KINDLING
MINISTRIES
“I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!” (Lk. 12:49 NIV)
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PAUL – HEART AND MIND AFLAME (PART 2)
MAIN CHALLENGE
The basis of Paul’s life was that he was fully and totally consecrated to God, and we need
to be the same. Not consecrated to a cause – that is the way of the fanatic, the sort of
person Paul was before he met Jesus – but consecrated to a person, committed to
becoming like him in every aspect of life and ministry, come what may. Are we
consecrated to the person of God in this all-important sense?
In the first message of this series, we identified three aspects of the Apostle Paul’s
personal theology that identified him as having both heart and mind aflame with the fire
of God. These are:
1. Paul lived a life that was completely consecrated to God;
2.
He related to Jesus in a way that showed that he was certainly crucified with him;
and
3. He lived his day-to-day life so that he was consistently constrained by the Holy
Spirit.
In this message, we explore the first of these aspects – the fact that his life was completely
consecrated to God. What does this mean? And what is its significance?
Consecration
To be consecrated means to be set aside (usually in a religious sense) to a specific purpose
or role. It comes from the same root as the word “sacred”, that is the idea that some
things are particularly holy or spiritually set apart. To be consecrated to God, therefore,
means to be set apart for God’s purposes.
The first aspect of Paul’s understanding that we will examine is this: not only was he set
apart for God’s use and purpose, in his own mind he was completely and utterly set apart
to God. He had done the figuring, he had done the calculation, and God owned his life –
exclusively, no holding back. This is what it means to be completely consecrated to God.
We can see how Paul saw himself by the form of words he uses to describe himself in the
introduction of many of his letters: “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus ...” (Rom. 1:1, Php.
1:1, Tit. 1:1). Some translators go further, and use the word “slave” or “bond-servant” to
describe Paul’s self-identification. Jesus himself tells us that he who aspires to be great
amongst the believers needs to be the slave of all (Mt. 20:26ff), and Paul took these words
very seriously – as a servant of God, he was automatically a servant of all.
Do we see ourselves in the same way as Paul?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
www.kindlingministries.com
[email protected]
OUR MISSION: “ EVERY HEART AFLAME”
KINDLING
MINISTRIES
“I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!” (Lk. 12:49 NIV)
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paul the fanatic?
Does this mean that Paul was a fanatic? Before we go any further, we need to address this
issue, because the modern world is (quite rightly) very concerned about fanaticism,
especially religious fanaticism. The fanatic is a monomaniac, only seeing one goal, one
vision. Fanatics have done considerable damage to society, and also to their own causes.
Is that the sort of person that we need to be?
We need to acknowledge upfront the validity of a lot of these concerns, and assert quite
categorically that this is not the sort of “fanatic” Paul was, and is therefore not the sort of
“fanatic” we need to aspire to be. At “Kindling Ministries”, we are not interested in
stirring up zeal for the sake of getting people to follow our particular “cause”. There are
two significant ways in which the Apostle Paul was different from the typical religious
fanatic that we all fear, and we need to understand these clearly before we proceed any
further.
Firstly, the typical religious fanatic that we all fear is someone devoted to a cause,
whereas Paul was, and we need to be, devoted to a person. A person devoted to a cause
sees only that cause, and is in danger of sacrificing all to seeing that cause fulfilled.
Everything else becomes a means to an end, and all too easily that sort of fanatic can see
that end as justifying “any means necessary”. We have all seen examples of this – even
among professing Christians, who end up using very non-Christian means (even violence)
to justify achieving their so-called “Christian” goals. But this is not what Paul was, and it
is not what we should be. Paul’s devotion was to a person, not a cause, and that meant
that he was devoted to being like Jesus in character. The means were just as important, in
some ways more important, than the ends.
Secondly, if Paul’s consecration to God were the only aspect of his personality that we
were highlighting, then you would be justified in being concerned. However, Paul was
not such a monomaniac – there were two other aspects as well that we will be highlighting
in the next two messages. The balance between these three aspects is what made Paul a
three-dimensional man of God, a man who was able to retain the fire for a life of fruitful
work.
God does not need more people fanatically devoted to single spiritual causes. What he
does need is people who are fanatically devoted to him personally, to having his character
formed in their lives, to becoming more and more like Jesus in both life and ministry.
This is the sort of fanatic Paul was, and this is what we also need to be.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
www.kindlingministries.com
[email protected]
OUR MISSION: “ EVERY HEART AFLAME”
KINDLING
MINISTRIES
“I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!” (Lk. 12:49 NIV)
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Pharisee turned freedom-fighter
There is a subtlety in Paul’s self-identification as a “servant of Christ Jesus” that comes
from his background as a member of the Pharisees sect. Before coming to know Christ,
Paul was indeed a fanatic in the worst sense of the word, as discussed above – he
persecuted, even to the point of death, those who opposed his cause. And what was that
cause? It was the law of God. (Note the distinction – the cause was the law of God, not
God himself. Whenever we devote ourselves to a single aspect of God’s revelation, no
matter how important or godly that aspect is, we are in danger of monomania). As a
young man, Paul willingly offered himself to God to become a servant of his law. The
very word “Pharisee” means to be consecrated, set aside, set apart. So it is no mere form
of words to note that Paul the young man knew what it means to be consecrated to the
law, to be set apart as a servant of the law. But all this changed on the Damascus road
when he met Jesus face to face.
He was a slave to a cause – the law of God – but he became a slave of a person, the living
Lord Jesus Christ. What a distinction! The one is a way of hard service, the other is a
way of freedom! Jesus invites us all to take up his yoke and burden, for it is “easy and
light” (Mt. 11;29-30). Paul did this on the Damascus road, swapping the yoke of the law
for the yoke of Jesus. And in so doing, the direction of his life changed utterly.
There is also another subtlety in the use of the word “bond-servant” in many translations.
This is reference back to a special provision in the Law whereby a liberated slave who
loves his master can offer himself willingly back to that master as a bond-servant.(Ex.
21:5-6). This is not the servitude of servility, of compulsion, but the willing service of
one who has been liberated by love. This is undoubtedly as Paul saw himself.
Paul had been a slave of the law – devoted heart and soul to a single religious cause. But
when he met Jesus, he realised that his fanaticism, although well-intentioned, had actually
led him to persecute the very one whom he was seeking to please. For Jesus said to him
on that day, having revealed his divine glory as God’s exalted Messiah, “Saul, Saul, why
do you persecute me?” (Ac. 9:4). How those words must have cut him to the heart! And
yet, Jesus was not meeting with him to condemn him, but to forgive him, to cleanse him,
to turn his misguided fanaticism to a better use. Such is the nature of the grace of God.
Have you experienced that grace in your own life? Have you, like Paul, come to realise
that you had been devoting your life to objects or causes that were not ultimately
important? Has your life been gently redirected by Jesus so that you are now completely
consecrated to him personally? If so, like Paul, you will be able to say, “I love my master,
I serve him now willingly because he has set me free”. This is the sort of consecration we
need to develop. This is the consecration Paul had – the fanatical Pharisee turned freedom
fighter of God.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
www.kindlingministries.com
[email protected]
OUR MISSION: “ EVERY HEART AFLAME”
KINDLING
MINISTRIES
“I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!” (Lk. 12:49 NIV)
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The effect of being God’s servant
Like Paul, we must “do the maths” – perform the calculation, work out the implications of
being a servant of the living God. It is only as we do this that we enter into the heart of
Paul’s radical lifestyle.
Firstly, seeing oneself primarily as a servant of God sets one free from so many lesser
causes and constraints. It is only when we keep our eyes focussed clearly on the big
picture that we avoid the traps of these lesser issues. And let us acknowledge upfront, the
modern church in the western world is plagued with controversies about many such lesser
issues. Does God want me to be in prosperity or poverty? Which denomination or group
is “right”? Should women be allowed into the ministry? There are many such
controversial issues that (depending upon which particular group of Christians you move
among) can become seemingly all-important. However, even though we do need to have
a mature view on many of these topics, they are not nearly so important as the question,
“Am I completely and utterly a servant of God?”. Whether I am rich or poor is irrelevant
compared with the surpassing issue of whom I am serving. Whether I serve God as a lay
person or an ordained one, or in this church or that, is nothing compared to whether I am
serving at all. Focusing on the main issue puts the other issues into perspective.
Secondly, seeing oneself as a servant of God sets one free from the judgment of others,
and even the judgment of oneself. If we are another’s servant, then his is the only
judgment that is relevant, his is the only one whom we seek to please. In the midst of one
of his greatest controversies, Paul was able to say, “I care very little if I am judged by you
or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but
that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me.” (1 Cor. 4:3-4). This is
the attitude of someone who is clear and definite in where his loyalties lie, and has
worked out the consequences of that consecration. It is only when we reach this place
that we are able to serve in perfect freedom, free from the restrictions of what others think
we ought to be doing. To be consecrated to God means to have only one master, and that
is not the opinions or judgments of others.
I am convinced that the greatest issue for us in the modern church is not any of the
controversial issues focused on by the media, indeed by many believers: it is the more
fundamental issue of consecration. Are our lives truly devoted to God, inside and out?
Are we committed to a lifestyle of discipleship where servanthood is more important than
ministry, where pride is subjugated to humble service, and where lowliness is more
significant than self-esteem? Let us get the basics right, and then we can see clearly to
tackle the other issues. Only a fully consecrated person is able to deal with other lesser
issues with the right spirit.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
www.kindlingministries.com
[email protected]
OUR MISSION: “ EVERY HEART AFLAME”
KINDLING
MINISTRIES
“I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!” (Lk. 12:49 NIV)
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Conclusion
The starting point of any life of fruitful service is to be completely consecrated to God.
Not to a cause, like many religious fanatics, but devoted to serve out of love a personal
God who has forgiven you, cleansed, you, and sent you out on a mission. This is where
we must start if we want to have a heart and mind that is truly aflame.
Is this your experience? Have you met the living God in such a way that you can say
clearly in your own mind, “Yes, I know him, I trust him, I am devoted to him. Not to a
religious cause, but to the person behind the cause. This is the only priority in my life”.
Does pleasing your Lord truly mean more to you than any other thing, or are you still
wavering, trying to keep a foot in both camps. You cannot do it, not if you want to pass
from religious adherent to a fully aflame disciple of Christ.
If you have not yet done so, take a sober look at yourself, do the calculations, and decide
that you want to be a servant of Jesus Christ. Decide this, not in a moment of hot passion
in a revivalist meeting, but in the cool and unemotional light of a new day. Decide that
you will live today for God, and God alone, for nothing else is worth living for. Decide
that you will forsake the judgment of yourself and of others, and look only to what God
has to say about you. Decide that today – it is the way of freedom. It is the only way to
kindle your life to be fully aflame for God.
Phil Stott
19/6/2011
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
www.kindlingministries.com
[email protected]
OUR MISSION: “ EVERY HEART AFLAME”