Just As I Am and Waiting Not

Abide...and Ask! John 15:7,8

Introduction

Much of God's truth seems to us PARADOXICAL. We aren't sure whether doing or growing are more important. We are to be BUSY for the Lord, and yet God is more interested in what we are, more than what we do.

We are children of the King, rich beyond all understanding, and yet we are to have the mind that was in Christ, 'Blessed are the poor in spirit!'

Jesus indicated that when He returned He expected a return on His talents; yet Jesus said about a poor woman who cast two pennies into the treasury: "She gave more than anyone else!" The answer to these paradoxes of faith is usually not "either-or." It is "both-and!"

Some of these paradoxes are

We are never to be rushed, in haste, at least in the sense of being panicked by situations or crisis. Busy-ness, for the sake of being busy, is not necessarily a good thing. It is hard to imagine God all out of breath, or Jesus overwhelmed by His schedule to the point of frustration; but at the same time...
We need to live with a sense of urgency! An urgency that does not comfortably put off until tomorrow that which God expects us to do today! An urgency that sees men and women as lost until they meet Jesus (Jesus at well: "Look at the harvest!")

In other words— we are told to:

Wait on the Lord! Be patient for Him! In HIS good time He will come through with His good will! But at the same time we are told,
There is a time when we don't wait any longer! There is a time to throw ourselves into the battle:

Judges 4:14 "Up, this is the day!"

Ecclesiastes 9:10 "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might, for there is no work in the grave, whither thou goest!"

I. THE TASKS AT HAND FOR CHRIST'S CHURCH

The church as a whole, and as individual congregations:
God has called us to WORSHIP, to WITNESS AND EVANGELIZE, to TEACH OUR CHILDREN AND OUR CONVERTS in the way; and we are also called to FELLOWSHIP, to nurture and encourage one another in the faith- fellowship is more than good times and parties— it is a vital function of the Church of Jesus Christ. Finally, we are called upon to SERVE, to give a cup of cold water, or a blanket, or what we can give to those OUTSIDE the fellowship.
Anything LESS than this, and we are not fulfilling our role as a church. Anything MORE than this and we have gone beyond what God has called us to do.
Could I look at these five functions one time, slowly, with you?
Worship: the central task of the church out of which all other tasks take their strength.
1. To WORSHIP is "the primary task" of the church— and I believe it is impossible to worship well and not be challenged into all the other aspects of the church's task. WORSHIP will be shaped and colored by the culture of the people who worship; native New Guinea people worship far differently from the solid citizens of Scotland. But worship is NOT a matter of simply "doing things right or wrong." Worship is a matter of putting God in the center of all of life and living-worship is the dynamo that makes everything else the church is called to do possible.
2. To EVANGELIZE is a first priority for the church. The last challenge of the Lord Jesus Christ to the church was:
  "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature!"
  A church that is not witnessing and winning is at best a sick church, in danger of the Laodocian warning. How a church evangelizes, once again, will be shaped by the situation; but God Himself is the power and the wisdom behind evangelization, and a church that wants to witness finds that, by God's grace, it CAN witness and win!
3. To FELLOWSHIP may not seem such a high priority. But that is because we have emphasized other commands and tasks and have not heeded the imperatives of some other commands, just as vital:
  Ephesians 4:32 may just be one of the most important verses in the Bible! and Galatians 6:2 "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."
  [[HERE DEVELOP THE IDEA OF 'ACCOUNTABILITY' WHICH (1) MORTIFIES THE FLESH; (2) PROVIDES SUPPORT FOR EVERY GOOD IMPULSE]]
  We think of fellowship in terms of special occasions, of dinners and get-togethers— and they are good and vital. But the Church is called on to be a center of love and encouragement— a SANCTUARY from the world that lives in isolation and selfishness. Fellowship is the church really being 'FAMILY' in the best sense of that term.
4. To EDUCATE is also a first priority. Only as a church indoctrinates its children and converts can it hope to bring them to maturity; only as it educates can it hope to be more than a 'first stage rocket' in the plan of God to get into His orbit.
5. To SERVE is a vital part of every church's ministry. Jesus Himself gave the example; He washed dirty feet the night before He went to the Cross for the salvation of the world!
EACH CHURCH WILL HAVE A DIFFERENT 'PROFILE' OF THE EMPHASES OF THESE TASKS THAT WILL FIT THE TIME AND PLACE IT SERVES.
That is why "programs" often do not transplant well. Bus ministries, circles of concern, friendship evangelism, and all— must be totally adapted to the situation by much prayer and by humility of lay and clergy leadership in not pretending to know all the answers in advance.

II. THE TASKS AT HAND FOR EACH MEMBER OF CHRIST'S CHURCH

Where do "I" fit into this plan, these tasks— how may I be a part of the church of Jesus Christ as He would have me to be ?

I HAVE A UNIQUE ROLE.
Just as each church has its own profile, so each Christian is different from every other. God does not expect us to do what He has not equipped us to do.
Every command of God— as it becomes personal— is also a promise and an enabling! What God expects of ME is what will suit ME best!
MY ROLE WILL 'SPECIALIZE' TO A DEGREE, BUT WILL ALSO TOUCH ON ALL THE TASKS OF THE CHURCH.
I will certainly need to WORSHIP! I will witness, I will have a role in education somewhere; I will certainly need to receive and to GIVE the encouragement of fellowship. And every last one of us must seek to have the servant heart that Jesus had.
Still God calls each of us to be strong in one or two areas of this work of the Body of Christ.
"JUST AS I AM, AND WAITING NOT..."
This is the altar song we believers need to sing to ourselves! I must be up and about what God wants me to be and do! The key is NOT WAITING!
1. Not waiting for some celebrity to lead... God's work is NOT validated when it becomes popular and we see it on TV. It is validated the minute we hear God speak. Contrary to much thinking, the majority of God's work is done without fanfare and is done in the local situation.
2. Not waiting FOR THE FULL PROGRAM. It is great to get organized, and even greater when the organization is on fire with holy zeal. But we can be used of God every single day! We can be channels of blessing, even when the program hasn't been fully developed yet.
3. Not waiting UNTIL I HAVE A CLASS TO SHOW ME HOW... although such classes are wonderful— but simply LIVING TO PLEASE THE LORD... 'reporting for duty every day!'
4. Not waiting FOR THE ONE WHO CAN DO IT BETTER. This is a particular cavil (frivolous objections) of the larger church.
5. Not waiting UNTIL I AM IN THE INNER CIRCLE. In a large church it seems more people are 'outside looking in'— or think they are. But actually we need to seek our strokes from God Himself, and plunge in even when we feel 'left out' at times. It is amazing how God will sweep us into the center of the stream of His grace when we take this attitude.

Conclusion:

The 'bottom line' of the Christian faith— the REAL Christian faith— is L I F E !! If we live in Christ the Vine, it will get out on us! We will EXPRESS that life.

Many charismatic and near-charismatic ministers emphasize the "expression" of praise, by which they mean hands raised, and "Amens!" And that is good . . .but . . . Somehow I think the expression of life will also be manifested in doing the works of Jesus Christ: HEALING the brokenhearted, LOVING the unloved, BEARING one another's burdens,

Remember the great promise of John 15:8 - which, amazing to behold, comes right after John 15:7

This may be 'The Year of Christ's Return! In any case, let's live this year by the PARADOX: Let's WAIT as never before! And let's live with a new urgency to do our Master's bidding!

#190 - A Charge to Keep I Have