From: "Gospel Messenger Service" Subject: Service At The Lord's Table Date: Sun, 11 Dec 2005 10:19:35 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0006_01C5FE3C.6D80FD30" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Unsent: 1 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2900.2180 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0006_01C5FE3C.6D80FD30 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable SERVICE AT THE LORD'S TABLE By Pastor Dick There was a time when I would write "In His Service" above my signature = as a complimentary close to my letters without knowing what it really = meant to be in His service. I used to think that it was referring to my = service to God, but that is Old Covenant thinking. Since entering into = the New Covenant Rest, I am experiencing what it really means to be in = the service of God: It is His service to me rather than my service to = Him. Service is being misused in the family of God. Old Covenant preachers = will prompt you to use it as a gauge to determine how spiritual you are. = To some, service is an obsession. The precious Bride of Christ has been = so goaded into service that it has become her identity. Jesus did not = call you to Himself to be a servant! The Lord tells His children that He = has redeemed them "out of the house of servants" (Micah 6:4). Our Lord = has plenty of angels who were created for service. As glorious as = service to God is, you were created for something even better than = that-you were made to become a child of the Most High through the new = birth that comes by receiving Jesus (Jn.1:12). This is what God has on = His heart and mind for people, which is much different from service: ". = . . and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall = be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty" (2 Cor.6:17-18). Getting that Old Testament service syndrome out of our system is not as = easy as it may sound. Some of the ones who have the most difficulty with = this are those dear old saints who have spent much of their lifetime in = service to God. Many are set in their traditional ways and find it hard = to embrace the concept of working with our Heavenly Father rather than = for Him. But there are those who are hearing the Father's call to let go = of their obsession with service and enter into the rest that He has = prepared for His people (Heb.4:9-10). Even reading the Bible, if it is done out of duty, can become an Old = Testament service to God. If we lay aside that old duty-bound, = systematic way and read it when He calls us to dine on a spiritual feast = prepared by Him, it will be just what we need at the exact time we need = it to fill a hunger that He has placed in our heart. The Bible says, "Thou preparest a table before me . . ." (Ps.23:5). On = the table are the gifts of salvation, righteousness, peace and joy = unspeakable, just to name a few. Oh, the love God has for us, and what = preparation it took for Him to place such wonderful gifts on that table! = Because of the death and resurrection of Christ, we have a glorious = inheritance that becomes ours the moment we receive Jesus. We do not = have to wait until we cross over to Heaven's shore to receive what our = Heavenly Father has prepared for us as children of God. Enjoy it now! = The Father is good at preparing things for His children; the Bible says, = ". . . it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have = entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for = them that love him" (1 Cor.2:9) Eternal life and all the other wonderful gifts on the table are to be = served to us at the right hand of the Heavenly Father. We come to His = right hand by receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior. Even while we remain = on earth after we are saved, we are, in a way, already positioned at the = right hand of God, because that is where Christ is and we are "in = Christ." The Bible says, "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those = things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. = Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth" = (Col.3:1-2). These heavenly riches are for us to enjoy right now while = we are here on earth; and they will stay with us, for we will take them = with us on our departure for Heaven. For all who are not in a position to receive these riches, turn away = from unbelief. Come to Jesus. "Then shall the King say unto them on his = right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared = for you from the foundation of the world" (Matt.25:34). Should we try to prepare the table for ourselves? Are we able to do a = better job than the Lord? Can we bring down manna from heaven or cause = rivers of fresh water to flow out of a rock (Ex.17:6; Ps.105:41)? Could = we supply provisions for a nation of people in a wilderness for forty = years so that they lack nothing (Deut.2:7)? Would we be able to take = five barley loaves of bread and two small fish and multiply them to feed = five thousand hungry men, women and children all they could eat in the = wilderness and still have leftovers (Jn.6:11)? It doesn't make any sense = not to come into the service of the Lord and let Him serve to us all = that is on the table prepared by Him. God has prepared that table for us in the presence of our enemies = (Ps.23:5). Our number one enemy is Satan. Then come the others: anyone = who, or anything that tries to keep us away from the table of the Lord = should be regarded as an enemy. And that includes our own natural mind, = for if we try to figure out what God is like with it rather than = trusting the Holy Spirit to give us a true revelation of how good God = is, we will, in a way, become our own enemy. The Bible says that the = carnal mind is "enmity (hostile) against God" (Rom.8:7). If we are = trying to work for God and our service becomes our identity, then our = works will keep us away from the table God has prepared for us. If that = happens, let us regard even our work as an enemy! We do have a work to do that is a real service to the Lord. It is a work = that will get us out of the Old Covenant and into the New Covenant Rest. = It is the glorious work of believing in Christ, of believing that Christ = has done, on the cross, ALL that needs to be done to make us righteous = in God's sight. The Bible tells us that the children of Israel did not enter the = Promised Land because of unbelief (Heb.3:19), and that is what will keep = us out of the New Covenant Rest. That glorious rest is one of the gifts = prepared by God and put on the table for us to have and enjoy; but many = are not enjoying it, because they don't believe it is there or else they = don't believe it is for them. What some think is that it sounds too good = to be true-and that kind of thinking is really only more unbelief. The Bible reveals the two different types of service through the example = of two sisters who loved the Lord deeply. Their names were Mary and = Martha. When Jesus came to their house, Martha went into her service to = the Lord; she was preparing her table for Him. She soon became anxious = and worried about many things, which led her to murmuring, complaining = and faultfinding; therefore, her service became an enemy. Meanwhile, = Mary went to the Lord's table to see what He had prepared for her. She = sat at His feet and "heard His word" (Lu.10:39). Martha was in her service while Mary was in His service. Martha may have = had good intentions, but she still made a bad choice. Her performance in = trying to prepare a table for the Lord kept her away from the table He = had prepared for her. Jesus loved her too much to have her miss out on = that, so He said to her, "But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen = that good part, which shall not be taken away from her" (Lu.10:42). We, = also, can make that good choice!=20 .=20 ------=_NextPart_000_0006_01C5FE3C.6D80FD30 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

SERVICE AT THE LORD=92S=20 TABLE

By Pastor Dick

There was a = time when I=20 would write "In His Service" above my signature as a complimentary close = to my=20 letters without knowing what it really meant to be in His service. I = used to=20 think that it was referring to my service to God, but that is Old = Covenant=20 thinking. Since entering into the New Covenant Rest, I am experiencing = what it=20 really means to be in the service of God: It is His service to me = rather=20 than my service to Him.

Service is = being misused in=20 the family of God. Old Covenant preachers will prompt you to use it as a = gauge=20 to determine how spiritual you are. To some, service is an obsession. = The=20 precious Bride of Christ has been so goaded into service that it has = become her=20 identity. Jesus did not call you to Himself to be a servant! The Lord = tells His=20 children that He has redeemed them "out of the house of servants" = (Micah=20 6:4). Our Lord has plenty of angels who were created for service. As = glorious as=20 service to God is, you were created for something even better than = that=97you were=20 made to become a child of the Most High through the new birth that comes = by=20 receiving Jesus (Jn.1:12). This is what God has on His heart and mind = for=20 people, which is much different from service: ". . . and I will = receive you,=20 and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, = saith the=20 Lord Almighty" (2 Cor.6:17-18).

Getting that = Old Testament=20 service syndrome out of our system is not as easy as it may sound. Some = of the=20 ones who have the most difficulty with this are those dear old saints = who have=20 spent much of their lifetime in service to God. Many are set in their=20 traditional ways and find it hard to embrace the concept of working = with=20 our Heavenly Father rather than for Him. But there are those = who are=20 hearing the Father=92s call to let go of their obsession with service = and enter=20 into the rest that He has prepared for His people = (Heb.4:9-10).

Even reading = the Bible, if=20 it is done out of duty, can become an Old Testament service to God. If = we lay=20 aside that old duty-bound, systematic way and read it when He calls us = to dine=20 on a spiritual feast prepared by Him, it will be just what we need at = the exact=20 time we need it to fill a hunger that He has placed in our = heart.

The Bible = says, "Thou=20 preparest a table before me . . ." (Ps.23:5). On the table are the = gifts of=20 salvation, righteousness, peace and joy unspeakable, just to name a few. = Oh, the=20 love God has for us, and what preparation it took for Him to place such=20 wonderful gifts on that table! Because of the death and resurrection of = Christ,=20 we have a glorious inheritance that becomes ours the moment we receive = Jesus. We=20 do not have to wait until we cross over to Heaven=92s shore to receive = what our=20 Heavenly Father has prepared for us as children of God. Enjoy it now! = The Father=20 is good at preparing things for His children; the Bible says, ". . . = it is=20 written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the = heart=20 of man, the things which God hath = prepared for=20 them that love him" (1 Cor.2:9)

Eternal life = and all the=20 other wonderful gifts on the table are to be served to us at the right = hand of=20 the Heavenly Father. We come to His right hand by receiving Jesus as = Lord and=20 Savior. Even while we remain on earth after we are saved, we are, in a = way,=20 already positioned at the right hand of God, because that is where = Christ is and=20 we are "in Christ." The Bible says, "If ye then be risen with Christ, = seek=20 those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of = God. Set=20 your affection on things above, not on things on the earth" = (Col.3:1-2).=20 These heavenly riches are for us to enjoy right now while we are here on = earth;=20 and they will stay with us, for we will take them with us on our = departure for=20 Heaven.

For all who = are not in a=20 position to receive these riches, turn away from unbelief. Come to = Jesus.=20 "Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye = blessed of my=20 Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the=20 world" (Matt.25:34).

Should we try = to prepare=20 the table for ourselves? Are we able to do a better job than the Lord? = Can we=20 bring down manna from heaven or cause rivers of fresh water to flow out = of a=20 rock (Ex.17:6; Ps.105:41)? Could we supply provisions for a nation of = people in=20 a wilderness for forty years so that they lack nothing (Deut.2:7)? Would = we be=20 able to take five barley loaves of bread and two small fish and multiply = them to=20 feed five thousand hungry men, women and children all they could eat in = the=20 wilderness and still have leftovers (Jn.6:11)? It doesn=92t make any = sense not to=20 come into the service of the Lord and let Him serve to us all that is on = the=20 table prepared by Him.

God has = prepared that table=20 for us in the presence of our enemies (Ps.23:5). Our number one enemy is = Satan.=20 Then come the others: anyone who, or anything that tries to keep us away = from=20 the table of the Lord should be regarded as an enemy. And that includes = our own=20 natural mind, for if we try to figure out what God is like with it = rather than=20 trusting the Holy Spirit to give us a true revelation of how good God = is, we=20 will, in a way, become our own enemy. The Bible says that the carnal = mind is=20 "enmity (hostile) against God" (Rom.8:7). If we are trying = to work=20 for God and our service becomes our identity, then our works will keep = us away=20 from the table God has prepared for us. If that happens, let us regard = even our=20 work as an enemy!

We do have a = work to do=20 that is a real service to the Lord. It is a work that will get us out of = the Old=20 Covenant and into the New Covenant Rest. It is the glorious work of = believing in=20 Christ, of believing that Christ has done, on the cross, ALL that needs = to be=20 done to make us righteous in God=92s sight.

The Bible = tells us that the=20 children of Israel did not enter the Promised Land because of unbelief=20 (Heb.3:19), and that is what will keep us out of the New Covenant Rest. = That=20 glorious rest is one of the gifts prepared by God and put on the table = for us to=20 have and enjoy; but many are not enjoying it, because they don=92t = believe it is=20 there or else they don=92t believe it is for them. What some think is = that it=20 sounds too good to be true=97and that kind of thinking is really only = more=20 unbelief.

The Bible = reveals the two=20 different types of service through the example of two sisters who loved = the Lord=20 deeply. Their names were Mary and Martha. When Jesus came to their = house, Martha=20 went into her service to the Lord; she was preparing her table for Him. = She soon=20 became anxious and worried about many things, which led her to = murmuring,=20 complaining and faultfinding; therefore, her service became an enemy. = Meanwhile,=20 Mary went to the Lord=92s table to see what He had prepared for her. She = sat at=20 His feet and "heard His word" (Lu.10:39).

Martha = was in her=20 service while Mary was in His service. Martha may have had good=20 intentions, but she still made a bad choice. Her performance in trying = to=20 prepare a table for the Lord kept her away from the table He had = prepared for=20 her. Jesus loved her too much to have her miss out on that, so He said = to her,=20 "But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which = shall=20 not be taken away from her" (Lu.10:42). We, also, can make that good = choice!

 

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