On the job training....... 082114

On the job training………it’s part of how he grows us!

God in His use of Elijah for the teaching of Israel also found time to train the heart of the prophet himself.             Warfield, B. B. (2013-11-13). Faith & Life (Kindle Locations 47-48). GLH Publishing. Kindle Edition.

We all too often think in terms of process.  We look at a goal and the steps we believe we must take to meet it and proceed accordingly.  Such is especially the case in Christian service (or ministry if you prefer).

Now there is a real need to be trained and prepared for service and I would never endorse some, “God called me, I’m going, Yeeeehawww!” approach to ministry/service.  But neither do I believe it is good for young believers to sit and wait until they are “ready,” to serve before serving.  All too often I encounter believers who although they have a good fundamental grasp of “the Way,” (the Gospel life) sit quietly waiting until they are “ready,” lamenting their sense of uselessness in the Kingdom.

I am a firm believer in the old saying, “run what you brung.”  By that I mean that we all have to use what we have.  We can and should be serving within the boundaries of our knowledge and understanding.  That is how the gospel is spread and that is how we grow.

You can take a course, attend a seminar of even charge off to seminary but if you are “waiting” for some magic moment when some strange light of voice will inform you that you are ready you’ll spend a lot of time waiting.  This is such a waste of time, talent, knowledge and love.  It also contributed to the stagnation that often overtakes us because we just sit and do not to whatever little or much we can.

I have been blessed with people in my life who have challenged me to use what I have to serve however insignificant that might seem to me.  They have encouraged me to stretch myself within the limitations of my knowledge and experience to share what little or much I have to share.

We don’t have to wait until we have all the answers we just have to be careful and confident that the answers we have are correct and fall within the bounds of biblical orthodoxy.

Your lack of knowledge and experience will not be alleviated by sitting and waiting until you know it all ( or even most of it).  It will be alleviated as you use what you have and are challenged by what you don’t have.

I just want to encourage each of you, and challenge you as well, to use what you have to serve Him and to communicate the great and glorious good news of the gospel.  There are no “perts” when it comes to spiritual maturity so there are no “ex-perts.”  Though I encourage you to seek out tested and proven guides in both the flesh and in print DO NOT wait for some magic moment when somehow you feel you are ready.  “I don’t know, but I’ll find out,” is as good a response to a gnarly question as some deep theological answer. 

By using you what you do have you will discover what you don’t have and need to gain or acquire.  It is through the revelation of my ignorance that I have come to seek the knowledge I need for this day.  It is in confronting what I don’t know or understand that I am inspired to gain the knowledge and seek the understanding.

I short folks – don’t think that your lack of some deep theological/spiritual knowledge and insight is a reason to not serve – in Word of deed.  It does impose limitations but as you serve you will find those limitations ever shrinking.

You have the Words of Life – you may only have a few but God can do great things with those few  both in the lives you touch and your life as well.

Tetelesthai

Michael