Rendering Acceptable Service to God

What is acceptable service to God? And how do we render it?

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

The storyline

And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. (Acts 4:14, NKJV)

The above portion of Scripture is part of the event that began when Peter and John went to the temple in Jerusalem to pray. As they were about to enter the temple, a lame man asked alms of them. Rather than give him money, they made him walk in the name of Jesus. The man was 40 years old and born lame.

After being healed in the name of Jesus, this erstwhile lame man became ecstatic with joy. Now standing on his feet, he jumped, walked, leapt, holding on to Peter and John, praising God. The man's celebration drew the attention of worshippers who ran to the scene in the temple.

Peter and John, sensing an opportunity, began to preach about Jesus, whom they credited with the man's healing. They told the gathered people that Jesus, whom they had crucified a little over 50 days earlier, was responsible for the lame man's wholesomeness. They further said to them that Jesus had been raised from the dead by God. Peter and John then told them that if they trusted Jesus with their lives and repented and be converted, He would save them from their sins and send them blessings through the Holy Spirit.

Some of the gathered people responded to the call to salvation by faith—about 5,000 men. As this was going on, the temple officials and some Sadducees pounced on Peter and John and arrested them. But because it is was evening, when the Council members had gone home, they kept them in custody until the next day.

The next day, the full Sanhedrin—the Jewish Council—was seated; the arresting officers brought Peter and John before them to explain how they had healed the man born lame; that is, by what power or authority.

Let me explain a bit about the Sanhedrin—it was a Council constituting the Sadducees (mostly priests) and Pharisees (Acts 23:6-8). They did not condone people engaging in esoteric activities, for which stoning to death was the punishment. But a far more significant reason was that the Sadducees, a majority in the Sanhedrin, did not believe in the resurrection of the dead (Matthew 22:23). Therefore, Peter and John's claim of the resurrection of Jesus would make their belief a nullity. The Sanhedrin had earlier asserted that he did not resurrect but that His disciples had stolen His corpse. They had bribed the Roman soldiers who had guarded the tomb when Jesus resurrected to make their assertion stick (Matthew 28:11-15). So, if word got out that they had lied, their influence with the people would "be mud!"

Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, responded to their inquiry with confidence and assertively. They were amazed and wondered how unlearned men could speak so boldly and not just quote Scripture but give a convincing interpretation of it. Then it dawned on them that Peter and John were Jesus' close disciples!

In those days, you could not speak about Scripture if a known rabbi did not train you. It is like making a bold statement which only those trained in a top university could make, only to discover that your training was by an itinerant who did not attend any university!

But while they were amazed by Peter and John, a stark truth stirred them in the face—it was the 40-year old man who was born lame, now standing beside Peter and John! As the Sanhedrin beheld the lame man now healed—they all knew him—they were dumbfounded because as long as any one of them could remember, he was always set at the gate to beg alms. Now they saw him standing there beside Peter and John!

A picture of divine service

This erstwhile lame man stood beside Peter and John; he said nothing. No one questioned him—he just stood there! But by standing there, even though he said nothing, his witness was convincing—it left no one in doubt that an authentic miracle had occurred. When they were by themselves, the Sanhedrin said,

"... that a notable miracle has been done through them is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it." (Acts 4:16, NKJV)

By his action, the erstwhile lame man served God's purpose and, therefore, rendered acceptable service to God.

This man had only just been able to walk. Can you imagine being able to do what you could not do for the first time in your life? I bet you would not want your first full day bugged down in some courtroom, not to give evidence, but to be the evidence—sitting still!

This man could have wanted to go to so many places that he always wanted to but never could because his carriers were only interested in dropping him off somewhere he could ask alms. Carrying the man to ask alms was probably because he contributed his share of the rent, utilities, food, etc. For this same reason, one would have expected him to go job hunting because now he could no longer legitimately ask alms!

The point is that there were many things he could have done on that day, but instead, he went to stand by Peter and John in their travail! For this erstwhile lame man, standing beside Peter and John was precarious because the Sanhedrin could easily turn on him, and they were a dreaded lot!

The action of the healed lame man gives a picture of rendering acceptable service unto God.

What does acceptable service to God entail?

We render acceptable service unto God by doing what He wants, and how, when, and where He wants it done!

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. (Romans 12:1, NKJV)

If anyone is going to render acceptable service to God, they must be available to Him and must be willing to do whatever He requires of them. We must present ourselves to God holy—without spot or blemish and live in obedience to Him. We must also present ourselves as a living sacrifice. A sacrifice is an animal taken to the altar of God for slaughter and offered to God as a whole burnt offering—that is, totally devoted to God.

The erstwhile lame man offered himself to God to serve God's purpose by being the evidence of Peter and John's preaching! So, rather than visiting the places he had always wanted to see, doing the things he would have liked to do, seeing the people he would have wanted to tell that he was now able to walk or even hunt for a job, he went to where God wanted him to be. And when he got there, he did what God wanted him to do—stand with Peter and John! And by standing with Peter and John, this man shut the Council's mouth, thus, serving God's purpose!

Therefore, rendering acceptable service to God requires our availability, holiness, whole-devotion to God, and willingness to do whatever God asks.

What does acceptable service to God achieve?

The Sanhedrin did not question the erstwhile lame man, but being in the Council that day was all that mattered. I have watched movies where attorneys advise their clients' family members to be present in court throughout a trial. Sometimes, such a presence can be demanding, yet they do it to win the court case.

When God asks us to do some things, there is a lot more at stake: there is the name of Jesus, the life of Jesus' minister, the testimony of the power of the resurrection of Jesus, the stopping of the mouth of the opposition, and much more. If people who have a relative facing trial would give up what they would have otherwise been doing to be in court for victory, how much more the people of God who have much more at stake?

Acceptable service to God has its rewards.

After the Sanhedrin released Peter and John, we no longer heard anything about the erstwhile lame man. Indeed he had played his part, and a crown awaits him in heaven. The Lord Jesus assures that,

Whoever welcomes God's messenger because he is God's messenger, will share in his reward. And whoever welcomes a good man because he is good, will share in his reward. You can be sure that whoever gives even a drink of cold water to one of the least of these my followers because he is my follower, will certainly receive a reward." (Mat 10:41-42, GNB)

By standing with Peter and John, the healed lame man gets the same reward as Peter and John would get on that occasion. Also, I reckon that the satisfaction of knowing that his service brought deliverance to Peter and John was in itself rewarding. Besides, the things he had forgone earlier because he went to stand with Peter and John, he now had ample time to do. Indeed, serving God has its rewards—both here and in eternity (Matthew 19:27-29)!

Conclusion

When "service to God" is mentioned, we generally think of doing something great or grand. I bet many of us would want to preach and wrought signs and wonders like Peter and John, but there are many more areas of service available to us. Like the healed lame man who stood with Peter and John in their travail, we could stand with others in their hour of need; we could pray for missions, the salvation of souls, and that the will of God be done on the earth—and all these in secret where no one sees us except God (Matthew 6:5-6)!

One crucial acceptable service you can render to God is to live as He desires! It may not require that you speak, but that you live as a Spirit-filled Christian! By living as we ought to, unbelievers can see us living the Christian life practically and know that it is indeed possible to live as Scripture says—that the Christian life is not theoretical, but practical!

In closing, I reproduce a testimony given by Smith Wigglesworth (1859-1947) in "Greater Works: Experiencing God's Power" (Whitaker House, 1999. pp 66):

"... I remember a wonderful time of conviction. I stepped out of a railway coach to wash my hands. I had a season of prayer, and the Lord just filled me to overflowing with His love. I was going to a convention in Ireland, and I could not get there fast enough. As I returned to my seat, I believe that the Spirit of the Lord was so heavy upon me that my face must have shone. (When the Spirit transforms a man's very countenance, he cannot tell this on his own.) There were two clerical men sitting together, and as I got into the coach again, one of them cried out, "You convict me of sin." Within three minutes everyone in the coach was crying to God for salvation. This has happened many times in my life. It is the ministry of the Spirit that Paul spoke of. This filling of the Spirit will make your life effective, so that even the people in the stores where you shop will want to leave your presence because they are brought under conviction."

Beloved, our most outstanding service is when we become the witness! So, be the witness by allowing the Holy Spirit to indwell you without resistance.

Shalom!