Welcome to Raised to deliver podcast with Vladimir Savchuk
and I'm really excited for this weeks episode
as I'm going to share with you about serving separation and being sent
there's a story in book of Acts chapter 13
where verse 2 and 3 and 4 says the following
as they ministered to the Lord and fasted
the Holy Spirit said now separate to me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them
then having fasted and prayed they laid hands on them
and sent them away so being sent out by the Holy Spirit
you know I believe that the Lord wants to do with us what he did with apostle Paul
up to Acts chapter 13 apostle Paul he was an apostle
but he also lived a very average life ministering
praying preaching being persecuted learning and growing
and the call that he had to stand in front of the kings the call that he had to stand in front of emperors
the call that he had to plant churches
the call that he had to write New Testament and so many things that the Lord called him for
it almost felt like it was just lying there dormant
and something happened that created a shift and I believe that it was also God's timing
but when God's timing meets a preparation
you know something begins to take place
and I want you to notice just a few little things that started to take place that the bible says as they ministered to the Lord
as they ministered to the Lord
you know it's one thing when we minister to people
it's one thing when we minister to the poor minister to the sick minister to the hurting
we minister to people who are lost
but it's another thing when we begin to minister to the Lord
and the bible says that apostle Paul and Barnabas in that church they began to minister to the Lord
and I really think that we as Christians have to learn especially ministers of the Lord
to learn to minister to the Lord
because ministers of the Lord many times minister from the Lord to people
they minister encouragement they minister healing they minister preaching
they minister whether it's in the kids ministry whether it's an usher parking lot attendant
whether it's a small group leader we are ministers of the Lord
but ministers of the Lord must learn to minister to the Lord
to serve the Lord you know like the waiter in a restaurant
they serve the table they wait upon the table
you know somebody said how do you wait upon the Lord?
the same way that the waitress does on the table in the restaurant
they serve the tables needs and desires
and make sure the people at the table are being fed and well taken care of
and that's really what ministering to the Lord is
it's bringing God joy it's bringing God pleasure
it's satisfying his heart and his desire
you know I'm reminded of Queen Esther and Vashti
when Vashti was invited to be presented in front of other royal guests
by the king and she declined that offer and there's different reasons
and some people says it was because he was drunk and he wanted to expose her naked
some people say something else and everything
I don't really know exactly what the reason was that Vashti did not come to the king's request
but we do know that she was hosting a banquet for women
she was hosting a dinner party for all the women
I jokingly say that Vashti had the first women's ministry
it didn't necessarily go super well for her and she lost her crown
she didn't stop being his wife she just became a concubine
and she stopped being his queen
she stopped wearing a crown because she didn't serve the king
she didn't do anything evil unnecessarily like she didn't commit adultery
and she didn't hurt him or anything
she just simply did not honor his request to be present when he wanted her to be present
now contrast Vashti with Esther
when Esther became a queen for 30 days she wasn't invited to the king's palace
and Esther begins to fast
so Vashti leads women to feast Esther leads women and men to fast
what a contrast Esther then steps into the presence of the king uninvited
so Vashti does not go when she's commanded
Esther goes when she's not invited
in fact Esther risks her life going into the presence of the king
and when she gets there she has a very big need in her life
you know her people are about to be destroyed
the nation of Israel as we know is about to be wiped out
those captives who were in Babylon
her family is about to be completely annihilated
and instead of presenting a request to her husband king
she says great king can I offer you a banquet
so Vashti presents a banquet for the women Esther presents a banquet for the king
and the king comes to her banquet
and he eats and gets really satisfied
he says Esther please ask me you know what do you want?
do you want new shoes do you want a new purse do you want a new vacation
do you want a new car what do you want Esther up to half of my kingdom
and do you know what Esther's request was?
this was a good moment to say please king kill Haman and save the Jewish people
and Esther's request was king could you please come again for another banquet tomorrow
you know she was buttering him up
she was serving him
and when he came the second time she revealed to him her request
and the king promoted her saved the nation
destroyed Haman and his evil demonic plan
and that really what it looks like to serve and minister to the Lord
it's what Mary did when she sat at his feet it's what Jesus says one thing is needed
it's what the Lord tells us in Revelation to pursue the first love
you know ministers of the Lord must learn to minister to the Lord
and sometimes it's hard because it's easier to write emails answer calls do hospital visits
host meetings plan conferences create content
it's easier to make sermons it's easier to write songs
it seems like it's easier some of us are workaholics we're addicted to our work work is good
but worship is more important
you are a worshiper
and as a worshiper as a minister of God learn to minister to God
when does that happen?
when you begin to minister to the Lord it leads you to the second truth
you will begin to be separated
the scripture says that the Lord said to the Holy Spirit said now separate to me
set it apart set Paul apart to me
God says I want to have them for my will I want to have them for my purpose now
when you begin to serve the Lord when you begin to minister to the Lord
you will be separated God will begin to sanctify you
God will begin to cleanse you God will begin to purify you
God will begin to prepare you for every good work
God will begin to get control of certain appetites
of certain even lusts certain struggles that you struggle with
there is going to be a separation taking place
there will be a pruning taking place
there will be a consecration taking place in your life when you begin to serve the Lord
the scripture says walk in the Holy Spirit and you will not fuflll the lusts of the flesh
it's not the other way around it's not fight the lusts of the flesh so you can walk in the Holy Spirit
no first and foremost minister to the Lord
and then begin to separate yourself
after that it will begin to happen I believe by the grace and the help of the Holy Spirit
as separation from the fleshly things worldly habits
carnal behaviors will be separated unto the Lord
and what does that all lead to?
with Esther she became not only a queen she became a savior
with we see with apostle Paul
he wasn't only minister to the Lord and then separated
but he also became sent by the Holy Spirit into his assignment
in fact this is what the Holy Spirit said
separate them for the work which I have called them to do
so there is a work that Paul was currently doing
but turns out there was a work that Paul was called to do
perhaps the same thing is in your life
there's a work that you are currently doing and there's a work that the Holy Spirit had called you to do
and those two works may be very different
maybe you're doing something right now and you're not against it you like it
but it's not what God called you to do
you're like man how do I get to that place where the Lord called me to be
it's called serving the Lord it's called being separated to the Lord
so that you can be sent by the Lord
so you don't have to manipulate so that you don't have to lie
so you don't have to open doors for yourself God can open doors for you
you know how it happened in my life
I spent large portion of my teenage years struggling with insecurity
this insecurity lead me to knowing God intimately
this insecurity led me to encountering God powerfully
and out of that I started to be separated through fasting and through prayer
to God himself not to ministry but to God himself
and then slowly and surely the Lord started revealing opening doors
through my pastor through other ministers
small little opportunities started to present themselves
for me to begin to minister to people
I didn't look for it to this day there's not one church that I asked to preach in
there's only two places I asked and applied to preach in
the first one was in jail I had to apply and go through an interview
and the second one was homeless shelter
that's the only two places that I asked and I begged to go and preach
but the churches that I get invited to
I never once asked or had a friend of mine call the church and say hey could you ask them to invite me
even sometimes I'm in town of a pastor
and a friend of mine and I know they wanted me to preach in their church
I still wouldn't text them and tell them I'm in town
because I don't want to invite myself
I believe God sends us
I believe God does not need my help to open the door for me
if he meant it it will happen
and so I really want to encourage you to be sent by the Holy Spirit
you have to be separated to the Holy Spirit
and to be separated to the Holy Spirit you have to be serving the Holy Spirit
thank you for listening and watching this episode
I know that you're getting blessed by these short little devotionals if I could say
and I call it a fuel for your fire
and so if you're getting blessed by this
I know that you'll also be blessed by the rest of the material
of the books online sermons and study guides
reading plans all of them are available on my website
as well as my online courses
you can take and all of that is for free
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and as always remember you were Raised to Deliver!