Discover, Develop, Deploy
#findingyourplaceseries
(This Weekly Prayer Summary was written by Devi Susanto, from the CBC English Prayer Ministry Core Team, and edited by Brigitta Tedja)
Pastor Paul blessed and prayed for the mothers and the spiritual mothers of our congregation and began the sermon with what the Lord has put in his heart. Our theme of the year is “Harvest” and every month we have a focus. This month’s focus is “Finding Your Place”. Pastor's sermon is entitled, "Discover, Develop, Deploy”.
A parable is a heavenly truth that is explained using the earthly realm so that we can understand. Otherwise, we would be unable to relate since Jesus has deep revelations that is beyond our understanding. Pastor Paul is opening with The Parable of Talents or The Parable of Potential. Potential is God’s gift to you and what you do with that potential is your gift to God. Your potential is very special! He has deposited us all with potential. Each one of you is important. All of us are important.
There are no unimportant people. There are certain gifts He put in your life that are according to the purpose for which you were created. You are on the earth right now because there is a purpose. Perhaps when you were born, your parents were not ready for you or you were not planned, but even if your parents did not want you to be born, God wanted you to be born on that day. God has a purpose and you are on purpose. You are an answer to some situation on the earth. You are a special!
The greatest thing you do with the gifts and the potential that is in you, is you do not make your own potential — you discover it.
You discover what is inside of you. What has God put in me?
There are three things that are necessary:
You have to discover it
Once you discover it, you have to develop it
And once you develop it, you are ready to be deployed
The gifts (abilities, capabilities, giftings, talents) are deposited in your life and it comes with responsibilities.
If you have big dreams, you will have bigger responsibilities.
The gifts or potential is my responsibility
God deposited them — I need to develop them.
God deposits — I discover
Once I discover, I develop. When I develop my gift, then God can deploy my gift
One of the reasons some people never get used by God is because they never took the time to develop what God placed in their lives. Or some pray, “Lord, use me” and then they do not want it anymore due to challenges, discouragements, or weariness.
We sing songs during praise and worship because we want to worship Jesus. Bishop Joseph Garlington stated, “The reason why God created music and songs is so that we can keep on singing until we come to believe.” We do not believe and we sing until we believe.
Matthew 25:14-30, NKJV "For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. 15 And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. 16 Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. 17 And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. 18 But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord's money. 19 After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 "So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, 'Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.' 21 His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'
22 He also who had received two talents came and said, 'Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.' 23 His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.' 24 "Then he who had received the one talent came and said, 'Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.'”
26 "But his lord answered and said to him, 'You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. 27 So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. 29 'For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'”
Jesus gave this parable to explain a truth. You are the person who is entrusted by the Almighty God. What would you do knowing that the inheritance God gave is so powerful? He left us with gifts and when He returns for a second time, He will ask what we have done with our talents. The kingdom of God operates differently from the natural world. In the world, you step on heads to be at the top. In the kingdom of God, you need to be humble and serve. In the natural world, if you are offended, you want to get even, but with the principle of God, you need to forgive. The kingdom of God operates on the Holy Spirit sense, not common sense, though it is contrary or counterintuitive to your thoughts. In the world, you hoard uour resources, in God’s kingdom, you give generously.
How does this relate to us? God never gives each one of us the same potential.
There are some people that He gave five talents. There are some people He gave two talents, and there are some people He gave one talent.
That does not mean that the people who were given one or two talents are less important than the people that were given five. The Master entrusted you.
You are important! In fact, if you were given five and you are not doing anything with it, you are going to end up in a worst condition than the person who was given two because he did something with it.
Because to whom much is given, much will be required.
In other words, the more potential God put in your life, the more is going to be required of your life.
When you keep asking God for big dreams, then God will keep requiring big responsibilities.
You need to be free today if you do not have the same gifts as the person sitting next to you or CARE Cell friend.
That does not make you are unimportant. It does not make you insignificant, but it does make you responsible.
There will be a Ministry Open House for the next consecutive 3 weeks. Pastor Paul would like to see everyone involved in the ministry. There shall be no passive members, all must be active. If one of your legs does not function, it will slow you down. We are one body and all members/parts must function. The first responsibility for the followers of Christ is to do the Ministry of Reconciliation. Your main responsibility is to reconcile between man and God.
God gave each one of them (the 5, 2, 1) according to their abilities. God does not give the potential based on their tenure or how long or how old they were. It is based on the ability. God did not give the talents based on who you know or through your connections, but based on the ability He placed in your life.
D I S C O V E R
How Can I Discover My Potential?
I do not always know what my ability is until I put my hands on it and do it. This is the basics. Whatever it is, you need to become a servant—you need to serve with a genuine motive. Serving is not a ladder to be climbed; it is a lifestyle to be lived. You do not know what to do until you reach out to do something.
Ecclesiastes 9:10 “Whatever your hand finds to do, you do it with all your might.”
Pray and ask the Holy Spirit
Be proactive and faithful in small things
Serving is the very thing that is always the right thing to do
D E V E L O P
DO NOT MISS THIS: The One who was given one talent had the wrong concept of God.
And when you have a wrong God concept, it affects everything about what you believe. What he did not realize is that God is not a hard taskmaster—God is a loving father.
He was reacting as a slave, not as a son.
Ex: Moses could have been a leader with a slave mentality
Slaves and Sons both serve
Slaves serve to get something — sons serve because they have something.
How to Develop Your Gift?
Always have a servant attitude
Willing to work in a team (together everyone achieves more)
Learn to be led and submit to authority: dedicated and committed
Spend time with the Lord and learn to listen to the Holy Spirit
Read — Read — Read (read to excel and develop your gift)
Proactive
God is all about developing you before He deploys and releases you.
Ex: Moses was bad-tempered but was processed until he became the “meekest in all the earth” (Numbers).
Hebrews 5:8-9 “Though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him."
By the things He suffered — by the restrictions that was put on Him, Jesus learned how to be obedient.
Could It Be that It is Not the Devil that is Hindering You?
God has put you in a place of development and He will not let you out of it UNTIL you take responsibility for some issues He has put in your life and you quit blaming the devil and others.
In a similar context and parable in Luke 19:
“Occupy till I come.”
“Do business till I come.”
“Buy and sell with this till I come.”
“Put this money to work till I come.”
Occupy: to obtain, get involved, to participate, assume an obligation
D E P L O Y
God Refuses to Deploy Immature People
You can be young only once in your lifetime, but you can remain immature forever.
God refuses to deploy something that has not never been developed.
He keeps us in the process of development until we learn to take responsibility for our own lives
Winston Churchill: “The price of greatness is the willingness to accept responsibility.”
Jesus stated, “There was a man, a landowner who came and he had people that he wanted to invest or deposit things in.”
He used the term talent; we use the term potential gifts
When You Are Deployed, Remember:
Do not despise the day of small beginnings. Zechariah 4:10 — Stay humble
The Lord will entrust you with bigger things (compilation of many small things) — always say YES to Him
Always apply the principles of the kingdom of God
God Is Saying to You:
You do not work for my pleasure — you work from my pleasure
You are not serving to be chosen — you are already chosen
You are not involved in ministry to be blessed — you are already blessed
You are not serving to be accepted — you are already accepted
Prayer Points:
Pray to discover your potential and capacity: your giftings, abilities, capabilities, and talents that God has placed in you
Pray for help to develop the gifts, potentials, capacities and abilities to be able to work together as a team
Pray to be ready to be deployed, not only for Sunday but wherever we go
Pray for forgiveness for having a wrong concept and understanding of God and recommit and give our best to Him
Pray to make a decision to follow and obey God and to excel in your gifting and calling
Pray for big dreams and bigger things in life
Pray to learn how to say YES to HIM and always apply the principles of the kingdom of God
Pray that our lifestyle will consist of serving God and serving people
Pray for the upcoming Ministry Open House: May 21, May 28, June 4
Pray for God’s people to be committed in ministry
Pray for all our pastors and leaders to be divinely protected – Psalms 91
Pray for the advancement and building progress of the Ministry Center; no delays, obstacles, or interruptions.