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A conversation between two pastors, shows the need to be able to recognize God's usable people. The first pastor was sharing excitedly how the number of people attending the weekly Home Cells was increasing 20% or more monthly. As a result of this, three new Cells would be started the following week.
The second pastor murmured his congratulations, and asked, "Do you have a problem with finding the extra Cell leaders?" "Our own growth," he continued, "is limited by the lack of suitable people who can take the leadership of Home Cells. I just don't have enough leaders. There are a number of people available, but unfortunately they are not usable. They either have no training, or are not committed enough, or just plainly do not want to be involved in leadership."
"Well, to answer your question", the first pastor replied, "I do have the extra Cell leaders to cope with our present growth. I must say I am very happy to tell you that I not only have the extra leaders, but more are available, because the great majority of my people are usable people." He bubbled on, "I do not look for people trained in the art of sermon construction, and the science of Biblical interpretation, nor people gifted in oratory. Such people would not fit the requirements of Home Cell life. They would be better suited to the public platform, or to assist me in training and teaching programmes. But even then, gifted people would have to qualify as God's usable people before I could involve them."
He went on to explain, "The Cell life of our church requires a leader who is taken up with people and their needs, and whose heart's desire is to release the people they lead, into free personal sharing in worship, the Word, and good works of the Home Cell. The leader is more like a watchman overseer, making sure everyone takes part in, and is drawn out into participation in the meaningful Word that was ministered the Sunday before, so that it can be fleshed out in practical living and service in the body the church. In this way they can affect the community life of which they are a part, reaching out to the needy and to lost souls. GOD'S USABLE PEOPLE are marked out with a quality of love that makes them usable in serving others. I am sure if you take a careful look at your people you will see the identifying signs in the lives of many of your people, marking them out as usable."
It is the purpose of this book to pinpoint the kind of person who can be used in leadership at every level of body life. How can we recognize a possible leader? Fortunately such a person wears a badge that says, "I am a usable person". You must of course, be able to read the language in which the message is written.
Interestingly, we find the Bible is full of identifying signs. ABRAHAM'S identifying sign of covenant with God was circumcision. (Genesis 17:9-14 ). ISRAEL'S identifying sign as a special people, was the Sabbath. (Exodus 31:12-17 ). It spoke of God's unique relationship with Israel as His own people. Significantly the Sabbath law (Exodus 20:8-11 ) is the only one of the Ten Commandments not repeated after the day of Pentecost. The church has made much of the first day of the week (Acts 20:7 ), commemorating the resurrection of Christ. The emblems of our new relationship and the new covenant, are the bread and the cup (1 Corinthians 11:24, 25 ).
The "Love Slave's" identifying sign was the pierced ear (Exodus 21:6 ). Such a slave was not willing to go free in the year of Jubilee, so his master took him to a doorpost and drilled a hole through his earlobe. It became the identifying mark of love's willing servitude.
John's Gospel is a book of seven signs identifying the Person and mission of Jesus (John 20:30-31 ). The purpose of the record of John was that these signs should lead to believing that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, "and that believing you may have life in his name."
These seven signs are:-
These signs are sufficient for a living faith in Jesus.
The identifying sign of God's usable people is LOVE. Not just any kind of love, but a special love, the love of the Lord in His people. This is the badge seen in the lives of God's usable people. No matter how gifted we are in communication, leadership, government, serving, teaching, exhorting, giving (Romans 12:6-8 ), we qualify as people who are usable, by this special love. Supernatural gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:7-10 ) are to operate out of love for the profit of all. (1 Corinthians 13 ).
Even the gift ministries of Christ (Ephesians 4:11 ), whether apostolic, prophetic, evangelistic, pastoral, or teaching, are usable and effective only as they spring out of this special love. In the following chapters we shall be examining four scriptures that are the words of Jesus on the subject. These statements of Jesus distinguish His true followers, and show them to be God's usable people.