To Be Used by God
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Intro:
“If God sent his representative to be in your major (dorm, class, family, friend group, church), what would he do or say?”
“Wait a minute, I’m God’s representative.”
Three stories
Tommy: One day, he decided he would give his life to God. “All in”
John: One day, he realized he needed to go all in.
Ben: “John’s just so wise.” One day,
“God can use me to accomplish his purposes.”
“God can use me to accomplish his purposes.”
God has placed you in your specific place, to accomplish his will through you.
God has gifted you in a specific way, to accomplish what he wants to do uniquely through you.
If you let him, God will use you as his instrument, to impact others for his Kingdom.
Christ wants to live through you. 2 Cor. 5:20
So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”
When you understand this, you begin to see your situations through a different lense.
“what would God want to have happen here?”
“If God sent his representative to be here in this situation, what would he do or say?”
“Wait a minute, I’m God’s representative.”
1. Offer your life to God Rom. 12:1
1. Offer your life to God Rom. 12:1
And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.
2. Do not conform to this world Rom. 12:2
2. Do not conform to this world Rom. 12:2
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
3. Strive for a humble yet accurate evaluation of yourself Rom. 12:3
3. Strive for a humble yet accurate evaluation of yourself Rom. 12:3
Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.
You are important
You have a unique role to play
You are not “all that.”
Don’t fall into pride: Self-Centered, thinking I am more important than others.
Arrogance
Self-Pity
4. Understand that you play a part in the body of Christ Rom. 12:4-5
4. Understand that you play a part in the body of Christ Rom. 12:4-5
Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.
Others have an important part to play in being used by God.
You also have a part to play in being used by God.
There is no such thing as a “lone ranger” Christian.
5. Discover your gifts, and use them passionately to serve the Lord (Rom. 12:6-8)
5. Discover your gifts, and use them passionately to serve the Lord (Rom. 12:6-8)
Romans 12:6a (NLT)
In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well...
How to discover your spiritual gifts?
Spiritual gift assessment tests.
giftstest.com
Start trying things.
Get feedback from other Christians you work with.
Take initiative to serve the Lord:
“what would God want to have happen here?”
“If God sent his representative to be here in this situation, what would he do or say?”
“Wait a minute, I’m God’s representative.”
Discussion Questions:
Have you committed your life fully to Jesus yet? If not, what is currently hindering you?
What do you think your top 3 Spiritual gifts are? And what are some ideas for how you could use them for God’s purposes?