First, you didn't ask, well, where's my nine quid going? That's not what's happening there. What's happening there? I love the Lord. That's what's happening there.
That was her motive was love. He knew it. He saw it.
He called it out. We walk by faith, not by sight. Now we come to he who leads with diligence. Some are fit to lead because they're fit to be led, not tied.
Lazy leaders are not leaders and they hopefully will step out of the way. This is Cross Reference Radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the Book of Romans. Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about Cross Reference Radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching.
And now here's Pastor Rick in the Book of Romans Chapter 12 with this edition of Cross Reference Radio. Most churches just always need servants. We have always needed children's workers all the time. We try not to put it out there too much. We're begging for workers. We don't want to do that. It's up to the Holy Spirit to raise up workers. But way back, way back when we met in Battlefield Elementary, my wife did all the children's work.
No one ever asked to help. They were like, see, there are kids going off. See ya. I'm on a break right now.
I'm going to get some sleep. So when we got these pews, we asked could we put tasers in the seats to little cattle prods, and they weren't into that. Yeah, but if you were up here saying it, it'd be funny to you. Alright, coming back to this, back to ministry. The church needs workers of all types. There are some churches that need pastors. They're looking for pastors. They can't find a pastor. Maybe it's their fault.
Maybe not. But servants are those, what's outstanding about a servant? They get it done. That's what a servant is. They get the job done without stripping their environment of all the good things, without negatively impacting their sphere of ministry.
The servant is the one that doesn't mind being the servant. Now, of course, people, you know, some folks, their ideas, they got ideas, and that's fine. But when your ideas are not accepted, do you pout? Do you want to pack up your Tonka toys and go home? Or are you going to stand your post and get it done? Why not?
Why not just serve? Servants are those, again, who, they get it done. Once a month, well, often we get comments, the floors are so nice and shiny here. Yeah, they polish themselves.
We found, we discovered this neat little app. Of course they don't. It takes offering money to pay the company to come in and buff the floors. We used to do it ourselves.
That didn't work well. But who gets the furniture out of the way, and who puts it back? Servants who get it done. Not only those servants, but the wives that don't fuss about sharing their time.
Oh, you're going down to the church again? I mean, you can abuse that, of course, and we don't want that. We've got to find that balance. Then there are those servants that drive other people to medical, we thought I was going to say drive crazy. That too.
I'd rather walk, but you can't. Anyway, there are those servants that do things like that. They'll drive people to medical appointments or other, they get things done. Sometimes under the authority of the church, sometime under the authority of Christ. Independent of the church.
We need them all. This gift is frailty free. If you're going to be a servant, don't have a thin skin or the proverbial glass jaw.
You just, you got to be tough a little bit and just take some hits. He who teaches in teaching. Well, those who can grasp the material, read materials without falling asleep in the first two minutes regularly, and distill the information that they've put together. 1 Corinthians 15 verse 3, for I delivered to you first of all that which I also received. And he's going to teach on the communion, but he's teaching. And you say, well, a lot of Christians like to get information about the Lord and the scriptures, but they all can't teach. Some are too impatient to teach. Some are not available. And incidentally, when it comes to serving, your availability may be more important than your ability. What uses it if you're really good at something or capable, but you're just never available?
That's no help. And then what does that do to the schedule and throws off other people when you don't show up and things like that. So be mindful of those things, the basic decencies. All the apostles were teachers, and this has continued. Jesus said, go into all the world and make disciples, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you. Remember, the New Testament has commandments.
Don't think, oh, we're under grace. There are no, oh, many commandments in the New Testament. Proper teaching would help the first Christians understand their Old Testament and the life of Christ in connection with each other, especially when the Gentiles started coming into the church. The teachers had to help them understand the connection between Jesus Christ and King David, the promises to Abraham, the ministry of Moses.
You need the teachers, and we still need them. Again, if you're new to Christianity, you have a lot to learn. First thing you should learn is to seek humility, to be an empty vessel, to let the Lord pour into you. I wrote a book on humility, not even a page. You can't write a book on humility, and you can't really write one on encouragement. Teaching would be difficult. Some can do it, and it's more of not, well, this is how it's done.
It's more like, well, this is what I've discovered. Warren Wiersbe, pastor, he's very old now, I think he's still around, prolific writer, one of those people that should write books. One of the reasons why he should write books is he could probably read two or three in a week very easily.
But he had a series, Walking with the Giants, Living with the Giants, I don't remember. Mainly, I think, is pastoral material, but others would benefit. And in that series, he would capture sermons from many of the pastors of decades and centuries ago, and he'd share some of the materials that he used as a pastor, and that's teaching.
And that's writing a book for teachers without teaching how to teach. I'm talking about in the church, because these gifts do not cross over easily into the world. For instance, when we get to encouragement, you cannot encourage an unbeliever with the same authority that comes with encouraging a believer.
There is a difference. You go into a workplace, it might be we rebuke people, hope they get fired. But in the church, encouragement is a powerful tool. When used properly, false encouragements are kind of annoying and painful. So again, dependency upon the Lord. Just because you have a good idea and you want to lift up the other guy's spirits doesn't give you the right to go in there and say things you shouldn't be saying. We'll come back to encouragement in a little while.
And see, this is what I mean by painful things. Some Christians are just impetuous. They want to tell you they're led by the Holy Spirit, but they're just impetuous. And it would be better if we just steadied ourselves, all of us.
I'm not singling out anyone. Well, the gift of teaching should be show-off free. My brethren, let not many of you become teachers knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. James 3, verse 1. There's an encouragement.
You better get it right, Pastor, or else. Verse 8, he who exhorts in exhortation, he who gives with liberality, he who leads with diligence, he who sows mercy with cheerfulness. Some, again, are genuinely encouraging.
They're not cheerleaders. They're wise. And their wisdom is in recognizing what God is working in them and the timing of it. Timing is critical to your gift. What uses it if God parts the Red Sea the day after the Egyptians were chasing the Jews? Timing is critical. And we don't know.
We can't control that. First Chronicles 12, sons of Vishkar, one of the tribes of the Jews, who had understanding of the times to know what Israel ought to do. That was that outstanding contribution made by that tribe in Israel. Well, we still need Ishakar-type servants in the church that are wise. Wisdom involves, a few other things, the proper use of knowledge.
You can know something, but do you have the application? That is important. Maybe you know how to put an armbar on somebody.
But while they're choking you from behind, that's not what you need at the moment. I guess. I don't know. I mean, I don't know. I feel like I'm being judged at the moment.
And I wish you'd stop. Anyway, the encourager is able to rekindle fires that need to be rekindled. They're able to stoke fires that need to be stoked.
Their timing is impeccable. And it's not natural. And you say to them, man, that was the Lord. The Lord just sent you. You might not say it to them, but you're saying it to yourself. Thank you, Lord.
I needed that. So maybe, now we all can encourage. Don't misunderstand. But some have it just on a higher level. And we have some here. You're just an encouragement. Okay, I'm going to name.
When I call your name, stand up. Anyway, this gift, the gift of encouragement is effort free. It's not carnal. You don't have to shove it up a hill.
It flows. And so these gifts operate within Christianity to glorify God. And to glorify God, that means it's going to strengthen believers, the local church, primarily. And if their local church is strong, hopefully she's going to bear fruit and reach lost souls. And they may not work again outside Christianity.
Well, the gift of teaching. Well, that's not going to work in the workplace. You could be a lousy. You know, I used to have to go to union meetings when I worked with the union. And you could stand up and say things on the meeting nights. I never had anything to say. Never wanted to say anything.
Felt others could do it better than I could anyway. And I just didn't want any of that attention drawn to myself. However, as a pastor, it's not that way.
It's the other way around. And so, you know, public speaking. I have no interest in public speaking outside of the pulpit. Or, you know, the ministry of the pulpit, which could extend to weddings and other such events. So, just be mindful of that. That doesn't mean you can never apply a gift in the world, but they're for the church. And I fear that a lot of Christians don't love the church.
You should. I remember just being so excited. In New York, we used to meet Thursdays midweek. And on Wednesday, I get excited that I'm going to church on Thursday evening. And same with Saturday, you know, church is tomorrow. Maybe you used to have that, and you don't have it anymore. But nothing has changed with the church.
It's you. Those are times to call out to the Lord. You know, it's not a struggle-free relationship with Christ because of sin in the flesh. He who gives with liberality, liberally. Some are very generous in the Lord. Not giving by sight, but giving by faith.
Moved by the Holy Spirit. Others are not so. They want to be included in the decisions. They want to see where the money is going. They want somebody to know that they're the one giving. That's carnal.
And I hope it's no one here. All churches need bigger givers. We have, there are those that from time to time, they just plop down a lot of offering on the ministry. And so when you come into a church, you see nice things. Again, they didn't just, you know, we didn't sell out cow from magic beans and plant them, and then peels grew out the ground. Somebody's doing it.
Everything is somebody doing something, unless you believe in magic. Second Corinthians, he's talking about the Christians in Macedonia and the Christians in Jerusalem. The Christians in Jerusalem were suffering. They needed money. It was a famine that hit. They were ostracized. They were going through some issues. And Paul let the Macedonian Christians know they had some needs. Well, they rallied.
There was no thermometer put outside of Paul's house. They rallied in the spirit. Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia, that in a great trial of affliction, the abundance of their joy and deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality. So what he is saying to the church in Corinth, you promised to help the Jews in Jerusalem.
You haven't delivered. The church in Macedonia, they delivered. And he goes on to say, and not only as we had hope, but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God. They didn't just say, well, we've got to do something. They did say that, but they went to the Lord and said, what do we do?
What do you want us to do? And Paul goes on to say, some didn't have anything to give, but they gave anyway. How can you trust, you know, how can you trust the pastor with the word of God, but you don't trust him with shepherding the finances with the rest of the ministry? There's a disconnect there.
Something's upside down. If I can trust him with the word of God, and I've seen his performance, then when God moves you, act on it. Or if he restrains you, then be restrained.
Maybe you get emotional. I'm going to give the church a lot of money. And God says, don't you not? Then don't.
OK, wait a minute. Listen, if you're going to pursue integrity, you've got to be ready to take what comes with it. He who lives by the sword dies by the sword. That goes both ways. You know, the sword of the word of God. So again, those who have the means, but withhold because they want to launch an investigation. Maybe that's how they do it with their surplus cash in the world, and that's fine.
You want to look at what stocks or what money market or what CDs to invest in, so you do your research, that's fine. But to apply those principles to the body of Christ might be carnal. When God has said something, sure, pending confirmation, sometimes the leading is so strong, confirmation is not necessary. I remember, I like to tell this story. So I'm at a pastor's conference in California, and I told the story a lot, and the vendors, there are hundreds of vendors used to be at these things.
It was such a sweet thing. Anyway, this downtime, so there weren't many people manning the vendor booths, but I go by this one booth, and there's someone manning the booth, and I asked about it. So what is this? I didn't want to read. They got all this stuff. Who wants to read it?
Just tell me. So they told me. And I said, OK, thank you. And before I got to the next booth, which is just a few inches away, the Lord spoke to me. So you need to support that ministry and you need to support it big, relative to what our budget is. So I come back to Virginia, and I tell the administrator then, I said, please write a check for this ministry for this amount. And then we sent it out. Well, they got a call, the administrator got a call from that ministry about a week later or so.
Thank you. That check saved the ministry. We were about to finish, close up, and then your check came.
It was an answer to prayer for them. The point I'm trying to say is, giving should be, now you have your tenth. That is basic. You say, well, do I have to give a tenth? No, you can give a fifteenth if you'd like.
Why does it always go negative? Are you going to let the Jews without the Messiah outtide you? Have at it. A tenth is the basis for our giving, correct? And some of us need that because we can be foolish in not being led. But anyhow, there are those times when the Lord wants us to do more than what is standard and we should know how to do that and not say, well, before I give, let me see what's going on.
How about we let you see into heaven? How about you just look up to the Lord? We do not, we do not want money from a cheerless giver.
If you have strings attached, I don't care how much money it is, you should just keep it. But if you're doing it for the Lord, oh man, that's a blessing. And when someone gives big to the ministry, do you know what the board members say? It's the Lord. They don't, well, let's call that guy up, see if he's got more. That would be so goofy.
Do you have any friends? So, it's what Peter and the apostles said when Jesus was on the shore after the resurrection. It's the Lord and Peter plunged in. It's such a beautiful moment to see Christians be Christians. You can see it financially sometimes or you can see it when you see the shiny floors out there.
They may not have given checks, but they gave them muscles and sweat and time. And I'm sure there are moments when they're driving like, oh man, I got to do that. I don't want to feel like it. I just want to go home and sleep. Because it's on a workday. It's on a Monday these guys come in and knock it out. And you don't even know who they are.
And they're not looking to have their name posted up on a marquee. Well, we need to finish this up. I had a list of other things about giving, but I think I've gotten it.
I'll do this one, though. Mark 12, Jesus sat opposite the offering box and saw how the people put money into the treasury. That should be enough verse right there.
Jesus sees, right? And many who were rich put in much, for they all put in out of their abundance. Now, he's not mocking them or chastening them for that, but he's making a contrast. He says, but she, out of her poverty, put in all that she had her whole livelihood. Okay, what's the point?
Well, first she didn't ask, well, where's my nine quid going? That's not what's happening there. What's happening there? I love the Lord. That's what's happening there.
That was, her motive was love. He knew it. He saw it.
He called it out. Well, we walk by faith, not by sight. Now we come to he who leads with diligence. Some are fit to lead because they're fit to be led, not tied. Lazy leaders are not leaders, and they hopefully will step out of the way.
Nehemiah 4, so we built a wall and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height for the people had a mind to work. This is not a recruiting station. I'm not trying to get anybody to serve. I'm preaching the word of God. Whether it is on money, on service, on morality, whatever it is, this is where we are in the scripture. There is a difference between leadership and management. The Bible calls management administrative. The translators use the word the gift of administration.
You need that. You really need that, but that's not the same as leading. Leading has to do with people. Administration has to do with things. You can have them both, or you can have a leader who is able to raise up administrators. So we need managers. You have to have people, but I will say before someone is put into a leadership or an assistant leadership position, we will ask not how much do they give or how often, but if they give. Because again, if you can't trust the house of God to do what you're supposed to do, then you can't be in a leadership position or a management position because these are basic things. And we'll only ask once.
We're not going around snooping. He who shows mercy with cheerfulness. It's a balanced mercy. All Christians should exhibit mercy. But are you quick to judge without looking for solutions? Sometimes there are no solutions and you have to exercise a form of discipline or you have to distance yourself from somebody.
But other times this is something maybe we can work through. Take these gifts out of the church and what are we left with? What if we had no scripture, the prophetic gift? Servants, what if there were no servants?
Teachers, what if we had no teachers? Right now in the children's ministry, they're presenting the word of God and Jesus to those children on their level. It'd be wrong to say we're going to put the cookies where you can't reach them. But the children's ministry puts the cookies as Vernon McGee said, where the kids can reach them. They can understand and get it. Where would we be without exhortation? You know how many people over the years have given me exhortation as a pastor and meant it and I knew it was from the Lord, whether they did or not. And I'm sure many of you could say the same. Giving, where would we be without giving? We're sitting on cardboard boxes somewhere out in a lot.
Diligence, hard workers. Well, the floors wouldn't be shiny. Mercy would be a bunch of mean-spirited people. Mercy with cheerfulness.
That means you don't regret it. All right, fine. That's not what God's looking for.
If I have not love, I have become a sounding brass, a clanging cymbal, I am nothing. Thanks for joining us for today's teaching on Cross-Reference Radio. This is the daily radio ministry of Pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville in Virginia.
We're currently going through the book of Romans. If you're in need of hearing this message again or want to listen to others like it, head over to crossreferenceradio.com. We encourage you to subscribe to our podcast too, so you'll never miss another edition. Just go to your favorite podcast app to subscribe. On our website, you'll be able to learn a little more about the ministry of Cross-Reference Radio, so make a note of it, crossreferenceradio.com. That's all we have time for today, but thanks so much for listening. Pastor Rick will be back next time in the book of Romans here on Cross-Reference Radio.
