A Message by Pastor Michael Palmer
Given to
July 19, 2009
SURRENDERING TO GOD’S CALL TO DO
“WHATEVER IT TAKES”
Luke 14:25-35 (focus on verses 26,
27, 33)
Acts 16:6-15 (focus on verses 9,
10)
I.
SURRENDER IS NECESSARY IN ORDER TO HEAR GOD’S CALL – Luke 14
Jesus taught that true discipleship is marked by total
surrender and complete allegiance to Him.
There is a cost involved in following Jesus—“whoever of you does not
forsake all that he has cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:33).
Being a true disciple assumes a person can hear the call
of the Master and that there is a willingness—even a strong desire—to
follow. The essential component of a
transformed desire is the surrender of one’s life to Jesus. There are some basic components to a
Surrendered Life that I want to list for you today. This is a partial list of questions
from the ten areas in the book entitled Surrender by Nancy Leigh DeMoss
(pages 128-138). I commend this book to
you all for your personal reading and keeping for future reference. Here is the list of questions to apply to the
various components of life suggested by Miss DeMoss.
q
Have
I ever consciously acknowledged Christ’s ownership of my life?
q
Have
I made a volitional, unconditional, life-time surrender of my life to Christ?
q
Am
I seeking to live out that surrender on a daily basis?
q
Are
there any “compartments” of my life over which I am reserving the right to
exercise control?
q
Do
I live with the conscious realization that all my time belongs to God, or have
I merely reserved a portion of my time for the “spiritual” category of my life?
q
Am
I squandering time with meaningless, useless conversation or entertainment?
q
Do
I set apart time each day for worship, prayer, and personal devotion?
q
Do
I become resentful or impatient when others interrupt my schedule or when I am
faced with unplanned demands on my time?
q
Have
I considered any possible vocational change the Lord may want me to make to
devote more time to the advancement of His kingdom?
q
Do
I use the members of my body to express the kindness and love of Christ to
others (e.g., using my hands for serving, for gentle touch)?
q
Are
any of the members of my body—eyes, ears, hands, feet, mouth, etc.—being used
to sin against God (e.g., stealing, lying, listening to or repeating gossip,
inflicting physical harm on mate or children, listening to profanity, viewing
pornography, sexual sin)?
q
Am
I willing to be physically spent in serving God and others?
q
Am
I submissive to God in relation to what (and how much) I eat and drink, and how
much and when I sleep?
q
Do
the words that come out of my mouth reveal that my lips and tongue are fully
surrendered to God?
q
Before
I speak, do I ask the Lord what He wants me to say?
q
Am
I filling my mind and heart with the Word of God, so that what comes out of my
mouth will be “messages from Him”?
q
Do
I look for and take advantage of opportunities to give a verbal witness for
Christ?
q
Do
I intentionally use my tongue to edify and encourage others in their walk with
God?
q
Do
I give generously, sacrificially, and gladly to the Lord’s work and to others
in need?
q
Do
I own anything that I would not be willing to part with if God were to take it
from me or ask me to give it to another?
q
Am
I content with the material resources God has given me? If God should choose not to give me one thing
more than what I already have, would I be satisfied with His provision?
q
Do
I give my tithes and offerings to the Lord before I pay my bills or spend my
income?
q
Am
I disciplining my mind to get to know God and His Word better?
q
Am
I wasting my mind on worldly knowledge or pursuits that do not have eternal,
spiritual value?
q
Am
I devoting my mental capacity to serving Christ and furthering His kingdom?
q
Do
I consistently seek to know and to do the will of God in the practical, daily
matters of life?
q
Is
there anything I know God wants me to do that I have not done/am not doing?
q
Am
I stubborn? Demanding? Controlling?
q
Am
I submissive to the human authorities God has placed over me (e.g., civil,
church, home, work)?
q
Am
I moody? Temperamental? Hard to please?
q
Do
I love Christ and His kingdom more than this earth and its pleasures? Is there anything or anyone that I am more
devoted to than Christ?
q
Am
I allowing anyone or anything other than Christ to control my emotions and
responses?
q
Am
I in bondage to any earthly, fleshly, or sinful desires or appetites? Am I indulging or making provision for my
fleshly desires (Romans 13:14)?
q
Is
it my desire and intent to love God with all my heart, above all earthly
relationships? Do I enjoy and seek out
the friendship of God as much as I do human friendships?
q
Have
I surrendered to God all my desires, rights, and expectations regarding my family?
q
Am
I willing to love my mate in a Christlike way, regardless of whether or not
that love is reciprocated?
q
Have
I released my children to the Lord? Am I
trying to control their lives? Am I
willing for Him to call them and use them in His service—anywhere, in any way,
regardless of the cost?
q
Have
I surrendered all that I am and all that I have to God?
q
Is
there any part of myself—my plans, relationships, possessions, emotions,
career, future—that I am knowingly holding back from God?
q
Have
I settled the issue that the ultimate purpose of my life is to please God and
bring Him glory?
q
Is
it the intent of my heart, by His grace, to live the rest of my life wholly for
Him and for His pleasure, rather than for myself and my pleasure?
q
Have
I personally identified with God’s purpose for all Christians to make
disciples?
q
Am
I an active, encouraging participant serving the Lord in a biblical/missional
local church?
q
Do
I order my life in such a way so that I might love others and with my verbal
witness win them to Christ and His church?
q
Am
I willing to make adjustments in my life pattern for God to use me to build up
His church, as the church body strives to reach people for Christ?
q
Am
I under the authority of my pastor and staff?
Am I transparent and accountable to my church family about how I live my
life?
If we are to hear the voice and the call of Jesus Christ
on our lives . . . if we are going to be Christ followers . . . genuine
disciples . . . THEN the basic issue of SURRENDER must be settled.
II. GOD’S CALL TO US—HIS CHURCH—IS TO BE ON
This is what Paul and Silas were doing. They were “on mission” themselves. They were in an area familiar to them (
Needless to say, their lives were “surrendered” to
Jesus—hence their sensitivity and ability to HEAR GOD’S CALL was present. I am afraid that our contentment with the
“status quo” is a major factor in our inability to hear His call.
THE MACEDONIAN CALL
1.
Was
a change of their agenda
2.
Was
a continuing fulfillment of the Great Commission
3.
Was
a call to new and a different culture
4.
Was
a call to a new and different geographical region (definitely out of their
comfort zone)
5.
Was
a call to invade this region with the Gospel of Jesus Christ
6.
Was
a call to develop relationships with new and different people in order to give
them Jesus!
7.
Was
a costly call – it involved personal time, effort, money, and sacrifice
8.
Was
obeyed immediately!
God’s call is ALWAYS SACRIFICIAL AND MISSIONAL IN
NATURE. His call begins with personal
brokenness for others around you who need Christ and then extends out to all
people everywhere. And His call is extended
to those who share God’s Misisonal Heart for the world. This is supposed to be the church, but the
tragedy is that we (American Christianity) have been more concerned about
budgets than baptisms, tradition over missional effectiveness, coming to church
rather than being sent out by the church, and hoarding our resources rather
than managing our personal resources so that we can more effectively support
the Gospel.
Whatever we do, we must remember our call from God will always
be missional in nature.
III.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO DO “WHATEVER IT TAKES”? – IT MEANS THAT WE ARE SURRENDERED
AND WILING TO HEAR AND OBEY GOD’S MISSIONAL CALL.
When we (the members of
God has certainly spoken to us in His Word to be missional. But as our hearts move into surrender, the
Holy Spirit draws us and empowers us for specific missional tasks on an
individual and church basis.
What
has God already shown us from His Word that He is calling Green Ridge to do?
1.
Build
ALIVE (Spirit-filled) “Connect Groups” that REACH, TEACH, and MINISTER. This requires people who will take ministry
responsibilities in this area and can be counted on regardless of the spiritual
lackadaisicalness of others around him or her!
2.
Go
deeper with God through LIFE classes, Men’s/Women’s groups, personal time with
the Lord, theological training, prayer, personal ministry to others.
3.
Go
outward to our community in service, ministry, and love—building bridges to
lost people over which we can share Jesus Christ with them.
This means we will do ALL WE CAN to help, welcome, and
serve newcomers to our church! We will
note who they are and be ready to act on their behalf—to extend ourselves for
them. We must become more
outward-focused as a church if we expect to experience the empowering of the
Holy Spirit.
4.
Take
more seriously our respective areas of ministry—especially those areas that
involve the worship experiences and the “Connect Groups.” We must ask the WHY behind what we do.
Just
a few practical questions to stimulate our outward-ministry thinking:
q
Who
has umbrellas out in the parking lot on a rainy Sunday welcoming all and giving
them a covering as they enter?
q
Who
has a copy of their Sunday School class (“Connect Group”) prospect file and is
praying for, discovering needs, and mobilizing others to meet those needs in
the name of Jesus?
q
Who
is actively trying to meet new people and develop relationships with them so
that they can eventually be introduced to Jesus and His Church?
q
Who
is meeting with a potential new “Connect Group” team in order to prepare them
to launch a new “Connect Group”?
q
I
could go on and on . . . You get the idea!
IV.
MY (OUR) PROBLEM
IS THAT I FACE RESISTANCE IN MYSELF (OURSELVES) WHEN I ASK MYSELF . . . AM I
WILLING TO DO WHATEVER IT TAKES?
I believe the Lord wants to do a GREAT WORK HERE at
YES, LORD, WHATEVER IT TAKES!”
I need the Lord in my life. I want Jesus to do a MIGHTY work in and
through us at
CONCLUSION:
As we all
answer God’s call and do “Whatever It Takes” to be on
If you
would like to receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior, please step forward
and tell one of our pastors. If you are
like this pastor and you just want the Lord to work on and in you, come.