Dare To Serve Series

Dare to Serve

John 12:26, Mark 10:45, Philippians 2:5-7

April 25, 2010

Morning Service

Introduction

Born in Nottingham, England

His family lost their entire fortune due to his father’s bad investments and both parents died at a young age

Became a Methodist minister and evangelist

Requested an appointment as a full time evangelist but was refused three times

Resigned from the Methodist church and was barred from speaking in any Methodist church

Held revivals with the message of repentance and personal holiness

Establishes the Christian Revival Society which would later be called the Christian Mission

The ministry reached out to the poorest and most needy with a focus on alcoholics, criminals and prostitutes

Pioneered social ministry by starting soup kitchens across London and throughout England

Work begins to spread throughout the British Empire and United States

Writes a bestselling book In Darkest England about the plight of the poor

Social ministry continues to expand with homeless shelters, clinics and schools (adapted from wikipedia)

Today the lives of people around the world are touched because of the work of this man

William Booth was beyond a doubt a servant of Christ and had a servants heart.

Writers of the epistles often introduce themselves as servants

* Jude

* James

* Peter

* Paul (Romans, Colossians and Titus)

- Servant of the cross (Colossians 1:23)

- Servant of the gospel (Eph. 3:7)

- Servant of Christ (Gal. 1:10)

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." Mark 10:45

There is no way to become like Jesus without the willingness to serve. This does not mean that you let others control what you do, but rather that your actions are controlled by the desire to serve God and others.

Security is nothing more than freedom from fear or anxiety. Many Christians are incredibly anxious about serving in ministry or taking a leadership position.

Jesus had a divine position but He never used His authority against people. Jesus had a divine mission and He never stepped away from it. Jesus had a divine plan and He never forgot to submit to it

.

What does it mean to be a servant?

Two major Greek words used to describe servants are

1. Douleuo - To serve as a slave

Greek words often carry an additional meaning the is implied by the rest of the text. Many times the understanding of the word serve implies a form of submission. The implication is a form of bonded service, a willing submission to a master. To be a servant of Christ we must first be willing to submit to His will and His direction. The understanding of being a servant is that personal desires are surrendered to pursue the desire of the master. Jesus is the master and we are the servants. Jesus is the Rabbi and we are the disciples.

What are some of the things that servants are called to sacrifice?

* Time

* Effort

* Talent

* Will

* Resources

2. Diakoneo - to serve or to minister

where we get our English term deacon.

There is a direct connection between the word serve and the word minister. The entire church is called to minister to the needs of others. Ministry is the job of the entire church and not just the job of the minister.

Being a servant always means some sort of sacrifice or submission. Think about these terms used for leaders of the church in the New Testament. These words are related to several other words we use in the church.

Pastor -shepherd

Minister - servant

Preacher - share or proclaim the good news

There can be no mistake that Christians are called to serve Christ. Servants help meet the needs of others, slaves meet the wants of others.

To be a servant, your life must belong to Jesus. To be a servant, you must give up your desires. Service means moving beyond self to embrace the Lordship of Christ. Do not be content with merely making Jesus your savior, make Him your Lord.

Key Questions:

Is Jesus the lord of your church life?

Is Jesus the lord of your work life?

Is Jesus the lord of your family life?

Is Jesus the lord of your private life?

The example of Jesus on Servanthood

Jesus is the ultimate example of servant hood. There is no greater model of service than Jesus and Paul addresses this fact in Philippians chapter 2.

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. Philippians 2:5-7