I grew up in a church that taught that in order to be pleasing to God, each person should "leave their gifts and the door and not expect to never be used in them again but rather to find out what the church currently needs and joyful do those things instead." They taught that it was pure self-promotion to take action and initiate anything that wasn't originated and sanctioned by the church staff. I was also told that I coudn't lead worship for the youth group unless I stepped up my committment to the church and stopped the band that I had started of my friends from the church who enjoyed playing worship music together at various youth groups. Needless to say, this church inprisoned the gifts I was given by God for His kingdom and only allowed me to build the kingdom of their church.
I eventually broke free of this enslavedment, after about 8 years, thoroughly brainwashed that my gifts were to be hidden and never used by my own initiation. It was then on to the more charismatic side of the church. Through getting teaching on the prophetic, it was amazing to find out that God really cares about me personally and knows specifics about my life and about the lives of others around me. But eventaully I eneded up in slavary again, this time not to a group of men but to the mindset that the only activities with eternal value had to be initiated and maintained by clear, tangible direction from God; if He didn't clearly speak and confirm it, it was pure flesh initiating it. If one didn't hear otherwise, I believed the only position be to be was in a position of waiting and worship and prayer before God until He filled us with power and sent us out on a specific life's calling. If I ventured outside of this, I believed that I would be risking stepping out in my own flesh without God's blessing and found to be building my own kingdom. But eventually I grew tired of being stuck in meetings with other believers in a perpetual state of waiting but never taking action for the broken around us, and never taking action with the gifts I've been given outside of a small circle of people who all already know God. What God desires is that we not only spend time in His presence and worship and fellowship together, but that we also take serious action in the world so that His Kingdom can be spread.
The scriptures say: "unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain" (Psalm 127:1 ESV). Noice, it does not say, "all laborers must stop building the house and watching over the city because it's really God who is building and watching." Rather, it stating the importance of faith and acknowledgement of God in every action, and that in one's own strength, all is vein. In fact, each of us is responsible to invest all that God has apportioned to us in order to hear those words, "well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master" (Matthew 25:21 ESV).
Beloved, God is calling his people to be construction workers and to begin to build the house of His eternal kingdom on the earth through whatever tools He has apportioned to each one. You do not need permission to use your gifts to either serve people around you or to provide for yourself and your family financially. Just remember, you can build all you want, but unless the Lord is the one building, it will be in vein. But just stay in touch with Him as you build, and make sure He's still in it, and you'll be just fine. God is searching for those who will take action with the gifts that He has given them and meet the broken in this world with the hope and love that are in Christ Jesus. He will go before us; He will make a way for us; He will empower us; He will clean up our messes and refine us; He will comfort and encourage us in His presence for He knows first hand that the battle is fierce.
A law of physics states that for every action there is an equal and oppisite reaciton. In the same way, every encounter that the believer has with the living God must have an equal and opposite reaction outwards towards the broken. Intimacy should create action. Also, every action for the poor should drive us towards intimacy with Jesus. If one of these two pieces is missing, we will be missing the true heart of God; and He is whole reason for all that we do. The fact that many believers are still afraid of doing the wrong things shows that many have not yet been perfected in love; for perfect love casts out all fear, and fear has to do with torment. There is no more torment for those who are in Christ Jesus! This fact should set us free to take the risk of being wrong if only we can be with Him where He is; and I'm pretty sure we'll often find Him amongst the poor and the needy.
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