I Want To Be Chosen

A: PROVOKING GOD TO USE YOU

Hebrews 5:1-4

1 For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins:

2 Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity.

3 And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins.

4 And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.

The high priest is the minister who has access to God. The ministry of the Church is one of the high priest, in the sense the Body of Christ as a whole, or as individuals, can access the Lord through prayer, and supplication. We are the intercessors for the world. Every one of us has been called into the ministry of reconciliation.

However, there are some who were specifically chosen to serve in the divine government of the Church (more commonly known as the five-fold ministry). These are the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. Though there are other support gifts, such as, helps, exhortation and administrations; the five-fold ministerial gifts were set in the Body for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, and for the edifying of the Body of Christ. It takes a gift from God to work the ministry. To be chosen by God for the work of the ministry is an honor that no one can take upon himself. The Lord is the One who does the choosing.

Romans 12:4-5

For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

Recently during one of my Sunday morning services I made the statement, “You can provoke God to use you in His service.” The question is, whether this is a statement of fact or fiction. According to all that we read in the scriptures, it is possible to move God to use you in His service. Let us take the time to examine the following verse in search of a way to provoke God to bless us with servitude.

Romans 12:1

1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Let me approach this subject from the perspective of not knowing whether you were one of the chosen or not. Let us suppose you were not sure as to whether the Lord had selected you to be used in His service or not. You may not be sure of your calling, or whether or not you even have a calling. What would it take to become one of the chosen? What would it take to persuade the Lord to use you in executing His plan for the world. In other words, how do you get the Holy Ghost working through you?

The Body of Christ must walk inside of perfected order before God can use us to win the world. Once souls are brought into the body, the gifts, which are the 5-fold ministers, are there to perfect them.

Once each member finds out where they fit in the body, the body will then work cohesively. In order to be chosen by God for the work of the ministry you must be willing to be discipled into the mind of Christ. Those who are chosen by God must walk in a mindset of “taking no thought” for their life or livelihood and totally denying self. In other words, they are seeking righteousness as a lifestyle. This is the season for a lifestyle of truth. The message of truth will determine how serious you are about wanting to be chosen. Can you give yourself to the ministry? There can be nothing in you that desires anything from the world. It takes a gift from God to work the ministry.

B. A WILLING SACRIFICE

If we look into the ministry of our example, the Lord Jesus Christ, we will find He became a sacrifice before He became a savior. He gave His body to be slaughtered. Isaiah said it pleased God to bruise Him. Paul said we too must present our bodies to God as living sacrifices. Our bodies are now the temple of the Lord. They were purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ. However, the Lord desires us to make a willing sacrifice. WE MUST JOYFULLY PRESENT OUR BODIES AS VESSELS FOR THE MASTER’S USE.

Many men and women have sought to enter into the service of the Lord by enrolling in seminaries, or by joining churches that would readily ordain ministers without proving their ministries. Some even enter into long periods of fasting or other religious activities, hoping to get God’s attention. You don’t have to waste your time with such religious rhetoric. Just present the Lord with a body that is holy; doing only those things which are pleasing to Him. The Lord’s name and His power must go out into all the earth. The vessels which carry this power must be holy.

I’m sure you have heard this many times before in the course of your Christian life. However, I want you to know such a state of being is obtainable. We can walk in righteousness. We can please God. We can be Holy. Remember it is the Lord who is going to prepare the vessels of the ministry. He knows what His standards are. He is the only one who can bring us to the place of spiritual victory.

C.THE CHASTENING OF THE LORD

The chastening of the Lord is our training program. It is the place where the influence of the flesh is destroyed, that the life of the Spirit might be released in us. God chastens those He loves. The Lord’s chastening of the flesh is a systematic stripping and restraining process. The flesh will be placed in situations to learn the will of the Lord. It will be introduced to the righteousness of God. It must learn holiness, therefore, it is restricted and restrained from the pleasures it once experienced in the things of the world.

The purpose of the chastening of the Lord is to renew the fleshy mind. The Lord chastens us inside situations and relationships. These are the experiences of our lives. He will allow the enemy to bring adversity inside relationships, or create circumstances that are designed to humble the flesh to the will of the Father. Each experience houses the opportunity to walk in submission to the Word of God, or to walk in rebellion.

The objective of the chastening of the Lord, is to prove the will of the Lord in the flesh. The mind is renewed inside our experiences. This is possible because it is inside our experiences that we come to know the Lord. Knowing, comprehending and experiencing the love and faithfulness of God, will change the fleshy mind. This love and faithfulness will be discerned by the mind, as it partakes of the guidance of the Holy Ghost in our situations.

Romans 12:2

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

There will be trials and more trials in which you will be given the opportunity to glorify the Father or submit to the desires of the flesh. Every time you glorify the Father, you will experience the joy of pleasing the Lord. Heretofore, this was an experience that was foreign to the flesh. It did not know pleasure could be found in all the restrictions and restraints placed on flesh as it learns to walk in righteousness. The power of the indwelling Christ is revealed in the midst of trouble and disappointment. Inside adversity you will learn the mind and heart of God. The Word had already ordered our response.

The chastening of the Lord is your training program.

Chasten - 1. To chastise: punish. 2. To restrain: moderate. 3. To refine: purify.

Webster’s Dictionary

Trial – 1. Pain or anguish caused by a difficult situation or condition. 2. A source of vexation or distress that tests patience or endurance.

Webster’s Dictionary

The power of God is magnified in you in the midst of the adversity. You can be victorious, if you allow the mind of the Spirit to carry you through the trial. Otherwise, you will dishonor Christ every time. If during the time of your training, you should fail a spiritual test, your responsibility is to learn from the fall. Learn how to discern the wiles of Satan as well as the workings of your own fleshy mind. You need to know the difference between the two.

It is the Word of God which introduces us to the Lord, but it is life’s experiences that cause us to know Him. To know Him is to love Him. To love Him, is to not sin against Him.

THOSE WHO ARE CHOSEN TO SERVE:

1.Make no decisions for their life. It is very vital you understand that you must first please God before you can serve him. This pleasing is walking in obedience and submission to the Word so you may be trusted with the lives of others.

2.Must have a servant’s heart (a slave mentality), and become a willing sacrifice.

3.Must beearnestly seeking the mindset of the kingdom (taking no thought).

God’s mind is for you to take no thought for your life. Stop trying to please yourself. The mind could still peek out to find the memory of sin. The devil knows if you are free to serve, you will glorify God and be willing to suffer in the flesh. The key to walking consistently is to love God with all your heart, mind and soul. Seek no reward or recognition for your service. When you love God, you will only ask for the treasures of heaven.

The purpose of chastening is to renew your fleshy mind

St. Matthew 25:30

30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

4.Must learn to respect the Word as the final authority in any situation. It must be the dictator of all your actions. This means the sin issue is dealt with. It means there is no controversy in your mind, concerning the will of the Father, in any circumstance, situation and relationship. God will not allow truth to produce hypocrites. He is raising up faithful ministers; those who are responsible for the truth in their own lives and in the lives of others.

5.Must live a lifestyle of self-denial. You will never read in the scriptures that God points a man to himself. This does not mean you have to quit your job. What it does mean, is your disposition and your mindset about the things that the job affords you, cannot possess you.

6.Must have responsive love for ministry. This means when you see someone dying, with compassion you respond by calling heaven on their behalf. We have had many men and women, who were zealous for ministry but not equipped. This equipping must first be in character, not intellect. The character of Christ is love. That love is the greatest power in the universe. You must learn how to love the people of this world. This is the objective of ministry. To reveal and dispense the love of God to a dying world.

7.Must learn to think soberly at all times. This means your emotions no longer control you. You must learn not to exalt them above the knowledge or purpose of God.

8.Must study to maintain a quiet spirit void of malice or wrath. In this you will learn to hear the guidance of the Holy Ghost. He will lead and guide you into all truths if you will make righteousness your banner.

God is choosing and raising up leaders after His own heart, those who will seek after Him and forsake their own way. He is choosing leaders who recognize His heart and mind and are seeking righteousness as a lifestyle.

Living a holy life must be our lifestyle

If you are serious about wanting to be one of the chosen, then allow this lesson to become a part of your life. Seek to walk in every word which proceeds out of the mouth of God. Examine the sincerity of your heart in pleasing God. He will be provoked to use you in His service.

We must learn “how to renew the mind.” This is vital, if you are ever going to provoke God to use you. In its unrenewed state the mind will never be able to serve the Lord. You must be transformed into the image of Christ. This transformation qualifies you for ministry, whether you be male or female. The Lord is only going to use those who are committed to His mindset, His love, His way and His will. You can be that vessel of honor. You can please the Lord, by walking in the standards of holiness. He needs laborers for the vineyard. Woman, you can provoke God to use you.

Romans 12:2

2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

YOU LIVE AND WALK IN THE SPIRIT; YOU ARE A VESSEL OF HONOR; YOU ARE A SON OF THE MOST HIGH; YOU ARE PERFECT IN HIS WAYS; YOU HAVE HIS MIND WAYS;YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN