you are supposed to serve the church
evangelism and ministry
eph 2:8-10
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
the church needs you
read 1 cor 12...
things to believe
- everyone has gifts (some are supernatural (miracles), some aren't (admin))
- you should know that you are unique
- you should know that you need others
- you need to find ways to love/serve
- it is about serving in love, not about getting out of service (how fun something is is not what paul is talking about)
service as a lifestyle of cost
people like to talk about their good deeds
everyone else is lame
i buy local, organic produce
i give money to haiti
i have all the socially acceptable opinions
peoples schedules show their selfishness though
2 sam 24:24
No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price, for I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God which cost me nothing.
- your ministry will cost your spouse and kids. their ministry will cost you. however you end up living your life, the cost should be clear.
questions
- what percentage of your life do you want to be spent serving/giving? how does your life show that you
are a part of the body of Christ?
- what forms of service are you able to offer? to what degree have you prayed/examined your gifts and how they should be used?
note that this has two aspects: within the church (ministry) and without (evangelism)
how would you answer this question for your spouse? what areas should you encourage them to serve in?
- what patterns/habits can you build into your marriage to encourage this as a lifestyle?