THE PURSUIT

Breaking into Mature Christian Service

Why did Jesus not just give in to Satan’s temptation at the beginning of His ministry (Matthew 4)? Why was Paul bold enough to rebuke Peter, an Apostle who had preceded him, when he was in error (Galatians 2)? Why did Elisha refuse to heed Elijah’s insistence that he stopped following him on the day of his departure (2 Kings 2)?

There comes a stage in Christian development when the person has so matured in the knowledge of the Lord and His work that he clearly distinguishes between the Lord’s voice and other voices and chooses only the Lord’s. That is when he is ready to be used for the greatest impact as a Spirit-Driven servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. Until then he is at one of four earlier stages of Christian maturation, namely, Discovery, Dressing, Deployment, and Drawn (all so named for the convenience of using the letter D)

1. DISCOVERY: The person discovers his identity as a child of God, who must live the rest of his life serving the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (Until this time, he was not living as one born again or having a saving knowledge of God.) His main preoccupation now is to learn to walk by the Spirit, moving away from works of the flesh, and exercising his newfound liberty in the Holy Spirit. Such a person is excited to tag along with other believers and imitates their way of life and service. He may even copy some of their inefficient approaches to Christian service. Here he is motivated by the need to live a new life.
2. DRESSING: The growing believer is “dressed” or equipped by the Holy Spirit at this stage and he begins to realize that he has been given gifts by the Holy Spirit with which to serve the Lord and His church. It is at the beginning of this stage that Paul urges that we use the gift given us “in proportion to our faith”, whether it is prophecy, service, teaching, exhortation, contribution, leading or doing acts of mercy. (Rom. 12:6-8). The beautiful “dressing” of the Spirit tends to meet great approval, as we begin to exercise gifts such as word of wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, healing, working of miracles, prophecy, distinguishing between spirits, diverse tongues and interpretation of tongues (1Co. 12:8-10). At this stage the believer is so confident of the Spirit’s empowerment that some begin to feel they no longer need other believers or that their gifts are more important than those of others. Here he is motivated by the need to put his gifts to use.
3. DEPLOYMENT: This is the stage at which the spirituality of the believer becomes so clear that he is “rewarded” with a commission by the church. He is hereby given responsibilities by the church, usually in accordance with his observed gift. This brings great affirmation as the believer is accepted into the ministry as a deacon, elder, pastor, or whatever level of ministry the church deems fit. He is hereby motivated to work very hard to maintain the church’s approval. From this stage on the believer is a “marked” person, as he is expected to make the church work part of his life. Here he is largely motivated by the need to prove his gifts.
4. DRAWN: Greater responsibilities are thrust on the believer at this stage when he realizes that the commission trusted on him by the church actually encompasses also the entire commission of the Lord Jesus to make disciples of all nations. Because of his office, he sees growing opportunities for ministry for which he begins to feel inadequate. For example, a newly ordained deacon soon finds out that the visiting of all the sick, distressed and backsliding members of the local church is no longer just a pleasurable privilege, but a duty to fulfil. When he works hard at it, he receives good approbation. He risks a rebuke when he slacks. He is “drawn” like a cart by the demands of the ministry, especially by his local church and other Christian obligations that demand his office. Here he is motivated by the need to satisfy the demands of those that affirm his calling.
5. DRIVEN: This is the decisive stage where the believer survives and marches on solely according to the voice of the Lord, which covers the needs of the church for today and beyond. The encouragement, empowerment, affirmation and demands of the earlier stages alone would not define an enduring ministry. The believer at this stage is entrusted with responsibilities for which his decisions will be far reaching. At this stage of Christian leadership “adulthood”, he is not necessarily being evaluated as in the earlier stages. Rather, he is looked upon as the standard of conduct and action in the challenges and responsibilities trusted upon him. Whether knowingly or unknowingly, Elijah was clearly testing Elisha’s awareness and willingness to carry on serving the Lord’s purpose against all human will, no matter where it was coming from. As Peter put it, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge” (Ac. 4:19).

Key things to observe at this stage:

1. Keep in right perspective the four earlier stages as they have informed you of your IDENTITY, GIFTS, COMMUNITY, and LEADERSHIP. You must despise none.

2. Don’t be surprised at apparent weaknesses of fellow Christian leaders, as some may not necessarily be weaknesses (as in the case of Elijah), and others may demand your courageous correction (as in the case of Peter and Paul – Gal. 2:11-14) in order to preserve the testimony of the church.

3. You must plan and measure your work primarily according to the demands of the Holy Spirit, and wean yourself of the approval of men (Gal. 1:10). If you add all the demands of men you cannot please God, nor will you be efficient in the eyes of men anyway.

4. Prepare to endure hardships and even disapproval from colleagues and close associates who may discourage you from going through the inescapable fiery paths of the Holy Spirit.

5. Keep your joy and peace in the Holy Spirit and do nothing out of grumbling or hurt.

6. Do not consider attacks on your identity, gifts or ministry as personal evaluations. Those have long been established through the earlier stages. Just live up to your calling and prepare to give account to the Lord alone.

#WIFJ