My Talents, Time, and All

The other night I was awakened by a dream. That happens from time to time, but always before, it was when I had a nightmare. Usually, I wake up just as I am falling off a high cliff or a ladder (or stage), but this time it was different. The dream woke me up, not because it was scary; in fact, it made me feel good … kind of puzzled, but good.

Here’s what happened in my dream.
I was with a group of people who had been in my youth group when I first started in the ministry. We were all the age we are now. One of the women had brought us all together for some kind of reunion and it was a lot of fun. We gathered round a fire at the close of the celebration to sing some songs we sang in church and youth group in the old days. I awoke when we sang,

My life, O Lord, I give to Thee,
My talents, time, and all;
I’ll serve Thee, Lord, and faithful be,
I’ll hear Thy faintest call.

I lay there for several minutes thinking about the dream and the song in particular. The words were familiar, but at first I couldn’t remember which song they were from. As I thought about it, I began to remember the words to the verses and recalled the song as one of the songs often used at the close of worship. It was part of the invitation to receive Christ as Savior and Lord. It went along with the theme of much of what Pastor Jones talked about. Over and over he told us, “God has something He wants you to do, and you have to find out what it is.” He was all about total commitment to following Christ. That little chorus brought back the times when I decided to accept Christ as Savior, to invite Him to guide me, and to use my life for His purposes. In other words, this was one of the songs that the church was singing when I fell in love with Jesus. I hadn’t heard it or thought of it for years. I love contemporary music, but some of the old songs like this one, also hold deep meaning for my life.

I spent the day thinking of the dream, the song, and what it might mean. I had never before had a dream that I thought meant anything. (Except, perhaps, that I should keep myself from falling.) Was the Lord trying to tell me something through a dream? I know He sometimes speaks to people that way, but not me, at least not before now. When I sang those words as a youth, I meant them. I heard His call—to go to a private Christian college and seminary, to youth ministry, then pastoral ministry, later to church planting, then back to pastoral ministry. This last year and a half I have been trying to figure out what God wants me to do with the next chapter of my life. I have applied for several jobs that I thought fit my gifts and calling, and I turned down some that didn’t. I was disappointed when the position I really thought I wanted, and for which I was best suited, was given to someone else. Let me admit that I have been confused, frustrated, and sometimes felt sorry for myself. Through this dream God reminded me of the commitment I made to Him as a teenager. I think He is asking me if I still have that same trust in Him. So now I am renewing my commitment to do whatever He wants me to do. I’m not going to try to make something happen on my own, but I am going to be open to whatever He brings my way. Right now, I am enjoying my work as the administrator for Tina Houser Ministries. Basically, my role is to make it easier for her to do her workshops, be her traveling companion, sell her books, and take care of her website. In addition, I am speaking wherever I am invited, and writing this blog. I remain open to whatever else God lays across my path to do. Will it be a full-time ministry position of some kind? Part-time? I don’t know, but I will do what is set before me. Also, I am listening for His further call, if He has something else, or something additional He wants me to do. “I shall be wholly Thine.”

By the way the little chorus comes from the song “Consecration” by Andrew L. Byers and Mildred E. Howard. Below are the lyrics for the entire song. They move me still.

Since Jesus gave His life for me,
Should I not give Him mine?
I’m consecrated Lord, to Thee,
I shall be wholly Thine.

Chorus:
My life, O Lord, I give to Thee,
My talents, time, and all;
I’ll serve Thee, Lord, and faithful be,
I’ll hear Thy faintest call.

I care not where my Lord directs,
His purpose I’ll fulfill;
I know He ev’ry one protects
Who does His holy will.

My home and friends are dear to me,
Yet He is dearer still;
In my affection first He’ll be,
And first His righteous will.

My all, O Lord, to Thee I give,
Accept it as Thine own;
For Thee alone I’ll ever live,
My heart shall be Thy throne.

Calling the Church to Repentance

Question 1: Right after Zacchaeus announced the change he would make in his life, what did Jesus say was the reason He came to the world?

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." Luke 19:10 (NIV)

Question 2: What were the last words that Matthew records Jesus saying?

Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)

Question 3: According to Luke what is the last thing Jesus said before he ascended to heaven?

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:8 (NIV)

It is apparent from these passages that God’s will for Jesus’ followers is to seek the lost as He did and make disciples by bearing witness of his love, hope and salvation. My personal observation and the surveys I have seen recently trouble me deeply because they show that few Christians and few churches make this their first priority.

Instead of seeking the lost, Christians tend to run from them. Many view their churches as fortresses in which they are safe from the awful people doing awful things out there. A reading of history shows that the first century Greco-Roman culture into which Jesus sent his first disciples was even more depraved than ours. Jesus expected his followers to go make a difference in that culture, not by dominating it, but by influencing it with His love. It is pretty hard to influence people with love from the safety of a fortress. Rather than a fortress, a church should be a rallying point where Christ-followers get refreshed, re-equipped and restored to return to the world Jesus loves so much.

I believe it is time for Christians and churches to repent. For too long we have put our own needs, our own comforts, even our own preferences ahead of Jesus’ command to make disciples. Some pastors find themselves in trouble when they propose changes intended to reach the lost that may cause discomfort for the members. Some churches hold their preferences in worship style, building use, and financial priorities as more important than doing what needs to be done to share Jesus message in a relevant way to a dying world. As a consequence, literally millions of people are living hopeless lives, and facing a hellish eternity. Some churches that are conscious of the need to share the message of Christ tend to make evangelism a program of the church, or a project, or a special weekend. For them evangelism is something they do, if they can find the time on their calendar, money in their budget, and enough people who are interested. These churches, too, need to repent. Evangelism, sharing the good news of the new life Jesus brings, and helping people become fully devoted followers of Him, is not something the church does; it is what the church is. It is the primary reason the church was called together.
The biblical purpose of the church is to glorify God, reach out to those who don’t know Him, grow up to be like Christ, grow together in Christian love, and lift up those in need. (I will blog about this purpose and its Bible roots another time.) While all of this purpose is important, it hinges on the reaching out element. There are two reasons for this: 1.) the greatest glory we can give God is to obey Him. He commanded us to make disciples. If we are not doing that we are not obeying Him, and therefore not glorifying Him. 2.) The other parts of purpose depend on the reaching out. We lift up those in need to earn the right to share the Good News with them. We learn so we can reach out more effectively, and we teach those who are new. We grow together in love because we need each other’s help to reach out, and we need to comfort each other when it gets hard.

As I said, it is time for Christians and churches to repent. We need to turn from the selfish, self-serving brand of Christianity we have fallen into, and turn toward the world changing brand to which Jesus has always called His people. I really wonder about the Judgment Day. People who have long called themselves Christians will stand before God. They may stand confident in the knowledge that they have asked Jesus to forgive their sins, have paid their tithes, have resisted temptation, and have been pillars of their churches. What happens if God then asks them what the fruit of their lives is, why they disobeyed Jesus’ command, and, perhaps, why they stood in the way of their churches reaching sinners? I am not the judge. God is. I am truly glad of that, but I can’t help wonder what God will do. Ephesians 2:8-10 makes it clear that salvation is a gift of the grace of God, not something we earn. It also makes it clear that God has works for the saved which he has prepared for them. What will happen if they haven’t done the things Jesus made clear his disciples must do? My advice to every Christian and every church is to repent now from disobedience. Do everything in your power to seek the lost and make disciples by being a witness of Christ’s saving love. Then, organize your churches with this as the main goal and greatest joy.