Fruitfulness in service delivery requires those who carry out the purpose of God to believe in His word and in His methods. Let us use the example of Abraham and Sarah to illustrate this point.
2.1. BELIEF IN GOD’S WORD AND SERVICE DELIVERY
Abraham was called to establish the relationship of faith in the word of God and obeyed (Genesis 12:1-5). Although he and wife Sarah were very old and childless, he believed God’s word that God shall give him a heir and that his “seed” shall be as innumerable as the stars; and God counted Abraham’s belief as righteousness (Genesis 15:3-6; Romans 4:18).
In terms of the promise, Abraham fully believed that, what God had promised, He was able also to perform (Romans 4:21). But did they believe in the method ordained by God to produce the seed that shall be heir according to promise?
Abraham and Sarah decided to “help” God accomplish His word to give them a ‘seed’. So in their lust for a child and by their fleshly method, they agreed that Abraham would go in unto Sarah’s Egyptian maid, Hagar to obtain children by her and to be His wife. (Genesis 16:1-4). Hagar, conceived and bore a son named Ishmael whom God promises to bless for Abraham’s sake (Genesis 16:14 &20).
2.2. GOD’S METHOD IS A MATERIAL ASPECT OF DELIVERING HIS SERVICE
However, the fleshly method devised by Abraham and Sarah to obtain a child by Hagar does not change or compromise God’s promise and method to give them a son by spiritual rather than human ability. That is, despite their old age and physical incapacity to bear children, Abraham and his wife Sarah shall bear his heir of promise. Both Abraham and Sarah laughed at God’s method, questioning “shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old?”; or “after [one is] waxed old”? (Genesis 17:17; 18:9-14)
Notwithstanding their doubt and Abraham’s plea “that Ishmael might live before thee”, God reassures them that Sarah shall bear a son indeed named Isaac, with whom God will establish His covenant “for an everlasting covenant and with His seed after Him”. (Genesis 17:18-19 &21).
The point to note here is that, by focussing on their old age and the physical process of child-bearing, and their lust for a child, they overlooked the spiritual significance of their service delivery. Both the word of God and the method to accomplish the purpose in Abraham and Sarah was spiritual, requiring them only to believe that God (not the slave Hagar), could on His own power deliver His service by them.
Servants of God should therefore endeavour not just to achieve the result of their task to fulfil God’s purpose, but should in faith rely on His method to achieve it. To believe is a spiritual imperative that is needed to receive God’s word and to deliver on it. We must resist using human wisdom and lust to perform the spiritual word and purpose of God.
Note also that in this symbolism of Abraham and Sarah lies God’s requirement for salvation – that those who believe in the sacrifice of God through Jesus Christ shall be saved; because salvation is God’s gift and promise, and He alone accomplishes it to cleanse the sins of all the world (Romans 10:9-10; Ephesians 2:8).
3. THE CHOSEN MUST DELIVER SERVICES FOR GOD’S PEOPLE
