Tuesday, 28 February 2006

Terms of service




This weekend I had another opportunity to apply the gospel to myself in correction and rebuke as the Holy Spirit convicted me. It seems that I had previously un-noticed Terms of Service. They ran something like this:

Services

TERMS AND CONDITIONS
I hereby submit to you (God) as your servant.
1. This service will be to your glory and by your grace, through your Son and by the power given by your Spirit. It will not be to the glory of my name.
2. This service will be expressed in serving your church and more broadly your creative, redemptive and restorative mission in the world.
3. This service will be done with joy.
4. If others don't in their actions recognise this service, or the ways in which you have gifted me for your service, or acknowledge me as a responsible servant, I reserve the right to feel frustrated, hard done by, put out, generally discouraged and possibly resentful.

Eh? Since when did #4 slip in under the gospel screen?
So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. [Philippians 2.1-11]

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