Graduating from the Kiddie Table (2)

Serving in the Kitchen

Philippians 1:12–14 LEB

Now I want you to know, brothers, that my circumstances have happened instead for the progress of the gospel, so that my imprisonment in Christ has become known in the whole praetorium and to all the rest, and most of the brothers, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, dare even more to speak the word without fear.

Philippians 1:12-

Now we see the gospel going full circle. We started thanking God because of what we have, then we moved to thanking God despite of our enemies, and now we thank God because of suffering that furthers the Gospel. The first two, the kiddie table and the banquet table focus on self, but when we reach the pinnacle of being Christ like we take our eyes off of self and focus on others—Thanking God for our suffering that brings the salvation of others.

John Piper states: God is most Glorified in us when we are most Satisfied in Him.

The Praetorium was the quarters of the most elite guards Rome had to offer. This guard would be likened to our Navy Seal or the Green Beret. It was this elite guard that was tasked to ensure Paul’s imprisionment and safety. If I were a guard of this elite task force I would grow tired of Paul’s preaching unless he displayed a peace, contentment, and worship while being locked up. Anyone can preach a good game when things go well, few can stick with their faith in the midst of adversity, fewer yet are those who find intense peace in the midst of personal attacks.

One might think that the opposite would be true—that an unimposed Gospel would prosper more than one that is directly persecuted, but that isn’t truth. As I read and chat with people who work in some of the most persecuted areas we hear stories of people coming to Christ because of persecution.

This type of peace and joy only comes from 2 roots

Consistent in God’s presence.

Consistent in service to others.

Consistent in God’s Presence

Psalm 16:11 ESV

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

This type of Joy can’t be fakes or mustard, it has to be learned and ingrained. One can argue that you will not find this type of joy apart from God.

Your disappointment can only to change to HIS APPOINTMENT when saturated in the presence of God.

Paul had every right write letters like that of David. Woe is me when my enemies come calling for my life. In order to Graduate from the banquet table to the kitchen the lense in which you view things must change.

In my family when you were accepted into the kitchen you were accepted to a very close personal relationship with the inner circle family members. Many followed Christ, but few were called disciples because there is a cost that comes with the title. This type of relationship is only forged in the hottest of fires and saturated with the time spent in the presence of God.

Philippians 1:13 NKJV

so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ;

In Christ-The only way to be in Christ is to have a relationship with Christ. You cannot be in something you don’t have a relationship with. When a baby is taken out of it’s mother’s womb it find comfort in the arms of it’s mother—why? because a relationship is formed in the womb—when the child is literally in it’s mother. The child grew hearing his mother’s heart beat, being calmed by her voice, and be carried in her own strength.

The reason the child finds comfort in the mother is because literally the two were one for 9 months. a child like faith is dependent on the level of oneness you have with Christ. The only way into the kitchen is by forsaking everything else. I had a youth Pastor once who had an old BMW. It was his pride and joy, but what he said left me in disbelief for many years. One of the other youth kids asked if he could buy his BMW and the Pastor said “Yes, everything I own is always for sale.” I remember to this day my first impression. All I could think was “You’re dumb or You’re lying which makes you dumb anyway.” It wasn’t until about 3 years ago that I finally understood what he was saying. When God asked my family to sell everything we owned without giving us a reason. At that moment, when the last thing of monetary value sold, I looked around and said I have my family and I have my faith. Little did I know that the season I was in was preparing myself and my family for the biggest battle in our lives. However, what Got us through it all wasn’t the stuff I sold but rather the new level of relationship I had In Christ when I got to the other side.

There are only so many places your current level of relationship in Christ can take you. In order to advance further you must first be willing to go deeper.

The second kitchen principle is service to others.

2) Service to Others

When you look through the lense of other people’s struggles your life doesn’t seem that bad!

Understand-your situation only looks dire because it’s all your looking at. Time and time again when people begin to serve the hungry, the homeless, and those less fortunate than them I hear “I thought I had it bad.”

When you are busy serving others you are too busy to swim in the pool of your own self pitty. Paul rejoiced in his suffering because it was reliving others of their eternal damnation.

You can always tell who will last in the kitchen and who won’t. One of the biggest red flags is usually said something along these lines: I always wanted to work in the kitchen because then I get fed first—this is usually stated while sampling the many flavors. The reality that after your first thanksgiving in the kitchen sampling food the generosity stops. Upon your second and third years every time you reach into the pot your hand gets slapped. Typically those who enter the kitchen to sample end up frustrated, in the way, and pushed aside because they are there for the wrong reasons. My aunt had everything timed to perfection. This came out of the oven in time for this to go in. This was preppeed right after that because it takes such and such time to cook.

The people in the kitchen realize there is a schedule to be kept because the count down to dinner is always ticking away. Those who are spiritually ready for kitchen duty know that time is limited and is short. The difference between the banquet table and the kitchen is a person’s idea of time. At the banquet table most people here have about an 80-90 year perspective. They think only about their lifetime.

Those in the kitchen have the perspective of eternity. When we get focused on our life time short spouts of suffering leads us to write Psalms of suffering. When we focus on eternity we being to realize that Psalms of suffering serve to be love letters to the lost.

In light of eternity your 10, 15, 20 years of suffering is no match to the time spent in the Glory of God. However, if you are limited to 75-80 years—and over half that time is teenage/college. Now you find yourself 25 years old with an understanding that people die around 80. That leaves you 55 good years. Now God is calling you to 10,15,20 years of suffering. I begin to see why people panic. in that scope---your luck if you have 5 years at the top of the mountain celebrating the victory in life. No wonder people are depressed. I would be too with that perspective. We need to get outside of life on Earth and inside a kingdom lifestyle.

Paul writes in this same chapter to live is Christ and to Die is gain, but that he would postpone his death so others would ahve life. Why? Because he understands that in the passing of each days lies the same number of days to be with God. The more time you spend on Earth doesn’t lessen the time spent in Heaven. In the eyes of eternity time doesn’t matter.

If we look at our time here on Earth as our cooking or prepping time than it doesn’t matter what God throws in our pot of life because it’s to be poured out to those around us. You don’t like onions---it’s ok---the soup isn’t for you. Its for you to give to your neighbor.

2 Timothy 4:5–6 ESV

As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come.

Paul write this to Timothy knowing that his execution was near. However, both his words to Timothy and his expression of life is worth looking into. Paul being and understanding what it is to work in the kitchen knew this one thing—that there is more to be had preparing the meal than there is to be the one eating it.

And lastly that your life comes full circle when you find yourself back at the kiddie table. Many who are in the kitchen find that while serving there isn’t always room at the banquet table when it’s their time to eat. So often you would find my Aunt back at the kiddie table eating with children—teaching them the rules, and pouring all she learned into them.

In the OT a drink offering came last. It was poured over as an accent to the meat offering while it was being burned. It covered the meat giving it aroma and the alcohol was used to start the flame. Those in the kitchen realize—usually toward the end of their life that their true glory comes when they pass the torch onto someone else. When they raise up baby Christians and train new converts. When they come along side the struggling g and the pain. When they are being pour out for the sake of others.