Standing at the G=
ate,
where are you standing?
Matthew 8:14 says “When Jesus arrived at Peter̵=
7;s
house, Peter’s mother in law was in bed with a high fever. But when Jesus touched her hand, t=
he
fever left her. Then she got =
up and
prepared a meal for him.”
Peter’s mother in law is an example to follow. Her response to Jesus touch was to=
wait
on Jesus and his disciples – immediately. Just like our Ushers, Jesus stretc=
hed
out his hand, saved them, said I gave you a special gift to serve and I want
you to be happy, stay at my door and look after my people. They are standin=
g at
the Gate, where are you standing?
What is a gate? The dictionary says a gate<=
/b> is
a point of entry to a space enclosed by walls, or an opening in a fence. Gates may prevent or control entry or exit, or they=
may
be merely decorative. Ushers is your presence controlling what comes through
those doors or are you just standing there for people to see? Are you happy and welcoming or are=
you
unhappy and not welcoming?
Has God ever helped you through a dangerous or difficult
situation? If so, you should ask, how can I express my gratitude to him?
When Peter’s mother in law was sick and then healed,
she was grateful for her healing. She didn’t lie around and say; oh G=
od
has healed me and do nothing. She immediately got up and started serving. S=
he
had the right attitude. Your attitude reveals the real you. How important is
your attitude? Your attitude is much deeper than just a few thoughts you mi=
ght
think or not think. Your attitude comes out of the core of your being. Your
attitude represents your disposition, your outlook, and your very character=
.
The Bible says in Pr 23:7; "For as a man thinks in his heart, so he is=
.”
We are like that jar of water. If we put lid on it loosely
and shake the water, what happens?
Some of the water comes out. Why did the water spill? Was it a loose
lid, because we shook the jar or gravity? No, the reason the water came out=
was
because the jar was filled with water. What’s on the inside is what c=
omes
out. But you know what’s
funny? When we are down and out, messed up, cut up, did those things we had=
no
business doing and God heals us, forgives us, he doesn’t expect us to
just lay around ungrateful. He
expects us to get up and serve him.
Serve him in whatever our gifts and specialties are. Serve him in the church, serve him=
in
the streets, follow the Pastor’s leading and serve the saints also. S=
erving
is an awesome task not to be taken lightly.
We don’t know much about Peter’s mother in la=
w.
We don’t know her name or her occupation. We just know she was sick.
Healed and then served. When you walk into the doors of church, you may not
know that ushers name or occupation, but you know they are a servant of God
doing what God called them to do. They are standing at the Gate, where are =
you
standing?
To be an usher, you have to be ready to serve. Standing at the gate. You first of all appreciate what=
God
has done for you, and then you show your appreciation by serving others.
When you walk into the doors of the church, your percepti=
on
of that church can take place immediately by the way you are greeted at the
door. Were you greeted with a=
smile
or a frown, were you looked at funny because of the way you were dressed or=
how
your hair looked. Were you sat in the back because you didn’t have th=
at
high status when there were seats in the middle or the front? Could you sen=
se
the presence of the Lord and feel the power as you entered through the gate=
s,
or were you hindered or distracted by negative looks, comments or attitude?=
How
was that non-verbal communication? Did you hear them say welcome, but see a
different attitude on their faces which didn’t show you were truly
welcome?
Let’s visualize it this way... The attitudes inside=
you
are like a jack-in-the box. Have you ever played with one of them? You turn=
the
little handle and the when you least expect it - he pops out. Now that̵=
7;s
a vivid picture of our attitude, when we least expect it, they will pop out=
and
cause other people to like or dis-like us. Are we showing our true attitude=
s?
Ushers – the first persons at the door unless you h=
ave
greeters –Standing at the gate, have to realize that everyone should =
be
loved because we all have a different purpose in life and we are all
different. But it doesn’=
;t
stop there because we can have the greatest ushers in the world and come in=
to a
church and the rest of the congregation treats you like an alien, like you don’t belong. Talk =
about
the way you look or are dressed. Want to move away from you because they
don’t want to sit beside you.
Sometimes the church people don’t realize everyone =
is
human. We all have the same blood running through our bodies. We all have s=
kin
that if it is pinched hurts and we say ouch. We all have feelings whether
expressed verbally or not. The difference is we have the love of Christ in =
our
lives and the blood of Jesus that has covered our sins with lots of grace a=
nd
those in the world haven’t achieved it yet. But if they aren’t given that
opportunity because we have run them away at the door or after they have sat
down beside us, what witness have we been? God loves the rich and the poor,=
the
strong and the weak, the loveable and the ones that seem unlovable. You see,
those that have gone through something, I mean really gone through something
and are hurting, they need our love and need to feel welcomed because those
ones who have been through something are usually the ones once delivered who
are your strong warriors, your worshippers, your intercessors, your praiser=
s,
even your ushers. They are like Peter’s mother in law who was sick, n=
ow
healed and ready to serve. They can relate to others because they have alre=
ady
been there. They can tell that drug addict, homosexual, gangster, person who
lost their home, person who lost their spouse or children, person who lost
their job, person who is on the streets, person who can’t control the=
ir
kids, person who is being abused – you can make it. The minute that h=
urt
person walks through the door – they can feel the love and know that =
God
is a God of love and he doesn’t care about what they did, he cares ab=
out
them.
Do you think Jesus cared what Peter’s mother did af=
ter
walking through those doors and touching her so she could be healed? And on=
ce
they are through the doors, keep them here. Don’t change your attitude
towards them, don’t stop loving them because they messed up, don’t judge them because they aren’t screa=
ming,
hollering and rolling all over the floor – the way you want them to. =
Let
them worship God in their own way and feel comfortable in his presence. Don’t tell them they must no=
t love
the Lord or be holy or saved because they are worshiping God in their own w=
ay.
We are like an egg, we are all human, but can be used in
different ways. Think about the different ways you eat eggs. You have scrambled eggs, fried egg=
s,
poached eggs, deviled eggs, sunny side up eggs, hard boiled eggs and omelet=
s.
Just like that egg can be used and eaten different ways a=
s it
says in Romans 12:6-8 So we are to use our diffe=
rent
gifts in accordance with the grace God has given us. If our gift is to speak God’s
message, we should do it according to the faith that we have, if it is to
serve, we should serve, if it is to teach, we should teach, if it is to
encourage others, we should do so. Whoever shares with others should do it
generously, whoever has authority should work hard, whoever shows kindness =
to
others should do it cheerfully and whoever God appoints and anoints to be a
doorkeeper, should do it happily and if he didn’t call you to do it, =
sit
down before your attitude messes everything up.
Let me go back to vs. 7 it says, if it is to serve, we sh=
ould
serve – just as our ushers do week after week. Just as Peter’s
mother in law did. She had a gift and worked in her gift. Our usher’s have a gift and =
they
work in their gift and they all have their own different personalities and =
ways
that God can use them. He made you the fried egg and you the scrambled egg.=
God can take this empty vessel and make anything he wants=
to
out of it and it can be used for the good of the service. But what happens =
if
that egg sits out and isn’t used? It becomes rotten, no good; it star=
ts
to stink– so it is with the different gifts God has given us. If we don̵=
7;t use
them, we just become rotten, no good (not the gift) us. Standing at =
the
Gate, where are you standing?
That person once saved is like that raw egg. There has to be some preparation, = some cooking for that egg to be the way you want it to be. We have to make some preparation f= or our lives and gifts to be what God would have us to be. We need to study – for the w= ord says to study to show thyself approved a workman rightly dividing the word = of truth. We need to fast and we= need to pray so we can become that vessel prepared and ready to satisfy someone = soul with the help of the Holy Spirit. And we need to trust God – with all= our heart, soul and mind. Then we will never be able to go back to the original state we were in. We will not be that raw egg anymore, we will be changed.<= o:p>
Now don’t get me wrong, a raw egg is good for a lot=
of
things like putting it in a cake, macaroni and cheese and home made chocola=
te
chip cookies. But if you take notice, that egg has become part of the body,=
but
it’s not the body, not the main entrée’ Still, that cake needed that egg t=
o help
it rise, that macaroni and cheese needed the egg to make it fluffier, but t=
he
egg didn’t do it alone, it worked together with the other ingredients.
You can’t taste the egg while mixed up in the ingredients like you do=
the
scrambled eggs, but you know it was used.&=
nbsp;
If you are that egg-that Usher that God has directed you to “S=
tand
at the gate”, then you are in the place where he wants you to be, and=
you
shouldn’t be overlooked.
So what kind of egg am I? How do I know what my rightful
place of service is in the church? Do you realize God has been shaping us s=
ince
we were born? We can only be good stewards of our talents and gifts if we
recognize where God has placed us. There are 7 things we need to look at and
consider when being called to do a work for the Lord. First we have to realize that we h=
ave
been created for ministry. In
Ephesians 2:10 it says “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has
created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he has
planned for us long ago.”
2nd we have to realize we have been saved for a
ministry. IN 2 Timothy 1:9 it=
says
“It is God who saved us and chose us to live a holy life. He did this=
not
because we deserve it, but because that was his plan long before the world
began – to show his love and kindness to us through Christ Jesus.R=
21;
3rd we have to know that we have been called to
ministry. In Matthew 9:37 it =
says,
“He said to his disciples, “The harvest is so great, but the
workers are few.” Yes,
Ushering is a ministry and we have so few of them. There are so many lost s=
ouls
out here and just a loving, kind welcome can make all the difference in that
person’s life.
4th we have to realize we have been gifted for=
ministry. 1 Corinthians 12:4-7 says “N=
ow
there are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but it is the same Holy Spirit
who is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service in the
church, but it is the same Lord we are serving. There are different ways God
works in our lives, but it is the same God who does the work through all of
us. A spiritual gift is=
given
to each of us as a means of helping the entire church. Ushers are standing =
at
the Gate, where are you standing?
5th The body of Christ needs your ministry.
Matthew 9:38 – “So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the
harvest: ask him to send out more workers for his field.” Ask God wha=
t he
wants you to do, and then go and do it.&nb=
sp;
You were created for a purpose.&nbs=
p;
If you don’t like to speak to people, then Ushering isn’t
your gift, maybe it’s doing something in the background, but there is
something for you to do in the house of God.
6th Your accountable for your ministry. Romans
14:12 says “Yes, each of us will have to give a personal account to
God.” You will give an account of whether you accepted God or rejected
him, and you are also going to have to give an account to God for not doing
what he has called and orchestrated you to do.
And 7th You will be
rewarded for your ministry. Colossians 3:23-24 says “Work hard and
cheerfully at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rath=
er
than for people. Remember tha=
t the
Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and the Master you are
serving is Christ.”
Some people have a job in church. Others get involved in ministry.
*If you’re doing it because no one else will,
it’s a job. If you̵=
7;re
doing it to serve the Lord, it’s a ministry.
*If your doing it just well en=
ough
to get by, it’s a job. If you’re doing it to the best of your
ability, it’s a ministry.
*If you’re doing it so long as it doesn’t
interfere with other activities, it’s a job. If your committed to sta=
ying
with it even when it means letting go of other things, it’s a ministr=
y.
*If you quit because no one praised or thanked you, it’s a job. If you
stay with it even though no one seems to notice, it’s a ministry.
*If your concern is “success” it’s a jo=
b.
If your concern is faithfulness, it’s a ministry.
*It’s hard to get excited about a job, it’s
almost impossible not to be excited about a ministry.
*If God calls you to a ministry, don’t treat it lik=
e a
job. If you have a job in Church, give it up and find a ministry.
*God doesn’t want us feeling stuck with a job, but
excited and faithful to Him in a ministry.
No matter where you live. Or what your situation is like.=
God
can still do wonderful things through your life. As lon=
g as
your heart is still beating. And your blood is still pumping,
Jesus Christ is not through with you.
Maybe you’re good at encouraging people. When someo=
ne
is feeling low, you’re the person who says “I believe in you!
You’re going make it through the dark days! You’re going to come
out of this stronger than you’ve ever been before! Don’t give
up!” We need that gift in the church.
Or maybe your gift is listening. You’re not much of a talker.
You’re not really good at fixing things. But you’re very good at
understanding people and empathizing with them. We need that gift in the
church.
Or maybe you’re good at teaching the Bible. God has blessed you with =
an
understanding of the scriptures that you never had before. And now He is
calling you to share your wisdom and your learning with others. We need that
gift in the church.
The body of Christ needs your ministry.
Standing at the Gate, Where are you standing?
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