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Serving is a very important aspect of our Christian life. Jesus, who is our role model, came into this world to be a servant of all.
Today we are going to look into different scriptures and understand how we can be serving. Church is the kingdom of God. We are part of this one big family.
All learning first starts at home. Today we are going to learn how we can be serving at home, the church.
1. Attitude of serving
Before we became Christians, the whole idea of being a servant was not a very opportunities to be servants. appealing one.
We know for sure that this is not something that we really look forward to and sure even Jesus’ first group of disciples were not thrilled to do it. They were interested in positions of influence.
Mark 10:42-47
42 Jesus called them together and said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.
43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,
44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.
45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
46 Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (that is, the Son of Timaeus), was sitting by the roadside begging.
47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"
This should be the attitude of a true disciple. .
All of us by nature want to do things that will bring glory. Remember, God looks at your heart.
1 Samuel 16:7
But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
It is more blessed to give than to receive.
What is your motive of serving in the Church?
Have you sat down and thought about it. Is it really from your heart or is it because you will be recognized?
What are your motives today? There are times we serve but our hearts are not with the programme. What ever we do we need to do it with all our heart.
Remember as disciples we are called to be servants.
How ever young or old as a disciple it doesn’t matter, we need to serve.
Whether you are a disciple or even a leader, God expects us to be a servant.
So even as we teach others to do it and expect others to obey it, it’s important we do the same.
Luke 17:7-10
7 "Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, 'Come along now and sit down to eat'?
8 Would he not rather say, 'Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink'?
9 Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do?
10 So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.'"
We are unworthy servants and that’s the truth.
God saved us purely by grace; it’s not because of our looks, talents or education.
God’s rich mercy has given us our salvation.
Let every act of serving be because of a grateful heart.
After we have done the job let’s not expect any thank you or recognition but instead have the attitude “I have only done my duty.”
Challenge: Be open and deal with your heart and have the right attitude of serving.
2. Areas of serving
Acts 20:35
In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"
There are a lot of areas in the church where you can serve.
Now that we are changing our attitude towards serving let us recognize the different areas where we need to focus on.
Personal sharing: (How difficult it was & how you repented & changed.)
a. Picking up visitors for studying the Bible (even if it’s not your own).
b. Singing aloud and generally has a giving spirit in a meeting.
c. Stage setting (Before and after the service). Even cleaning the dishes or the place of worship after a Bible talk or family
group meeting.
d. Ushering – (Welcoming the invitees and generally catering to them in a big meeting).
e. Visiting the sick – it does not cost anything but it does build an incredible sense of care.
f. Following up on a missing Christian the same day and making sure they are encouraged.
g. Hospitality (inviting those who are being reached out to and our friends to our homes).
h. To serve as leaders in meeting the needs of other disciples.
i. Helping the poor in the church and outside (take advice).
j. Take on responsibility of different events in the church (conference, retreats, special meetings etc.)
k. Kingdom kids- this is a tremendous responsibility. These are our future disciples & leaders. This is the second generation! It’s important we give our best efforts in nurturing and teaching them.
l. Listening to the problems of a discouraged disciple and finding ways to point them to God & hope.
m. Any other area – the attitude of being available and willing.
Now the question is are you quick to serve?
Let’s decide to take on more responsibilities.
Only if we decide to serve in different areas can we see a glorious church.
When we understand it’s my church, we will give our best.
Let’s work together & give God the glory.
Share: About an extremely serving brother/sister who generally doesn’t get noticed in the church. Lift up few people from your fly group for different areas of serving.
3. Power of serving
Philippians 2:5-8
5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross!
Serving does not look powerful to most people.
But from scriptures we learn that the most powerful event in human history was an act of service.
Unbelievably humble & costly act of service.
At the cross Jesus was not serving himself but all of us.
Peoples lives have changed every time when there was an act of serving.
Personal Sharing: How some one touched your life by their act of serving and as a result you changed.
Whenever we serve happily in the name of Christ, we do something powerful.
When we serve people, we show our love for them and when people feel loved something great has happened.
Many of us opened our lives to the gospel just because of the way the Christians served. When you do something that opens someone’s life to the gospel, in the church, at home, in your neighborhood, you have done something powerful.
When you give your time, your energy, your money, your efforts to help others you end up feeling blessed.
Something inside feels very right about it.
As we mature in the Lord let us decide that we will be ready for the service in the Kingdom of God.
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