Serving

20
Aug
2025

Service

“. . . 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

Posted by mdemchsak, 0 comments
03
Sep
2021

Serving

“For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve” (Mk 10:45)

Lord, may I love you more.  And may I serve you because I love you.  Not to gain any reward, but because you are worthy. 

People who walk with God give their lives to serve His kingdom.  Service to Christ is a basic and normal part of the Christian life.  God’s people work to advance the gospel.  

Now I suppose I need to clear up a common misconception about working for the kingdom.  It is this:  working for the kingdom is not works righteousness. 

Grace lies at the foundation of Christianity.  Salvation is a gift.  Holiness is a gift.  Forgiveness, joy, and peace are gifts.  And sometimes Christians emphasize these gifts in such a way that they simply consume them.  They lounge in their forgiveness and salvation and are quick to fight any suggestion that they ought to serve the church or work for the kingdom.  Grace then becomes an excuse to do nothing. 

This notion of Christianity is light years from that of Jesus, who called people to give away their lives for His kingdom.  Genuine faith serves God.  It may be true that we are saved by grace, but it is also true that we are saved for good works in Christ.

Thus, the Christian who walks with God wants to serve the kingdom.  It is not enough merely to attend church.  God wants you actively involved in its ministry.  God wants you to serve.

Christians who do not serve grow spiritually fat.  They lie around in their grace without ever realizing that the grace they received frees them to serve, and that the strength to serve is itself grace.  In other words, the Christians who never serve limit the grace they receive, for it is when you come face to face with bringing the gospel to difficult people or planting a church – when you face the struggles of ministry – that you begin to see how much more grace you need. 

Christian faith grows through ministry.  Ministry shows you your need for prayer, which means it shows you your need for God.  When you cut yourself off from ministry, you cut back the grace of God.  When you say, “I’m too busy to serve,” you forget that it is God whom you are too busy to serve – the One who has shown you such kindness.  And you won’t serve Him. 

People who do not serve the kingdom do not understand grace.  Or the kingdom.  They understand merely their own desires.

If serving is normal, how then should we serve?

Serve from the heart

Serving is not legalism.  It is the natural overflow of a heart in love with Jesus.  Therefore, the best step you can take toward healthy Christian service is to deepen your love for Jesus.  Pursue Christ, not Christ’s work. 

Serve sacrificially

Serving is just a different form of giving.  Instead of giving money, you give time, skills, and energy.  Give such resources generously. 

The Christian who walks with God may have a job but still finds time to minister to refugees, to teach a Bible study, to organize a prayer gathering, to facilitate a neighborhood outreach, or to do any one of a thousand other ministries that advance the kingdom of God. 

Serving the kingdom is so basic to a healthy Christian life that if you work a job that consistently leaves you no time for ministry, you might want to look for a new job or look at how you manage your time.  Jesus’ disciples left their homes and careers to advance the kingdom.  God may not ask that level of sacrifice from you, but He will require sacrifices of some sort.  Be willing to make them.  This is part of following Christ, for He was willing to sacrifice His life to serve. 

Serve now

Many people put off giving to the future, and many put off serving to the future. 

“When I get my promotion, then I will have more time and then I will serve . . . When I graduate . . .  When my parents die . . . When I get a car . . . When . . . When . . . When . . .”  Jesus rebuked the man who said “but first let me bury my father.” 

Now.  Serve now.  You don’t have to serve in some big way.  And yes, there is a time for rest and to take breaks, but such rest is for people who are already serving.  If you’re not serving, start. 

There are many related and more complicated issues we could cover here, but for now, this will suffice.  For many, this is where you are.  You need to see the connection between your relationship with Jesus and your service for Him.  Don’t try to have the one without the other.

Posted by mdemchsak, 0 comments