A Colson Center ViewPoint Study

SERVANTS ALL
Creation in the Ser vice of the Church

T. M. Moore

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Servants All A Colson Center ViewPoint Study T. M. Moore Copyright, 2009 BreakPoint The Wilberforce Press
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture references are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright 2001by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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Contents

Welcome to ViewPoint 1 Fixed and Serving 2 To Know the Lord 3 Discovering Wisdom 4 A Framework for Being 5 A Well-supplied Workshop 6 Training Ground for Stewardship 7 Prompts to Praise Additional Studies in This Series

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Welcome to ViewPoint
Welcome to Servants All, a study designed to help us understand how God intends His creation to aid us in building the Church of our Lord. Servants All is one of our ViewPoint series of studies in Biblical worldview. These studies are designed for individual or group use. While you may derive much benefit from studying on your own, that benefit can be greatly enhanced by joining with a friend or a group to read, discuss, share, challenge, and pray for one another. Take one lesson at a time, reading the Scriptures and narrative aloud, and pausing to reflect on and discuss the questions provided. Dont be in a hurry. Be willing to take more than one session on a lesson if it will allow you to delve more deeply into the subject matter. If youre in a group, make sure you prepare for each study by reading through the lesson in advance and answering the questions in writing. Take turns leading your group. Let every member share in the privilege and responsibility of facilitating discussions. Group leaders should not feel like they have to have all the answers. Their task is simply to lead the group through the readings and questions, and to help everyone participate. These studies are designed as brief introductions to the subject under consideration. We hope they will enlarge your worldview, help you to become more firmly rooted in Scripture, equip you to minister to others, and stimulate you to want to learn more about the Word of God and the Biblical worldview. We are happy to receive your suggestions for future topics and studies. Contact us at our webpage. And if youre not receiving ViewPoint first thing every day, then be sure to register on the website, www.colsoncenter.org. T. M. Moore Dean of the Centurions

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Fixed and Serving

Forever, O LORD, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens. Your faithfulness endures to all generations; you have established the earth, and it stands fast. Psalm 119:89, 90 How would you describe the relationship between God and the creation?

God and creation One of the clearest and most consistent teachings throughout Scripture is that everything depends on God. Everything has its existence from God; everything is sustained by God; and, therefore, everything only finds its full meaning and purpose within the context of the divine economy God is unfolding on earth as it is in heaven. Our text declares in Old Testament terms what the New Testament makes abundantly plain: The Lord Jesus Christ, the very Word of God, upholds the creation by His own power; everything that is exists and holds together by Him and for His pleasure (Heb. 1:3; Jn. 1:1-3; Col. 1:15-17). The great mystery is just how this works. That is, how does the spiritual Word of the Lord impact, connect, and interact with material reality in such a way as to keep it together and in its proper place? John Polkinghorne, for one, has made some helpful observations concerning the interaction of spiritual Word and material world; but even his most precise remarks leave us still having to receive this idea by faith alone. Does the world in general agree with this idea? Why or why not?

The Lords purpose Secular scientists and thinkers dont accept this view, of course. They insist that the energy which holds the universe together and causes the laws of physics to function as they do is the residual power of the Big Bang a power which, alas, appears to be winding down as the universe continues to expand. This is not the view of Scripture, however. Scripture is clear: as our text says in the original Hebrew, the Word of God stands like an officer over the creation, having established it and causing it to obey His good pleasure and purpose. But what is the Lords purpose for His creation? Verse 91 of our text continues, By your appointment [all created things] stand this day, for all things are your servants. All creation is serving Gods purpose and accomplishing His will. From the smallest sub-atomic particle to the most immense galaxy, all created reality is doing the Lords bidding, upheld and kept functioning together by His mighty Word of power. Off the top of your head, what are some ways that the creation serves God?

To build the Church Paul may have had this idea in mind in the New Testament when, in Ephesians 1:22 he wrote concerning our Lord Jesus Christ (and this is my translation), And God put all things under His feet and gave Him to be Head over all things for the sake of building His Church All creation is Gods servant, and all creation is under the command of Jesus Christ for the sake of bringing His Body into being and fullness here on earth.

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Which is just another way of saying that all creation exists to serve our purposes, who have been called by Jesus Christ to the task of building His Church and advancing His Kingdom. The more we know about how creation fulfills this purpose, the better we will be at using creation to carry out our own appointed task. Meditate on Ephesians 1:22, 23; Matthew 16:18; and Ephesians 4:11, 12. What is involved in building the Church? In what ways does the creation figure into this?

Since Christ is Lord of creation, what does that suggest about the kind of attitude we should have toward creation, and the ways we should treat it?

What are your goals for this study? What do you hope to learn?

For prayer:

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To Know the Lord

For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. Romans 1:19, 20 Give some examples of things you have learned about God from observing the creation.

God through the cosmos The entire, vast cosmos has come into being and is held in place by the power of the Word of God. Jesus Christ, enthroned at the Fathers right hand, rules like an officer over all that is, bending it to accomplish His purposes in building His Church. Which means the creation exists to serve the needs of those who have been redeemed by Jesus Christ, and chief among those needs is that of knowing the Lord and loving Him more. Paul explains that unbelieving men do not find God in the cosmos. The reason is simple: they choose not to. And, being stubborn in heart and ungrateful toward God, they turn from Him to their own schemes and plans, thus incurring His wrath (Eccl. 7:29; Rom. 1:18-32). But this must not be the case with the Lords redeemed. We who have come to know Jesus Christ and who believe His Word must take the Scripture seriously when it tells us that we may know, seek, and love the Lord by turning to the works of creation. The glory of God is everywhere waiting to make itself known to us in the creation (Ps. 19:1-4). The works of the Lord all that creating and sustaining, day by day, year-in and year-out are testifying to us about the Lord Himself, so that, by carefully observing the cosmos in all its particulars we may learn more about the God Who made and sustains it. The Scriptures tell us that the works of creation declare the splendor, majesty, wonder, goodness, and greatness of God (Ps. 145:5-7). They speak of His glory, testify to His power, and emphasize the reality of His rule over all that He has created (Ps. 145:10-12). We can learn much about the Lord through our study of His Word; however, that same Word emphasizes that it is equally important that we give ourselves to the study of Gods works in creation. Jobs failure to pay attention to the evidence of God in the creation drew a stern rebuke from the Lord (Job 38-41); does the same rebuke await many of us? What is the glory of God? What can we learn about God and His glory from more careful observation, even study, of the creation around us?

Studying creation What will encourage us to take more seriously the study of creation? For many of us, perhaps, the science courses we took in school were the last time we ever thought seriously about the creation and its workings. Most of us take the world for granted; having never learned how to ponder or study it, we find it useful as a staging-ground for our daily existence, and not much else. How would you describe your attitude toward the creation at this time? How interested are you in learning more about it?

But once we get our minds around the idea that, in every aspect and facet of the vast cosmos, God is speaking to us of His glory and beckoning us to seek, know, and love Him through the works of His hands, we will see our love for the creation begin to grow in new ways.

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The psalmist declares, Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who delight in them (Ps. 111:2). We will delight in the creation when we understand that God has made it in order to help us know Him. When we delight in the cosmos like this, we will begin to study it in earnest, thus enabling it to fulfill this most fundamental aspect of its reason for being. What are some ways a person might begin to become more familiar with the creation? Which of these are available to you?

What are some things that could keep you from a more devoted study of the creation?

Should these things prevent you from growing in knowledge of and love for God through the study of creation? Why or why not?

For prayer:

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Discovering Wisdom
Look carefully how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Ephesians 5:15-17 Name some differences between the way foolish people live and wise people live.

Skill in living Both the Old and New Testaments call us to seek wisdom. In Proverbs 8, wisdom which is embodied in the Lord Jesus Christ (Col. 2:3) is portrayed as crying out to men, calling them to find wisdom and thus know the fullness of life. From the examples of Solomon and Jesus we can see that there is much wisdom to be gained in understanding the works of the creation. Wisdom is that skill in living that comes to expression when people do Gods work in Gods way. In its simplest form, wisdom is a combination of excellence, efficiency, industry, and love which brings good to others and points them to the reality of God. People are not inherently wise; however, most of us appreciate those who are, and wed like to think were becoming more like them and less like the foolish person we tend to be much of the time. Wisdom can be learned, and, since, according to Paul, wisdom is important to our walk with the Lord, we should give ourselves to whatever will help us to be wise. Meditate on James 3:13-18. How would you describe the wisdom of God? What are some ways that wisdom could come to expression in your life?

Solomon and Jesus God wants us to be wise, and, while Scripture provides much helpful counsel in this matter, there is also much to learn from the creation. As we see in his proverbs, Solomon found wisdom in contemplating the industry of ants, the ferocity of lions, the tenacity of spiders, and the common sense of a rock badger. In Ecclesiastes we find Solomon teasing out the common sense wisdom which is to be gained from understanding such things as fire, fragrances, the ways of snakes and other creatures, and the patterns of wind and water. Jesus did the same. He led those who heard Him to consider the wisdom that could be learned from flowers, birds, plants and seeds, and the ways things grow. The Apostle Paul said such works of creation are meant to bear witness to God, to turn our thoughts to Him and to lead us to find in His works the wisdom we need in order to know and serve Him according to His purposes (Acts 14:17). Do you agree that it is possible to learn wisdom from observing the creation? Do you think God intends for us to do so? Why or why not?

Wisdom for building the Church Taking up the study of creation can better equip us for building the Church because it can lead us to understand and practice the wisdom of God. The works of creation reveal many facets of wisdom such as beauty, patience, perseverance, cooperation, efficiency, and a preference for things that endure. Could we like Solomon and Jesus increase in wisdom by a more careful and consistent study of the works of God?

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We must believe it is so, for the creation serves the purpose of God, not only in turning our thoughts to Him, but in displaying the variegated wisdom of God, so that we might better learn how to serve Him and love our neighbors. Think of some wise people you know. Which attributes of wisdom in particular stand out in these people? Can you see any parallels between the attributes of wisdom they demonstrate and aspects of the creation?

What might we learn about wisdom from each of the following: ants or bees at work? the elegant structure of a spiders web? geese in flight? trees in autumn:

If you could develop, as a spiritual discipline, some regular observing or interacting with the creation, what might that include? What would you do? When or how often would you do it? What would you hope to gain from it?

For prayer:

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A Framework for Being

And God said, Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, for days and for years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth. Genesis 1:14, 15 How many different kinds of patterns, systems, or laws, at work in the creation, can you name?

Not chance, God The cosmos is comprised of a wondrous variety of systems and patterns which demonstrate that the Lord Who made and sustains the creation is not a God of confusion but of order (1 Cor. 14:33; Ps. 75:3). Simply put, there is no such thing as chance in the cosmos. Everything happens according to the will and plan of Him Who works all things according to the counsel of His will, and does all things well (Eph. 1:11; Mk. 7:37). All the regular patterns and predictable ways of all the creatures of the cosmos happen and are sustained because the Word of the Lord commands it to be so. Can chance exist in a world ruled by the Word of God? Why or why not?

Order and church-building Now this has important implications for the work of building the Church. Consider, for example, how difficult it would be to build the Church if sound and light waves were irregular and unreliable. Or if we could not schedule activities with a reasonable degree of certainty that, when the appointed time arrives, it will be when we thought it would, and we will all be found to have banked on the same pattern of time and reliability of place. Or imagine the embarrassment and consternation in worship as the pastor said, Be seated, if those pesky molecules and atoms holding the pews together suddenly decided to do something dictated by chance rather than by divine faithfulness. Imagine being in the midst of a church service when all the reliable systems of the cosmos are suddenly suspended and chance takes over. As a whimsical exercise, describe what might happen:

Everyday sovereignty Building the Church bringing into human and communal expression the living Body of our Lord Jesus Christ requires a setting, a framework, of reliability, in which, knowing what we know about sounds, light, the passage of time, the fixity of buildings, and the reliability of pews, we make our plans and pursue our work in the confidence that the Word of God will keep the world a workable place for us to serve His purposes. It is all too easy to take for granted the everyday sovereignty of the Lord what the psalms often refer to as His steadfast love and faithfulness. It is convenient, of course, to talk about laws of chemistry, physics, metallurgy, optics, and host of other such matters; but we must always bear in mind that these are not stand alone systems. Nor are they the product of millions and millions of years of chaos sorting itself into some semblance of order. God made the world and has established His Word to supervise and uphold it. The patterns, systems, and laws that we observe give testimony to the steadfast love and faithfulness of our God, and provide a framework within which we His people may do the work that brings glory and honor to Him before the watching world. If physical laws do not stand alone, they must describe or define something. What?

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We must not take the creation for granted. The creation is Gods servant and, consequently, ours as well and it serves His purposes is by being obedient to His Word (Ps. 147:15-18; Job 38-41) and providing a knowable, reliable framework within which we His people may glorify God and honor our Lord Jesus Christ by building His Church. How frequently do you give thanks to God for being a God of order rather than confusion? What are some things you might include in such a prayer?

Do you know any hymns that celebrate the relationship between God and the creation? See if you can find one, and be prepared to talk about it.

Meditate on Psalm 147:15-18. How does this passage support the argument we are making in this lesson?

For prayer:

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A Well-supplied Workshop
A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. The name of the first is Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. And gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. Genesis 2:11, 12 In what ways is the creation like a workshop?

Ready for use The casual mention of gold and other precious ores and gems, buried in the ground, shows us yet another way that the creation serves the followers of Jesus Christ as they serve the Lord in building His Church. Everything that we use to do the work of the Lord the laptop on which I compose these words, the computer which brings them to you, and everything else is constructed from materials that occur naturally in the world around us. Of course we dont mine plastic out of the ground; that comes from petroleum, which we do extract from the ground. And paper doesnt occur naturally. Its made from trees. Just so everything we use. The cosmos holds a vast and wondrous array of resources to challenge the creativity and industry of human beings and to provide them with everything they need to survive and flourish. Food, building materials, chemicals, medicines, electricity, the CD of Celtic music that accompanies me at my work all these derive from the creation which yields its resources and secrets to people with vision and a willingness to learn and to work. This is another area where, I fear, we too easily take the creation for granted. The world is here and we use it up, with hardly a thought except within limited parameters of what Gods intentions for the stuff of this world might be. What if chemicals couldnt be mixed to make printing ink or medicine? Or if the wood from trees didnt cohere for years and years? Or if there wasnt enough food or materials for shelter? Then wed think the world was a hostile environment for humans like living on the moon. Everything in the creation invites men to gear up their creativity and get to work building a better and more prosperous world. Look around at your immediate environment right where you are at this moment. Of the objects you can see, how many of them can you trace back to something in the creation?

Building for Gods glory This, of course, is not by accident. God has made the world as it is. He puts the gold in the ground, together with the onyx, so that men might draw them out, refine and shape them, and put them to use. Most people do not use the resources of the earth for building the Church. However, this is why the Lord upholds and directs them, to build up His Body so that His goodness, beauty, bounty, wisdom, power, and glory might increasingly be known throughout the earth (Hab. 2:14). Of the items you listed in the previous questions, describe some ways they might be used to bring honor and glory to God or to point others to Jesus (and, hence, in building the Church):

Not everything we do with the resources of the earth is directly related to building the Church. The creation serves indirectly as well. The man who buys a plot of land, builds a market, and sells all manner of goods is not thinking primarily about how his work will benefit the Church. But God is, and if His people are, they will try to discover ways of engaging merchants and patronizing their businesses that will not only conduce to their own benefit and the wellbeing of the entire community, but will also afford opportunities to make the Name of Jesus known in a variety of ways.
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The creation is Gods servant and ours, a glorious and well-supplied workshop for securing the resources we need so that we might grow in the grace of the Lord and further the work of His Kingdom. Under the headings below, list some things in your community that are used directly in building the Church, as well as some that are used more indirectly. Be prepared to discuss how the indirect items contribute to building the Church (or could contribute): Direct Indirect

Review Ephesians 1:22, 23. What is Jesus relationship to all things? Why is this His relationship? What should be the result of this relationship?

Are Christians as mindful as they should be of the way God causes the creation to serve His people in building the Church? Should they be? How might that happen?

For prayer:

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Training Ground for Stewardship

The heavens are the LORDs heavens, but the earth he has given to the children of man. Psalm 115:16 Meditate on Psalm 8 in the light of this verse. Why has the Lord given the earth to us?

Kudzu creation Kudzu is a ridiculous vine found throughout the southern parts of our country. It is not native to these shores. However, because it grows rapidly as much as several inches per day farmers imported it as a source of cattle feed. That didnt work out, however, so kudzu was simply left to grow. Which it does with wild abandon, overgrowing everything in its path, leaving kudzu fences, overgrown barns, and kudzu-draped telephone poles strewn throughout the southern landscape. Kudzu provides a parable of the creation as a whole: creation must be managed if men are to gain the maximum benefit from it for serving the Lord. Effective management of creation and its resources requires careful planning, wise use, and dutiful replacement of depleted resources, where such replacement is possible. Conservation of resources is also an important part of managing the creation, as is diligently seeking new ways of using resources that have proven useful for various applications. The management of creation is a question of stewardship. The earth is the Lords (Ps. 24:1), but He has entrusted it to men, that they should care for it well. Think of the creation around your home. What kinds of things can happen if you neglect it or fail to take proper care of it? What benefits come from the proper care of your part of the creation?

Stewardship of creation Planning, management, and wise use of the earths resources are extremely important to the long-term prosperity of the human race. The disciplines of stewardship that we apply to earth-keeping can also serve us in other ways as we pursue our callings to build the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ. The disciplines of work, the appreciation of beauty, and of a job well done, and the proper care of tools that children learn working on their familys lawn can translate into a work ethic that will serve them well as adults. I recently read of a middle school conservation program in Woodstock, Virginia, that couples maintaining the local landscape roadsides, streams, and so forth with helping the needy in the community. The skills children use in caring for the creation around them are also put to use in caring for those in need. Thus they learn that those who cannot care for themselves are our responsibility; we are our brothers keeper. Even on a national level we see how the stewardship of the creation affects other areas of life industry, real estate development, water use, and so forth. In other times, when people were less concerned about proper stewardship of the creation, resources were exhausted, landscapes destroyed, and people and economies harmed by improper resource management. As we have learned to be better stewards of our environment, we have also learned to improve energy use, control harmful substances (such as DDT and CO2), and create products that are friendlier, not only to the environment, but to humanity as a whole. Are there any ways the Christians in your community could be more active in caring for the creation in your community? Do you think any benefits would come to the community from this? To those who actually did it? Explain.

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Thus the creation serves to teach us better stewardship in a wide range of ways, many of which can help us as we carry out our work of building the Church. What we learn caring for the earth can be of much value as we pursue the work of caring for Gods flock and building His Church for the generations to come. Read the last sentence again. What kinds of things could we do with children to help them learn from creation-keeping how to build the Church?

Does your church presently participate in any activities that involve the creation? What are some things a church might do in order to gain the benefits of being in and caring for the creation?

For prayer:

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Prompts to Praise
Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples! Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works! Psalm 105:1, 2 What are the deeds and wondrous works of the Lord? Why are they worthy of praise?

Our highest calling Human beings are a forgetful lot. Theres just too much to keep in mind. Thats why we need so many prompts to get through the day safely. We need to be told when to get up in the morning, when to stop or go in our cars, what time our next meeting is, when weve received a new email, when someone is calling us on the phone, and so forth. All these signs, alarms, Post-it notes, and ticklers prompt and remind us of important things we need to do. Since worship is the most important thing anyone can do, shouldnt we have some prompts to call us to praise and thanksgiving at various times during the day? Church bells, as you know, originated as a means of calling people to come together for worship or prayer. The call to worship during Sunday morning service cues the congregation to get ready to praise the Lord. Since its obvious we need such prompts, and since we are called to give praise and thanks to God always and in all things, it would be helpful if God Himself would provide us with some prompts and reminders throughout the day, so that we can fulfill this, our highest calling in life, with greater consistency and satisfaction. How do you presently remind yourself to give thanks and praise to God? Is what you are doing in this regard at present sufficient?

Creation prompting In fact, this is what we find in the creation around us. The creation and everything in it declare the glory of God day by day and night after night (Ps. 19:1-4). God is making Himself known in the creation, teaching us the ways of wisdom, supplying all our needs, drawing out our creativity and industry, providing us a framework for everyday life, and teaching us to be good stewards of everything He has entrusted to us. These would seem to be plenty good reasons to praise and thank the Lord. Creation veritably abounds with cues and prompts, reminders and alarms, calling us to turn our hearts and minds to the Creator and Sustainer of all things, and to open our mouths in praise and thanks. The more we study to understand and appreciate the creation as the servant it is, assigned by God to help us in our calling to build His Church, the more consistently and sincerely we will respond to the creation with worship and praise. Look around again at your immediate environment. Spend five minutes praising God for the things you see. Did you have enough time to cover them all?

Creations highest work and best service This is creations highest work prompting, calling, and aiding us in giving God the praise He is due. But we need to learn how to respond to those prompts when they come. A brief word of praise or thanks, quiet meditation on a creation psalm, singing to the Lord, inviting another person to observe the glory of God and to join us in giving thanks these are just some of the ways we can allow this faithful servant to aid us in fulfilling our highest calling.

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What would be the result if Christians began to be more responsive to creations prompts to praise? Surely boasting in the Lord would increase, the Name of Jesus would be more in the publics eye, and we would know more of the joy and satisfaction that come from giving God the praise and glory which are His due. Meditate on 2 Corinthians 10:13-18. What is boasting in the Lord and how does that relate to our individual spheres of influence?

Based on the five-minute exercise you did above, do you think you could find, say, three or four times during the day to repeat this exercise in different settings? What kinds of prompts would you expect to have on hand at these times?

What have you learned from these studies about how the creation serves the purposes of the Lord?

In what ways has your own attitude toward the creation been affected by these studies? Are you planning to take more interest in the creation as a result? Explain.

For prayer:

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