These notes are to accompany Grace Rules, by Steve McVey, published by
Harvest House Publishers, 1998
Notes for "The Liability of Ability"
Introduction:
I remember the feeling that came over me about a year ago when I was first
confronted with the subject of this week’s chapter. The realization that my
natural abilities were liabilities, rather than assets, in the Kingdom of God,
was devastating to my ego…I kind of saw myself as a "first round draft pick" and
the thought that God didn’t need my talents seemed completely wrong. What about
the Parable of the Talents…sure seemed like they were important to Him then.
My perspective changed dramatically after I read 2Corinthians 12:9, "And He
said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in
weakness…’" When I realized what Jesus had said to Paul, I began to understand
that the natural abilities God gave to me at birth were not only of no value in
His Kingdom, they were, in fact, liabilities. It was my natural abilities that
kept getting in the way…they kept me from depending on His strength. I had not
yet learned that all ministry that has any lasting value in the Kingdom of God
is received and not achieved!! God only appreciates what He
initiates! You want to make God smile? Just ask Him to bless your plans
to expand His Kingdom! And that smile is not one of approval, but the smile of a
parent who sees a small child trying to "help" with a project far too great for
their ability.
When we are "born again," God gives us a whole new set of gifts and
abilities. One of those is a "new nature" that desires to live for God and bring
glory to Him. When we try to accomplish that desire with our natural abilities,
it’s not our motivation that’s wrong…it’s our method! Only when we allow Jesus
to live His life through us will be bring glory to God. Jesus will do it
in our bodies the same way the Father did it in His body when He lived in this
world…only God can bring glory to Himself!!
How did Moses initially depend on his own ability to deliver Israel from
Egyptian bondage? Exodus 2:11-15 "Moses grew and became a man. One day he
visited his people and saw that they were forced to work very hard. He saw an
Egyptian beating a Hebrew man, one of Moses’ own people. Moses looked all
around and saw that no one was watching, so he killed the Egyptian and hid his
body in the sand. The next day Moses returned and saw two Hebrew men fighting
each other. He said to the one that was in the wrong, ‘Why are you hitting one
of your own people?’ The man answered, ‘Who made you our ruler and judge? Are
you going to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?’ Moses was afraid and
thought, ‘Now everyone knows what I did.’ When the king heard
what Moses had done, he tried to kill him. But Moses ran away from the king
and went to live in the land of Midian. There he sat down near a well."
I don’t think that Moses was trying to deliver the Israelites from Egyptian
bondage when he "took matters into his own hands" and killed the Egyptian who
was beating the Hebrew. I think he saw injustice and cruelty and responded
using his own natural resources.
Discuss ways that modern congregations sometimes depend on natural ability
to facilitate church ministry. (Ron Dunn illustration of the pancake
breakfast to raise money to send the Youth Choir to Salt Lake City)
What would you tell a Christian who is experiencing prolonged suffering and
wonders why God won’t bring it to an end? Once we’ve made the choice to
allow God to save us and come to live inside us, He often will bring
situations into our lives that cause us to feel uncomfortable and
frustrated…sometimes very frustrated! We need to be careful not to give Satan
credit for these circumstances. Usually, it’s another of God’s gifts to
us…He’s helping us to depend on Him, instead of depending on our natural
resources.
And sometimes, as with Job, it has nothing to do with us personally, we are
just a part of "the demonstration!"
How do you answer the argument that God doesn’t want His children to hurt?
Of course God finds no pleasure in the suffering of His children, but like
any good parent, He knows that temporary suffering is sometimes required to
shake away from us everything we’ve depended on, except Him. He will use pain,
if necessary, to bring us to the point where we depend on Him for everything!
What was the purpose for Moses’ wilderness experience? God’s purpose in
bringing Moses into the wilderness was to bring him to the end of himself and
his confidence in his own abilities, the abilities he had acquired in
Pharaoh’s palace, so that he might know and rest in the abilities of God. (The
rod of the Lord)
Steve described the circumstances of Mike, a person who had tried to find
fulfillment in partying, alcohol, and illicit sex before he was saved. He was
frustrated because now that he was a Christian, he served the Lord faithfully
and yet still felt unfulfilled. What was his problem? Mike’s problem with
not feeling fulfilled was rooted in his method. He had traded his old identity
as a "party animal" for a better identity as a "church worker." And though
that’s an improvement, God never intended for us to find fulfillment in "good
things." He intends for us to find fulfillment only in Him. Mike was still
trying to find fulfillment in his own abilities, instead of Christ. Want to
fail? Try really hard to succeed using your own abilities!
Why do you think many sincere Christians in the church today aren’t
fulfilled in life? They have not yet understood that we only experience
Christ’s life when we renounce our ability to manage our life. And fulfillment
is only found in Christ’s life! Instead of "trusting," they are "trying." And
instead of "hotdog Christianity," they end up with "dog-tired Christianity!"
What would you tell someone who says, "I tried the Christian life and it
just didn’t work for me?" It will "work" for you, when you understand that
you can never "work for it!" Only Christ can live the "Christ-life"…it’s not
hard for us, it’s impossible…the more you try, the more you fail!
Describe the difference between living from natural ability and
supernatural ability:
Success
leads to pride Success leads to gratitude
Failure
leads to hopelessness Failure leads to hopefulness
Exhausting
Resting
Trying
Trusting
Stress
Relaxation
Self-confidence Confidence in God
How was Peter able to make a lame man walk? Acts 3:1-12 One day Peter
and John went to the Temple at three o’clock, the time set each day for the
afternoon prayer service.2 There, at the Temple gate called Beautiful Gate,
was a man who had been crippled all his life. Every day he was carried to this
gate to beg for money from the people going into the Temple.3 The man saw
Peter and John going into the Temple and asked them for money.4 Peter and John
looked straight at him and said, "Look at us!"5 The man looked at them,
thinking they were going to give him some money.6 But Peter said, "I don’t
have any silver or gold, but I do have something else I can give you. By the
power of Jesus Christ from Nazareth, stand up and walk!"7 Then Peter took the
man’s right hand and lifted him up. Immediately the man’s feet and ankles
became strong.8 He jumped up, stood on his feet, and began to walk. He went
into the Temple with them, walking and jumping and praising God.9 All the
people recognized him as the crippled man who always sat by the Beautiful Gate
begging for money. Now they saw this same man walking and praising God, and
they were amazed. They wondered how this could happen. 11 While the man was
holding on to Peter and John, all the people were amazed and ran to them at
Solomon’s Porch.12 When Peter saw this, he said to them, "People of Israel,
why are you surprised? You are looking at us as if it were our own power or
goodness that made this man walk."
Did Peter make the lame man walk? Of course not, Jesus working through him
performed the miracle just as God the Father did through Jesus.
Based upon what we learned about Moses and Peter, what would be required
for our church to see God work in the same ways? For God to use us as He
used Moses and Peter, we will have to come to the "end" of ourselves…only
then, can He show His power in our lives. Is that possible? With God, all
things are possible!
Next week we’ll be discussing "The Nectar of Heaven" and discover what it
means to have Christ living inside us.
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