CHRISTIAN SERVANTS
Titus 1:1-4
When I was involved in secular work I served in various management positions. As I result I was often required to recruit, interview, and hire people. During that period of my career I never once hired someone just so that I could offer them benefits, I hired them to do a job that would benefit the company.
With that being said, those who were hired did receive several benefits. They were provided with health, vision, and dental insurance, holiday pay, and paid vacation time. Those employees received a salary that enabled them to support their families, pay their mortgages and to purchase, insure, and maintain an automobile. With these benefits came the expectation that the job would be done and done well.
As Christians we enjoy many wonderful benefits. However, these benefits are not something that we can earn; they are benefits that come to us as a result of the finished work of God’s Son, Jesus Christ.
We who have repented and believed in Christ have been provided with forgiveness of our sins, we have the assurance of eternal life, we have a relationship with the Father, we have been adopted into the family of God, we are joint heirs with Jesus, we possess a home in Heaven and we have the opportunity to enjoy and abundant life here on earth.
Though we receive innumerable benefits/blessings as a result of our salvation, our ultimate purpose in this life is to bring honor and glory to the Father. Most of the historic confessions of faith declare that “Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.”
A major part of glorifying God is serving Him. While we cannot work to earn our salvation, those of us who have been saved are expected to serve the Lord. Furthermore, we should not serve out of compulsion, we should serve willingly and with passion.
One of the greatest examples of this type of service is the ministry of the Lord’s Apostles. Those men certainly received many immediate and eternal benefits as a result of their relationship with Jesus, but it is abundantly clear that Jesus chose them for a special and specific purpose. He called and commissioned them to share the Gospel and make Disciples for the remainder of their lives.
This was not just true for the Lord’s Apostles; Jesus has a special and specific plan to use each and every person who belongs to Him. I would like to examine the opening verses of Paul’s letter to Titus and consider several truths about “Christian Servants”.
The life, conversion, and ministry of the Apostle Paul serves as a fantastic example of how God can transform someone and use them for His glory. When Jesus saved Paul He took the Church’s greatest adversary and turned him into one of its greatest advocates.
In the early days of the church no one was feared any more than Saul of Tarsus. Saul was a devout Jew, a self-described "Pharisee of Pharisees". As a result, he was actively involved in persecuting Christians; his ultimate goal was the complete annihilation of the Church. Saul did not know and never would have believed that this Jesus that he spent his days fighting against had chosen him for a great task. The Savior would use him to advance the cause of the Church that he fought so hard to destroy.
- When examining his story we see:
THE EXPECTATIONS OF CHRISTIAN SERVANTS
In verse one Paul refers to himself as a “servant of God”. In the Greek, the word “servant” is “doulos” which literally means a slave. As a slave of Christ, Paul’s life was no longer his own. He famously declared in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
Paul was able to make such a declaration because of a life changing encounter with Jesus Christ. Saul/Paul was headed to Damascus with written authority “that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.” As he journeyed, Jesus sought him out, called his name, changed his life, and ultimately commissioned him into the Gospel ministry.
In Acts 9:15 Jesus shared His plan for Paul with a man named Ananias. He said, “he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. “ This shows us that Paul was saved to serve the Lord Jesus and that is exactly what he did. He served Jesus from the time he met Him until he took his last breath. Furthermore, God is still using Paul’s Christian service to minister to millions of people all over the world today. We will never know the true impact of his ministry this side of Heaven.
Like Paul, Jesus has chosen us, saved us, and He has a plan to use us to advance His Kingdom and bring Him glory. Our Master would have each of us to be His disciples and make disciples. Being a true disciple of Christ involves personal sacrifices.
On a certain occasion Jesus preached to a large crowd that had assembled and he revealed the requirements of being His Disciple. He said, ““If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26-27) Notice that shocking phrase "cannot be my disciple"; this shows us that there are some expectations of Jesus’ disciples.
The original twelve disciples did not just go their own way and do their own thing. They didn’t just follow Jesus for a few weeks, disappear, tend to their own affairs, and return to Him when it was convenient for them. They did the exact opposite; they left their homes, their families, their careers, and everything else behind and followed their Master. They went where He went and they did what He commanded and enabled them to do. Even after Jesus ascended those men continued to walk with Him, to serve Him, to share Him with others, and to make Disciples.
Those men modeled what it is to be a true disciple of Christ. Like Peter, James, John, Matthew and the others, we must be willing to deny our own wants, dreams, and desires; we must be willing to metaphorically “take up our cross” and follow Jesus wherever He leads. In the process, our Master will equip us and use us to make disciples along the way.
There is no question that there are some expectations of Christian servants, however, serving our Master is not a burden, it is a tremendous blessing. Therefore I would like to examine:
THE PRIVILIDGE OF CHRISTIAN SERVANTS
Paul referred to himself as a “servant” and “an Apostle of Jesus Christ”. An Apostle is one who is sent by another. In Paul’s case he was one who was sent by Jesus Christ.
During His earthly ministry the Lord chose 12 men; He trained them and eventually entrusted them with the responsibility of spreading the Gospel, organizing the Church, and advancing His Kingdom. After Judas’ betrayal, he was replaced and his position was filled by a man named Matthias.
Later, Paul was chosen by Jesus to be an Apostle. He was an Apostle of a different order, but he was an Apostle, nonetheless. In 1 Corinthians 15:8 Paul describes himself as "one born out of due time." This means that he was placed into the position of Apostle in a different time and in an unusual manner. Regardless, after his conversion Paul spent the remainder of his life as a faithful servant of Jesus Christ. He was used of God to minister to people in:
Arabia
Damascus
Jerusalem
Tarsus
Antioch
Seleucia,
Cyprus
Iconium
Lystra
Derbe
Syria
Macedonia
Troas
Philippi
Thessalonica
Berea
Corinth
Ephesus
Galatia
Greece
Tyre
Caesarea
Rome
Paul went to these areas preaching the Word; God used him to establish new churches and to strengthen others. An innumerable multitude of souls came to faith in Christ and many others grew in their faith because of his ministry.
Moreover, Paul didn’t just serve, he suffered in the process. He was often arrested and imprisoned. He was beaten, stoned, and ultimately he gave his life for the cause of Christ. What is so fascinating is the reality that he faced these hardships willingly. He pressed on in the face of extreme persecution because he knew that He had been saved to serve. His ministry was much more than an obligation; it was a privilege and it was his passion.
Prior to his conversion, Paul had worked hard to destroy Christ’s Church. According to his own testimony during his “former life in Judaism” he “persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it.” In spite of his past, Paul had the honor of being chosen by Jesus to serve and represent Him to others.
We all have a past. Some of our stories are more notorious than others, but we have all “sinned and come short of the glory of God”. Not a single one of us is deserving of salvation or the honor of being ambassadors of Christ. However, we have received this glorious salvation as a result of the love and grace of God. Furthermore, we have been given the amazing privilege and awesome responsibility of being Christ’s representatives in this world.
Since we possess such an honor we should have and intense desire to serve the Lord and serve Him well. This leads us to:
THE DESIRE OF A CHRISTIAN SERVANT
It doesn’t take long when reading the letters of Paul for the desires of his heart to become apparent. He was a servant of Christ who was immensely concerned with the spiritual condition of all people. He desired to see lost people saved and to see saved people mature in their faith. This shows us that:
CHRISTIAN SERVANTS SHOULD DESIRE TO SEE LOST PEOPLE SAVED
In verse 1 Paul said that he is a servant and Apostle “for the faith of God's elect”. The purpose of Paul’s Christian service was to see all people come to faith in Christ and attain knowledge of the truth. In I Corinthians 10:33b he said, “I do not seek my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved”. Concerning his Jewish brethren Paul said, “my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.” Furthermore, he declared that he would be willing to be forever cut off from Christ if that would bring salvation to his Jewish brothers and sisters. Paul served, suffered, and shared the Gospel because he possessed an intense desire to see lost people come to faith in Jesus Christ.
If we believe the entirety of God’s holy Word, and if we have experienced salvation through Jesus Christ, then it should be our desire to see all men and women come to faith in the Savior. No matter who they are, no matter where they have been, no matter what they have done; even if they have offended us mightily, we should desire to see all sinners saved. If we truly possess this desire, then (as servants of Christ) we will do all that we can to reach people with the Gospel.
- Along with the reality that we should desire to see lost people saved is the fact that:
CHRISTIAN SERVANTS SHOULD DESIRE TO SEE SAVED PEOPLE MATURE
v1 Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness,
Another purpose of Paul’s ministry was to see Christian people grow and mature spiritually. He always put a great emphasis on preaching the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. When the unadulterated Gospel is proclaimed it will result in “godliness” in its adherents. Paul did not just desire to see his brothers and sisters mature in their faith, he worked tirelessly to see this come to pass.
We are blessed with thirteen epistles that were written by the Apostle Paul. Each of those letters were written to either local churches or pastors of local churches with the intent of teaching them how to walk with Christ; they tell how to know Him, worship Him, honor Him, and serve Him.
During his ministry God used Paul to plant many new churches. There were also times when he would visit established churches and encourage them, correct them, and strengthen them in their faith. Like Paul, the health and success of the local church should be at the forefront of our minds. As Christians we have the opportunity and obligation to serve others.
I ask you to assess your life and Christian service; are you serving the Lord fervently and consistently? Are you doing your part to reach the lost and to contribute to the spiritual maturity of your brothers and sisters? I know that many of you are and I am exceedingly grateful for your service. I know that there are others who possess such a desire and just don’t know how or where to serve; if so, we would love the opportunity to help you find a way to apply your spiritual gifts.
If you would be honest enough to admit that you are not serving the Lord and have no desire to do so, I would encourage you to compare your life to what we see in the scriptures and ensure that you have truly been born again. For all throughout the scriptures we see ample evidence that those who were converted immediately possessed and intense desire to share the Gospel and serve the Savior.
One of the reasons for the desire to serve the Lord and the devotion to the task is the assurance that we possess as followers of Christ. Before we close I would like for us to examine:
THE ASSURANCE OF A CHRISTIAN SERVANT
v2 in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began, 3 but has in due time manifested His word through preaching, which was committed to me according to the commandment of God our Savior
Paul was able to serve the way that he did because he possessed full confidence in the reality of God’s promises. He was assured of the promise of eternal life because it came from “God, who cannot lie”. Hebrews 6:18 declares that “it is impossible for God to lie”.
The Apostle (and all Christians for that matter) possess the hope of eternal life. Such hope is not wishful thinking, rather it is a firm assurance of things to come. The promise of eternal life was something that came from God “before time began”. However, “in due time” God revealed His wonderful plan for the salvation of mankind “through preaching”.
God spoke to the people in the Old Testament through prophets, in the Gospels Jesus Christ Himself preached the Word of God to vast multitudes. After His ascension, Jesus empowered and enabled His Apostles to preach the Good News. Today that responsibility has been handed down to us.
We are able to actively participate in the Great Commission that we have received from our Savior with great assurance concerning the promise of eternal life. I don’t have all the answers, there are several doctrines that cause me to scratch my head, and there are many things in scripture that I must admit that I do not fully understand, However, I possess great “hope of eternal life”. This does not mean that I hope that we who are in Christ will receive eternal life; rather, I possess full assurance that the eternal life that we read about in God’s Word is a present and unalterable reality for those who have been born again. As Christians, this reality should motivate us to serve our Savior and share Him with others.
Paul was a “servant of Jesus Christ”. He knew the expectations of being a Christian servant, he was honored by the great privilege of being sent out by Jesus as “an Apostle”, he possessed the desire to see lost people saved and saved people mature in their faith, and he possessed assurance concerning the truths related to eternal life.
I pray that you have had your own personal encounter with Jesus Christ where He sought you out, called your name, saved your soul, and commissioned you to serve Him. If not, today may be the day when your life is changed immediately and eternally.
If you have experienced such a conversion then there is an expectation for your to be a Christian servant. You possess the great honor of being sent out by Jesus to be His representative in this world. As a result you should have a desire to see sinners saved and saints grow spiritually. In the process you can possess assurance concerning the Biblical truths concerning eternal life.
Take a moment and assess your life, ensure that you qualify as a devoted “Christian Servant”.
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