IN SPIRIT, SOUL AND BODY

GOD'S MISSION FOR OUR LIFE - PART III

© Carlos Padilla, November 2010

...Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5:23.

Jesus Christ received His mission on earth from the Father: to give His life for the world: ... For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16. And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written; this is what John said at the end of his Gospel. Our Lord is the best example of accomplishment of a personal mission; so are the apostles, the patriarchs, the prophets, the Church and every child of God individually.

Therefore, in this third (and last) part of this Bible Study about our spiritual life - in spirit, soul and body, and with the faith that we will be kept until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, Yahshua, we will establish the knowledge of God that will lead us to receive from the Holy Spirit the revelation of the gift of God which will make us be part of a ministry of the Lord to develop our mission in Christ, each and every one of us specifically, for our life at the same time as we are part of the Church serving the Lord and our neighbour.

SEEKING OUR GIFT FROM GOD FOR OUR MISSION

As we have seen in the previous two parts, the process of a Christian's life starts with his conversion. Second, he becomes part of the Church that Christ died for, growing spiritually and contributing in whatever ways he can serve the Lord and his neighbour. But in this third part, when we have already been edified and tested in our faith between God and our own selves, is where God will place the need in our hearts to look for our personal mission, our call, the expectation to receive the gift or gifts from Him that will bring to our heart the desire to serve Him in our spiritual lives specifically in what we are called for and what God has prepared us for in His eternal project. God's project, in addition to the church that we already know, includes new ministries that are part of the universal and historical Church. A ministry on the internet, radio, television, missions, serving the poor, evangelizing, etc.

In life, and I refer to life in society, every individual has a calling in his heart for a specific profession: intellectual, cultural, medical, educational, sports, arts, music, etc and we are not truly fulfilled until we accomplish it. The same way we search in the spiritual field, once we know God in Christ, overwhelmed by the magnitude of His work, we look for our personal calling, which will become - above former ones - in the mission of our life, in our priority to love and serve God. A Christian's calling does not have to be the same one for the whole of his spiritual life, it can change throughout different stages when the Lord calls to different ministries, just like in social life we can have different professional and personal stages: as children, teenagers, elderly, and whilst in them as sons/daughters, students, parents, grandparents...and we are always the same person. But it is not until the Lord, who knew us before the foundation of the world, knows that we are ready for it - He has prepared us for it - that we will be able to develop our personal spiritual call.

Psalm 143, verse 10, says: Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness. To which we can add verse 3 of the first letter of the Apostle Paul to the Thessalonians, chapter 4: For this is the will of God, your sanctification and we could end with Hebrews 10:36: so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise Because 1John 2:7 states:  but he who does the will of God abides forever.

We know that the will of God guides us to a holy life as a characteristic of the Christian's life, but now we are dealing with the will of God related to the personal calling, our role in His Church, and the mere fact that a Christian feels the need to serve God fervently, is the evidence that he is facing the third stage of his spiritual life. Many brothers, throughout the years, write to us from all over the world, as well as other brothers whom I know personally and in the congregation, who ask me how can they know what their role is within the Church of God, what are they called to do, which is God's gift for them. I am sure that in the majority of cases, just like we do, their pastors, elders or brothers in the faith have helped them, prayed with and for them, and tried to look for each others' call together.

However, this part of our life has to be revealed to us by God through the Holy Spirit in our heart, and it will be a call inside us which we will be able to tell from the rest, a feeling, an intuition, a conviction of faith, a recurring voice or dream, a constant in our conversation with God when we pray, from the deepest part of our soul, surely for a long time in our life. The search is in prayer and fasting during weeks, months and years until it is accomplished as and when God has established and there is a spiritual progress and a series of experiences for our growth that God has prepared for us. This does not mean to say that the pastor or elder brother in the faith cannot see or guide others, but God will be the one to confirm His Will always in our hearts. We should not become obsessed about it, God's will shall be done: ... Our Father ... ... Thy will be done...

The Word is again our light and direction to teach us in respect of God's calling, as we can see in the letter to the Romans 11:29 ... for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable ... what Paul calls through the Spirit, the upward call in Philippians 3:14. It is God's gift that calls us to serve Him specifically, the one that will determine our mission. Paul, in principle would have been ideal for apostleship to the Jews; however God sent him to the Gentiles because he was qualified for it and because he received the gift of apostleship to open the Christian era to all nations. But at the same time Paul, like Peter or John, having God's specific gift and their individual mission, they were also members of the Church of Christ and they lived taking part in all and every activity that were common to Christians in congregations, in addition to having their individual roles. That was the way it happened back then, and the way it is now in the churches that make up the Church of Christ in the world pastored by the Holy Spirit

The answer to our search is found by trusting God and in obedience to God, in not doing what we are not called to do, because it is for other brothers to do it and we must not take their place, or hinder their spiritual work, although we will be able to help them if we are invited to do so. We can participate and help in those tasks which the Lord and the rest of the brothers who have a ministry consider us fit for, as long as we understand it that way and the Lord confirms it to us. We will trust God and wait patiently for His confirmation. The apostles were sent, just like we are sent to preach, if God opens the doors for it to be effective, as the Word says: ... And how shall they preach unless they are sent? .. Romans 10:15.

THE TOOLS FOR OUR MISSION: GIFTS AND MINISTRIES FOR GOD'S WORK

A man should know Theology, Philosophy and Science in order to develop his being in spirit, soul and body. We will briefly review the history of sciences and knowledge that will be useful for us to determine how important it is for us to know God in Christ in a personal relationship above all knowledge.

Although Classical Greece already taught the majority of the so-called liberal arts, and later on the Roman Empire did the same, it was not until the 5th century when Martianus Capella called them liberal arts - proper to a free man or woman. The liberal arts were seven: grammar, dialectic, rhetoric, geometry, arithmetic, astronomy, and music. Those who aspired to the summit of knowledge, added the two main sciences to preside and complete their education: philosophy and theology. In the Illustration age, 18th century, and at present time, liberal arts were grouped in different ways that later became the university careers as we know them today. But although education has been evolving, we can understand that man, in the composition of his being, needs answers for his spirit, soul and body. Theology for the spirit, philosophy for the soul, and the seven liberal arts and their evolution for the mind.

In the El Escorial monastery which was at the time one of the greatest exponents of knowledge,  the vault of the library's ceiling has frescoes depicting the seven liberal arts, presided over by Theology and Philosophy. A true symbol and achievement, shame there was a lack of a true theological reform based on the Bible just like the spiritual protestant reform, that was almost annihilated by the Spanish Inquisition, but adopted by the countries that were to lead the world instead of Spain with its traditional church that would remain anchored to the counter-reform, losing the whole of their empire, and at present times they may even lose their own country at the light of the political events of amoral and atheist laws and the religious stagnation of a society that still fails to receive the Word of God.

If amongst all this range of knowledge we choose the true Theology of the Bible, once we know God, in His Word we find the capacities, the tools, the gifts and the ministries that God puts in our heart through His Spirit in us, in Christ. Let us see the list in 1Corinthians 12:

Gifts: Word of wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, healings, miracles, prophecy, tongues, discerning of spirits, tongues, interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills. 1Corinthians 12:8-10.

Ministries: Apostles, prophets, teachers, miracles, healings, help, administration, tongues. 1Corinthians 12:28-30. We also have Romans 12:6-8 and Ephesians 4:11-16 where the Lord teaches Paul that those called to serve God in the Church with their gifts become gifts for the Church themselves, to serve the Body of Christ. The Lord teaches us the greatest of all gifts with which we will be able to be spiritually fulfilled: God's love in us.

Love: The greatest gift of all is God's love that the Holy Spirit gives us, which is number ten in the list of 1Corinthians 12 and it is the subject of the whole of Chapter 13, and verse 13 teaches us that now faith, hope and love remain, but the greatest of these is love. Again, we see the three components of our being are covered: faith that makes the mind believe for the salvation of the soul, that is given hope in salvation for eternal life and daily from God's hand, and the love of God's Spirit for our spirit, from where it will flow for our neighbour and above all for our beloved Lord.

GOD'S WORK IN OUR SPIRIT, SOUL AND BODY

The conclusive Text about this study in three part is summarized in three verses of the Apostle Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, chapter 12, verses 4, 5 and 6: ... There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.

We have already seen the gifts, the ministries and God's activities. Now we must understand that the most important of all is to take part in God's work with brotherly love and for the Great Commission. If we are looking to serve God and our neighbour, every thing we do must leave a legacy of blessing for others. The Lord asked Peter, John 21:15, to feed His lambs, and He asked the eleven apostles, Mark 16 and Matthew 28, to go to all the nations announcing the Gospel, baptizing and healing every sickness. Therefore, as disciples of Christ, let us fulfill our priesthood allowing ourselves to be guided by the anointment of the Holy Spirit who will teach us at all times which is our ministry, our personal mission so that we: ...stir up the gift of God which is in you...2Timothy 1:6 once that we have identified it through the Holy Spirit.

In the first part of this study SPIRIT, SOUL AND BODY we see how the Holy Spirit changes our character to make us suitable to accomplish our personal mission, and we see it in the lives of John, Peter and Paul. In addition to these Biblical characters, three brothers in the faith of great relevance in our spiritual lives, there are countless Biblical characters that we could list such as Abraham, Moses, Joshua, David, Isaiah, Daniel, Ezra, etc. The Bible certainly shows us an array of individuals and their missions which are a source of inspiration and help for us to find God's gift in our lives, and as it is Word of God, the Spirit will use it to teach us. Just like these characters influenced other relevant brothers in the faith in the history of the Church, such as Augustine of Hippo, Luther, Calvin, Spurgeon, Graham, Reina, Valera and so many others in present times. You can also read the specific Bible Texts abut the spirit, soul and body in the first part of this study.

CONCLUSION

Jesus Christ reveals to us how He is with us every single day in our lives, until the end of times, according to His promise, and how He has blessed us, the Church, through the Holy Spirit throughout the ages in spirit, soul and body. In order to be conscious about such relevant issue for us to remain in the faith of the Lord, we have the following studies about the spirit, soul and body:

1.- SPIRIT, SOUL AND BODY. Spiritual personal life with God: the three components and battle fields. In spirit, soul and body for my personal relationship with the Lord.

2.- SPIRIT, SOUL AND BODY. IN THE CHURCH. PART II. Life in the Church in the general ministry of the Great Commission. In spirit, soul and body for my life in the Church.

3.- SPIRIT, SOUL AND BODY. GOD'S MISSION FOR OUR LIFE. Life accomplishing my mission, mi gift (as part of the Church). In Spirit, soul and body to develop God's call for my life.

God enables and qualifies us in the spirit through His Spirit in us with a gift or gifts. These gifts are the spiritual capacities that the Lord gives each one of us. With these gifts we can be part of a certain ministry where there are a series of activities, works that God has prepared beforehand for us to accomplish them under His guidance. Just like for professional training we prepare ourselves, study and qualify with a series of natural an acquired gifts. Once that we are ready we can, for example, become part of a department within a company, and that department has a specific function. In a tourist office, the employee must have studied his profession, i.e. acquire the gifts that enable him to perform. He also does his job in a specific place, an office that belongs to a company which has a series of branches which we could say are the ones that make up his ministry, and performs certain duties for those people that need the service.

Faith by itself, without deeds, is dead; James reminds us, following the teaching of his Lord and ours. This is what Jesus says in Matthew 25:34-46: ... ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’... ...  ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

If we trust God, we know Him and we strive in our personal relationship with Him in Christ through the Spirit; if we live in His presence, in prayer, fasting and praise, the Lord treats us as beloved children and reveals to us His will for our mission in our lives. Let us be patient and wait on Him, who knows our heart. Therefore it will not be very difficult for us to find our mission if we are renewed in the spirit of our mind, knowing that the purpose of our Christian life - in addition to remaining on the Way of faith and salvation - is to accomplish the Great Commission and make good works in the love of Christ, which He prepared beforehand that we should walk in them and that will stop us from falling ever. Gift, ministry, work.

Our Father sets each of us in our mission, He enables and qualifies us to accomplish it and confirms to us with His presence and His anointment that it is His will. Many are already doing God's will, fulfilling their personal mission, but they do not acknowledge it because they do not value it as they should and they want to do other works which, in their own judgment, are more relevant, that make them feel more fulfilled; but the pot cannot say to the potter: why did you make me like this?... Therefore let us thank the Lord that we can serve Him and let's look for the best gifts. Let us make every effort on our side so that the Lord, if it is His will, calls us to serve Him in what we have in our hearts, because no doubt we will do whatever the Lord has called us to do. But let it all be done with God's love, which is the most excellent gift, 1Corinthians 13

As for you, the anointing you received from Him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as His anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit - just as it has taught you, remain in Him. 1 John 2:27.  The anointment of God and His blessing be upon us in our spiritual mission, in the Church, for God's work in Christ Jesus, in spirit, soul and body by the Holy Spirit. Amen.