Tag: confidence

ADEQUACY

Posted on by West Oaks Fellowship

In II Corinthians 3:4-6 believers are reminded that they are “adequate servants of the new covenant” (NT grace/gospel-based relationship/contract with God through Christ Jesus alone).  How often do we actually consider, or view ourselves in this light?  The Lord is not simply calling us out as servants of the New Covenant, but as believers who are “adequate” in the framework (apparatus and structure) of that calling.  In order to fully comprehend “adequacy,” let’s first consider the context of this dynamic, empowering, and far-reaching comprehensive statement:   

Such confidence we have through Christ toward God.  Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

First, one must recognize/acknowledge “inadequacy” (insufficiency and even incompetency) as a significant and mandatory qualification for becoming a “servant of the new covenant.”  

Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves.

How often do individuals overlook their own personal inadequacies in direct disagreement (even in prideful rebellion) with the Lord’s Word?  Doesn’t Christ simply desire for us to come into agreement with Him?  Even when one begins to face the truth about his/her own spiritual inabilities, especially when it concerns producing the type of life Christ is looking for, one can easily underestimate the extent of human deficiency.  Believers may come to think that they are just not able to produce everything, or as much as, God desires/wants in their lives.  Needless to say, our Lord has a more radical viewpoint, clearly stating that we cannot view ourselves as “adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves.”  Again, doesn’t Christ simply desire His followers to come into agreement with Him?

Second, one must recognize/acknowledge God’s undeniable, irrefutable, sufficient and competent adequacy.  “Our adequacy (sufficiency) is from God” and no other!  The adequate and all sufficient resources for living the Christian life are to be found in Him and Him alone!   

We are to be the beneficiaries, by/through His grace, and recipients of God’s full and adequate supply.  Humans are not the source — even strong, dedicated, faithful believers are not the adequate, sufficient providers! 

The Lord is the right and proper resource and supply … all that’s needed for life and godliness (fearless, faithful, victorious, righteous living — see II Peter 1:3)!  

Can anyone simply agree with Him?

According to the scripture previously referenced (II Corinthians 3:4-6) the difference between living by God’s supply or by our own adequacy and resources is a matter of life and death . . . “for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”  Living the Christian life by our own capabilities will spiritually kill us. It will eventually leave us exhausted, discouraged, and condemned. Whereas, depending upon God’s Holy Spirit to supply the abundant grace of God will ultimately provide adequate strength, encouragement, and comfort.

Under the Old Testament Law and provisions of the Old Covenant, only the Levites were actually called and set apart to be officially God’s servants.  They were not allowed to participate in “earthly” or what we would call secular work, and they were to be totally supported by the tithes received from the other tribes of Israel.  It seems that modern- day Christianity may have unquantifiably and unreservedly adopted some of this Old Covenant philosophy and dumped it right out in the pews of today’s church. 

Where does the New Testament teach that only those who give up their secular jobs can become servants of God?  Undoubtedly, undeniably, irresponsibly, recklessly, negligently, and carelessly, this prominent teaching of human religion and tradition has been elevated as God’s will/purpose/truth. However this convoluted concept is without New Testament/New Covenant support, and stands in direct contradiction to the teachings of Christ and the biblical examples of New Testament church leadership.  Consider Romans 6:22:

But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.


One is made free from sin — then as a result becomes “enslaved to God,” or in other words, a servant/bondservant of the Lord.   The Greek word translated here “enslaved” is from the root word doulo/douloo, meaning both literally and figuratively to become (make) a servant and/or to bring into bondage/servitude.  Obviously apparent, this passage has nothing to do with how one makes a living, or someone giving up their secular job in order to become God’s servant!  The inexorable and unmistakable truth revealed here calls all those who believe in Jesus Christ to enter servanthood based upon them becoming eligible for that position and opportunity through God’s grace and provision for the removal of one’s sin found only in Jesus Christ!  It’s ultimately HIS adequacy and sufficiency that allows our privileged calling as adequate/sufficient servants of the New Covenant!   

Perhaps Christ’s followers should simply come into agreement with Him?  This prayer may help turn one’s heart and embrace this abiding Truth.

Lord of Grace, I humbly admit that I have often held a perspective so different from Yours on this subject of adequacy and sufficiency.  I have repeatedly behaved as though my entire Christian life experience depended upon what I thought I could do with/from my own abilities and resources.  Lord, as You have declared, it has brought forth spiritual deadness.  Please teach me to trust You and God’s Holy Spirit to birth (into my Christian life experience) the full adequacy and sufficiency of Your immeasurable grace. 

In Jesus’ name, Amen.                                                        

Simply try it … Pastor Frank

DEACON

Posted on by West Oaks Fellowship

In Acts 6:1-6 one finds some of the minority groups, in this case Hellenistic Jews, who were not being properly cared for in Christ’s early church.  In Acts 6:3 the Jerusalem congregation (the only one in existence at that time) is instructed to, “Select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task.”  The original apostles gave this instruction for three, very distinct, reasons:

1.   There were practical needs in the church body/membership.

2.   The unmeet needs presented an opportunity for potential division/conflict within Christ’s body.

3.   The Apostles needed to stay focused on their duties/calling and establish the church’s  ministry in Christ’s physical absence.

“But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

Over the course of church history, the role of “Deacon” has been modified to mean everything from a group of humble servants with no official capacity in Christ’s church, to a committee of individuals with excessive ecclesiastical  authority, or even to something totally non-existent, ignored.  Some modern-day ministry organizations have even implemented substitutes by various names in an attempt to fulfill the biblical roles of deacon perhaps without yielding to or considering the biblical processes or qualifications for such a distinguished office in Christ’s church.  I Timothy 3:13 reminds us, “For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a high standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.”

At West Oaks Fellowship, we strive, and it’s our duty, to diligently arrange and organize the functions of our church/ministry according to the pattern(s) established in the New Testament.  Certainly, we don’t ignore centuries of church heritage and development, but give careful considerations to our predecessors views and practices from which we were conceived.   Even so, our efforts remain continuous and steadfast in every attempt of church polity to restore the functions of church offices as they are defined for us in the Lord’s New Testament scriptures.

The Greek words for servant and deacons, dia/kono$‎, diakonos (dee-ak’-on-os) / diako/noi$,‎ diakonois (dee-ak’-on-ois), are similar throughout the New Testament.  However, contextually speaking there is always a distinction between the references to those holding the biblically-ordained service office of “Deacon” (appearing in plurality, a noun), when compared to other uses of the word, in reference to those rendering their services/ministry to Christ and/or His church.  As an example, any believer can be an effective servant/minister, ‎dia/kono$‎, diakonos (dee-ak’-on-os) (to/of Christ and His church), without necessarily holding the office of “Deacon.”  Epaphras is a perfect example found in Colossians 1:7-8 or Tychicus in 4:7-8.  At WOF, we have a servant team made up of men and women who serve our body by taking care of practical needs for our Sunday and Wednesday ministries. These faithful servants are highly appreciated, though generally unrecognized.  Some of them are “Deacons” and some are not, but most of them have the spiritual gifting of “service” (Romans 12:3-8) and employ their gifts on a regular basis in ministry unto their Lord, Jesus Christ (I Peter 4:10-11)!  

Those holding the position or office of “Deacon” at WOF are nominated by the body of Christ (in accordance with Acts 6:1-6), screened by the leadership (in accordance with Acts 6:6 and I Timothy 3:10), meet the biblical qualifications for “Deacon” (in accordance with I Timothy 3:8-9 and 12 with consideration of Acts 6:3), tested (in accordance with I Timothy 3:10), and then set apart for the specific office of service in Christ’s ministry (in accordance with Acts 6:6).  Needless to say, since this isn’t a popularity contest or a position of power, our “Deacons” are an outstanding group of men who are true servants of Christ and His body, with their role being very simply defined here at WOF as:

Biblically-qualified individuals who serve Christ by ministering to the needs of His body (the local New Testament Church).

This month we are seeking your recommendations for men (Deacons, not Deaconesses) to serve Christ and all of us at WOF in this capacity.  Please prayerfully consider the men in our church body whom you find faithful in the light of your knowledge of them and use the Deacon Nomination inserts found in your weekly bulletin to submit your recommendations. All nominations are strictly confidential until each nominee is considered and biblically qualified by the Elders and current Deacons.  Then those eligible and agreeing to serve will be publicly presented as DITs . . . Deacons In Training!          

Not much is actually known about all the Deacons of the New Testament, but we know of two that started serving in a practical way to meet the needs of Christ’s church in Acts 6.  Philip, according to Acts 8:5-8, proclaims the gospel of Jesus Christ in Samaria with great success bringing much rejoicing throughout the community as the Lord affirms his ministry through miraculous manifestations of God’s Holy Spirit.  Later, Philip serves in the office of Evangelist, according to Acts 21:8 and trains four daughters in the ways of the Lord, serving His church as “prophetesses.” Then there is Stephen, “a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit” (See Acts 6:3) who, as a minister of Christ, in a very short period of time is called to lay down his life as the first known martyr of Christendom.  Deacons … Yes, all for His glory! 

— Pastor Frank

MISSION TRIP 2014 PART II

Posted on by West Oaks Fellowship

Mission Trip 2014 is upon us!  Every year, our relatively small congregation accepts the challenge of ministering to literally hundreds of children in the South Texas Valley.  We see numerous children and youth make life-changing decisions for Christ, as well as a refreshing work of the Lord in each participant.  

For many years, we have stayed on a consistent theme during  our Mission Trip VBS ministry, emphasizing what we refer to as “A-B-C.”

One may ask, What’s it all about? A-B-C stands for “ADMIT – BELIEVE – CONFESS”.  Our three-day ministry program is uniquely designed for K-5th grade students, whereby each day’s lesson, craft, and memory verse and even the Extreme Scraise Team skits all focus on one of the A-B-C letters.

The idea of the A, ADMIT, brings a focus on biblical truth from Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” and encourages the children to recognize sin and then admit that they too are indeed sinners in need of forgiveness.  This emphasis leads perfectly into verses like Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”  This step, admitting one’s spiritual condition, is very liberating and really unlocks the closed heart leading to an understanding of God’s grace and genuine love.    

The B, BELIEVE, introduces the concept of believing (with knowledge/understanding) in Jesus Christ, God’s one and only (unique) Son as presented in God’s Word.  This ties perfectly with scriptural passages like John 3:16 and the truth of New Testament Christianity that one must believe that Jesus Christ, God’s Son, gave up/laid down His life allowing whoever   believes in Him to have their sins forgiven and be granted everlasting/eternal life.  In John 12:46 Jesus promised, “I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me will not remain in darkness.”  We sincerely hope and pray that all these children will not continue to live in the spiritual darkness of confusing religion and the mystical practice that is  prevalent in much of their culture.    

C, CONFESS, clearly establishes the teachings of Romans 10:9-13, “That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.  For the Scripture says, “WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.”  For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him;  for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.”

While some are critical of our plan’s simplicity, it is clearly effective and much easier to communicate than other A-B-C plans for evangelism.  The A-B-C plan we employ allows our youth to communicate the gospel with great confidence and also provides a long-lasting witness for every child that is exposed to 3 days of A-B-C.  From songs to crafts, from memory verses to teaching, Admit, Believe, and Confess announces the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and rings aloud the truth of God’s grace and salvation every time it is heard or repeated.

Ultimately each of us must also consider A-B-C and determine if we’ve walked down the gospel path of Admit, Believe and Confess.  If not, why not?  Isn’t it time to admit that you’re a sinner?  Isn’t it time to fully believe in/on Jesus Christ, God’s one and only (unique) Son who surrendered His life to give life?  Brothers and sisters, just do it … believe in your heart and openly confess with your mouth, Jesus as Lord … you will not be disappointed!                                      

— His & Yours, Pastor Frank