasively shaped the current cultural debate. Indeed this was the ideological wedge used to force the American Psychiatric Association to remove homosexuality from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Psychiatric Disorders in 1973. It is still the most effective tactical concept employed in the debate (Hindson & Caner, 2008, p. 270). Dr. Stan Jones, Provost, and Professor of Psychology at Wheaton College has conducted extensive study into the scientific basis for homosexuality and he found the evidence weak and inconclusive.

Objection #3: Homosexual Americans, as a “third sex” have a right to conduct themselves accordingly, and the freedom to intimately engage others. “Homosexual activists groups are pressing for homosexual men and lesbians to be identified as a special class with special protections under civil rights legislation” (Hindson & Caner, 2008, p. 268-272). But sexual orientation does not qualify as a civil rights issue; it is a ‘special rights’ issue that actually undermines the US Constitution.

Objections #4: Bible references to homosexual behavior are related to idolatry (religious sex slaves), male prostitution, and false worship and are limited to these alone. The Bible says nothing specifically about the homosexual condition …, but its condemnations of homosexual conduct are explicit (Wood & Marshall, 1995). Homosexual behavior is prohibited in Scripture (Lev. 20:13) and was a major cause of the divine judgment against Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 19:4–5, 12–13). The apostle Paul listed homosexuals among “the unrighteous” who would not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6:9), and declared that God’s wrath stands against such behavior, whether practiced by men or women (Rom. 1:26–27) (Youngblood, Bruce, & Harrison, 1995).

Beloved, the course of action we must take is transparently clear. For medical, national, and biblical reasons Evangelical Christians should not embrace, remain ambivalent, justify, or continue silently about homosexual behavior and its accompanying consequences.  

Evangelical Christians should unitedly and uniformly reject homosexual behavior for medical, national, and biblical reasons. I am calling on Evangelical Christians to adopt this position, to actively oppose homosexual behavior with wisdom and compassion, and to share the hope of Christ with homosexuals and lesbians that they may be forgiven, cleansed, and freed by the grace of God. First Corinthians 6:9-11 teaches that God will save repentant homosexuals and lesbians. Share this message with them that they may be saved. Also get informed on this subject as a defense against the fallacious propaganda passed off in many of the mainstream media outlets. Read Dr. Stanton L. Jones’ books Homosexuality: The Use of Scientific Research in the Church’s Moral Debate and God’s Design for Sex book series. Visit reliable websites like America for Truth about Homosexuality (AFTAH), and Gay Christian Movement Watch, and D. L. Foster who are upholding biblical standards of sexuality (gcmwatch.com). If your children are in the public education system, inquire into what they are taught about homosexual practices. Follow through by having a biblical conversation with your young people about how God views homosexual practices.  

The sexual revolutions, the liberal media, and hyper-political correctness are influencing Americans to view homosexual behavior in a positive light. This cannot be true of Evangelical Christians; we must be guided by the truth. It is only with the truth that we can reach out to the homosexual with love to lead them to Christ and out of the homosexual lifestyle.