Current topic: Pray with us for Families.
Good morning.
Yesterday we remembered Jesus’ crucifixion. He brought the perfect and ultimate sacrifice, not sparing Himself when sacrificed as the unblemished Lamb of God. In the last two messages we saw what it cost Jesus, and those who watched the crucifixion scene from the movie ‘The Passion of Christ’ would have a faint idea of what He experienced.
Once the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit, they didn’t spare themselves either. You just have to read Hebrews 11:35-38 to see what it cost them to obey the Lord http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=hebrews%2011:35-38&version=NIV1984.
Paul spelled out the cost of his sacrifice in 2 Corinthians 11:23-29 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Corinthians%2011:%2023-29&version=NIV1984 and Peter chose to be crucified upside down for he didn’t consider himself worthy to die as his Lord did. Apart from their persecution and their suffering, they sacrificed their time and freedom for the sake of the gospel.
We sing in church songs like ‘I surrender all’ and make all kinds of commitments, but what do we give to the Lord in obedience? When I prayed about today’s message the Lord confirmed that I have to give Malachi 1:6-14: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Malachi%201:6-14&version=NIV1984. This forms the basis of this message, so it’s imperative that you read it.
What the Israelites did in physical sacrifice, we in the New Testament should do in good works and the utilizing of our gifts. The Israelites needed to be obedient in observing the law and it was the quality of their sacrifices that the Lord was unhappy about in this prophecy of Malachi. Have you sensed the Lord’s emotions?
We need to be sacrificing in obedience to Jesus’ commands, both those from the Word of God and the daily instructions from the Holy Spirit. What quality sacrifice do we bring? Are we prepared to sacrifice our family time to serve a lost soul? Are we prepared to feed the hungry sacrificially, invite the homeless into our private homes, spend hours of support and counselling with emotionally struggling souls, use our private time for the sake of the Kingdom in teaching, encouragement or whatever our gift is. Do you give sacrificially? The Lord said in Malachi 1:8: “Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?” Does He get the same dedication from us that i.e. our boss gets?
In Matthew 25:31-46 Jesus told of the King who separated the sheep from the goats. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2025:31-46&version=NIV1984. On which side would you find yourself? In Luke 14:15-24 Jesus told the parable of the Great Banquet and in verse 21 the master of the house said: “Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.” The Lord showed me these people include the spiritually poor and -blind as well as the emotionally crippled and -lame. We don’t have only physical needs in our area, but also plenty of spiritual and emotional needs.
What kind of sacrifice do we bring? How is the Lord going to feel about our sacrifice? As a church leader, do you equip your people for meeting the spiritual and emotional needs of the people in their environment? (Ephesians 4:11-16: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ephesians%204:11-16&version=NIV1984). Do you meet the spiritual and emotional needs of God’s people, assigned to you, to the best of your ability or is your effort pretty lame.
People of God, do you seek training to be effective in leading people to the Lord, comforting them with counsel from the Word of God, praying with- and supporting them in faith and praying with them for deliverance from the bondages of sin? Some very effective churches have Bible schools purely for equipping the members to minister effectively among one another. How about your church?
Lord, thank you for your sacrifice. Please send me opportunity to be equipped to serve you well sacrificially.
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