ABILITY VS. AVAILABILITY

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

— 2 Corinthians 4:7

When Peter and John were brought before the Sanhedrin, it was a source of complete amazement that these untrained laymen could be so well-versed in the Scriptures—and more importantly, in their understanding. They were ordinary fishermen, salt-of-the-earth-type people. This doesn't mean they were illiterate. But they had not attended the rabbinical schools or spent their lives in the study of the Scripture.

Acts 4:13 tells us that when these religious leaders "saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus." These simple fishermen appeared to be better-equipped than the professionals were. How did this happen? The disciples had been with Jesus. They were boldly sharing their faith. They knew the Scriptures. They were men who prayed.

This should give hope and encouragement to those who think of themselves as ordinary people. Maybe God has not called you to be a pastor, a missionary, or some professional ministry position. But God can use you too. It is clear that He is looking for ordinary men and women to bring the gospel message to others.

God can use you where you are. The opportunities are there. There is a mission field where you work. There is a mission field where you go to school. There is a mission field in your neighborhood. You are God's representative, and He is calling you to go into this world and speak up for Him. God is not looking so much for ability as He is looking for availability. So make yourself available to Him.

       

POWERED BY THE SPIRIT

"Don't act thoughtlessly, but try to understand what the Lord wants you to do. Don't be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, let the Holy Spirit fill and control you."— Ephesians 5:17-18

 When we think of being filled with the Spirit, we often relate it to an emotional experience or a feeling of euphoria.

But in reality, the word, "filled," could be translated, "controlled by." It is a word that speaks of what happens when the wind fills the sails of a boat and guides it along. So God is saying that we are to let His Spirit fill us and control our lives.

Another interesting thing about this word is that in the original language, it is in a tense that speaks of something that should be done continually. So you could translate this sentence, "Be constantly filled with the Spirit." This is not a one-time event. Instead, it is something that takes place over and over again, just as we repeatedly fill the gas tanks in our cars to keep them running.

God wants to refill us with His Spirit. It is a great thing to say each day, "Lord, fill me with your Spirit. Lord, fill me once again." You may have emotional experiences. You may not have emotional experiences. But that has very little to do with the reality of being filled with and controlled by the Spirit.

One other thing about this phrase from Ephesians 5:18 is that it's a command, not a suggestion. The Scripture is not saying, "If it works with your schedule, if you don't mind, would you please consider maybe letting the Holy Spirit fill and control you?" Rather, God is saying that He commands us, He orders us, to be filled with the Holy Spirit

On this rock I will build my restaurant !?

For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. - (Romans 12:4–5)

Sometimes people treat churches like they treat restaurants. They take on a consumer mentality. I want to go to this restaurant. Oh, we went there two weeks ago. Let’s go to this other one. . . . But the church is not a restaurant. The church is a family, and you need to be a part of the family.

You also need to engage. Maybe one of the reasons some people feel as though they are not getting enough out of church is because they attend intermittently and don’t commit themselves. But if they would settle in and become a part of what God is doing, it would change for them.

If you have been attending a church for more than a couple of years, then you ought to be involved in a ministry of some kind. You may not be called to preach, but there are lots of other things to do. There is something for everyone. The Bible tells us, “So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them . . .” (Romans 12:5–6).

It is fine to come and be served in the church. But there has to come a point when you start growing up and decide to start serving. And then you will find that everything changes for you.

So let’s stop thinking of the church as them and start thinking of the church as us. Be a part of the family. Take the gifts that God has given you and develop them and use them for His glory. I suggest that church could completely change for us if we stop coming as spectators and instead join the team.