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GIFTED TO SERVE, Part 4
Twin Functions
By Rev. Will Nelken
________________________________________
Presented at Trinity Community Church, San Rafael, CA, on Sunday, October 17, 2021
If you have missed the first three talks in this series, I heartily encourage you to read, listen, or
watch them on our website.
We’re exploring many of the gifts with which God equips His people—what they are, how they
come to us, what they’re used for, what you can do to develop them, and how to use them
most effectively.
In the first segment of this series, we examined three lists of God’s gifts in the New Testament.
I categorize them as:
Motivational Gifts from God the Father – (Romans 12:4-8)
Leadership Gifts from God the Son – (Ephesians 4:11-13)
Demonstration Gifts from God the Holy Spirit – (1 Corinthians 12:4-11)
With that as a background, we began to consider why God has given gifts at all.
The one aim they all have in common is to build up the church (God’s redeemed people) as He
prepares a Forever Bride suited to His Eternal Son.
Last Sunday, we learned of three elements
of spiritual development, for which God dispenses His gifts: Christian identity, active trust in
Christ, and godly passion for His Kingdom.
Identification with Christ is how we connect our hearts with His.
Active trust is how we show
others who Jesus is.
Godly passion empowers the revelation of God’s Kingdom in our world.
And, God’s gifts to us have one primary purpose: to build up His Church.
And in doing so, they have two main functions: To build up the church—through loving unity
(among insiders), and through compassionate evangelism (among outsiders).
Serving Insiders
The New Testament emphasizes two characteristics of thriving Christians: their love and their
unity go hand-in-hand.
Today, we’re going to explore the first of these functions, and think about how we practice it.
Jesus said, “This is My commandment: Love one another as I have loved you.”
Loving the rest of God’s children is not an option and not a bonus.
It is the very heart of the
Gospel, for it is modeled after the ways Jesus has loved you.
I have been reading Philip Yancey’s book, “What’s So Amazing About Grace,” and it has been
nourishing my soul and elevating my faith and increasing my love.
Why?
Because the source of God’s love in my heart (and yours) is not the doctrine of His deity,
nor even the record of His sacrifice, but the grace that He extends to me over and over again.
Listen to a few of Yancey’s words:
During a British conference on comparative religions, experts from around the world debated what, if any, belief was unique to the Christian faith.
They began eliminating possibilities.
Incarnation?
Other religions had different versions of
gods appearing in human form.
Resurrection?
Again, other religions had accounts of return
from death.
The debate went on for some time until C. S. Lewis wandered into the room.
“What’s the
rumpus about?” he asked, and heard in reply that his colleagues were discussing Christianity’s unique contribution among world religions.
Lewis responded, “Oh, that’s easy.
It’s
grace.”
After some discussion, the conferees had to agree.
The notion of God’s love coming to us
free of charge, no strings attached, seems to go against every instinct of humanity.
The
Buddhist eight-fold path, the Hindu doctrine of karma, the Jewish covenant, and Muslim
code of law—each of these offers a way to earn approval.
Only Christianity dares to make
God’s love unconditional.
What must it feel like for the Maker of the Universe to get another member of His family
back?
[In Jesus’ story of the prodigal son who squandered half the family fortune, He announced], “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of
God over one sinner who repents.”
Grace is shockingly personal.
As Henri Nouwen points out, “God rejoices.
Not because the
problems of the world have been solved, not because all human pain and suffering have
come to an end, nor because thousands of people have been converted and are now praising Him for His goodness.
No, God rejoices because one of His children who was lost has
been found.”
This is how God has loved us:
“God loved the world this way: He gave His only Son so that everyone who believes in Him will
not die but will have eternal life.”
(John 3:16)
Have you believed in the Son of God? His name is Jesus.
I don’t mean, Do you agree that Jesus
was a real man who lived and died in history, but have you believed in who He said He was,
and what He did to show it?
Have you believed that He is the eternal Son of God, who, as a human being, gave Himself to
die as a ransom for our sins?
Do you believe that He is alive today, having been raised from the dead, to grant everlasting
salvation to all who put their trust in Him?
This is how God has loved the world!
And this is what that sort of love means:
“This is love: not that we have loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the payment for our sins.
Dear friends, if this is the way God loved us, we must also love each other.”
(1 John 4:10-11)
“Christ has given us this commandment: The person who loves God must also love other believers.”
(1 John 4:21)
This is what Jesus told His followers, “I give you a new commandment—to love one another.
Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.”
(John 13:34)
You and I are to love all those whom God chooses to bring to faith, all those whom He brings
into our church family.
“Just as I have loved you” expresses both a measure and a manner for loving one another.
Christ’s love for the penitent is the MEASURE of the love we are to share with each other.
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