Stepping Out With God - Pasir Panjang Church of Christ Singapore
Stepping Out With God - Pasir Panjang Church of Christ Singapore
Stepping Out With God - Pasir Panjang Church of Christ Singapore
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The Kind <strong>of</strong> Servants<br />
<strong>God</strong> Uses for His <strong>Church</strong> Today<br />
Over my past 45 years with PP, I have trained, mentored and nurtured many<br />
new converts into the Lord's work at PP. Looking back, I want to share three<br />
essential qualities <strong>of</strong> the kind <strong>of</strong> servants <strong>God</strong> uses for His church today.<br />
1. Competency<br />
It is important for us to understand that there are many things that every<br />
<strong>Christ</strong>ian can learn and become competent in, given the passion, commitment<br />
and time.<br />
For example, the Bible teaches in 2 Timothy 2:15: "Study to shew thyself<br />
approved unto <strong>God</strong>, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly<br />
dividing the word <strong>of</strong> truth." No one will ever be 100% equipped in scaling<br />
the truth <strong>of</strong> <strong>God</strong>'s word. It is a competency that every <strong>Christ</strong>ian should apply<br />
themselves to learn and grow in. The same is true in soul winning, hospitality<br />
and other areas <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Christ</strong>ian ministry.<br />
Still, there are certain areas that are clearly for the gifted. This is clearly spelt<br />
out by the apostle Paul in I Corinthians 12 when he describes the various<br />
functions <strong>of</strong> the body <strong>of</strong> <strong>Christ</strong>. For example, over the years in my ministry,<br />
I have acquired a good number <strong>of</strong> skills which I am competent in. However,<br />
I have to admit that I have no skills when it comes to songleading. I am tone<br />
deaf, cannot carry a tune and realise that it is a task better led by others.<br />
So in ministries like writing, teaching, preaching etc. we should select and<br />
use <strong>Christ</strong>ians who are competent in these areas. Not everyone can do these<br />
things, some <strong>of</strong> us are more gifted than others. All <strong>of</strong> us must be aware <strong>of</strong><br />
our gifts. When we serve the Lord with services that we are good at and<br />
enjoy doing, we reap much good and bless many. But if we insist in serving<br />
the Lord in areas where we are not good at, it can be a frustrating exercise<br />
that leads to discouragement and may turn others away from the Lord.<br />
2. Member in Good Standing<br />
It is so important that the congregation uses only members who are in good<br />
standing in the service <strong>of</strong> the Lord. Members who are irregular, treat others<br />
unlovingly, are unrepentant and have unresolved issues with the leadership<br />
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