Following the Conductor
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I remember a story about a famous conductor during practice. The orchestra comprised over100 musicians. The string section had 60 in itself. A visitor listened to the practice and found it exquisite, beautiful and perfect. However, the conductor said calling out one of the many string musicians, I didn’t hear your instrument. The musician said, I realized I was out of tune, so I stopped playing. Imagine that. Out of hundreds of instruments, the great conductor knew exactly when just one dropped out and didn’t play his part!
Well, last week we talked about discovering your SHAPE. This week we will continue to press this.
Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)
10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
10 αὐτοῦ γάρ ἐσμεν ποίημα, κτισθέντες ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ ἐπὶ ἔργοις ἀγαθοῖς οἷς προητοίμασεν ὁ θεός, ἵνα ἐν αὐτοῖς περιπατήσωμεν.
The word for “creation” is Poema or poem. God made you to be His OPUS! You are a part of God’s symphony. He listens for you. When you play your part, He rejoices and loves it. And when you put yourself to being part of God’s music, you begin to hear the conductor of Life. You begin to hear His music and direction in those around you. Life, church, family, work take on meaning bigger and broader than just yourself.
When you watch someone who has the gift of music, a real musician. When these people play a guitar, the instrument comes alive. The music flows through their blood. And you know the difference because that music doesn’t just drift through your ears, you feel it in your soul, your very being. It moves you. At time the carry the tune for you and other times the tune carries them.
When you connect on that level, the music keeps you on beat and your music helps others stay on beat. There’s a connection broader and bigger than you. That connection moves you forward and brings forth an more beautiful sound and song than you could accomplish on your own. But how does a great orchestra work? How do they produce music that blends, crescendos and grows together? They all tune into the master. You watch warm-ups. There will be one master note everyone listens to by which they tune their instrument. When you tune to the master note, and everyone else does as well, by default, they all become in tune together.
Many times God’s voice does not seem clear to us because we are not in tune to Him and those He put around us. American individualism tricks us into believing self-worship and love is Christianity. It’s very easy to believe you can be a lone wolf Christian.
1. God designed you to CONTRIBUTE to His family and not merely CONSUME religion.
10 Just as each one has received a gift, use it for serving one another, as good stewards of the varied grace of God.
2. You need to develop a Servant’s heart to hear God and fulfill His purpose for you.
28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life—a ransom for many.”
a. Your SHAPE determines your ministry potential.
b. Your attitude determines your maturity and destiny.
3. Your ability to hear God clearly will depend on your AVAILABILITY.
Story of pastor who began to preach by saying, “Yes Lord, Yes Lord, Yes Lord.”
Lord you’ve heard our answer, no speak and tell us your will.
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
So often we have our own ideas about what we want to do and we ask God to bless our ideas.
Is there anyone else up there.
The young mountain climber had almost reached the top when his foot slipped and he found himself hurtling down the abyss. Halfway down his equipment got caught in a rock and he found himself dangling midway.
Love joyfully jumps where reason fears to tread- Fr Paul Chetcuti
He could only cry, “God help me!” A voice answered him from far above, “Don’t be afraid, my son. You are safe in my hands.” Relieved, the climber asked, “Thank you God. What should I do?” The voice replied, “Let go and I will save you.”
It was, of course, too much to ask of the poor lad. “But how can I be sure you will save me if I let go?” he pleaded. “Trust and believe,” replied the voice.
The desperate climber started shouting at the top of his voice, “Is there anybody else up there?”
Paul Chetcuti
The challenge of faith is that life is found more in the abyss than on solid ground. We all seek refuge in the safety of a ‘solid’ answer to our deepest questions. We only trust our certainties. We trust knowledge to give us life rather than trust life to lead us to knowledge.
Knowing is resting, whereas living is growing.
Knowing is describing, whereas living is creating.
Knowing is perceiving, whereas living is understanding.
Knowing is handling the truth, whereas living is letting truth fashion who we are.
Knowing God is welcoming the unfamiliar.
The real enemy of faith is neither doubt, nor reason, nor science, not even knowledge itself.
The real enemy of faith is fear. It locks us up in the limiting parameters of our need for ‘solid’ ground. Emptiness frightens us, just as darkness and mystery terrify us.
We seek refuge in certainty, with the illusion that what we know will protect us from what we do not know. Deep down it is not knowledge we are seeking, but the power that will save us from being lost. Little do we realize that this deprives us of ever reaching our real destiny – infinity, which is the ultimate mystery of life. Faith is the joy and humility of going beyond what we can understand. It is where we gain full life because we let go of all control.
Faith is the ultimate strength of our weakness, the real greatness of our smallness, the real meaning of our ignorance. Faith is creative doubt, fearless fear, serene questioning, courageous hesitancy.
Faith is being so serious about the questions that one renounces to rely on the certainty of the answers. Faith is freedom from the terror of smallness, weakness and loss. Faith is when the abyss and the solid ground become one.
This Infinite Mystery that is absolute and yet unafraid of smallness, weakness and insecurity that we call God. And because it is living this mystery that makes us loving creatures, we can discover the deepest truth – that God is love.
Those who love know it is an abyss as solid as the mightiest mountain. Love is knowing the truth beyond all certainties. Love joyfully jumps where reason fears to tread.
Just after celebrating the birth of our God as a loving and loveable little child, we can continue our journey. Faith is a frail life that unfolds within and around us – just like the newborn child of Bethlehem. Faith is not simply a belief system to be accepted or rejected at will. It is becoming a little loving and loveable child who dwarfs the greatness of the wise, transforming weakness into strength and fear into freedom.
Faith enables the human spirit to soar and embrace the infinite Spirit of Love who is God. There, in the depths of His loving heart, humanity can discover how the fearful abyss was indeed a truer friend than the solid ground. It will stop seeking ‘someone else up there’, and embrace the One who is already ‘down here’ – Emmanuel, God with us.
4. Avoid the ear plugs that prevent you hearing God’s Song for you.
Self-Centeredness.
It’s not that you won’t do things. It’s that you will only do what you want. It’s simple as that. You help when you want. Not when others ask or you’re needed. You are simply unavailable to anyone or anything but yourself.
b. Gift Envy.
18 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given when the apostles laid their hands on people, he offered them money to buy this power. 19 “Let me have this power, too,” he exclaimed, “so that when I lay my hands on people, they will receive the Holy Spirit!” 20 But Peter replied, “May your money be destroyed with you for thinking God’s gift can be bought! 21 You can have no part in this, for your heart is not right with God. 22 Repent of your wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive your evil thoughts, 23 for I can see that you are full of bitter jealousy and are held captive by sin.”
c. Perfectionism.
If you wait until you are the best, you’ll never start. Perfectionism locks in you a state of paralysis. It’s based in fear or pride. You’re afraid of what others may think. You’ve let other’s opinions good or bad keep you from doing something for God. Or you want to be the best at everything.
d. Materialism.
You have one foot in the world and one foot in the church. But you can’t serve two masters. These are the people who complain that the church isn’t polished enough. The church no matter how hard it tries will never be able to keep up with Hollywood, Disney world, or Fortune 500 enterprizes. First, the church is not a for worldly profit entity. We exist in this world and will use buildings and budgets. But our goal is to Seek Jesus, Serve Him and others, and Share the message of Christ dying, rising and return. We use these things for eternal purposes. Listen, we plan on paying for an packing 20000 meals for Haiti. We don’t expect them to pay for it. We don’t expect them to come and frequent our church, businesses or pay us back financially in anyway. We won’t reject them if they don’t receive Christ. No food for you. We do this out of the love of Christ to show kindness and share the gospel with the hope they will be physically well and spiritual alive in Christ!
e. Comparing/Criticizing.
4 Who are you, who passes judgment on the domestic slave belonging to someone else? To his own master he stands or falls, and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
DL Moody.
f. Wrong Motivation.
1 “And take care not to practice your righteousness before people to be seen by them; otherwise you have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
5. Develop the attitude of GRATITUDE. What is your yes or no answer to the following?
a. I do every task as if it matters to God. y/n
b. I don’t need recognition from others. y/n
c. I serve out of thankfulness for Who God is, What Christ has done for me, and what God has prepared (predestined) for me. y/n