A Divine Invitation
Service. I sorta feel sorry
for the word. The mere mention of it
conjures up all kinds of negative relatives … sacrifice, commitment, denying,
delaying, tiring, ungratefulness, regret, and those others that came to your
mind when you read the first seven letters of this paragraph. One of my favorite Christian comedians, Tim
Hawkins, has a routine where he talks about how much he hates it when people
come up to him and say, “You have a servant’s heart.” He responds with, “You know what that means …
it means you’re going to be stacking chairs.” So, really, why would anyone want
to serve? More specifically, why would
normal, busy people give of their time, effort, and energy to serve at church? Obligation? Reward? Recognition? Probably. Perhaps
there is a slight possibility that some are doing it simply because they enjoy
doing it. Can you imagine that?
The truth is that
Jesus left us a model in John 13 when He washed His disciple’s feet, and Paul
gave us the exhortation in Ephesians 4 when he talks about the church being one
body, with each one doing its part.
That’s the real reason that
many people from all walks of life, doctors, lawyers, teachers, and school bus
drivers serve here at the Rock. When we
are willing to give up the most valuable asset we have, our time, to others, we
are able to accomplish our mission, which is to reach people with the gospel
and help them become fully devoted followers of Christ. It takes teamwork. It takes time. It takes all kinds of different talents and
abilities and ages and, yes, sacrifices.
The problem is
that many of us slip into becoming consumers at church rather than
contributors. We begin to look at it
from the “What’s in it for us?” mode rather than asking, “What’s in it for us to do?”
So, how about you? Are you using
your most valuable asset to build the kingdom?
Are you using it generously or doling it out when and where you see
fit? Maybe you haven’t even begun
looking. Perhaps you are caught in one
of the following typical thoughts: I
can’t do that. I don’t feel led. They don’t need me. Someone else is better at that than me. I
have done it for a long time; it’s time for someone else to step up, or the
classic, I just have too much on my plate right now. Here’s the deal, when we give in to excuses, we give
up on the blessings God has in store for us. He invites us to participate in what He is
doing in this time, in this place. Isn’t
it amazing that God, the Creator of the universe, not only gives us an
opportunity to contribute, but that He delights in it?
Service isn’t
always spectacular. In fact, most of the
time, it is the opposite. Maybe that’s
the reason many people put off engaging in it.
The truth is that most of the time it’s quite ordinary. Waters don’t part, walls don’t fall down,
fire doesn’t come out of nowhere to consume anything, and thousands aren’t
hanging on your every word. But God is
in the business of taking the ordinary and making it extraordinary. He uses every act of service directed toward
Him to build His kingdom. He’s looking
for those people who make themselves available for the needs at hand. How about you? Andy Stanley, a pastor in
A Divine Invitation
Judge
6
Introduction
4
Characteristics of the invitation…
1) God’s invitation often is ______________
Judges 6:11-14
2) God’s invitation often exposes our
___________
Judges 6:15-18,27
3) God’s invitation often takes us out of our
_______________ ____________
Judges 6:25-26, 7:1-8
4) God’s invitation always includes a
____________
Judges 6:16,33-34
Identifying
the invitation…
1)
2)
3)
4)