Christ's Directions

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009) Rom 12:3 . . By the grace given me; I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.

"sober judgment" is from a Greek word that basically means to be of sound mind, i.e. sane, sensible, and rational, viz: not under the influence of fatigue, drugs, alcohol, and/or counter-culture, e.g. woke; defined by Webster's as politically liberal or progressive (as in matters of racial and social justice) especially in a way that is considered unreasonable or extreme.

A popular saying going around is this: "You can be anything". No, we can't be anything, and it's unreasonable to think otherwise. Know your limits and stay within them; don't be setting impossible goals for yourself; especially in matters of faith and practice.

● Rom 12:4-8 . . Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.

. . . If someone's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let them serve; if it is teaching, let them teach; if it is encouraging, let them encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let them give generously; if it is leadership, let them govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let them do it cheerfully.

Some church managers have a really bad habit of recruiting people to teach Sunday school who don't have a gift for it in accordance with Rom 12:3-8, 1Cor 12:1-30, and Eph 4:7-12. Well; if teaching is not your spiritual specialty; then the sensible thing to do is decline. Function within your range like Rom 12:3 says, and don't let those managers pressure you into submission by making you feel guilty for refusing. Nobody gains points with Christ by going off-reservation.

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010) Rom 12:2 . . Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Bible reading is a good place to begin with Rom 12:2; however, the ways of God aren't meant to be self-taught; they're meant to be instructed by teachers empowered by God for that specific purpose. (Rom 12:4-8, 1Cor 12:1-30)

Sermons and Sunday school classes are Christianity's traditional sources of teaching. But these days with radio, television, and the internet; competent God-given spiritual leaders are wide-spread and readily available. In centuries gone past, it was necessary to journey to hear them speak. Nowadays, they speak to the whole world by means of electronic gadgets.

* Beware using 1John 2:27 as an excuse to circumvent instruction. When Christians do that, they risk stunting their spiritual growth and causing division.

● Eph 4:11-13 . . And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith.

* The Greek word translated "edifying" basically means to build up as opposed to tearing down.

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011) Rom 12:3 . . By the grace given me; I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.

"sober judgment" is from a Greek word that basically means to be of sound mind, i.e. sane, sensible, and rational, viz: not under the influence of fatigue, drugs, alcohol, and/or counter-culture, e.g. woke; defined by Webster's as politically liberal or progressive (as in matters of racial and social justice) especially in a way that is considered unreasonable or extreme.

A popular saying going around is this: "You can be anything". No, we can't be anything, and it's unreasonable to think otherwise. Know your limits and stay within them; don't be setting impossible goals for yourself; especially in matters of faith and practice.

● Rom 12:4-8 . . Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.

. . . If someone's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let them serve; if it is teaching, let them teach; if it is encouraging, let them encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let them give generously; if it is leadership, let them govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let them do it cheerfully.

Some church managers have a really bad habit of recruiting people to teach Sunday school who don't have a gift for it in accordance with Rom 12:3-8, 1Cor 12:1-30, and Eph 4:7-12. Well; if teaching is not your spiritual specialty; then the sensible thing to do is decline. Function within your range like Rom 12:3 says, and don't let those managers pressure you into submission by making you feel guilty for refusing. Nobody gains points with Christ by going off-reservation.

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012) Rom 12:6 . . If God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out when you have faith that God is speaking through you.

The Greek word for "prophesy" in that verse encompasses predictions, which were common in the early church; for example Agabus at Acts 11:27-28 and Acts 21:10-11.

Hunches don't count because it's required that prophets sincerely believe themselves infallible and channeling God's thoughts with perfect understanding, i.e. by means of inspiration. (2Pet 1:20-21)

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013) Rom 12:7a . . If your gift is that of serving others, serve them well.

"serving well" implies serving conscientiously and whole-heartedly rather than half-baked, grudging, and/or hit and miss.

My youngest brother was a construction supervisor for decades, and one of his perpetual complaints is that he never knew from one day to the next whether some of the men he hired would show up. In other words: they weren't reliable; he couldn't count on them.

What I'm saying is: if you're thinking about becoming helpful in some way, don't do it unless you're willing to commit to the long haul because people need to know that they can depend on you to stay the course.

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014) Rom 12:7b . . If you are a teacher, do a good job of teaching.

I had a Sunday school teacher some years ago who worked as a maintenance man in a public swimming facility. One Saturday he had to work very late repairing some equipment leaving him no time to prepare his lesson plan for Sunday morning so he just threw something together. It stunk; my wife and I got nothing out of it.

In contrast, I once knew a pastor who took all week long to prepare his Sunday morning sermons rather than put it off till Saturday night. Now there was a guy who knew what it means to do a good job of teaching; viz: a conscientious job.

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015) Rom 12:8a . . If your gift is to encourage others, then do so.

Developing children benefit from encouragement in a big way. Thoughtless grown-ups can destroy a young child's fragile spirit by criticizing them all the time and never once giving them an "attaboy" or a single vote of confidence.

A very charming example of this was acted out in an old movie wherein Spencer Tracey played Thomas Edison. In a scene, he tasked a young boy with carrying his freshly completed prototype of an electric light bulb upstairs to the lab for testing. The boy stumbled on the stairs, and the bulb was shattered.

So Tracey made another and tasked the same boy with taking it upstairs again. Tracy's assistants protested that the boy dropped one bulb already; but Tracey handed him the precious prototype and said: He won't drop this one. And the boy didn't because Tracey believed in that kid.

A fitting word spoken at just the right moment can really beef up somebody's resolve to meet life head on. If you're good at that sort of thing, then watch for opportunities to do so. It has to be honest though because leaving people with a false impression of themselves is all the same as treachery, and sets them up for disappointment.

● Prov 29:5 . .Whoever flatters his neighbor is spreading a net for his feet.

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016) Rom 12:8b . . If you have money, share it generously.

"generously" is translated from a Greek word basically meaning simplicity, which can be construed as innocence and/or naïveté. In other words; sharing one's wealth without expecting reciprocity and/or gaining an advantage. To the pragmatic mind, that kind of generosity is a poor investment, i.e. it's like throwing money out the window.

For example: contributions to a political candidate's campaign fund typically aren't motivated by generosity, whereas contributions to a charitable agency like Samaritan's Purse and/or a local rescue mission are because folks benefiting from those contributions are so powerless, and so disadvantaged, that there's nothing worthwhile to be gained by offering them assistance.

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017) Rom 12:8c . . If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously.

A natural aptitude for church management doesn't count. It has to be God-given, i.e. a legitimate Spirit-endowed ability. (cf. Rom 12:3-8, 1Cor 12:4-11, 1Cor 12:27-30)

There are far too many people sitting on church boards merely because they're a success in business. Well; if your church is a commercial enterprise; then maybe you should think about finding another one.

God-given leadership ability is spoken of as a "responsibility". In other words: it should never be taken as an achievement. I just hate it when City, State, and Federal government officials celebrate their positions as something they won as if taking the gold in a spelling bee and/or a gymnastic event.

"The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spoke to me: He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God." (2Sam 23:3)

Too many of the men and women in power fail to rule in the fear of God; and rather than morally upright with Christ's best interests at heart, they are often Machiavellian instead.

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Edited June 6, 2024 by EveningBird

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018) Rom 12:8d . . If you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.

The ability to show kindness is referred to as a gift. I think most folks, given the option, would prefer the gift of tongues over the gift of kindness because the one is merely a skill whereas the other makes us sensitive to need; which at times can be both uncomfortable and inconvenient.

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