Sunday 18 August 2002
Church Meeting AM

Rom 1:1 ~ Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, seperated to the gospel of God.

How many people today can apply this scripture to their lives without hesitation? (Your name), a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be (your purpose), seperated to the gospel of God.

You are called to be something!Acts 26:9 ~ Paul's testimony before King Agrippa

Jesus grabbed Paul out of his daily occupation (to kill Christians) and revealed to him His purpose.

Four keys to finding your purpose in God's kingdom:
1. The opposite of whole-heartedness is compromise. The hunter was tracking down a bear, and when they met, the bear said, 'I want a full stomach'. The hunter said, 'I want a fur coat.' So the bear said, 'Let's comprimise', and ate the hunter.

In the same way the people of Jabesh Gilead wanted to make a covenant with the Ammonites to save their lives. The Ammonites said they would spare the on one condition: Their right eyes must be removed (1 Sam 11). In battle, the right eye was the fighting eye, since the other eye used to be behind the shield. Without their right eyes, the people of Jabesh Gilead would never be able to defend themselves against anyone. In the end they asked the newly appointed King Saul to help them, and they were spared. Do not make covenants which compromise your faith in God.

2. Forget the past. Drop your victim mentality. Break off the rear-view mirror. Paul had to deal with a messy past, where he killed and imprisoned many Christians. Now he wanted to preach to the same people. But this was his motto: One thing I do; I forget the past, and stretch myself to what's ahead.

The past becomes a filter through which the Word of God cannot freely penetrate. Pull out the old belief system. Put off the old self, and put on the new. Don't let your mind throw off the idea that you are called to be something. When you buy an old house, you will probably need to rewire it in order to reduce the fire hazard. That is what God does with us when we give ourselves to Him. He rewires our belief system.

3. Pressing into the purposes of God. The words 'pressing in' means to 'speed on earnestly'. Bible patience is not waiting for a bus or for the microwave bell to notify you that your food is ready. Bible patience is consistency. Put up with delays, and keep pressing in. Joseph had to take a 17 year detour but he never gave up on his purpose. Abraham had to consistently act on his faith for a son. Jesus had to consistently believe that His 3 years of ministry on earth would spark off an eternal kingdom.

What God births, Satan cannot kill. Drown out the voice of Judas the betrayer, and obey your call.

4. Understand the balance of God's sovereignty and our responsibility. Many people say, 'If God wants me to become an evangelist, He'll make me a evangelist.' Phil 2:13 says that God works in us to will and to work according to His good pleasure. But there's a balance. God works, but we must yield. When God works in us, we must say, 'Yes Holy Spirit', and not resist Him. The clay must yield to the hand of the Potter.