The Purpose Of The Church- Service Series

INTRODUCTION

As we have looked at the question “What is the Purpose of the Church, thus far we have identified three areas of that should be included in the purpose of the church, worship, fellowship, discipleship.

Today I want to look at an area that a lot of churches struggle with. It is an area that if neglected it will make the church and those who are a part of it become self-centered.

Today we are going to look at the next purpose for the church, that purpose is SERVICE.

One of the purposes of the church is to serve, to minister. We sometimes call specific areas of service ministries. The church is called to minister to people. It is called to serve people.

When we neglect this purpose we will end up just sitting and soaking. We will learn a lot about what we are called to do but spending little to no time doing it.

When we forget we are called to service, we then change our focus from “What does God want us to do in order to carry out His mission”, to “I want what I want.”

This is an area that many times we excuse ourselves because we think that someone else will do it.

MATTHEW 20:28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

Today I want to look at the purpose of service. I want to look at what we are to do to fulfill this purpose.

SERMON

I. EVERY CHRISTIAN IS A SERVANT (MINISTER) Verse 1-2

MAT 20:26-28 "It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve (MINISTER), and to give His life a ransom for many."

A. What is a “minister”?

• A minister is a servant.

• The word that is translated “minister” is also the same word that is translated “deacon”.

• Jesus came to serve.

B. We are called to serve God in some way because of what He has done for us.

• 1PE 2:9-10 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

C. We are all called to serve God in some way.

• EPH 4:11-13 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.

• The church leaderships, ministers, and teachers are the ones who help prepare people for ministry.

• This work of service can be translated work of ministry.

• EPH 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

D. What ways are you serving Jesus?

• William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, was interviewed near the close of his life. This is what he said: "God had all there was of me. There have been others who had greater plans, greater opportunities than I; but from the day I got a vision of what God could do, I made up my mind God would have all there was of William Booth."

• Ministry is using whatever God has given me to serve Him and the needs of others.

• 2CO 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

II. EVERY MINISTRY IS IMPORTANT

A. READ 1 CORINTHIANS 12:15-22

• God places the members as He wants. If God placed you, then you are important.

• All parts of the body are important

• If one quits working then the others have to work hard to compensate.

• The size of the ministry is not important. What is the most important light in the house? The little night light that keeps you from killing yourself in the middle of the night when you head for the refrigerator.