"Excuse me while I turn the microphone off!" I made this comment when some house guests were serving Roast Pastor. At that time, I did Songtime from my home and the radio equipment was on, including, of course, the microphone! Now these guests saw me turn the equipment off but they never had a negative comment after that; fearing that their conversation was not only being overheard in the main studios which were then in Braintree, MA, but that their conversation could also be recorded!!
In eternity future, we will realize that the microphone was not only ON, but the conversation WAS recorded! That is what the Judgement Seat of Christ (2 Cor. 5:10) is all about. Let me amplify that. When I first started out in ministry, I was with Youth for Christ in Rochester, N.Y. A prominent speaker looked at his honorarium check, then looked at me and made this comment: "I'm worth more than this." A well-known Bible teacher told me not to let the incident be disturbing and then he said, "The Judgement Seat of Christ will settle that one and the man in question will discover that he made it to Heaven, but his reward - wood, hay and stubble."
2 Corinthians 4:1 says we are in ministry (not just a business) and the preceding chapter gives motivation for ministry: the Spirit of God and the Word of God. Any other standard will one day result in ZERO reward (wood, hay and stubble) because we used the wrong materials for serving.
Here is the issue that is so vital: I can actually serve my entire life in some type of Christian service, but "the day will declare it" (1 Corinthians 3:13). The issue will be the quality and not the quantity, so doesn't it make sense to try and determine now how God will evaluate our service. Since the best commentary on the Bible IS the Bible, study 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 to determine the "Big Quiz of the Future" which will reveal if we wasted or invested! Here are the questions to study as we prepare for this quiz in our future:
1. What did I depend on for results? - (vs. 1) "And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God."
Jonathan Edwards didn't have much going for him, but when he preached "Sinners in the hands of an angry God" to the electrified congregation on July 8, 1741, people began to cry out in fear because they were under such conviction. Jonathan Edwards understood 1 Corinthians 2:1!
2. What did I communicate about the Gospel? - (vs. 2) "For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified."
I believe that every major church service should make the Gospel so clear that FAILURE to give an invitation to come to Christ would be very much out of place. By the way, that is not just my opinion, it is 1 Corinthians 2:2!
3. What was my attitude concerning myself? - (vs. 3) "And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling."
When I called Dr. Warren Wiersbe to do a little research on Jonathan Edwards, he sent me the following:
"Edwards was tall (6'1") and thin - 'emaciated looking.' He wrote his sermons on pages that were four inches square! His writing was small and his script not easily deciphered by others. He was shortsighted, so he had to hold the pages close to his eyes. His voice was weak and he spoke in a monotone while holding a candle in his other hand so he could see the pages. Not the best situation for a preacher!"
That is 1 Corinthians 2:3. If you need some amplification of that, study Galatians 6:1 and note in particular the very last part of the verse! Galatians 6:1 is the best "killer of the critics" I know!
4. What is my relationship to the Holy Spirit? - (vs. 4) "And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power."
It is not only important to know I have the Holy Spirit, but does He have all of me? (The Songtime production, "Explaining Christianity" will give you steps to Ephesians 5:18. Ask for it when you call or write.)
5. What has really happened since I have been on Great Planet Earth that is explainable only by God? - (vs. 5) "That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God."
We are going to face these questions "in that day" (1 Cor. 3:13), so let's discover
now how to survive in the coming "Fire of Heaven."
There are many tremendous applications from this study, but one is so vital: let the Judgement Seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10) take care of the people and situations that have caused you hurt here on Great Planet Earth. Also, be sure to build with the right materials so you won't one day "just make it", ie. "Saved, yet as through fire."
ASSIGNED TO A LITTLE PLACE
"Master, where shall I work today?"
And my love flowed warm and free!
And He pointed out a tiny plot,
And He said, "Tend that for me."
But I answered quickly, "Oh no,
Not there -- not anyone could see
No matter how well my task was done:
Not that -- that LITTLE place for me."
And His voice when He spoke,
Was not stern, but kind.
But He answered me tenderly,
"Friend, search that heart of thine."
"Are you working for YOU,
For them, or for ME?
Nazareth was just a little place,
And so was Calvary."
- Author Unknown
Determine this NOW: Are you working for you, for them, or for Jesus Christ?
(For more on the subject, ask for the cassette by Dr. Erwin Lutzer on the Judgement Seat of Christ. Call Songtime at (508)362-7070 or write to: 131 Hadaway Rd., Hyannis, MA, 02601)
P.S.: We appreciate your financial support of this ministry!