Basic Prerequisite of Giving an Acceptable Service to our God.

Each day I thank God for granting me strength, wisdom and life and most of all salvation so I can “draw near with confidence to the throne of grace …” (Hebrews 4:16).

As I read the book of Hebrews I came across Hebrews 12:28 “Therefore, since we receive a Kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe.” To show our gratitude for God we are called to offer an acceptable service.

When I read the word “acceptable”, another verse came to my mind.  Romans 12:1 “

I URGE you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship”.  The word acceptable can be pleasing.  So how can we give a pleasing/acceptable service to God?

The basic requirement for giving an acceptable/pleasing service to God is to have a clean conscience.

In Titus 1:15 “To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and conscience are defiled.”  When Adam fell, our consciences are darkened or defiled but thanks to our Lord Jesus Christ, his blood not on cleansed our sins but all “restored” our conscience.  Hebrews 9:14 tells us “how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” 

Also in Hebrews 10:22 “let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water”

When we received Jesus into our heart not only is our sins forgiven, our conscience is restored and  thus we are able to offer acceptable/pleasing service to God.

The 3 roles of a Christian.

After we have received Christ we are considered righteous (sinless) in God’s eye – “Justification by faith” which is mentioned in Romans 5:1 “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,”

Being a Christian, we inherited 3 different roles:

• Children of God
• Trainee of God
• Servant of God

Most people will say we are king, priest and prophet after we received Christ in which I totally agree.  I am just trying to look at this at a different angle.

Children of God

Romans 8: 16-17 “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.”  These 2 verses clearly stated that we are children of God.  This is why we call other Christians brothers and sisters.  This is great honor that we can call the Almighty God – heavenly Father.

Trainee of God

“For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints,  do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers;  that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.  I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might” (Eph 1: 15 – 19)

Romans 8 17 stated that we are heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.  We are to inherit the Kingdom of God.  Ephesians 1: 15 – 19, Paul prayed earnestly that the eyes of the Christians in Ephesus be enlightened that they may see the riches of the glory of God’s inheritances. 

We are to reign with Christ in God’s Kingdom.  We are to be trained to know how to rule with Jesus.

Servant of God

This is the main idea that I would like to share with you.  Living in America, it is not so easy to understand what a servant is.  Often times we don’t really understand what is the role of a servant.  It is different from an employee.

Jesus die on the cross for us and we are bought with a very high price. In 1 Cor 6:20 “

For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body”.

Like it or not we are a servant of God.  We are to serve our Master.  A servant will pick up trash for the Master.  A servant will clean the toilet of the Master.  No question asked.  Just do it.  

At church are you willing to pick up the trash for Jesus? At church are you willing to clean up the dog shit in front of the worship center.  This is the basic job of a servant. 

Also as a servant we are to be humble before our fellow Christians.  In Philippians 2: 3 "

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves"

We need to have a servant’s heart.