SLC VI–Servanthood and REST

Rev. Dr. Tan Siang Yang, 07/05/2011

Mat 11:28-30  Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  (29)  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  (30)  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Rev. Dr. Tan felt the pain of those who long to be mothers or married. He reminded them that God loves them.

The goal of the church is not growth but the God that gives the growth.

The ministry of fatherhood and motherhood is a very important ministry.

The original Greek in the Great Commission suggest ‘as you go’ instead of a command to ‘go’. It is a call to share the Gospel wherever we are.

Our life is the message. People do not believe due to reasonable arguments. Many people are turned off by the lives of Christians that have no contentment. Many Americans go after Eastern mysticism that seems deeper. Many Christians are presenting an inaccurate Gospel.

Someone once said, every non-believe a mission field and every believer a missionary.

The Great Commandment has to be tied to the Great Commission for it to make sense. They are both for every Christian. The calling of God is first and foremost to believe in Jesus and follow Him. Instead of bring people to the church, we are also to bring the church to the people.

Harvest Business School now talks about 3-year plan instead of 5 because the world is so uncertain, e.g. Aceh or Japan.

We are so obsessed / pre-occupied / get so involved with the work of the Lord that we forget the Lord of the work. ~A. W. Tozer

When that happens, we are no longer doing the work of the Lord.

Jesus has always care about us. Servants who follow Jesus serve Jesus first. True servants of Jesus takes orders from the Master Himself. Jesus tells us what he wants us to do and what he doesn’t want us to do. Servanthood <> servitude. Biblical servanthood brings joy.

Mat 11:28-30 "Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. (29) Walk with me and work with me--watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. (30) Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

Jesus was talking about the yoke of communion / fellowship with God.

When we get a plan from God, hold it loosely because God can change ir.

a. Shepherd-centredness

Psa 23:1-6  A psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.  (2)  He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,  (3)  he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.  (4)  Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.  (5)  You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.  (6)  Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Still water implies rest. The Lord is my shepherd – this is personal. The question is whether the Lord is my shepherd.

Rom 3:23  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

The biggest problem of man is sin.

b. Spirit-filled surrender

Eph 5:18  Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

The original Greek suggest to be “continually filled with the Spirit.”

When we share the Gospel, obey and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.

When we submit to God, we will submit our time, money, etc. A control freak is not only an illusion but also delusional! God is the one in control.

c. Solitude and silence

We must not enter into this legalistically. It will then be a mere ritual.

Doing it devotionally will allow us to be intimate with God.

GRACE is an acronym for God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense.

We cannot earn God’s grace.

Solitude is to withdraw from people and to spend time alone with God. It also requires silence. Silence is not just the absence of words but the absence of noise / music. Worship music is not the same as worship, it cannot substitute worship. God often speaks in a still small voice or a gentle whisper.

David Banner wrote a book about worshipping God with no words.

We need to be quiet so we can hear God.

Have a periodic retreat. Three things will happen, we will fall asleep, get restless and hungry.

d. Simplicity

Live relatively free from greed and covetousness and materialism.

Commercials want us to believe we need more than we want.

“I live simply that others may simply live.” said a colleague of Rev. Dr. Tan.

Randy Alcorn in his book Treasure Principle said we cannot bring our money with us to heaven but we can send it ahead.

e. Sabbath

The Sabbath is meant for man and not the other way around. In Exodus, we read that it is a command and not a suggestion. During Sabbath, we are not to do anything for gain. Relaxing with the Word of God will do wonders to our souls.

f. Sleep

Sleep is a spiritual discipline. Research has consistently show that we need 7 to 8 hours of sleep every day. Studies show that people who sleep less than 5 hours or more than 9 hours (except those with health conditions) die younger.

We cannot get away by abusing our bodies. We need to take good care of our bodies, it’s the temple of the Holy Spirit.

Sleep is a gift from God. We need to really let go to sleep. It’s an act of letting go and trusting God.

g. Spiritual Community

We need relationship rest. We need to serve Sabbath to one another. Be the Sabbath for one another.

We need to know how to resolve conflicts.

h. Servanthood

Serve humbly and loving and following Jesus, not caring too much what others think and we have lots of rest.

If we care too much about what people think, we may get a lot of emotional damages.

i. Stress management

… from a biblical perspective (e.g. biblical thinking, regular exercise, adequate sleep and rest, and play / humour.)

Trusting the Lord is better than worrying about KPIs.

Be careful how we think. We need to be transformed by the renewal of our mind.

Rom 8:28 is a beautiful verse but we must use it appropriately.

Regular exercise with 30 minutes a time, 3 times a week will do us a lot of good. The body releases endorphins, which is the body’s own painkillers.

Good nutrition helps. “You are what you eat!”

“We take ourselves way too seriously. Joy is the serious business of heaven.” ~ C. S. Lewis

Laugh a lot but not at the expense of others.

As we rest in the Lord, the world will see Jesus in us.