NR 13-11-05 8.00
Story: For our 10th wedding anniversary, Maddy and I went to Prince George in British Columbia, Canada.
We flew into Vancouver and our friends Pete and Nina came down by car and drove us up to Prince George
It was a three day drive.
The first night we stopped off in Surrey B.C and the next morning went to a Pentecostal Church – the largest church in town of about two to three thousand people.
Being curious, I asked how the church had started and they told me that the church was the fruit of two old ladies – who had prayed for revival 70 years earlier .
These old ladies weren’t great preachers.
So far as I know they weren’t successful by worldly standard.I don’t even know their names.
But they used what little talents they had – and what a legacy they left behind
The Parable of the Talents reminds us that God isn’t interested in how brilliant we are.
Rather he is interested in how faithful we are.
He doesn’t need our talents.
We are not indispensible.
But he has chosen to use our faithfulness
For Jesus said:
“From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. (Lk 12:48)
If we wait until we feel we are worthy to do things for God, we’ll never start.
God has given all of us talents to use for the extension of his kingdom
We might not feel comfortable using them.
But Jesus didn’t call us to be comfortable,
He called us to be faithful.
In the Garden of Gethsemane, he could have pulled back from going to the Cross for our sakes.
He could have run away. Yet he knew that there was no other way we were going to be redeemed.
And in the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus said this:
42"Father, if you are willing, take this cup
from me; yet not my will, but yours be
done." 43An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 44And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground (Lk 22:42)
The Christian Church is founded on His faithfulness in carrying out the Father’s will. And when you see the Worldwide church - what a legacy He has left us
If we are going to follow Christ, then we must follow his example too.
He has given us talents to use for the extension of his kingdom.
In some ways I am glad that we cannot afford to have a priest in each village of our communities.
Because it takes away the mission of the church from the clergy and gives it back to the laity – where it rightly belongs.
We can no longer financially maintain the fantasy that the vicar conducts the “spiritual mission of the church” and the laity are simply involved in keeping the building up to scratch.
Rather we are forced back to New Testament principles –to what is known as “All Member Ministry”.
We all have a role to play – we just haveb to find out what God has called us to do!
We have to use all of our talents for the mission of the Church.
And sometimes there are greater evangelistic gifts in the congregation – than with the clergy!
Amen
