The Pathway to Usefulness: Consecration (1 of 31)
Series: Grace Energized Men
John Barnett
January 10, 2010
The pathway to usefulness is consecration. That is the pathway that God had to lead Isaiah along. That is the pathway we all need to follow.
Only what is attached to God will last forever. Anything that is not attached to God needs to be detached from our lives. As we open to Isaiah 6, think about the balance sheet of your life. As one famous missionary once said while laying on his deathbed, "Only one life, t'will soon be past; and only what's done for Christ will last"!
That means the most important measure of life is how useful we are to God. The only enduring parts of our life will be those spent serving God.
Just about everyone who goes to a Bible teaching church for very long knows about the Great Commission. The last two verses of Matthew are Jesus Christ telling us why we stay on Earth after He saves us. We are here He said, to do what He called, designed, and left us to do. Proclaim the Gospel. But for 95% or more of all believers, outreach, missions, and evangelism is hard at best, and undone by most.
But for most of us we are painfully aware that each day is an uphill climb, going against the tide in a very fallen world. So how exactly can we best do what God left us to do? How do we reach a fallen world all around us? How do we serve God in the world we live in that seeks to neutralize us and short-circuit anything we do for God?
Instead of more messages to make us feel guilty for not reaching the world, God shows us His way to reach out for Him. And its not something new, His plan is old, tried, and true. When we look closely we see that God's plan for preparing us to be used as His servants has not changed in thousands of years. Open with me to Isaiah 6, and the amazing call God gave to Isaiah.
God Called Isaiah to
Consecration
From the Old Testament we find that our unchanging, immutable God has the same plan. To ...
Series: Grace Energized Men
John Barnett
January 10, 2010
The pathway to usefulness is consecration. That is the pathway that God had to lead Isaiah along. That is the pathway we all need to follow.
Only what is attached to God will last forever. Anything that is not attached to God needs to be detached from our lives. As we open to Isaiah 6, think about the balance sheet of your life. As one famous missionary once said while laying on his deathbed, "Only one life, t'will soon be past; and only what's done for Christ will last"!
That means the most important measure of life is how useful we are to God. The only enduring parts of our life will be those spent serving God.
Just about everyone who goes to a Bible teaching church for very long knows about the Great Commission. The last two verses of Matthew are Jesus Christ telling us why we stay on Earth after He saves us. We are here He said, to do what He called, designed, and left us to do. Proclaim the Gospel. But for 95% or more of all believers, outreach, missions, and evangelism is hard at best, and undone by most.
But for most of us we are painfully aware that each day is an uphill climb, going against the tide in a very fallen world. So how exactly can we best do what God left us to do? How do we reach a fallen world all around us? How do we serve God in the world we live in that seeks to neutralize us and short-circuit anything we do for God?
Instead of more messages to make us feel guilty for not reaching the world, God shows us His way to reach out for Him. And its not something new, His plan is old, tried, and true. When we look closely we see that God's plan for preparing us to be used as His servants has not changed in thousands of years. Open with me to Isaiah 6, and the amazing call God gave to Isaiah.
God Called Isaiah to
Consecration
From the Old Testament we find that our unchanging, immutable God has the same plan. To ...
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