Having grown up in Utah around the Mormon church I learned the hard way that it was important for me to know what I believed and why. I learned that easy "church answers" were not enough. Many times when I would use those answers or statements my Mormon friends would agree with what I was saying. This was a good frustration because as I got older I realized that I needed to truly understand and know how to talk about my beliefs in a way that separated me from the Mormon faith. I also began to realize that many times my spiritual conversations and outreach interactions were not going to immediately turn into someone giving their life for Christ. It was about building relationships, sharing Christ and letting the Holy Spirit do the work.
Yesterday, in my lesson it was about our belief in the resurrection of Christ and why it was real and not just Jesus appearing as a ghost. All of 1 Corinthians 15 is where Paul discusses this issue and my study had me read the entire chapter. I excitedly dove in reading my NASB version and my second time through I felt like my mind was mush. There was so much I did not understand. I was frustrating, so I decided to change my tactic and I pulled out my Message version. I then read all of chapter 15 in the Message. As I read the Lord began to take the parts of the NASB that I did not understand and began to clarify it. I began to see the passion in Paul's voice as he was teaching, wanting people to understand that if Jesus did not rise as a human then all we do, all we believe if for not.
This lesson was so good for me helping me understand the deity of Christ and how he did not deny any of that but yet he was human in every aspect. He had to be, otherwise his sacrifice would not have been a true sacrifice. What got me the most was the very last verse of the entire chapter.
"With all this going for us, my dear, dear friends, stand your ground.
And don’t hold back. Throw yourselves into the work of the Master,
confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort."
1 Corinthians 15:58
This last verse took me back to my memories of living in Utah and the frustration I felt many times. Paul knew we would be frustrated. I think he knew we would not get the concept the first time around. However, Paul knew that people could not claim to believe in Jesus they needed to know why they believed and why it really happened. In this last verse I can see Paul excited over all that Christ has done, excited knowing the battle is won for us and encouraging us to not give up. He wants us to hold our ground knowing it will be hard and it won't always be pretty. My favorite part is where he says, "...don't hold back. Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort." This statement reminded me of the times I struggled with ministry outcomes or felt like I did not make any difference in peoples lives. Right here Paul tells us that each time we declare Christ we are making a difference. Each time we speak his name, share his love, or minister to others we are working for the Master. We are allowing the Holy Spirit to do his work. I love it when I leave my personal Bible study time so encouraged and empowered but I did.
I wanted to share this with you because ministry is not always easy, can be very frustrating and yet if we look opportunities are all around us. We just have to remember that it is not our job to change people's lives it is the Holy Spirit. It is our job to throw ourselves in to the opportunities God places around us knowing that nothing, I mean nothing will ever be a waste of time when it is done for the Lord our God!
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