Sunday, January 4, 2009
One Mind: Service
Text: Philippians 2: 1 – 11
During the month of December, we explored the theme “What God Gives … we look at four aspects of the blessed gifts of God: Power, Peace, Person, and Provision. There is still an unanswered question on the table, why did God give those gifts to us or why does God give those gifts to you?
My argument is that God gave those gifts to you, to me and to us so that those of us who believe, would have one mind to serve and one mission to love.
The meaning of Jesus Christ must be true to his prophetic nature. The prophetic nature of Jesus Christ is best described by the Prophet Isaiah.
Almost 800 years before the birth of Christ, Isaiah provided the Hebrew people with a working definition of who the Messiah would be:
His name shall be called wonderful, counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting father, the prince of peace.
His government and peace there shall be no end upon the throne of David.
The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.
He shall judge with righteousness, not after the sight of his ears or the hearing of his ears. He shall judge the poor, and provided equity for the meek.
He shall cause the wolf to dwell with the lamb. The leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the young lion shall be together; and the little child shall lead them.
In his day, people will praise the Lord and will know that God is there salvation. They will trust and not be afraid.
In his day, people will call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, mention that his name is exalted and sing unto the Lord for he hath done excellent things.
He will shallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces.
In that day, we will say, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.
The Book of Isaiah is an interesting book. It parallels the Bible in many ways: (1) it has 66 chapters or divisions; (2) Isaiah I have 39 chapters, like the Old Testament; (3) Isaiah II have 27 chapters, like the New Testament.
II Isaiah beginning at Chapter 40 comes onto the scene with the powerful and familiar words of the Messiah:
“Comfort ye, comfort ye my people saith your God. Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made straight and the rough places plain: and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
For over 800 years there was an expectation of an heir to the throne of David, who would liberate the people of God and restore them to their rightful place.
Then the Christ Child is born with a star in the sky, angels singing, wise men looking, shepherds watching, and a king disturbed.
About 100 years after the birth of Christ and about 65 years after the death of Christ, Paul seeks to have the people of Philippi and those who love the Lord understand the true nature of the mind and mission of Jesus Christ.
When I was young we use to receive gifts that required you to do something: construct a mold, or from a mold fashion some object. We would get a picture, but it would be in pieces like a puzzle, and we would have to put it together.
Today, young children, and adults receive gifts already made, and as a result we have no cure that can fix anything if it is broken. We don’t understand how things are constructed.
The Hebrew people imagined the Messiah as an entity, as an object, as a thing; not as a model or a construct.
The Messiah as an entity, an object, or a thing meant that it would do something.
However, the Messiah as a model or a construct means that we would have to be something. It meant that we would have to become the replica of the model.
Therefore, Paul develops that idea of Jesus Christ being a model for us to learn how to serve and to love.
He steps onto the stage of life and says, “let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.”
He turns our attention from a Christ as an object, into a model.
Not something for us to observe, but someone for us to subserve.
Take my hand, I can observe it and describe it.
However, my hand can also subserve my will and become an instrument of good.
Paul challenges us in this text for us to become one mind in service by modeling Jesus Christ.
I had to deal with this idea of service because it has two distinct dimensions:
1) Service is qualitative.
When you look at the life of Jesus Christ, he would ask do you want to be made whole, do you want to walk, do you want to be healed, and then he would interact in their lives by a word, or touch, or some assistance; then upon the acceptance by that person of the opportunity to change their circumstance or situation – it would then change.
The qualitative aspect of service changes the mindset of a person in their circumstance or situation.
If a person’s mindset or spirit does not change, then your service has no qualitative value.
To keep beating a dead horse – that’s not service.
To keep doing the same thing, the same way and getting the same results – that’s not service.
My mother would say to keep talking to yourself until you are blue in the face – that’s not service.
Qualitative service changes mindsets and spirits in the process of helping a person in their circumstance or situation.
That’s why I have little tolerance for the same people asking me repeatedly to give them something, when I know they don’t really want to change; what they want to do is use me to compensate for some deficiency they may have.
In the 6th Chapter of Mark, you will find Jesus sending out his disciples two by two, and he tells them that he has given them power over unclean spirits. He says that if you enter a place and the people do not want to hear the life changing power of the good news – then shake the dust off your feet and go.
Qualitative service changes mindsets and spirits in the process of helping a person in their circumstance or situation.
In the 5th Chapter of John, you will find the story of a man sitting at the Pool near Bethesda. People would sit at the pool waiting for an angel to come and trouble the water, after the angel troubled the water that first one in would be healed. This man laid by the pool for a long time using the excuse that he had no one to put me in the pool. Jesus says to him; will thou be made whole? If so, rise, take up, thy bed and walk. And immediately the man was made whole, took up his bed and walked.
In Acts 3rd Chapter, Peter and John are walking up to the temple and see a man begging alms. Peter says, silver and gold have I none; but such as I have I give thee: in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. Immediately, the man got up walking, leaping and praising God.
Qualitative service changes mindsets and spirits in the process of helping a person in their circumstance or situation.
One mind: Service that is qualitative.
2) Service is also quantitative.
It doesn’t make sense to serve the same people repeatedly. The number of people you serve should expand numerically.
There should be a quantitative dimension to your service.
You visited the sick – how many?
You clothed the naked – how many?
You comforted those who were lonely – how many?
Every quarter I would provide reports to the church that would have quantitative numbers attached to activities. In my discussion with my colleagues, I would ask them how they measure the effectiveness of their service. They would talk to me in qualitative terms.
I would then ask them how they translate their service into quantitative terms. I would get no answer.
One of the reasons why we would have a community with churches on every corner. People in the pews, but trouble all over our land is that as people of faith we have no quantitative measure for efficiency for service.
The reason is that we avoid accountability.
That why the Matthew 25 chapter becomes crucial because Jesus will come and ask you, and I questions of accountability: when did you serve, who did you serve, how much did you serve?
Service has a quantitative dimension.
In all four of the gospels you will find the story of Jesus taking a few fish and loaves and feeding thousands.
In the 2nd Chapter of the Book of Acts you will find that people are added to the church daily and that on some occasions thousands are added.
Service has a quantitative dimension.
If we are going to be of One Mind in 2009 in service, our service must be qualitative and quantitative. We must change the mindsets and spirits of people as we seek to change their circumstances, situations, and conditions.
Finally, the only thing that changes the mindsets and spirits of people is the Name of Jesus Christ.
In that name, you will find power, peace, joy, happiness, salvation, service and love.
