Servant Evangelism pt 2
Series: To serve or not to serve?
Last week’s challenge to serve: Brought some Testimonies – Here are some from those who have served others this week:
Hi Pastor, Just wanted to let you know the popcorn I gave out in my class during finals when over great. I was taking a website development class and for the final exam we had to do a presentation of our website. I paper clipped one of the church cards to each bag of popcorn and as a person finished their presentation they were to take a bag of popcorn. Well the professor told the class to take one as they finished and also told them that the popcorn was “Courtesy of Rick and his church”. I was surprised she said the church. You know how schools are. Even more of a surprise was that every time a student would forget to take a bag of popcorn when they finished she would again say “Don’t forget your bag of popcorn. It’s courtesy of Rick and his church”. She must have said that eight to ten times.
The reaction was very good. I really hope this promotion really works as well for others as it did for me.
Have a great day. Rick
Here is another testimony:
Bill and Arlene:
Last night Arlene and I went out shopping. Arlene found a purse in the parking lot with everything in it. I went through it and found a drivers license address and name. I used a IPhone app to get a phone number in the parking lot.
After two hours of calling Ann from Manhattan answered and she agreed to me us at our place. ( Her phone was dead, she did not charge it. ) She got to our house after 9:00pm. Arlene answered the door, gave her, her purse and gave her one of the cards from Sunday morning. She gave Arlene a check, Arlene refused and told her we were Christians and wanted no reward. We asked if we could pray for anything for her and she said yes.
She is a widow that lost her husband three years ago yesterday and asks for prayer to help her cope during this time because it is hard on her.
Thesis: We as the Body of Christ need to follow Jesus example to serve others so as to make an eternal difference in a person’s life. We need to go the extra mile like Jesus did! We need to fulfill our eternal destiny!
Opening Scripture Text from last week: John 13:1-17:
Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet
Jesus then asked the question, “John 13:12 “…Do you understand what I have done for you?”
13“You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am.
14Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.
15I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.
16I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.
17Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
T.S. - So I challenged people to serve others so that God would bless them!
Focused Outreaches these next two weeks:
$250 card give away for free coffee: Dunkin, Starbucks and Caribou
Boxes of popcorn are here to be give away.
Hot chocolate to give away
Cases of Bottled Water to give away
Buy a Case of M&M Candy canes to give to workers at stores and fast food places
Buy a Case of the energy efficient light bulbs to give away.
Volunteer to bake for the choir who will give away baskets this Christmas season.
Pick up an Ice scrappers and clean windows in parking lots of cars – make sure you leave a card in the door of the car you clean.
Handout with other ideas:
Statement to say: “Merry Christmas from Christian Hills, is there anything we can pray for you about?”
Have tablet to write down prayer requests to put on your personal prayer list and give it to the Christian Hills Church prayer chain.
Give them the card with Church services on it. Invite them out from service.
Other Ideas:
• Offer to do free Christmas Gift Wrapping
• Volunteer at a Mission
• Volunteer at a Food Shelf
• Offer to take someone shopping who cannot get out.
• Pay for someone at a restaurant or for someone behind you in line. Do the pay it forward challenge to them!
• Put Quarters in Coin Returns or in meters
• Drop or place rolled up 5 dollar bills in the mall / store with a Card in them.
• Give out Ice Cream Cone Coupons
• Offer Childcare during Christmas Shopping for neighbors
• Give away Coffee/Hot Chocolate Coupons from McDonalds
• Give gifts to the people who have served you all year at restaurants’, store clerks (Like Dunkin, Starbucks) mailmen, and others.
• Go to a nearby college and give away Raman noodles or bags of groceries.
• Buy donuts for your office
• Buy stamps and give them away in front of the Post Office or to others
• Do random acts of kindness
Come to the stage and grab a tool to help you serve somebody this week or next! Make sure you grab some cards so we can invite people out to Christian Hills for the holiday services.
So the question is: “To serve or not to serve? What is your choice?”
Jesus is still asking us the question today, “John 13:12 “…Do you understand what I have done for you?”
Introduction:
We all need to improve our serves and I am not referring to tennis, racquetball, or handball. Our society has changed dramatically in the last 20-30 years? We have lost the Christ like quality of serving others!
Swindoll states:
It’s happening. Our world has become a large, impersonal, busy institution. We are alienated from each other. Although crowded, we are lonely. Distant. Pushed together but uninvolved. No longer do most neighbors visit across the backyard fence. The well-manicured front lawn is the modern moat that keeps barbarians at bay. Hoarding and flaunting have replaced sharing and caring. It’s like we are occupying common space but have no common interests, as if we’re on and elevator with rules like: “No talking, smiling, or eye contact allowed without written consent of the management.” Painful though it may be for us to admit it here in this great land of America, we’re losing touch with one another.” (Improving your serve, page 17).
So here are a few suggestions to do the next time you are on an elevator to lighten the atmosphere and break the rules:
1) CRACK open your briefcase or handbag, peer Inside and ask "Got enough air in there?"
2) STAND silent and motionless in the corner facing the wall without getting off.
3) WHEN arriving at your floor, grunt and strain to yank the doors open, then act as if you’re embarrassed when they open themselves.
4) GREET everyone with a warm handshake and ask him or her to call you Admiral.
5) MEOW occasionally.
6) STARE At another passenger for a while. Then announce in horror: "You’re one of THEM" - and back away slowly
7) SAY -DING at each floor.
8) SAY "I wonder what all these do?" And push all the red buttons.
9) MAKE explosion noises when anyone presses a button.
10) STARE, grinning at another passenger for a while, then announce: "I have new socks on."
11) WHEN the elevator is silent, look around and ask: "Is that your beeper?"
12) TRY to make personal calls on the emergency phone.
13) DRAW a little square on the floor with chalk and announce to the other passengers: "This is my personal space."
14) WHEN there’s only one other person in the elevator, tap them on the shoulder, then pretend it wasn’t you.
15) PUSH the buttons and pretend they give you a shock. Smile, and go back for more.
16) ASK if you can push the button for other people but push the wrong ones.
17) HOLD the doors open and say you’re waiting for your friend. After a while, let the doors close and say "Hi Greg, How’s your day been?"
18) DROP a pen and wail until someone reaches to help pick it up, then scream: "That’s mine!"
19) BRING a camera and take pictures of everyone in the lift.
20) PRETEND you’re a flight attendant and review emergency procedures and exits with the Passengers.
21) SWAT at flies that don’t exist.
22) CALL out "Group hug" then enforce it.
-http://www.geocities.com/funnythings4u/elevator.html
I know all these actions on an elevator would freak people out but it could break the ice for a smile or some belly laughs. The truth is we all need to lighten up!
Back to the serious side of this message: We could say that the motivation to help others is waning in our society and this apathy toward serving is what creates an environment filled with alienation, loneliness and disconnection toward others. It robs many of the joy we are to have in life. We have to decide if we really want happiness and fulfillment in life? If we choose that we do then we need work on improving our serves and the best way to do this is to imitate the qualities of Jesus – such as washing each others feet.
We need to once again be reminded of: Mark 10:45: “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.”
T.S. – So here are some more practical steps to take to improve your serve:
I. We need to choose to lose the celebrity syndrome in our world today
a. We have forgotten his words “whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant.”
b. Swindoll states “…Many churches with their smooth pastors (evangelists), high powered executives, and superstar singers. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be much of the servant mentality in such settings. Even in our church life we tend to get caught up in success and size race that we lose sight of our primary calling as followers of Christ. The “celebrity syndrome” so present in our Christian thoughts and activities just doesn’t square with the attitudes and messages of Jesus” (Improving your serve page 17).
c. Our societal culture and some church cultures have skidded into a pattern whereby celebrities are the top dogs and everyone else is a step down from them.
d. Just look at the magazines and tabloids at the checkout counters!
II. We need to choose to lose the I syndrome
a. Hybels: It is a “me-first” mind -set. This mind-set says indulge yourself, fulfill your desires, satiate your appetites, pursue pleasure, take off all restraints. As much as we might want to pretend that this value system died in the eighties, let’s be honest: it is alive and still thriving . With this mind-set comes an elusive promise: If you seek first your own good and satisfy your own desires, then you will be happy. In print, on television, and in the movies, over and over we hear the lie. The road to contentment, satisfaction, fulfillment, and true joy is marked with a street sign flashing “Me First.”… People are pathologically self-centered and ignore the needs of others. The “me-first” mind-set is controlling many lives, even the lives of those who call themselves followers of Christ (Descending into Greatness, page 11).
b. We see this mind-set which I will call the “I syndrome” everywhere in society.
i. It has affected every aspect of society.
ii. It has caused the breakup of the family unit, it has caused the corruption of government officials.
iii. It has caused crime rates to soar.
1. Quote on the danger of selfishness: Some years ago the MINNESOTA CRIME COMMISSION released a statement more in line with what the Bible teaches about man’s basic nature. ‘Every baby starts life as a little savage. He is completely selfish, and self-centered. He wants what he wants when he wants it – his bottle, his mother’s attention, his play mate’s toys, his uncles’ watch. Deny him these once, and he seethes with rage and aggressiveness, which would be murderous were he not so helpless. He is, in fact, dirty. He has no moral, no knowledge, no skills. This means that all children – not just certain children – are born delinquent. If permitted to continue in the self-centered world of his infancy, given free reign to his impulsive actions, to satisfy his wants, every child would grow up a criminal – a thief, a killer, or a rapist.’ THE MINNESOTA CRIME COMMISION HAS IN EFFECT INDICTED THE WHOLE HUMAN RACE!
a. Not the first time though ROM 3:23 All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. PS 51:5 Surely I have been a sinner from birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Contributed to sermoncentral.com by: Guy McGraw
iv. It has caused businesses to become greedy.
v. It has caused the rise of white- collar crime.
vi. It has caused wars and murders.
vii. It has been instrumental in splitting up families.
viii. It has been responsible for destroying relationships.
ix. It has caused parents to walk away from their families.
x. It has caused churches to split apart.
xi. It has damaged the witness of the Gospel to a lost world.
xii. It has caused the exploitation of women and even children through porno.
xiii. It is leading this nation into destruction, chaos and anarchy.
xiv. It’s the primary reason for the current state of many of our societal problems.
1. See the power point graphic “I syndrome shrine of worship.”
c. Where did the “I syndrome” come from?
i. Who birthed this mind-set this deep- seated belief system?
1. Let’s look at Ezekiel 28 parallel with Mark 8:33-37.
a. Ezekiel 28: A Prophecy Against the King of Tyre
1The word of the LORD came to me:
2“Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: “‘In the pride of your heart you say, “I am a god; I sit on the throne of a god in the heart of the seas.” But you are a man and not a god, though you think you are as wise as a god.
3Are you wiser than Daniel? Is no secret hidden from you?
4By your wisdom and understanding you have gained wealth for yourself and amassed gold and silver in your treasuries.
5By your great skill in trading you have increased your wealth, and because of your wealth your heart has grown proud.
6“‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: “‘Because you think you are wise, as wise as a god,
7I am going to bring foreigners against you, the most ruthless of nations; they will draw their swords against your beauty and wisdom and pierce your shining splendor.
8They will bring you down to the pit, and you will die a violent death in the heart of the seas.
9Will you then say, “I am a god,” in the presence of those who kill you? You will be but a man, not a god, in the hands of those who slay you.
10You will die the death of the uncircumcised at the hands of foreigners. I have spoken, declares the Sovereign LORD.’”
11The word of the LORD came to me:
12“Son of man, take up a lament concerning the king of Tyre and say to him: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: “‘You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz and emerald, chrysolite, onyx and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings£ were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared.
14You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones.
15You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you.
16Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones.
17Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings.
18By your many sins and dishonest trade you have desecrated your sanctuaries. So I made a fire come out from you, and it consumed you, and I reduced you to ashes on the ground in the sight of all who were watching.
19All the nations who knew you are appalled at you; you have come to a horrible end and will be no more.’”
i. This passage refers to Lucifer in the Eden of the Garden of God.
ii. This self-centered belief system was birthed by Satan and it’s promotion comes from the dark side.
iii. Hell’s cry is:
1. “Do it for yourself and forget about others.”
2. “Do to them before they do it to you!” “Take advantage of them it’s okay”
3. “I will be rich that is what life is about”
4. ”Take care of number one.”
b. Mark 8:33-37: 33But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”34Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.
ii. Why was it birthed?
1. This mind set was birthed by the dark side to destroy, mutilate, and take advantage of others.
2. But we as Christians are told I Peter 5:8, 9 “Be self-controlled and alert, your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.”
III. We need to lose the self-centered syndrome
a. Look at self-centered people who serve self and what happens. Relationships destroyed. We see more infighting in the jungle of the business world . It’s a dog eat dog world. What does a self-centered wife do to her husband? What does a self-centered husband do to his wife? What has happened to self-centered parenting and it’s affects on the kid’s and how does that affect society and schools?
b. Look at self-centered churches. Truth is if a church does not serve each other and the world then there is no church.
c. Many Pastors say the biggest problem today is that people will not serve each other.
i. They want to be served not serve!
ii. Pastors have stated this often to church growth leaders in comments like the following”
1. “We do not have Kid’s programs because no one wants to serve in teaching.”
2. “No one wants to give to the church so the church goes without staff people and the lack of ability to do more for Christ.”
3. “We cannot do more because only 10% of the people want to commit to helping the church reach more for Christ.”
4. “The common phrase is I have been hurt because I served and now I look out for myself and family.”
5. “I serve God by serving myself.”
6. “They justify serving themselves, by spending hours upon hours each day taking care of themselves.”
7. “They lock themselves in their homes watching TV ministries instead of serving in their local church.”
8. Christians that’s not church. Church is the Body of Christ serving each other “literally”. It’s the Body using their gifts to disciple others, to help others, to teach others, to give to others.
d. Scripture makes it clear that we as followers of Jesus need to be servants and not self-centered – we are to serve each other in the Body and root out any self-seeking behavior so as to please God.
i. We are all called to be servant-leaders!
1. Scripture Text: 1 Corinthians 4: 1So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God. 2Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. 3I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. 4My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. 5Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.
2. Luke 9:23-26: 23Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. 25What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? 26If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
e. It becomes clear from Scripture that SELF has to go from the heart of a servant of Jesus – It has to be crucified –nailed to the cross or we will never be able to serve the Kingdom of God as God intends. Self will always prevent even hinder you from serving the Lord if you allow it to control your life.
i. Self - I have an acrostic which I came up this week for SELF:
1. S = Serving
2. E = Ego
3. L = Living
4. F = Foolishly
ii. EGO is:
1. E = Edging
2. G = God
3. O = Out
a. This is what self always does - it pushes God out of focus and places self as “uno” number one to be served and to be appeased.
b. Servant leaders are those who have chosen to lose to God – to lose to self – to lose to pride – to lose materialism and have chosen the path of the servant-hood!
c. The reality check is when we center on Jesus Christ our focus shifts from self.
IV. We need to choose the Jesus syndrome
a. Matthew 20:25-28 “Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave - -just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
b. The Jesus syndrome was a mind-set that is focused on pleasing our Heavenly the Father. His desires are first and we choose to serve him.
i. Mother Teresa: “I belong to Jesus. He must have the right to use me without consulting me."
c. Jesus’ servants care more about what God thinks than what mankind thinks (1 Cor. 4:1-5)
i. We need to care only about what the Lord thinks about our action and focus in life. It’s His perspective that counts the most for the servant of God.
ii. It’s not the perspective of others that the servants of Jesus follow but the voice of God Himself.
1. Col. 3:23-24: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. 25Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.”
2. Ephesians 6:7: “7Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, 8because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.”
3. Romans 12:11: “11Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.”
a. It’s not what my friends think I should do for God – it’s what God wants me to do that matters most.
b. A servant of Jesus follows their Master’s lead and their Master’s instructions.
iii. Study: UNSELFISH AND HAPPY: A fascinating study on the principle of the Golden Rule was conducted by Bernard Rimland, director of the Institute for Child Behavior Research. Rimland found that "The happiest people are those who help others." Each person involved in the study was asked to list ten people he knew best and to label them as happy or not happy. Then they were to go through the list again and label each one as selfish or unselfish, using the following definition of selfishness: a stable tendency to devote one’s time and resources to one’s own interests and welfare--an unwillingness to inconvenience one’s self for others." In categorizing the results, Rimland found that all of the people labeled happy were also labeled unselfish. He wrote that those "whose activities are devoted to bringing themselves happiness...are far less likely to be happy than those whose efforts are devoted to making others happy" Rimland concluded: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." SOURCE: Martin & Diedre Bobgan, How To Counsel From Scripture, Moody Press, 1985, p. 123. CITATION: Rimland, ’The Altruism Paradox,’ Psychological Reports 51 [1982]: 521,522.) From sermoncentral.com contributor David Yarbrough
Conclusion:
The willingness to improve your serve rests in your hands!
Your decision to improve your serve or ignore it determines whether you fulfill your divine destiny or not.
Significance in life comes from us choosing the path of serving!
Play Bluefish video clip “Significance”
We need to understand once again how important our time is:
Psalm 90:12 (NLT) “Teach us to make the most of our time…and make our efforts successful. Yes, our efforts successful!”
We need to understand that our life-time matters to God and how we use it matters to God! And one day you and I will be held accountable for what we did with it!
So do you understand the lesson of Jesus from John 13 yet?
Psalm 37:18, “The days of the blameless are known to the LORD, and their inheritance will endure forever” (NIV).
The TLB version reads like this “Day by Day the Lord observes the good deeds done by godly men, and gives them eternal rewards.”
The Bible tells us not to grow weary in doing good because the Lord sees the good that you do and one day you will be rewarded for it.
Quote: Summary of message: "People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care." Maxwell
Steve says: “Servant evangelism softens the hearts of persons who are not yet Christians—people who often think the church exists only for itself or that it only wants people’s time and money. By doing a "low-risk" activity that shows "high grace," those resistant to the faith may (now or in the future) become more open to the saving message of Jesus Christ.”
So let’s choose to serve our King today! Are you with me?
