Serve as Jesus Served

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: 

and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, 

who loved me, and gave himself for me.  

Galatians 2:20

 

We should serve as Jesus served.  When God calls and we say yes, we do not get to ask questions, know how we are going to be blessed, or what hardships we will encounter.      

Tear down the notion that serving God is automatic blessings. 

But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make we perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle we.  1 Peter 5:10

Are we ready for total obedience to Christ?  Many are called, few are chosen.  The chosen are only those who have answered the call. 

For many are called, but few are chosen.  Matthew 22:14

If we want to be chosen, say yes; not from your mind, but from your heart. 

And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.  Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.   And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.  Luke 9:59-61  

We do more good for the kingdom by showing God our faith and persistence to Him.

To follow is a major commitment.  

Quit indicting God for what we do not have 

when we have not done what God requires of us.

When we are called, we are called out of our previous existence.   We are called out of what was.  What was supposed to take us out then, when God called us out is no more; we left that plan; changed existence.  We step out of our previous existence. 

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.   Philippians 3:13-14  

We are thrown out of life into a new life; pulled from a previous existence to a new existence.  Are we stuck between the two?   Not if we are truly committed and obedient to God’s word.

We need to go deeper in God to understand true love. 

Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.  1 John 3:1

God pushes us out of our personal agenda to His divine agenda.  We can live all God despite what the enemy tries to tell us. 

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.  Galatians 2:20  

God moves us from the predictable, from what we can foresee, from what we can control and He pushes us to possibilities and limitlessness in God.  

When we give God a yes, it moves us from the impossible to the possible. 

 

Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.  Mark 9:23  

God pushes us into the realm where what was to kill us has been eradicated and now we are living on purpose; living on the grace of God.  We are no longer living on our plan, but God’s plan.  When we live for God, there is a divine covering that takes over us.

What then is discipleship but being bound to Jesus?   Apostle Paul understood this:

For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,  Ephesians 3:1  

The bondage is in the sin and our own personal agenda.  We are free in Christ.  Being bound in Jesus in a relationship requires trust.  It is the only way we can follow Jesus.  We don’t get so stuck to the pattern of this world that we lose sight of the will of God.

God owes us no explanation in our following Him.  We have to break away from what we have been pre-programmed to believe; i.e., the battle of the mind.

Everything that is not bad is still not of God.  Even with our children. 

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.  Proverbs 22:6  

We have to break away from our pre-program to establish obedience.  Is God in your mind or in your spirit? 

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:  Philippians 2:5

This is important because our mind is influenced by the prince of the air:  music, TV, gossip, etc. 

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.  Romans 12:2  

Stop waiting until the night time to renew your mind; do it as often as needed.  Thoughts are not changed by thoughts, thoughts are changed by words.

Stop changing relationships based on what other people say.  We should always be on the side of right not on the side of opinion.

Our obedience is now based upon our commitment.  There has to be action behind our words. 

If ye love me, keep my commandments.  John 14:15

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?   Romans 8:35

We must be faithful to God and His word.  We have to be committed to God’s word; it is demonstrative in our relationships with each other; in our receiving each other; caring enough to help each other; recognizing God in each other.   The faithful always gather.  

For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.  1 Thessalonian 2:13  

We’re not getting everything from God because we do not believe the word of God.

There is a commitment to the word; we have to receive it as a gift from God.  Even if it is correction – it is done out of love.

If we are not committed to each other, we cannot be committed to God.  We make a decision to go from commitment to being loyal.  Church is the only place where people will not submit themselves and be humble.  Apostle Paul was so committed that he gloried in his tribulation. 

Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorying of you: I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation.  2 Corinthians 7:4

I think myself happy, king Agrippa, because I shall answer for myself this day before thee touching all the things whereof I am accused of the Jews:  Acts 26:2  

It’s about our commitment to the call.  We have to see our commitment; not just speak it.

Whatever we did for the enemy, we should be doing 50 times more for God.

Put on the mind of Christ and become a servant.  He humbled himself and became obedient unto death.  Humility is when we have control over something but we become obedient to it.  Make yourself of no reputation.  If I am who I say I am, then the character of who I say I am precedes me.  Take on the form of a servant

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.  Philippians 2:5 – 11  

The way we arrive is through humility.  We thank God all along the way for what He has done in our lives.  We praise Him at all times. 

Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.  Romans 1:21  

It’s on our way up that we get the name.  Learn to humble yourself and not make life about your selfish desires and needs.

Moses gave up the palace to serve his people who suffered.  But Jesus became the greatest example of a servant when he left the worship of the angels in heaven and came to earth to die on the cross for our sins. 

Excerpt from Word Enrichment on Discipleship

- Bishop Joel C. Lofton

(Biblical Studies)

01/26/19
03/14/20