God’s Will for Your Life

even though I attended church since I was a child, it wasn’t until about nine years ago that I discovered the principle which has brought the greatest amount of freedom and release in my ministry

as I entered pastoral ministry, I found that the work was immense, and many of my pastor friends were discouraged and somewhat ineffective

I knew that God had given me certain spiritual gifts, because after all, I was training to be a pastor

but I never honestly expected anyone else to do ministry in the church

sure, we needed people to collect the offering and change diapers in the nursery, but beyond that, what could members of the congregation do?

they hadn’t taken Hebrew and Greek

they had never been to seminary

I picked up from other pastors that all they were good for was the things that I didn’t want to do, getting back once again to changing diapers in the nursery

I was pretty sure you didn’t need to know Hebrew and Greek to do that

but as I said, the work was immense

I would open the mail, type the bulletin, answer the phone, preach the sermons, visit the sick, call those who were absent, advertise the church, participate in every program

when something was wrong with the building, people came to me

but then I discovered, and more importantly, began to practice a principle which has literally made ministry more fulfilling, rewarding, and less tiring for me

what’s more, my ministry became exponentially more effective

I began to discover that I couldn’t do the job alone

I began to put into practice what I already knew about spiritual gifts

slowly, I helped those around me discover their spiritual gifts and began to release ministry to them

to my astonishment, ministry began to take place without me

people who had never taken Hebrew or Greek began to discover that God had created them uniquely to fulfill a certain role in the church that I couldn’t hope to fill

more ministry was taking place, morale in the church increased, my satisfaction in ministry became fuller, and our goals in the church were being realized

all because I began equipping people to do the work of the ministry rather than doing the work of the ministry by myself

Napoleon once pointed to a giant map of China and said, "There lies a sleeping giant. If it ever wakes up, it will be unstoppable"

as I stand before you this morning, I say to you that the church is a sleeping giant

each Sunday, its pews are filled with members who are doing little besides attending regularly and financially supporting the church

to be fair, that’s all they’ve ever been asked to do

but God has far greater expectations for every Christian

God expects every Christian to use his or her gifts and talents in ministry

Rick Warren writes and I concur, "If we can ever awaken and unleash the massive talent, resources, creativity, and energy lying dormant in the typical local church, Christianity will explode with growth at an unprecedented rate"

the greatest need in evangelical churches is the release of members for ministry

a Gallup survey found that only 10% of church members are active in any kind of ministry

50% of church members have no interest in serving in any ministry

and 40% of church members have expressed an interest in ministry, but they have never been asked or don’t know how

to the 10% who are actively involved in ministry at Richview, I say two things: thank you, and help is on the way

you have already discovered the joy that comes from serving God

thank you for investing your life in service

hang in there – reinforcements are coming

we plan to lighten your load as more and more members share the ministry here at Richview Baptist Church

to the 40 % of you who have an interest in ministry but have never been asked or don’t know how, I say – hang on, because we have a plan

in the coming months we will be giving you the tools necessary to discover your spiritual giftedness and to begin finding the joy that comes from knowing and using your spiritual gifts

beginning in January, we will be teaching a course called Network that will clearly guide you to discover your personal style, gifts and passion

it will end with a consultation that will help match your gifts to ministry opportunities within the church

we have a plan to provide ongoing on-the-job support and training

let me promise you that if you desire to serve God in this church – if you are one of this 40% who want to serve but have never been asked or don’t know how – we will give you the tools and the training to get you active in ministry

and you will soon discover the joy that comes from serving God

let me pause and dream with you

if we can get the 10% who are already serving teamed up with the 40% who would like to serve, we will have at least 50% of people serving God using their God-given spiritual gifts within the coming year

stop and think what could happen if that took place

at least one-half of this congregation active in ministry

most pastors would think they had died and gone to heaven if this happened

the sleeping giant called the church will begin to show unprecedented power and effectiveness in ministry

imagine what could happen if within the next six months to a year, we become a church that is crying out to God for blessing and revival, while scores of us become active in lay ministry

I believe that as this happens God will bring more blessing to this church than we’ve ever experienced before

and what’s more, it’s doable

let’s boldly go forward, and commit to prayer and to begin using our spiritual gifts, shall we?

but this morning I want to speak primarily to the 50% of people who are here this morning and have no interest in serving in any ministry

and from Romans 12, I would like to share three principles that should help get you off the bench and into ministry

if these three principles don’t do it for you, I don’t know what will

these are three principles that should make every believer just scream to begin using their God-given spiritual gifts in ministry

PRINCIPLE NUMBER ONE: SPIRITUAL GIFTS ARE INDISPENSABLE TO KNOWING GOD’S WILL FOR YOUR LIFE

as you’re aware, Romans is one of the richest books in the Bible for doctrine

in the first 11 chapters, Paul provides wonderful doctrinal underpinnings for our justification in Christ and the sanctification through the Holy Spirit, and our glorification

in chapters 9 through 11, Paul tackles the mystery of Israel’s rejection of Christ and the sovereignty of God

and chapter 12 begins with the application

in light of this great salvation that God has provided, this is how you should live

and Paul says two things in verses 1 and 2:

(Romans 12:1) Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.

(Romans 12:2) Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Paul says, in light of God’s great salvation, there are two things that only make sense, that are only logical as a result of what God has done

first, present your bodies as a living sacrifice

second, yield your minds to progressive transformation and renewal

and the result, according to verse 2, is that we will be able to prove by testing how good, pleasing, and perfect God’s will is for our lives

in other words, we will discover how good and delightful it is to live according to God’s will as we experience purity of action and purity of thought

most people stop at verse 2

the only problem is that verse 3 begins with a "For," which ties the next thought to verses 1 and 2

and Paul begins to write in verses 3 to 8 of spiritual gifts

and the point is this: in light of God’s salvation, it’s only logical that we practice purity of action, purity of mind, and also that we discover and use our spiritual gifts

what’s more, discovering and using our spiritual gifts is inextricably connected with God’s will, which verse 2 tells us is good, pleasing, and perfect

let me simplify it for you

if you aren’t using your spiritual gifts, you’re not in the will of God

you haven’t yet discovered how good, pleasing, and perfect God’s will is for your life

you don’t know the joy, the peace, the pleasure that comes from serving God the way that he designed you to

it’s not even enough to be pure in mind and pure in your actions – if you’re not serving God using your spiritual gifts, which is a reasonable consequence of all that God has done for you – you’re just not cutting it

spiritual gifts are indispensable to knowing and fulfilling God’s will for your life

and I don’t need to tell you that the more we’re in God’s will, the more we experience joy in the Christian life

the closer we are to what God designed for us, the more we experience the joy and satisfaction that comes from God

if you’re not yet using your spiritual gift, you’re missing out

you actually gain by using your spiritual gift – you gain a knowledge of God’s good, pleasing, and perfect will in your life

I’m telling you, it’s God’s will for your life

if you’re one of the 50% who don’t want to minister within the church, you’re missing out

the church misses out, but so do you

you’ll never discover all that God has planned for your life until you begin to serve the way God designed

that’s the first principle in the passage that should make us want to begin using our spiritual gifts in ministry

PRINCIPLE NUMBER TWO: SPIRITUAL GIFTS ARE INDISPENSABLE TO VALUING OURSELVES PROPERLY

read with me Romans 12:3

(Romans 12:3) For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.

(Romans 12:4) Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function,

(Romans 12:5) so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

(Romans 12:6) We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.

every believer must know what his spiritual gifts are and what his ministry is to be

listen to me: it is not wrong for a Christian to recognize his or her gifts and the gifts of others

but it is wrong to have a false evaluation of ourselves

Paul says in verse 3, "Don’t think of yourself more highly than you ought"

don’t go around overrating yourself and performing a ministry you can’t do

there are people who couldn’t preach their way out of a paper bag; they shouldn’t be preachers

there are believers who don’t have any interest or ability with children; they shouldn’t be Sunday school teachers

there are some in the church who don’t like people; they shouldn’t be greeters

one of the saddest things in the church to see is a believer trying to exercise a gift they don’t have

Chuck Swindoll tells the story of animals who organized a curriculum of running, climbing, swimming, and flying

to make it easier, all animals took all the subjects

the duck was excellent at swimming, but slow in running, so he had to drop swimming to work extra hard at running

the rabbit started at the top of his class in running, but developed a nervous twitch in his leg muscles because of so much make-up work in swimming

the squirrel was excellent at climbing, but failed flying class because his teacher made him start from the ground up rather than from the treetop down

the eagle was disciplined for being a non-conformist

Swindoll concludes:

"The…moral of the story is a simple one – each creature has its own set of capabilities in which it will naturally excel – unless it is expected or forced to fill a mold that doesn’t fit…."

God has not made us all the same – he never intended to!

God planned and designed the differences, unique capabilities, and variations in the Body

God has placed you in his family and given you a set of gifts that makes you unique

your gift mix pleases God completely – nobody else is like you

and when you operate in your giftedness, you will excel, the whole church will benefit, and you will experience incredible satisfaction

so don’t overrate yourself, and don’t undervalue yourself

verses 3 to 6 tell us that all of us are different within the body

we all have gifts, and each one of us is necessary to the proper functioning of the body called the church

so relax

enjoy who you are, and let others who are different from you continue to be themselves as well

some of you this morning need to heed Paul’s command in verse 3 to think of yourself with sober judgment

stop trying to be someone else

stop trying to exercise gifts you don’t have

but some of you have been selling yourself short

you’ve depreciated yourself

you argue that you don’t have something to offer

understanding and using your spiritual gifts is essential to valuing yourself properly within the body called the church

PRINCIPLE THREE: SPIRITUAL GIFTS ARE INDISPENSABLE TO UNDERSTANDING OUR UNIQUE ROLE WITHIN THE CHURCH

(Romans 12:6) We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith.

(Romans 12:7) If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach;

(Romans 12:8) if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

in coming weeks, we’re going to look at the list of the gifts more carefully

but as we read verses 6 to 8, it’s refreshing to read the diversity of gifts that God has given the church

just as there are diverse needs within the church body, so God has given a diverse abundance of gifts to meet these needs

and every believer has a share in the ministry

let me tell you that there are gifts I have that you might not have

and I guarantee that you have gifts that I don’t have

there are things that you can do so much better than I can

I am gifted in preaching/teaching and leadership

some of you are much more gifted in the areas of serving, encouraging, showing mercy, and so on

am I threatened by this?

not at all, because I realize that I have a unique role, and you have a unique role

but wait a minute

I’m the pastor here

I’m supposed to have all the gifts

not a chance!

just one more reason why the pastor shouldn’t do all the ministry, because there is no way that one person could meet even a fraction of the needs in the church as well as a congregation who know and are using their gifts

C. Peter Wagner writes, "Just as important as knowing what gift God has given you is knowing which gifts he hasn’t given you. Many Christians try for years to function with gifts they never had in the first place, and this doesn’t do the Lord’s work much good. It’s like trying to hear something with your knee or throw a ball with your nose. Knees and noses are better off doing other things"

Paul says, if God has given you the gift of serving, then serve

if God has given you the gift of teaching, then teach

if God has given you the gift of encouraging, then encourage

if God has made you a leader, then lead

imagine a church in which leaders led, teachers taught, merciful people showed mercy

watch out for a church like that!

but central to this is understanding that God has given you a unique role within the church

it’s God’s will for your life that you serve him using your gifts

you need to use your spiritual gifts in order to properly value yourself properly

you need to discover your spiritual gifts to understand your unique role within Richview Baptist Church

if you’re one of the 10% who are already using your spiritual gifts, thank you

help is on the way

we will soon have an army of gifted people to come alongside you and lift some of the weight you’re carrying

if you’re one of the 40% who would like to find and begin using your spiritual gifts, I promise you: we have a plan that will allow you to enter fruitful and fulfilling ministry very soon

we will equip you, and you will be used of God in this place

but if you’re one of the 50% who have no interest in serving God using your gifts, let me tell you: we need you

there is something you can offer to Richview that no-one else can

there is a unique contribution that is necessary to this church that no-one else can make

and if you step off the sidelines, and enter ministry, you will be used of God in ways you haven’t imagined

and Richview will become one of those churches that maybe once was a sleeping giant, but now has woken up and become unstoppable

let’s pray

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God’s Will for Your Life (Romans 12:1-8)