See Galatians 6—Ministering, Serving, Helping. Care, help, support, comfort, consolation, to supply a need. The attendants getting the Bride ready for her wedding. The trainers ministering to the bruised and battered boxer.
The purpose of God for Israel: fruit. A vine and its branches are only good for bearing fruit, not to build, make furniture, or fuel. The Lord is the true vine. We are the branches, and our only purpose as such is to bear fruit. Fruit-bearing depends on abiding communion and ultimate fellowship with the Lord. Every branch that does not abide does not bear fruit, and God takes it away. Every branch that bears fruit He cleanses, that it may bring forth more fruit.
Abiding—A branch abides in Christ by drawing all its nourishment from the vine. Spending time in prayer, reading and obeying His Word, fellowshipping with His people, and being conscious of our union with Him are ways to abide.
Note the difference between service and fruit-bearing. Pruning and cleansing are used to produce more fruit. Insecticides are unpleasant but necessary to kill bugs that would hinder or stop the fruit. So it is in God’s dealing with us. Trials come our way. They are painful, but the end result is much more fruit and the Father is glorified. This is not just a young believer’s experience. We older believers undergo trials, pruning and cleansing in order that we may graduate from the sphere of more fruit to much fruit, thereby glorifying God. Let’s look at a few men who knew the secret of abiding in Christ and bore much fruit.
Evangelism
“Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.”
“Do the work of an evangelist”—2 Timothy 4:5.
Watch in all things, endure, do the work.
Evangelize—make disciples. Pastor—baptize them. Teacher—teach them.
The One who has been given “all the power and authority in heaven and earth will be with you until the end of the age.”
What were the last words of the Lord to His disciples? “Go ye into all the world”, etc. Be witnesses and martyrs.
Note the Lord’s bountiful provision for His servants. Acts 1:8—“You shall receive ‘miraculous power’ after the Holy Spirit is come upon you.”
See how evangelism spread in the Acts—Jerusalem, 2:7; Judea, 8:12; Samaria and uttermost parts, 13:28.
Acts covers a period of 30 years. Someone computed 250,000 souls were saved.
The Lord’s Supper and evangelism should compliment one another.
Note the personal ministry of the Lord and His disciples in John 3:35-45. Jesus found Andrew, Andrew found Peter, Jesus found Philip, Philip found Nathanael, Jesus found Nicodemus and the woman at the well.
Note the activities of the early Church in Acts 5:42. “Daily in the temple and in every house they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.” The result—Acts 6:7. “The Gospel spread, the number of the disciples increased in Jerusalem, and many priests were obedient to the faith.”
Gift of Serving
James 5:13—Is any among you afflicted? Suffering? Let him pray. Is any glad at heart? He should sing praises to God.
Music was used greatly in the OT to assist in the worship of God. Asaph, who wrote Psalms 50 and 73-83, was also David’s choir director. There were also many instruments involved. See Psalm 150. Eight instruments were used.
Consider the song of victory at the Red Sea in Exodus 15. Song of the redeemed. He has triumphed gloriously. Who is like unto Thee? Glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, awesome in wonders. V. 20—Miriam led the women in song.
Ezra 3:10-11—Notice also the burst of praise and singing when the Temple was dedicated and the walls were built.
Music
The importance of music in worship and service. See Ephesians 5:15-19.
v. 19—“Speak to one anther in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. Singing and making melody with all your heart unto the Lord.”
Colossians 3:16—“Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly. In all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another. In psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing God’s praises with thankful and joyful hearts.”
1 Corinthians 14:15—I will pray with my spirit, by the Holy Spirit within me. But I will also pray intelligently.
I will sing with my spirit, enabled to do so by the Holy Spirit. I will sing intelligently, with my mind and understanding also.
When the Lord ascended to the Father’s right hand all things were put under his feet—v. 22. How did this happen?
Paul’s prayer in 3:13-19. Paul’s third petition in verse 19, for the saints in all generations, is that they might have a deep knowledge and appreciation of the power that raised Jesus from the grave and transported Him through the domain of His archenemy to the throne of God’s right hand. Paul calls this display of power the exceeding greatness of God’s power.
F. B. Meyer says that “it is power.” “It is exceedingly great power, power that is beyond the limits of human thought.”
This is the power that God used in our redemption, which He uses in our preservation, and which He will yet use in our glorification.
To emphasize the awesome magnitude of this power, Paul describes the greatest exhibition of divine power that the world has ever known. It was the power that raised Christ out from among the dead and enthroned Him at His right hand.
The greatest display of God’s power was not in creation, nor the deliverance of Israel through the Red Sea. The NT would teach us that the resurrection and ascension was the greatest demonstration of the exceeding greatness of God’s unlimited power. The greatest demonstration of His love was Calvary.
When we review these great events, we should marvel at the immensity of God’s power and worship Him for His omnipotence.