"Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?"

Preacher Joseph Phoon spoke to us from Isaiah 6:8, where God asked, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" and Isaiah answered, "Here am I, send me." It was really a refreshing and thought-provoking message, which mainly focused on Christian service today.

Isaiah saw the Lord sitting on the throne, who refers to Jesus Christ. (John 12:41) Some cults do not believe that Jesus is God, such as Jehovah Witness and Seven Day Adventists. God used to appear to men through theophany, like He appeared to Isaiah. But now He reveals Himself through His Word.

Isaiah saw that God is holy, glorious and the Sanctifier. He will judge sin, so we need to be pure to serve Him. It is also a wonderful privilege to serve a glorious God. God is the one who does the cleansing, convicting men of sin and forgiving us. If we want to serve Him, we must understand who God is.

When God asked Isaiah that question, He is challenging Isaiah to be different. Are you willing to be different from the world to serve God? The people then were rebellious, hypocritical, having friendship with the world, having personal idols, proud, immodest, justified sins, rejected God's Word and trusted in the world. These sins are still prevalent today. Are we being rebellious by ignoring our purpose and calling to serve? Do we go for religious activities and service but are not real Christians? Do we dress to attract others, or is our dressing a reflection of our holiness? Are we justifying our sins using "Christian liberty"? Do we desire for success in this world, willing to sacrifice spiritual time with God for the things of the world?

Pre-requisites to serving God:

1. Purity

Isaiah acknowledged that he is impure and unclean.

2. Knowing God

God made sure Isaiah had a good understanding of God through the vision. Likewise we must seek to know God through His Word.

3. Unconditional Consecration

"Here am I; send me." We must have a total dedication to God, not holding back. "Here" means not hiding. We are saved to serve. Are we excited to serve God? Most of the time, we are not excited because we do not read God's Word and do not know Him. "I" means a total surrender of every part of our life. If we are impure, don't serve God. Serving God with known sins in your life will incur the wrath of God and He will not bless your service. There is no perfect human being, but the difference is having a repentant heart. "Send me" is the purpose of service: to live for God. We must start to ask God what is His will in our life. God did not shed His blood, die for us, and save us for nothing. Our purpose is also to preach the Gospel.

Why do Christians have reservations about serving God? Let's make sure we serve God with a pure heart and total willingness, knowing that we are saved to serve. :)