Pastor Mike Lwin
July 20, 2003 - W0329

One day the Lord will gather us all together and say to us:  "Well done, my good and faithful servant. . .î (Matt. 25:23 NTL)  That will be a time when we ALL can celebrate together!  In the mean time, God wants us to make a kingdom impact in our world until such a day occurs.  A healthy church is not measured by its size, but by how many lives within the church are making a kingdom impact.

Hereís what the bible says about KINGDOM PEOPLE:

"We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Eph. 2:10 NIV). 

Letís take a look at this scripture in three segments.  The first segment says, we are Godís workmanship. So then how can we make a kingdom difference?  Itís by never forgetting thatÖ

1.  YOU WERE DESIGNED BY THE MASTER!

"Your hands shaped me and made me" (Job 10:8a NIV)

What Job recognized is that God has individually and uniquely created us. God not only uniquely created us at the time of our birth, but He continues to create us over time -- this is called shaping and molding. 

But in order for God to shape our lives the way He wants to, we need to be moldable and shapeable.  However this isnít always easy.  For some of us it means that we have toÖ

?        SLOW DOWN and be available to the Lord, our Master Potter.

Ps. 46:10 - Be still and know that I am God.

For many of us,we are so busy and need to slow down and return our hearts to God.  Sometimes though the chaos around us seems to mold us and shape us. However,we really need is to slow down and allow the creator of life to mold and shape us. And when we do, we will have time to:

1.  Have daily devotions

2.  Prayer

3.  Join a Life Group

And for others, they have wandered so far away chasing after our own

plans and visions of what we feel our life should be. So for those, they need

toÖ

?        RETURN  our lives to the Potter's wheel

How often do we stray away from God because we've been focusing on the wrong things in life? God does not want us to go far from the Potter's Wheel. So no matter how far you think you've gone from the Potter's wheel, there is always hope for you to return.  All you have to do is decide to put yourself back onto the Master Potter's Wheel. Then God will take you back and begin to mold and shape you into the person you were meant to be.

Here's a poem about staying close to the Master Potter that you will enjoy. The title is ìFrom God's Hands.î

It is not you who shapes God, it is God who shapes you. 

As the work of God, who waves the hand of the artist,

who does all things in perfect timing. 

Offer the potter your heart, soft and workable,

and keep the form that the artist shapes in you. 

Let your clay be flexible so you don't grow hardened

and lose the impression of the potter's hand. 

So the secret of making a kingdom difference is keeping your life close to the Master Potter. And not only are we designed as workmanship of God, but Ephesians 2:10 states that we were created in Christ Jesus to do good works.  In other wordsÖ

2.  YOU HAVE BEEN CREATED FOR A 

      CONTRIBUTION! 

"Before I made you in your mother's womb, I chose you.  Before you were born, I set you apart for a special work" (Jer. 1:5 NCV)

If God merely wanted us to become Christians, the minute we became Christians, He would have taken us into heaven. But instead of taking us right away, we are left here by the Lord to fulfill a special assignment. Your unique design is your blueprint for your contribution. What will you give your life to? You can give your life to success, your house, or all kinds of things. However, none of that will bring lasting significance. That will only come by making a contribution through serving the way God has designed you to serve.

Remember it is not the duration of your life that counts, but the donation of your life.

So you say, you know all about making a kingdom difference. But for manyÖ

?        There is often a gap between KNOWING and EXPERIENCING. 

You can know all about making a kingdom difference, but unless you actually jump in experience it, you will never understand what an incredible joy it really is. 

Question:  What are the factors in your life that keep you from making a kingdom contribution?  What are these barriers? What is limiting you?

Pray that the Master Potter will reveal to you the things that have kept you from being kingdom builders that God wants to mold you into. Give these things to the Master Potter and leave them there with Him.

So not only are we Godís workmanship and created to make a contribution, the Aposle Paul says that God has prepared something in advance for us to do. So the final point is thatÖ

3.  YOU ARE GODíS MASTERPIECE - TAKE

     ACTION.

Yes, we are Godís masterpiece. It is through our life that His masterpiece is created. And the masterpiece is what you choose to allow the Lord to do in your life. However, it begins with us taking action. Becoming a Christian is not just knowing Christ; it is discovering your potential in Christ. We have started out with a blank canvas and the Master Potter is painting His plan and design onto that canvas. 

"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve. . .(Mark 10:45 NASB)

There is a sense in which Jesus is serving us. He does this by molding and shaping us every day. In turn, there are so many others we are called to serve. There are so many opportunities around us to make a kingdom difference in the lives of others. We won't be able to do this unless we're in the Master Potter's Hand. 

You might think that you're just one person and that you are not that significant. God can go on without us. However, He would rather that you join Him and reach your full potential. When you hold back your full potential because you choose to hang on to those things that limit you, then you will be holding back on what you can become in Christ. In addition, you will also be holding back on what the church can become as well. 

Imagine what the church would be like, if every single one of us would submit and let God release through us our full potential in Christ?  "We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do".  (Eph. 3:10 NIV)

Life Group Questions:

1. On a scale of 1-5, ì5î being highest, rate the following hindrances as they affect your life.  Get into a smaller group with another person and share your discoveries with one another.

FEAR

DEPRESSION

UNFORGIVENESS

DISAPPOINTMENT

SELF-CENTERDNESS

SELF-REFJECTION

ANGER

BITTERNESS

LONLINESS

FEAR OF ABANDONMENT

COPING WITH ABUSE

LUST

EXCESSIVE MOURNING

CHEMICAL DEPENDENCY

SHAME

GUILT

2. STOP ñ Donít go on any further.  Give the things listed above with a high score over to the Master Potter in prayer and LEAVE them there.  Record this in your journal as a testimony and record to yourself and your commitment to God.

Mahalo to our faithful volunteer writer Rich Wilbur - taking action and making a kingdom difference.