“The Christian faith is meant to be lived moment by moment. It isn't some broad, general outline--it's a long walk with a real Person. Details count: passing thoughts, small sacrifices, a few encouraging words, little acts of kindness, brief victories over nagging sins.”
Joni Eareckson Tada
The Conformation Process:
It has become an all too familiar pattern of service with in the church. Spiritual leaders, who claim to be filled with God’s Holy Spirit have had to step down, or have been asked to step down from their ministries due to marital infidelity, greed, financial improprieties or other moral failure. Make no mistake, these were men and women who were called of God. The divine call of God is of course an essential part of ministry, but it is in and of itself not sufficient.
One of the mistakes of the church has always been the propensity to look at the natural abilities and the spiritual gifting of leaders, rather than to focus on the Godly character of the leader. This is aptly exemplified in the Old Testament in the accounts of the lives of Saul and David.
True character is only made manifest by the conformity to Christ’s image.
The Greek word ‘charakter’ comes from the word die as in a die used in the minting of coins. It carries the implication of image, copy or likeness.
God desires, and requires his servants and ministers to carry the likeness, image or character of Christ.
Moses is yet another example of the character building process necessary prior to service. Moses knew the calling of God:
“And he supposed that his brethren understood
that God was granting them deliverance through him,
but they did not understand.”
Acts 7:25 NASB
It was forty years of conforming in the wilderness that was needed to complete the process of building Godly character that made him ready for service. Only then, did God commission Moses for service.
Even Jesus Himself, went through this process.
As a young by He knew that He was to be about His father’s business:
And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me?
Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”
Luke 2:49 NKJ
During the years following the Word tells us that He grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man - the conforming process.
Then at the age of thirty, He was commissioned by our heavenly Father when the Spirit of God was sent to rest upon Him.
God always begins by calling His servants…
Jesus said to the disciples: “Come, follow Me.”
”If any man will come after me, let him deny himself,
and take up his cross, and follow me.”
Matthew 16:24 NASB
Then He continues with the conforming process…
“…and I will make you.”
He concludes with His commissioning…
“Go ye.”
Far too many believers hear the call to service, and jump right into ministry, by-passing the critical conforming process, in which they would have received the Godly character necessary for the successful completion of their call. Calling is never enough! We must be conformed to the image of Christ or our ministry call will be frustrating and unfulfilling.
“And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.
As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.”
Ephesians 4:11-16 NASB
Our lives and labors for the Lord will always be ineffective or incomplete unless we submit to the conformity process of God.
30fkj
And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me?
Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”
Luke 2:49 NKJ
During the years following the Word tells us that He grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man - the conforming process.
Then at the age of thirty, He was commissioned by our heavenly Father when the Spirit of God was sent to rest upon Him.
God always begins by calling His servants…
Jesus said to the disciples: “Come, follow Me.”
”If any man will come after me, let him deny himself,
and take up his cross, and follow me.”
Matthew 16:24 NASB
Then He continues with the conforming process…
“…and I will make you.”
He concludes with His commissioning…
“Go ye.”
Far too many believers hear the call to service, and jump right into ministry, by-passing the critical conforming process, in which they would have received the Godly character necessary for the successful completion of their call. Calling is never enough! We must be conformed to the image of Christ or our ministry call will be frustrating and unfulfilling.
“And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.
As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.”
Ephesians 4:11-16 NASB
Our lives and labors for the Lord will always be ineffective or incomplete unless we submit to the conformity process of God.
30fkj
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