DEFINITION OF TERMS

THE CONCISE OXFORD DICTIONARY
SERVE:
SERVANT:
SERVICE:
MINISTER:

BIBLE DICTIONARIES
SERVANT OF THE LORD
MINISTER.
TRANSLATION OF 'SERVANT' FROM HEBREW TO ENGLISH
...EBED
...ABAD
...SAKIYR
...SHARATH

A big danger for those in ministry is to rely upon their spiritual gifts rather than upon the gift's giver!

Prior to a trip to Africa to share with leadership there, the Lord gave me a dream. Please, this is not meant to be theologically precise, but it graphically makes a vital point for all involved in ministry. Here it is:



St Peter with the keys to Heaven in Michelangelo's Last Judgment.

One person's picture of the 'Pearly Gates'

Two people died and went to heaven. They knocked on the Pearly Gate and asked St Peter to let them in. (As you can see this is not a theological presentation!)

"Why should I let you in?" St Peter asked.

The first person was a beautifully dressed pastor. He replied, "I have had the largest church in town for 20 years. My people loved me as if I was God. I have seen 2,000 people saved and 4,000 people healed. I think I deserve to come in."

The second person, a cleaning lady, was dressed in a dirty, plain blue smock. She explained, "Well, St Peter, I don't have any of the spiritual gifts the pastor had. I haven't done much for you at all, really! But I did clean the church each week. And the toilets too, as no-one else would. And when my neighbour was sick, I looked after her children, and took her some meals. So please, may I come in."

St Peter then did something really strange. He said, "Take your clothes off! For your clothes represent your spiritual 'gifts' which now are to be returned to God. You have only had them on loan."

And when they took their clothes off, the Pastor was fat and flabby underneath. For he had relied upon his spiritual gifts to get him into the Kingdom. He had started off with a good relationship with Jesus, but over the years, as he got busier doing God's work, he had let his relationship slide. His 'ministry' had taken him over and was all consuming in his life. His quiet times reduced in quantity and time until finally, they stopped altogether. Yet he still looked to be a good Christian, for his pastoral spiritual gifts carried him through.

The cleaning lady however, had a beautiful, shapely, firm body, for she had been working out in the gymnasium of the 'fruit' of the Spirit.

The dream ended.

Who got into heaven? That revelation is up to you. But who had stored up most treasure? We all know the answer to that!

Now we can better understand the meaning of a favourite saying of Jesus, "The first shall be last and the last shall be first."

And it helps explain:


For it is by our 'fruits', not our 'gifts', that we shall be known in the Kingdom of God.

Amazingly, on that trip, when in Botswana, I stayed with Pastor Henry, who employed a cleaning lady in a blue smock, just as I had seen in my dream. I spoke to her. Like most cleaning ladies, she didn't talk too much. But when it came time to go home, she took off the smock. Underneath she was wearing a tight top and blue jeans. What a transformation! She was a beautiful young lady! What a confirmation!

You see, as leaders, we can so easily rely upon our gifts to get us through. The genuine pastoral gift for instance, includes having a servant heart. So we can look to be a 'fine' Christian, even when we neglect our relationship with Jesus, and forget to grow 'fruit' in our life.

But it is the 'fruit', not the 'gifts', that we take with us into eternity. Would you rather look good for a few years here on earth, or grow everlasting fruit lasting forever?

I've always had an eye for the best bargain! You too?

Some little time ago now, my wife Kathy and I were individually told by the Lord to shift to another church in a different city. We were both surprised - but obedient. Within 6 weeks we had uprooted ourselves and shifted 300km to where we now live.

Changing churches is always a culture shock! This was no exception! For the spiritual emphasis was entirely different. Our previous church centred round teaching, prayer, warfare and prophecy. But our new church is based upon serving the community and through this, evangelism. And it is growing.

Searching for a single description of Jesus that incorporates the various facets of His nature (actually the Fruit of the Spirit) the word 'servant' best fits the bill.

As we come to maturity and develop large, luscious, ripe, juicy fruit in our life, so we naturally will take on more of the role of a servant. Then we will be as Jesus was.

Surely the aim for all of us!

Even I don't know - yet!

Well, that's it! After seven challenging weeks.

But the real question is, 'What are we prepared to do about it?' Are we going to carry on playing church in the same old way, or are we prepared to become revolutionaries, as was Jesus!

It is those who are prepared to change whom will affect the world. The choice is ours.

NEW ZEALAND KIWI

The Kiwi bird is our national symbol here in New Zealand. It is flightless, almost blind and nocturnal. However it produces an egg of greater size in proportion to its body than any other bird in the world. The female needs to be a real servant to lay that one!