THE GIFTS OF SERVICE

Part Three

It is always good for us to go back to our schoolmaster to discover the heart and mind of the Father concerning a matter.

Numbers 18:1

And the LORD said unto Aaron, Thou and thy sons and thy father's house with thee shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary: and thou and thy sons with thee shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood.

It was the objective of the priesthood to remove sin from among the people of God. The objective has not changed in the New Covenant. Jesus bore the sins of the world. He suffered for the unjust; likewise, we must be willing to do the same. The first responsibility for the minister of the cross is to deny himself. If necessary, he must be willing to suffer the loss of all things, even his life, for the sake of the gospel.

Galatians 6:17

From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.

We, the ministers of the faith must stand and contend for the faith.

II Corinthians 10:4-6

4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)

5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

6 And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.

Numbers 18:2-4

2 And thy brethren also of the tribe of Levi, the tribe of thy father, bring thou with thee, that they may be joined unto thee, and minister unto thee: but thou and thy sons with thee shall minister before the tabernacle of witness.

3 And they shall keep thy charge, and the charge of all the tabernacle: only they shall not come nigh the vessels of the sanctuary and the altar, that neither they, nor ye also, die.

4 And they shall be joined unto thee, and keep the charge of the tabernacle of the congregation, for all the service of the tabernacle: and a stranger shall not come nigh unto you.

This passage is consistent with its New Testament counterpart. He that is chosen to service in the Body of Christ must not be a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil (I Tim. 3:6). The word novice refers to a young unlearned convert. I think the best analogy is found in the epistle to the Hebrews. And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron (Heb. 5:4). We can no longer be passive concerning this issue. As leaders of the reformation, we must act responsively.

Numbers 18:5-7

5 And ye shall keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar: that there be no wrath any more upon the children of Israel.

6 And I, behold, I have taken your brethren the Levites from among the children of Israel: to you they are given as a gift for the LORD, to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.

7 Therefore thou and thy sons with thee shall keep your priest's office for every thing of the altar, and within the vail; and ye shall serve: I have given your priest's office unto you as a service of gift: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.

The office of ministry is the service of the gifts. The Lord has given me many gifts to accomplish the vision. The gifts must operate in their proper place. There are those whose gifting is that of the five-fold ministry. There are others whose gifting is that of helps, administration, intercession and exhortation. There is a place of service for all the people of God. No one is to be idle in the household of faith. Everyone must work the vision that is set before them.

The global church is the territory the Lord has called us to. Out of this church will come many ground locations. However, it is not the will of the Father for us to lessen His ability to procure and develop Sons of God in cyberspace. All things were made for Him. The Internet is no exception. It is also important that everyone sees this as the fulfilling of the command to “go into all the world and preach the gospel in every nation”.

There are those in our Online Church who are hanging on to every word that is coming across the air. Their lives are saved and they are different because of the truth they have heard.

If televangelism was able to direct the Body of Christ, how much more can we do with the Internet and our personal relationship with our constituents? The operative phrase here is personal relationship. It is our discipleship sessions; open discussion forums, online training, youth ministries, Portraits online, and Lifesavers clinics that will serve to maintain a steady growth path for our cyber-saints.