“. . . whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matt 20:26-8)
Greatness in the kingdom of God is backwards from greatness in the world. Jesus came to serve. He came to give His life a ransom for many. To Jesus, the great ones are the servants. Therefore, the spiritual gift of service is Christ-like and makes men and women great in the eyes of God. People with this gift show the rest of us how to be great in the kingdom of God.
Servants generally prefer to be behind the scenes and are usually the ones most willing to do the dirty jobs. At a supper you’ll find them setting up and tearing down tables, doing dishes, and taking out the trash, and they will do these jobs with a smile and a glad heart. In different ministries, you’ll find them giving rides to people, serving meals, helping an immigrant find work, or doing the taxes of an elderly man. These people bring meals when you are sick or repair your car when it breaks down. They thrive on meeting practical needs. They want to serve you.
These people do the leg work of ministry, and without them much that the church does would come to a standstill.
The Importance of Service
Servants are the hands and feet of the church. They show the rest of the church how to be great.
Strengths of Servants
- content behind the scenes
- can be humble
- get things done
- want to help
- care about others first
Weaknesses of Servants
- sometimes say yes to everything and burn out
- can try to do everything themselves
- can stress out because there is so much to do
- sometimes focus so much on practical needs that they miss people’s spiritual needs
- sometimes focus on working and miss abiding in Christ
- sometimes try to please men instead of God
Examples of People with the Gift of Service
Ruth, Martha, Stephen, Tabitha, Mother Teresa
Good Roles for People with this Gift
support roles, nurse, needs ministries, most any work that is behind the scenes and that helps people
