Have You Placed Yourself on the Altar?
Okay, this isn’t really a Roscoe letter. But it is something important. I presented this at last Saturday’s Men’s Prayer Breakfast and it was well received. Unfortunately there were only seven men present. Hence it being sent out in this manner to get more exposure. Our Church like lots of churches needs people to step up and serve Christ. Please read with an open mind and a willing heart.
If you are reading this, you are most likely a child of Christ. If so, then . . .
You are saved.
You are saved to the uttermost.
Can you do anymore to insure that you will have that Heavenly home?
The short answer is NO. Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
And Micah 6:8 tells us what God requires of us. “He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?” If you have done and continue to do these things, the Lord has promised you that mansion.
And we know that He keeps His promises.
But is that where you want to leave things? Do you not feel gratitude for the incredible gift you have been given? All you had to do was to believe and to have faith. HE had to die a horrible and humiliating death for you to have that ‘heavenly home’. Let me ask you, if I walked up to you today and handed you a free gift that would forever change your life for the good would you not want to thank me? Would you not want to try and show your gratitude in some way?
Then shouldn’t we desire to show God our gratitude in the same spirit?
In Romans 12:1 Paul urges “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”
First, we probably need to understand what a sacrifice is. A sacrifice is something of value that is given up completely to God as an act of worship. In the Old Testament it was usually a bird, or an animal or even produce. But in this verse Paul is appealing to us to be ‘living’ sacrifices. This means that we are wholly giving ourselves to God as an act of worship to Him, not as a one-time action as is the case with a blood sacrifice, but as a life-long commitment to serve God.
We should also note that Paul is not calling us out to be a ‘singular’ living sacrifice. No, he is calling on all of us to be living sacrifices together. This is our act of worship as a Church. We are to offer up our gifts together to serve the collective purpose of worshipping God. Romans 12:3-16 almost reads like a Help Wanted ad.
- 12:3 – Don’t think too highly of yourself
- 12:4;5 – Members of the church are to all be like members of the same human body
- 12:6,7,8 – Every Christian should use his or her gifts selflessly for the benefit of the rest of the church
- 12:9 – Love without hypocrisy. Despise evil and hold fast to good.
- 12:10 – Be devoted to each other in love and give preference to one another over oneself
- 12:11,12 – Do all of this with diligence as a service to the Lord, rejoicing, praying, and enduring in persecution
- 12:13 – Give to fellow believers who have need and be hospitable to on another
- 12:14 – Bless those who persecute you
- 12:15 – Rejoice with others who are rejoicing and weep with others weeping
- 12:16 – Be of one mind. Don’t be proud. Associate even with the lowly. Don’t think of yourself as wise.
The passage describes the qualities of the people we need and how they should behave to manufacture or build that end product for God. What is that product you ask? Love and devotion to one another.
So if you are ‘Saved’ you are called upon to be a ‘living sacrifice.’ Now, where are sacrifices traditionally placed?
Upon the altar.
So I ask you, have you placed ‘yourself’ upon the altar as a living sacrifice? Are you offering yourself back to God in an ongoing commitment to serve Him?
In the game of Shuffleboard, the player uses a cue stick to drive the disks into the best scoring positions. Much like that game of shuffleboard, God uses us as cue sticks to intersect with or drive other people into ‘scoring’ positions.
Each of us have gifts that could be used by God to share the good news. To expand Christ’s Kingdom. To serve other Christians. Have you made your gifts available? Are you currently serving in the Church? There are so many areas that need helping hands, minds and hearts.
Personally I have to say that the joy I have found in Christ was multiplied once I started participating in my Church instead of just watching it. It was through serving others with others that I really felt Christian Love and the blessings that went along with it and the more I served the greater the blessing.
Here are just some of the areas where OUR Church needs your gifts:
| Nursery | Sunday School Leaders | Internet and Social Media |
| Multimedia | Music Ministry | Transportation |
| Event Planning | Community Outreach | Evangelism |
| Homebound Ministry | Drama Ministry | Church Administration |
| Youth Ministry | Senior Assistance (Handyman) | Deacons |
| Prayer Meetings | Celebrate Recovery | Video Production |
| Bereavement Ministry | Women’s Missionary Union | Men’s Prayer Breakfast |
| Wednesday Night Suppers | Child Care to support Worship Services | Child Care to support Celebrate Recovery |
| Facility and Grounds | Vacation Bible School | Puppets and Mimes |
| Security |
Yes. I know all of these things take time. Time that has to come from other interests that you may have. However, I can tell you using a term from the world of bean-counters that investing your time in the Lord will give you the best ROI (Return On Investment). You get immediate spiritual growth and you are rewarded with a heavenly home in the presence of God.
To me one of the best parts of serving is that I am allowing myself to be used by God. And that is an incredible feeling! To know that I played some minuscule part in making someone’s life a little better or helping them find their way to Jesus is an awesome reward in itself.
It doesn’t matter how old or how young you are. God can use you. You just have to make yourself available to Him.
In Luke 17:11-18 Jesus cleansed ten lepers and instructed them to show themselves to the priests. Only one returned to Him and glorified God. Jesus said
“Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?”
So again I ask you, have you placed yourself upon the altar?
Are you willing to return and give glory to God by serving Him?