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Servant’s and Teacher’s Hearts

As we go through Romans, I’ve started to describe the different grace gifts that we’ve been given. In my last post I talked about the prophet’s heart.

If it is serving, let him serve;

Romans 12:7a

The next gift I want to look at is the servant’s heart. These are the people who always want to help out. They want to be told what needs to be done and they jump right on it.

People with this heart are always needed in the local ministry. They’re the ones who come up to you and say, “Just tell me what you want done.” They don’t care if no one sees what they’re doing. They’re not looking for any kind of advancement. They simply want to be of service to God’s kingdom.

It’s interesting that Paul gives them no special exhortation, just to serve in your serving.

These people have a special insight into what needs to be done. They sometimes see a need and fill it before others even recognize the problem.

An example of someone with this heart is Martha. Think about the time that Jesus came to teach at her home.

But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

Luke 10:40

This illustrates the problem that a servant’s heart will sometimes face. Because of their ability to see what needs to be done, they sometimes get frustrated when others don’t see the need to serve. There is a solution to this, but it will be difficult for them to implement it.

Because of their special insight of what needs to be done, many times it makes them a good candidate for leadership positions. The problem is that they usually don’t see themselves as leaders.

But, in my opinion, some of the best leaders are those who lead by example. Their lives are a living illustration of how to serve in God’s kingdom.

…if it is teaching, let him teach;

Romans 12:7b

The next grace gift that Paul mentions is the teacher’s heart. I understand this one the most, because it’s my personal motivation.

People with a teacher’s heart want to impart information that will help others to live a better life. Jesus gives a good description of this motivation.

He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”

Matthew 13:52

Those with this gift see themselves as storehouses of valuable treasures. They see information as God’s grace to be distributed. Unfortunately, the value of this treasure is in the eye of the beholder.

The problem that many of us with this heart run into, is that we’re tempted to teach – give out this information – at inappropriate times. For instance, if a dish falls off the counter, that’s not the right time to explain to a family member why putting it too close to the edge is what caused the mess. Yes, I know this from experience!

In walking with a teacher’s heart, the best approach is to distribute the grace of information according to the Word we received from God. We need to be aware of the feelings and needs of those around us and not just our desire to teach them the “right way”.

In this way, we can see God’s hand at work through us.

Questions: Do you have a servant’s or a teacher’s heart? Who do you know with these gifts?

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Posted by Revzacc on August 23, 2021 in Encouragement, Ministry, Spiritual Walk, The Church

Tags: grace gift, motivation, motivational gift, servant, servant's heart, serving, teacher, teacher's heart, teaching

The Teacher – A Lamp (Repost)

01 Jul

Over the next week or so I’m going to be away, visiting family. So during that time, I’m reposting one of my more popular series.

For the last couple of posts, I’ve been talking about teachers in the body of Christ. I showed that true teachers bring light to our Christian walk. In our generation there’s a lot of teaching from the Bible going forth; but is it directed by the Holy Spirit?

In His ministry, Jesus made some statements that the disciples couldn’t understand. Many of them pertained to the church. They would only understand them after the resurrection.

One of them pertained to the body.

“Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body also is full of darkness.”
Luke 11:34

I think you can agree that this is not talking about our internal organs being lit up. The Lord is dealing with a deeper issue here.

To understand what Jesus is saying, you have to look at the greater context. He starts this section by talking about the preaching of Jonah. All of Nineveh repented when they heard his preaching.

The Lord then talks about King Solomon. The Queen of the South came all the way from Central Africa to hear his wisdom.

Christ was showing the high value that people placed upon hearing a Word from God. The people who heard Jonah and Solomon didn’t just want to know what the Bible said. They were looking for something that would change their lives.

Look at the very next thing that Jesus says after explaining about Jonah and Solomon.

“No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead he puts it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light.”
Luke 11:33

The reason that these two men were called to their roles, was not to simply enjoy their times with the Lord. They were to use their gifts to bring light to those who needed it.

The people of Nineveh needed to understand repentance so that the judgment of God could be averted. The Queen of the South needed to understand how to rule her people wisely. They needed someone to light the path ahead of them.

That’s what Jesus is talking about when He says that the eyes are the lamp of the body. I believe that He’s talking about the need for Holy Spirit directed teaching in the body of Christ.

We need to come back to this truth in our generation. I believe that this is one of the things that God is trying to restore in us.

We can see it in the church of today. There are ministries where the people know their place in Christ and are secure in their walk with God. There are other parts of God’s kingdom where the believers seem to be doing as they please – simply living for themselves.

We need to be praying for the church. Pray that God would continue to raise up teachers after His own heart. We need the body of Christ to be full of light.

Question: Why is human-led teaching so accepted in some areas?

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Posted by Revzacc on July 1, 2020 in Anointing, Ministry, The Church, Word of God

Tags: Christian teacher, church, hearing from God, lamp, light, ministry of teacher, spiritual light, teacher

Church Ministry (Part 1)

01 Jul

In my last post, we saw the list of ministry functions needed for a healthy church. In today’s article, I want to begin looking at them in more detail.

And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?
1 Corinthians 12:28-30

As I said in my last post, even though some of these may sound similar to the manifestations of the Spirit, it’s not the same list.

Apostle. Over the years, we’ve Christianized this word to the point where the meaning is almost lost to us. We get the idea that it’s a “holy man” so high in the ranks that it’s all but unreachable. Some teach that after the first 12 apostles, there were never any more.

We need to understand that Paul is talking about ministry in the local church here. That means this apostolic ministry should be found within each local congregation.

This word means to be set apart as a messenger or delegate. It’s someone who is under orders to go to a certain place and represent the one who sent them. I believe this is talking about the pastoral ministry in the local church. It’s the person or people who oversee all the other ministries of the church.

Prophet. These are people who hear God’s voice and speak what He wants to be said. We need to be aware of what God is saying to the church.

I think that sometimes we get the idea that prophecy is always about the future. That’s not the case. A prophet will reveal truth that we need to hear.

There are times when a prophet will bring hidden sins to the surface so they can be dealt with. Sometimes it’s a word of encouragement or insight into a challenge we’re going through. And, yes, there are times when they will reveal something that’s about to happen in the future.

Teacher. This is the one that we’re the most familiar with. It’s the person who helps others by explaining truth that has already been revealed in Scripture.

However, that’s not as easy as it sounds. In the church, we’re not just dealing with facts and figures. We’re to train people in how to apply the truth of Scripture to their daily walk.

This requires us to spend time in the presence of the Great Teacher – the Holy Spirit. He alone will give us the insight we need to speak life to those who will listen. A godly teacher will make deep truths accessible to those who want to learn.

Workers of Miracles. Now we’re getting into an area we don’t see very often. Maybe it’s because nobody thinks of this as a ministry of the church. In most churches, miracles aren’t common anymore.

Simply put, the word miracle in this verse is actually the Greek word for power. It’s talking about people who consistently walk in the power of God. They’re the ones you go to when you have a pressing need.

These people should definitely be a part of the church prayer team. They spend time in the Lord’s presence developing their faith and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit.

Like I said, this isn’t seen very much in the church of our generation. My hope is that as I teach it, many will feel the call to walk in this great ministry. Then, they’ll spend the time needed to develop intimacy with God.

In my next post, I’ll continue explaining these important local church ministries. If you don’t already know your calling in the body of Christ, read them prayerfully. Be open to what the Holy Spirit wants to do through you.

Question: Why does the church of our generation seem to downplay the more powerful ministries?

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Posted by Revzacc on July 1, 2019 in Leadership, Ministry, Power of God, The Church

Tags: apostle, body of Christ, church ministry, local church, ministries, ministry functions, power of God, prophet, teacher, workers of miracles

The Teacher – A Lamp

28 Sep