To Serve Man

As discussed last time God uses imperfect people.  Want a bad example?  Think Judas Iscariot!  Yes, God did use him, albeit to his own destruction.

Want to think of less horrible examples of imperfect people?

• Adam
• Noah
• Moses
• Abraham
• David
• Elijah
• Elisha
• Moses
• Amos
• John
• Peter
• Paul
• every "saint" whom as ever lived

Yeah, everyone, you, me, every person in the Bible, everyone!, has failed God and therefore is an imperfect example!

1 Timothy 3:8-13

Here we can read the qualities which should be in the believers lives.  Yes, the legalist is going to say, "But this is for deacons only ... "

I do not think so, I think we are seeing what each of us is to aspire to in our personal lives.  Albeit, not all circumstances are within our control - when we live in a liberal culture where vulgarism is appreciated and Godliness is not.  And just in case you did not know this, God is not a legalist - He is the judge of your heart and deeds.  Yeah, He has the right to decide right or wrong for you, and still be Right.

And less you ladies think this does not apply to you - check out the Book of Acts concerning the creation of Deaconesses, particularly Dorcas, aka Tabitha (my favorite name for a cat!).

We are to serve.
Deacons were meant to be a servant of all, to the point of being a servants - servant!  In Timothy's day that meant you were a slave to the slave!  Let us get this straight: you were either a freeman, hence Roman, or you were a slave.  Only two classes of people back then and 2/3's of the world was under slavery to Rome!  Now that slave status could be the result of some financial obligation you were trying to earn your way out of (a bond servant) but until that debt was cleared - you were a slave.

So, you want to serve God, then realize you could well be the servant of the lowliest in you culture - and willing to do so.  And you are to aspire to be that servant, it is you ultimate calling ...

Yeah think on that.

We hype people going to where ever, Freedonia, to share the Gospel and told this what real Christians are to aspire to and yet, Paul is more of a mind that a real Christian is a servant - at home, where he lives, to the people around him everyday of the week, wholly sold out to God.  So, sorry, no 9 to 5 in the mission field with a fat pension in some bank account when you "retire" and go back "home".  (In fact that is about a close to an abomination as you could define as a missionary scenario in God's eyes!)

Women
And then, Paul moves straight on to women.  Whose women?  Which women?  Well, some think this is to be the wives of the deacons or deaconesses but Paul could have said that, if that is what he intended.  It only says women.  So this must be ALL women!

So, if the argument here is that men should be living lives which are to be of service to others within the church, then all women should be living lives which will not bring slander to them or others, or gossips, or spreaders of either!

Well, I do not know about  you but in my current church that eliminates just about all of the women!  Yeah, we have a telephone gossip based slander chain that amazes me!  I know in my own life I am not willing to slander or gossip about those whom wrong me (because I know God is not done with them and when He is, they will vindicate me), and yet, the  women in my church have no problems doing the same about people they do not even know.  (And in my personal instance, not a one of them has ever approached me or asked what really happened!, in over a year of this going on.  But, outside of the church, people from other churches have no problem calling me up, stopping me on the street, sitting down as I am eating lunch and wanting to know the story!  Think on the Godliness of those in my church ... yeah.)

And we begin to boil these verses down:

I am not afraid to live what I believe.
Even to point of losing my closest friends.  I am answerable to God, not them.  If God told me a task to perform, I will do it - He will reward me appropriately and probably not in such a way that anyone but me will know it.  My greatest sorrow is my disappeared daughter, I did as I was told to.  Yeah, she is gone but God rewarded me with another to reach out to, and then another, and I fully expect in the future yet another.  The greatest blessing in my life is seeing freedom gained by these people from the bondage they have found themselves, sharing in their victories, and sharing in their sorrows.  Mind you, to me, this is a rich reward, no one around me understands that, save for my lone friend.  And if I died now of starvation, I would be the richest man I have ever heard of!  For real.

I am not afraid to be tested.
Mind you I hate being tested and I wonder everyday if I am being so now!  For me, the testing seems to be fumbling my way through life and trying to be very-very-very careful not to slip up from what God has called or given me.  Not very  easy and how I wish I had someone to give me wisdom at times - but God does not seem to want that to happen, for I am quite alone and therefore quite the coward at times - not only in doing right but also in failure!  Yet, He seems to have given me a role and a series of tasks - and I have no idea where they lead and seem to contradict all that I expect in life.  So, I tread water and moment by moment  try not to screw things up (too badly!).

In the end, we see that what God wants is servants, whether you are male or female.  He wants you to be above reproach and to model Him in your life for all those around you to see.

You can argue fine points of theology, you can argue that you do not like something about God or about His people or what He tells you to do, but that does not change His expectations of you.  Somewhat tongue in cheek, due to my Sci-Fi background, but you are to serve man(kind) ...