“What Is Expected of a Church Member: Serving Where God has Gifted”
Introduction:
A Few years ago I had the opportunity to go to a Duke basketball game. It was fun and exciting to watch Duke dominate as usual, but something was lacking. I found that I wished I were out on the court playing. I would have even at times settled for a game of pick up basketball at the gym. The reason for that is that no matter how good it is to be a spectator of something, it is much greater to be a participant.
It is the same way with our relationship to the church.
Over the past few weeks we have talked about what is expected of you as a member of the Lord’s Church. The expectations that have been set forth are fairly vague and surely shouldn’t be looked at as a checklist of all that is expects of you. We have talked about how God expects his people to worship him and how God expects his people to study his Word, but there are several other principles in Scripture that teach us what God expects us to do. He expects us to give a portion of our income, he expects us to fellowship with other believers, he expects us to communicate to him through prayer, he expects us to live a holy life, and this week I want to talk about how God expects us to serve him by using the talents and gifts he has given us to build up the Kingdom.
Through these past few weeks I hope that you have been evaluating your life, and your heart to see if you are doing the things that God expects you to do and doing them with the right motives. God does expect some things from his people. I think that the one of the most prominent themes in Scripture however is the concept that God expects us to serve Him. This is sort of broad and covers a lot of ground, but an attitude of servanthood is valuable to our Christian lives. We should desire to be people that are compelled by Christ’s love for us to serve him in any ways that we possibly and physically can.
I said at the start of this series that many people are confused about what it means to be a member of the church. I want to remind you that Oak Grove or any congregations church roll book does not make a difference in the lamb’s book of Life. Just because your name is on the registry at a church does not mean your name is written in the Lamb’s book of life. It isn’t really membership to this particular congregation that is eternally important; it is membership to Christ’s church that he purchased with his blood that matters. Sadly though many people think that if they come and fill a pew every now and then that they are fulfilling their duty to God. Some people see their faith as a checklist, and throughout their life they mark off what they have accomplished, thinking once they have finished their checklist they are owed a eternity in Heaven.
I want you to know today, however, that God expects you to serve Him faithfully. Coming and sitting in a pew every now and then does not necessarily earn favor with God. We are not just spectators of a religion, but we are participants of a faith. If you start to see you faith as more than a religion, but rather a lifestyle it may change the things that you do. Because in a religion you just go through rituals and motions because you have to, but when a faith becomes your lifestyle, it becomes your passion, it rules your heart and mind, and dictates what you do and do not do.
I have heard it said that 20 percent of the people in any given church do 80 percent of the work, but that should not be if we are all a body, if we are working together for the same goal and are indwelled by the same spirit. We should all be involved in serving in whatever ways we can.
I started thinking about serving, and the first person that came to my mind was Jesus. He said he didn’t come to be served, but to serve and he demonstrated that and left us a perfect example. He got down on his knees and washed his disciples feet. Jesus wasn’t telling us that we need to wash each other’s feet, but he was setting a principle of serving in motion. This though got me to thinking and I had this come to mind….
Text: John 13:1-17
1. Through Serving We Show We Value What God Has Given Us
The great violinist, Niccolo Paganini willed his marvelous violin to city of Genoa on condition that it must never be played. The wood of such an instrument, while used and handled, wears only slightly, but set aside, it begins to decay. Paganini’s lovely violin has today become worm-eaten and useless except as a relic.
A Christian’s unwillingness to serve may soon destroy his capacity for usefulness. I never have really understood the idea of collecting antiques. I know that there is a lot of money in that hobby, but I never have understood why someone would by something that is a classic and never use it. People will buy cars for thousands of dollars and they will never drive them. They may have a nice collectors item that everyone can “ewww” and “ahhhh” over, but they aren’t using it.
There are many people that God has given great talents and abilities and either they are using it for the glory of God, they aren’t using it all, or they are using them for themselves with the wrong motives. God has given every Christian certain talents and abilities and his intent was that the church might be made stronger through everyone working together.
I Peter 4:10-11
One of the most amazing things about the church is that it is not a one-man show; it takes everyone to achieve the maximum potential. Today, I really want to encourage you to evaluate and look at yourself to see where you are using your talents. Are you serving God the best that you possibly can? Through serving we are simply putting into use what God has given us. I think that a desire to serve begins by our attention going off of ourselves. We think of what we are good at as talents that we were born with, or “our ability”, but we need to realize that those have come from God. And just as God has called us to be good stewards of our bodies and our money, he ahs called us to be go0od stewards of the talents he has given us. We must first realize where our talents came from. On top of the fact that God has called us to serve there are several rewards that we gain when we serve.
1. The Joy of Being Used by God
We should be motivated to serve because of the joy that come from being used by God. I am here tot ell you when you are a part of something meaningful and you know God is working through you there is no greater joy than knowing you are being used by God to accomplish something that will make an eternal difference. That is one of the greatest rewards that we can have in serving.
2. The Joy of Helping Others
Also, we are rewarded because we have the opportunity to help others. Jesus made it clear and I think knew what he was talking about when he said, “it is more blessed to give than receive”. There is joy in helping other people, and in fact this is one of the main emphasis that the New Testament teaches the church should be about…helping others.. That though is not just a command, but it is a joy to help others in any way that we can.
3. The Joy of Giving Back
We also have the reward of the joy of giving back. I would assume that many of us are here today or where we are today largely because of something someone else has done in your life. Whether through a deed that changed your life, or some things that were said. I am so thankful for the 3 or 4 people who poured their lives into mine to teach me the Word of God and love me. Those are debts I can never repay. I am indebted to those people because if it wasn’t for them valuing me, I would not be where I am today. I know those people don’t want any rewards or public mention, but what I can do, and what you can do is give back to others. There comes joy in putting back into and investing in the Kingdom of God
4. The Joy of Eternal Rewards
Matthew 19:27-30
On top of all of that there is joy in knowing that we have eternal rewards waiting for us that have served Him. What a blessing it is to serve God, it is worth it to be a servant.
2. Through Serving We Show We Value the Kingdom of God
Could you imagine what the church would be like if every person committed to faithfully serving in any way that they can and using their talents and abilities for the up building of the church? The church would look much different than it does today. We would see people in the world’s needs met more effectively, more missionaries on the mission field, more qualified leaders in churches, more volunteers to teach and clean.
It really is a sad thing, church that we have a hard time getting volunteers to clean the church building or to teach a class. I believe the problem and reasoning for that goes deeper than we would like to know. I believe that the problem is not a lack of talent or qualified people, but it is a lack of people who truly value the kingdom of God. What we do for the kingdom of God, the church is something that makes an eternal difference and should be highly valued by each person that makes up the church. Here at Oak Grove we have many different venues to serve that would be opportunities for any person to serve. You do not have to have an abounding knowledge of the Scriptures, you don’t have to get up and speak to serve, and we have many opportunities. We have building cleaning and maintenance. We have maintenance of the church grounds, we have nursery during church service, you can write cards, you can collect offering, you can teach a class, pick up kids who want to come to church who otherwise don’t have a ride, prepare communion, be a greeter as people come into the church building. All of these things may appear to be things that are not vitally important, but I believe that even what we consider to be the small things are vitally important to the church. Suppose a visitor comes come in and the building is not clean, how will they respond? Or there was not someone to watch their kids in the nursery?
During World War II, England needed to increase its production of coal. Winston Churchill called together labor leaders to enlist their support. At the end of his presentation he asked them to picture in their minds a parade, which he knew would be held in Piccadilly Circus after the war.
First, he said, would come the sailors who had kept the vital sea-lanes open. Then would come the soldiers who had come home from Dunkirk and then gone on to defeat Rommel in Africa. Then would come the pilots who had driven the Luftwaffe from the sky.
Last of all, he said, would come a long line of sweat-stained, soot-streaked men in miner’s caps. Someone would cry from the crowd, ’And where were you during the critical days of our struggle?’ And from ten thousand throats would come the answer, ’We were deep in the earth with our faces to the coal.’"
Not all the jobs in a church are prominent and glamorous and noticed by everyone. It is often the people with their "faces to the coal" that help the church accomplish its mission. We have people like Kevin Lindsey that faithfully operate the sound system and power point during the services. People like Evelyn and Grace who ensure that the sanctuary is clean for Sunday. Also, many other people who do the little things that make a huge difference. Things we may never know are done, but would surely notice if they were not done. These are people that may not feel comfortable getting up and teaching or doing other things, but are doing what they can do and doing it well. They show they value the kingdom of God.
Also, there are many things that the church is limited in doing because we do not have the people willing to take on responsibility. There are tons of things I would love to see the church doing, but ten people cannot do it all. What I am saying is that God’s ideal is for very person who is a member of the church to be serving in some way, and when that takes place the impact is far greater and the kingdom will grow. When we serve we are showing that we individually value the kingdom of God, the Church and we take some personal sense of responsibility for the Kingdom to advance and be successful.
I. Through Serving We Show Our Love For Christ
The priests under the Old Covenant law were given certain duties that they were supposed to fulfill. Their livelihood centered around them fulfilling their priestly duties in the Temple. The priests that descended from the tribe of Levi were the only ones that could serve in the Temple; they were to take care of all the matters of the Temple, the sacrifices, the cleansing, and the purifications. They took care of the ministry in the Temple, the service to God. They acted as mediators between God and man. They were God’s servants. Today, we are all called a kingdom of priests and God has granted us with the privilege of serving him as priests. We do this though not out of obligation or because of our lineage the way the priests did, but because of the Love that we have for Christ.
Pierced with an Awl – willing servant
3. Through Serving We Show We Value Others Above Ourselves
The idea of serving is not an easy one. We don’t like to think that we are servants to anyone, but one of the things that Jesus taught over and over again was that we are to serve one another. Through serving one another we show that we value other people even above ourselves.
Matthew 20:26-28
When we serve others we are showing that we are not selfish with our time and resources, but are willing to serve others. When Jesus got down on his hands and knees and washed his disciples feet he was trying to ingrain in their minds a very important message. He was trying to teach them the value of humility and servant hood. Sometimes it is not easy to want to serve, because serving means we have to sacrifice. We may have to sacrifice time, money, energy, or other resources in order to serve the way we should, but we have been called to serve. Countless calls in Scripture are recorded to serve one another and to put others needs above your own. This is really tough principle to actually live out because our culture teaches us that above all we need to look out for ourselves. Being a servant and suing your talents and abilities to serve the Lord shows that you really value others.
Important Attributes of a Servant:
1. Humility
In the summer of 1986, two ships collided in the Black Sea off the coast of Russia. Hundreds of passengers died as they were hurled into the icy waters below. News of the disaster was further darkened when an investigation revealed the cause of the accident. It wasn’t a technology problem like radar malfunction--or even thick fog. The cause was human stubbornness. Each captain was aware of the other ship’s presence nearby. Both could have steered clear, but according to news reports, neither captain wanted to give way to the other. Each was too proud to yield first. By the time they came to their senses, it was too late.
Did you see how pride could easily get in the way?
What Jesus did when washing his disciples feet would have been considered the job of a slave. The people’s feet of that time would have not been the cleanest in the world. They would wear sandals and as they walked everywhere would collect all sorts of dirt and dust on their feet. Jesus’ actions opposed the typical way their society worked that Peter had a hard time accepting it because disciples typically served their teachers, not the other way around. Jesus made it clear that he was setting an example for them to follow, and not necessarily in the washing of feet literally, but in the attitude of humility and service to one another. Jesus showed a humility that is essential to a servant.
Philippians 2:3-5
2. Joy
Also a servant should have joy when they are serving. Serving is kind of worthless if the attitude of the one doing it is one of grumbling, and frustration, but we should serve with a joyful spirit because it truly is a joy to be able to serve God and serve one another.
3. Our Best
A servant should also serve with diligence and hard work. When we serve we should always do our best because we are not doing it for people to be noticed, but we are doing it for the Lord.
Colossians 3:17, 23-24
When serving God is worth of our best effort and diligent work in what we do. God always expects his people to give them the best that they have. I believe he understands that some people’s best may not be as good as others, but he wants the best. For example, my best singing is not as good as Frank Harrison’s best singing, but God is honored by both when we give the best that we can. We need to be individuals who are willing to work hard and do a good job whenever we serve because God is worthy of our best efforts.
