We have been focusing on the heart of our ministry’s message these past few weeks.. The Lord’s will is that we become all that He intended us to be. He has programmed every member of His bride for greatness and has given us His grace in order for us to reach our full potential.
It’s all about Sanctification, and that means growing in Holiness, which is a word that the church doesn’t use much these days. It means belonging to our bridegroom and being remade in His image (Rom 8:29)… I know, I refer to that scripture a lot… because He has placed it firmly in my heart and sets it before me each and every day. He has set us apart, made us saints, which is a word that comes from the root word holy.
We have been set apart, called, chosen, and now we belong to Him and He intends for us to become grown-up saints. There is a story about young boy who asked his dad what it means to be a “grown-up saint.” His father thought for a moment and then replied, “I’m not what I used to be; I;m not what I ought to be; but praise the Lord, I’m on my way to becoming all that I was intended to be.” That’s the message that Paul was giving to the leaders of the church at Ephesus before he began his journey to Jerusalem (Acts 20:17-38).
Acts 20:32 And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.
Paul longed for his friends to grow up in Christ, to be sanctified, and were he here today I am certain that he would hold that out for us. And the secret of sanctification that he shared with those in Ephesus, Luke has recorded for us… the word of His grace. Jesus has given and keeps on giving, His unmerited, unchanging, and totally forgiving love. The love that enables us to own our failures. It’s His mercy that allows us to move on past those failures and take the next step to becoming more like Him. And Paul wrapped all that up in his final admonition to those at Ephesus:
Acts 20:35 … It is more blessed to give than to receive.
I think most of us equate that with giving of our money, time, etc., and far too often we lament the fact that we don’t “have it” to give. That’s true, but these are only symbols of what we are truly to be giving. When Paul quoted Jesus in this verse he showed us exactly what we are to be giving… Him. Our growth in Christ takes place as we give “Him” away to others, because that always involves giving of ourselves. But we can’t give away what we have not been willing to receive. Sanctification is a continuing process of being filled with the Holy Spirit, and the more of Him that we receive, the more we have to give to those who need Him… who need love, healing, and salvation.
Have you reached your full potential? No, me neither. But then again, we won’t until the day we stand face to face with our Saviour. And what a day that will be… especially if we have traveled far up the road to spiritual maturity in Him.