Jesus gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers to us to train and equip the saints (the Body of Christ) to do the work of the ministry and to build the Body until we all come to the unity of faith (Ephesians 4:11-13). The Body of Christ could be compared to a picture of Christ in collage form made up of many individual pictures. Ministry is work. Each person takes his or her part. We are not saved by our works, but by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. In Matthew 25:31-46 the first thing Jesus does is to separate the sheep from the goats. This Scripture is about the sheep (the righteous, the believers). It does not apply to the Syrian refugees, except those who are Christians. We are made righteous only by Jesus. His righteousness has been given to us. God sees us as Jesus. Whatever we do for the Body of Christ, for our brothers and sisters in Christ, we do for Jesus, whether it is providing food, drink, clothing, shelter, health, or comfort, when we do it as to the Lord. We need to use wisdom in our priorities and responsibilities, not putting those we are responsible for in danger. We are the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27), and Jesus Christ is the Head (Ephesians 1:22, 23). Although we are not saved by works, we are judged and rewarded for them. We are to work for the good of all, especially our fellow believers (Galatians 6:10). What we did to the least of His Body, we did for Him. We are called to freedom and through love to serve one another. We are selfish if we want to be served, rather than serving.

Text: Matthew 25:31-46. Salvation is not by works but by grace through faith. That is what divides the “sheep” and the “goats”. However, God judges the sheep, those who have received Jesus, and rewards them according to their works. Those who do not believe are cursed.The sheep are the Body of Christ, the family of God. Jesus gave the five-fold ministry (Ephesians 4:11-13) to train the Body to do the work of the ministry. We are to do the work of the ministry. Romans 12:1 says that presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice is our reasonable service. We are alive and have to choose to be set apart. When we take our place, the whole Body can function. The Amplified Bible says that being a living sacrifice is “spiritual worship”. Ministry is service. It is like being a table waiter, waiting on someone. Service is spiritual worship. Ephesians 6:5-8 tells servants and slaves to be obedient as to Christ. When you sow spiritually to the Lord, you reap back. Galatians 6:10 says to do good to all, especially to those of the household of faith. We are to serve God with spiritual gifts, show honor to one another, and do His will (Romans 12:2-13). Jesus came to serve and for doing that God gave Him the highest position (Matthew 20:25-28). We should not be selfish (Galatians 5:13). We should grow and stop thinking about ourselves. To become great, you must first be a servant. Jesus served the greatest. A mark of maturity is when you stop thinking of yourself and serve others instead. Look out for the interests in others. He humbled Himself to the point of death. He is exalted to the right hand of God, and Jesus allows us to sit with Him. Our homework assignment is to read John 13:1-17.

(There was a word given about shakings, the church awakening, changed lives, digging deeper into the Word, and Christ as the living sacrifice.) Offering sermon: Finances are a grace of the Lord. God is able to make every grace abound to you (2 Corinthians 6:8). Sermon text: Matthew 25:31-40. Jesus separates the sheep and the goats, which means that those who are saved (the sheep) are those who believe and confess Him as their Lord. However, we are judged (not saved) by our works. Every act of service that we do horizontally, to other believers, we do vertically in spiritual service or worship to God. We are to be living sacrifices, choosing to present ourselves as living sacrifices to God, holy, acceptable, which is our reasonable service (Romans 12:1). Service is spiritual worship. It is not lip-service, but it is doing, waiting on as a waiter waits on customers. We should ask ourselves: What is my personal service to God and to the Body of Christ? We are to use our freedom to serve one another through love (Galatians 5:13). Fruitless Christians are selfish Christians. The five-fold ministry gifts are for the training and equipping of the Body so they can serve one another (Ephesians4:11). Serving is work, and we can do it as onto the Lord. There should be two to three people deep in each position on the “service teams” in the body at CWI. Jesus gave us the example of being a servant when He humbled Himself and took the place of a slave by washing the feet of His disciples (John 13:4-17). Take the lowliest job and serve each other. If you know these things, you are blessed (happy) if you do them. Want to be happy? Serve others. Colossians 2:23 and Ephesians 6:7 relate about serving enthusiastically and with a good attitude as to the Lord and not to men.