Serving is Fundamental

A Sunday school teacher was teaching her kindergarten children about the Golden Rule and the importance of helping others. After telling the parable of the Good Samaritan, the teacher said, “Remember, children we are here to serve others.”

With that a little girl piped up and asked, “Then what are the others here for?”

Serving is fundamental to our faith.

Jesus said, “but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave — just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Matt 20:26-28)

Rick Warren in his best-selling book, The Purpose Driven Life, put it this way: “You were put here to make a contribution. You weren’t created to consume resources—to eat, breathe, and take up space. God designed you to make a difference with your life…You were created to add to life on earth, not just to take from it. God wants you to give something back.”

Author W. Beran Wolfe was right when he wrote, “No one has learned the meaning of life until he has surrendered his ego to the service of his fellow men.”

Here are nine bullet points from the New Testament about serving.

1. We are saved to serve (2 Tim. 1:9). God wants us to serve Him. Serve our brethren. Serve our community.

2. We are called to serve (1 Pet. 2:9; 2 Tim. 1:9). The calling is holy. Heavenly. And according to God’s purpose.

3. We are created in Christ Jesus for good works (Eph. 2:10). They are prepared by God. And He said we should “do them.”

4. We are commanded by Christ to serve (Mk. 10:43-45). Service is not optional. It’s required.

5. We serve based on our gifts (Rom. 12:6-7) Paul says that by God’s grace we all have gifts that are unique. Special. Personal. And that we should use them.

6. Our service in the body of Christ is interdependent. We need each other (Rom. 12:3-5)

7. Our service to one another ought to be motivated by love (Gal. 5:13).

8. Our service builds up the body of Christ (Eph. 4:11-12). It edifies. Encourages. Enables. And empowers.

9. We will be rewarded for service (1 Cor. 3:8).  Jesus reminds in his parable sheep and the goats depicting the day of Judgment, that even the small things we do in serving “the least of these” will not go unnoticed by the Lord.

Too often in churches we think of the preacher as being “The Minister.” Or service being left up to the elders. Or deacons. And while it is true that each of those have a special ministry, it is clear from the teaching of the New Testament that ALL Christians should seek to serve others.

Jesus is our great example. Dr. Luke says, “He went about doing good.” And he calls on us to follow in His steps. To do good. To serve. To minister. Paul exhorted, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. (Gal. 6:10)

Make serving the core of your Christianity. Make it your attitude. Your action. Your practice. Service says, “I Care.” “I Love.” “I want to help.” My friend and preaching colleague Phillip Mullins once observed, “We communicate better with deeds than with talk. Love is never sweeter than when expressed with service.”

–Ken Weliever, The Preacherman