Bella Vista Church of Christ
LIFELINES
July 24, 2002 Randall Caselman
Spiritual Greatness
God did not call us to be great, but to be servants. Today's world is focused upon success and greatness. Success, greatness, bigness, individually and corporately as a church is defined by Jesus as Servanthood. The greatest in the kingdom will be servant of all. Are we big enough to define greatness by God's terms, or will we continue to measure ourselves by the world's standards? God's ruler has always been bigger than man's. Many of us, preachers included, seem more interested in counting our successes than we are in serving! Amen? God does not measure people or churches by our standards.
The Gospel, the story of God's Grace, has been placed in earthen vessels. That's us! The power of successful Christian living, the power of great churches is not found in our ability, not in our preachers, not in our attendance records, not in our budgets or location, but in Him!... Jesus working in us... in earthen vessels. What does the Bible say about earthen vessels?
Revelation 2.27... He will rule them with an iron scepter; He will dash them to pieces like pottery. Speaking to the church at Thyratira, John quotes Psalm 2.9. The message appears to be that the faithful vessel must give in to the molding of the Master Potter. The Greek speaks of the potter's clay, clay that is flexible. Those vessels too inflexible to adjust to the pattern, to His likeness, will be broken. We must allow God to remold, reshape, remake, refine, adjust, form us into the image of His Son.
We have the option to submit or resist, to be Potter's Clay or be clay that is hard, rigid, unyielding, unmoldable, by His Spirit, His Truth.
II Timothy 2.20-21... In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do every good work. There are vessels to honor and dishonor. Vessels to honor are those sanctified and useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. What a message! Flexible vessels can be prepared for usefulness by the potter! Prepared for good works.
The Christian or the church that is all doctrine with no duty, no good work is useless... All form, no substance. One that is all duty, no doctrine has nothing to give it shape. There must be doctrine and duty to make a servant church. Duty without doctrine makes the church just another service club: Kiwanis, Lions, Rotary. Then doctrine without duty robs us of love, mercy, judgment, faith, the weightier matters of the potter's image. Are we vessels of honor, flexible enough to be prepared for good works which He has ordained us to do?
Hebrews 9.21-22... In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. All vessels used by the Master are sanctified, purged by blood. Without this blood, there is no forgiveness. Not one of us can lift ourselves up by our own bootstraps. Salvation is not earned, merited, or deserved; it is a free gift of God through the shedding of His own blood. The Biblical argument has never been faith or works, but faith by works. Read it closely. For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them. The power for greatness, for genuine spiritual success is found in Him, and in what He did for us.
God has not called us to greatness by worldly standards, but to be Servants, to be Holy, Sons, Joint Heirs, to be conformed to the image of Jesus. All made possible by the power of the potter's hand working with earthen vessels. Are we willing?
RANDALL CASELMAN
