It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the month of April, the month of service. I pray God will give you grace to serve God by serving your generation as David served his generation. You certainly can become great by offering service. Show me the man that is willing to serve and I will show you a man that is on his way to greatness. Cyrus served God as a heathen king and became great. David, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Daniel served God and became great. Jesus was the greatest service provider. The bible says because of his service he earned the greatest name on earth and in heaven. Many desire to serve, some are serving in one way or the other but everything has its guiding principles. I will like to look at some principles that guide service so that our service will be acceptable to God.
What is Service?
Service is doing something for others to make their life better, easier or great. Service means carrying out duties, being useful for a particular task, without asking for a reward. It is called volunteering in the world. God gave everybody special gifts that can be referred to as talent there is nobody that is living without at least one talent. Service is always at a cost: time, energy, talent, treasure, cash or kind. According to scriptures being a servant means giving up my rights for others Phil 2:6. Being a servant means becoming less so others can become more Phil 2: 7.Servanthood means being obedient whatever the cost Phil 2:8. We tend to look for that one BIG experience where we can demonstrate our faithfulness to God, demonstrate our servanthood by giving of ourselves in some heroic fashion. But in reality, genuine service happens in the small, everyday, somewhat uneventful occurrences of our lives. Being a servant is more about being than it is about doing, just like giving is about the heart not what is given. There is a beautiful paraphrase of 1 Corinthians 4:2 in The Living Bible which reads like this: "The most important thing about a servant is that he does just what his master tells him to.
What is the correlation between service and greatness?
Service has a purpose both for the person serving and the person being served. Jesus explained this in scriptures. “Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28 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.” Matt 20:26-28 NIV “The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” Matt 23:11-12
What does God demand
God wants people who will worship him in truth and in spirit. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. John 4:24. “And ye shall serve the Lord your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee. Ex 23:25. And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul. Deut 10:12. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Ps2 :11. Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: Heb 12:28
The Value of service. It is very difficult to place value on service. The value of service is generational.
Take for instance the case of Abraham’s servant when he was told to get a wife for Isaac. When he got to that land, he prayed, “Lord, God of my master Abraham, make me successful today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. 13 See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. 14 May it be that when I say to a young woman, ‘Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too’—let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.” Gen 24:12. Rebecca came along, she gave water to Abraham’s servant and ten Camels! That service made her to become a part of God’s plan to establish the nation of Israel as we know it. I remember I went out of my way in the production department of Warri Refining Petrochemical Company (WRPC), a subsidiary of NNPC, I took up a challenge of the technical department to carry out a research to produce another grade of polymers, which led to my earning a doctorate in Chemical Engineering. This was the open door for me to do a post-doctoral research at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST) from where God opened the door for my migration to Canada, which led to starting the International Gathering of Eagles Ministry, which has given me the opportunity to minister in over 70 nations! Can you imagine all the designs, incidents and inventions? Most have originated from a willingness to serve, to do something. What service is God asking you to offer today? You may be denying a great impact for eternity if you don’t do it.
Essentials for serving God
If God desires that we serve him the onus is on us to obey God. But in doing so we want to do it in God’s way not ours. To do it God’s way is not to do it in the flesh but in the Spirit. To do it in the Spirt begins by being born again. Being born again leads to life transformation.
Life Transformation. Presenting yourself holy and acceptable unto God is your first and reasonable service. Peter the profane fisherman in Mt 26:74 becomes a man whose very shadow heals Acts 5:15. The restless demoniac Mk 5.5 becomes a quiet disciple Mk 5.15. John the vindictive Jew Lu 9:53-54 becomes the apostle of love1 Jn 4:7. The woman of Samaria with the unsavory reputation (had 5 husbands, co habiting with the 6th one) Jn. 4:17,18, becomes an evangelist of the true gospel. Saul, the blood thirsty persecutor Act 9:1, becomes Paul, the tender- hearted brother Acts 21:13. The cold- hearted Philippian Jailer Acts 16:24 becomes a sympathetic friend Acts 16:33. Rahab the professional harlot become the progenitor of Jesus Christ and shares the platform of faith with the likes of Abraham in the hall of faith – Heb. 11. Rahab became the mother of Boaz. Boaz married Ruth, Ruth gave birth to Obed, Obed gave birth to Jesse, Jesse gave birth to David, and Jesus is from the lineage of David!
Love is everything when it comes to obeying and serving God. We must be propelled by love. I read about an elderly Christian lady who was shut-in. She had two daughters, both Christians, who came by to clean and help out. Both made everything shine, but the first daughter left the impression that her task was an awful burden. The second daughter was cheery and made her mother feel loved. Both daughters did the same task, but the first did it out of duty alone. The second did it out of love for her mother. Her motive made all the difference. Jesus rebuked the church at Ephesus. They were doing many good things. They had persevered and endured for Christ’s sake. But they had left their first love for Him (Rev. 2:1-4). When Jesus restored Peter to service after his fall, He asked three times, “Do you love Me?” With that as a foundation, He said, “Tend My sheep” (John 21:15-17). Paul said, “… the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me” (Gal. 2:20). Love for the Lord Jesus, who gave Himself on the cross for me, should be the motive behind everything that I do for Him.
Ability. You need ability to serve. “If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen” 1 Pet 4:11. “For we are laborers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building” 1 Cor 3:9 .The Major ability you and I need for service is what God provides -the HOLY SPIRIT.
Cooperation. Most service requires team work. “Wethen, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.” 2 Cor 6 :1
Willingness. “Thy people shall be willing…The womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.” Psalm 110:3 “And the people blessed all the men, that willingly offered themselves to dwell at Jerusalem.” Neh 11:2.
Discipline. To serve God demands you discipline yourself. You either suffer the discipline of pain or that of regret. “Whoever heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.” Prov 10:17. “They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” Heb 12:10-11.
Cost. Nothing goes for nothing. Service is not cheap. Service is a sacrifice. Service is a function of time. Service may cost money, energy, even blood. Jesus paid the ultimate cost by dying on the cross for us. Hear David, “And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the Lord my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So, David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.” 2 Sam 24:24. Be willing to give money for the gospel. Money is needed for the gospel. It is good for you to sing in the choir, be an usher but remember it takes money to pay the bills, the staff. Before tithes are mainly for Levites, but not his generation. Let the gospel cost you. Lk 6:38
Others. God's project is of various kinds, varying from one degree of capacity to the other. God Himself knows that you are capable of handling any of His projects given you because He has deposited in you the grace to do so. Be courageous, committed, dedicated, and give it ultimate attention. Do not compromise, even when challenges surface. Also, do not neglect Prayer.
Completion. I don’t know where you are serving or where you will serve, but I want to say it is important that you imbibe the spirit of completion. When Nehemiah offered to serve to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, he completed it. Ezra stated “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you. Zech 4:9. Jesus saith unto them, my meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. Jn 4:34. “ I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do”Jn 17:4. Paul said “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith” 2 Tim 4:7. My you complete your life assignment in Jesus name.
You are Called to serve
One very important part of our walk with God is our service to God through the body of Christ; the church. It is important that every Christian identifies where they fit in the body of Christ in order to help them render effective service in God’s vineyard. Ephesians 4: 11-12 says “And he gave some apostles; and some, prophets; and some evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ”. This means that every believer has been called into a ministry in the vineyard. In understanding our ministry to help us render effective service to God, a man must be conscious of the gift(s) of the spirit that he carries (1 Corinthians 12:27-30). No one as far as the body of Christ is concerned is without a spiritual gift, only except if we haven’t taken our time to pay attention to it or rather discover it. And the good thing is that God gives everyone the ability and the talent for service. For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. 15 And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. Matt 25:14-15.
Areas of Service.
You can serve God and your generation physically, mentally and spiritually. When people say they don’t have a job, I think they mean they don’t have job that they want- or they have not put a name to what they are doing. People have left farming for white collar jobs. A stay home mum that is raising a child is serving humanity. If those children are not properly trained, they cannot become the Medical Doctor, lawyer or engineer, mother or father, pharmacist, lawyer, janitor, politician they eventually become.
Until you discover your purpose you cannot serve effectively. If you are at a job and you do not have peace, you are not pleasing God. If you are restless, that is not your natural habitat. Fish is born to live in water it doesn’t struggle. Man on the other hand is not meant for water.
In the church God gave broad guidelines for service -apostles, evangelists, prophets, pastors and teachers. Eph 4:11. In 1 Cor 12:27-28 one of the areas God mentioned we can serve is ministry of ‘help’. This is what we know now in the church setting as departments: choir, ushering, media, and many more. Other services include missionaries, sharing the word, following up new believers, frontline workers, and hospital ministry. Other services we offer that are major but not obvious, giving people a ride, helping new comers to countries to settle down by writing resumes, taking them in to live-in for months, donating to shelters, helping in orphanages, even politicians are offering service to humanity. Areas of service is practically endless.
Blessings we experience by serving others:
Veronica Sexton in an online discussion gave some blessings that come with service. I share them below:
1. We discover and develop our spiritual gifts. 1 Corinthians 12 compares the church to a human body. Just like our bodies are made of many parts serving specific functions, the church is made up of people with different skills and abilities. Alone these pieces aren’t very useful, but together we create something beautiful.
2. We experience miracles. In John 2, Jesus was at a wedding and the couple was running out of wine for its guests. He tells the servants to fill several big jars to the brim. When they served the water to the guests, it was wine! The guests never knew what happened; the servants were the ones who witnessed the miracle. The same is true for us when we serve.
3. We experience the joy and peace that comes from obedience. 1 Peter 4:10-11 says, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms... so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.” Serving is a form of worship, a way to express gratitude for what Jesus has done for us, and to share the love and grace we've been given.
4. We become more like Jesus. We shift our focus off of ourselves onto others through serving. We begin to see others as Jesus sees them. And we see Jesus in others (Matthew 25:40).
5. We become surrounded with other Christians who can help us follow Jesus. When we’re working side by side with other people, a bond inevitably forms. This was part of God’s plan for how the church is supposed to work. That’s why Hebrews 10:24-25 instructs us to “spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together… but encouraging one another.”
6. Our faith increases. As we move out of our comfort zones, God increases our faith by revealing new potential — in ourselves and in His Church. When we see what He can do when His power is at work within us, we begin looking for the doors He’s opening rather than pushing our way through the one’s He’s closed (Ephesians 3:20). When our faith increase, we do more exploits! Raise the dead.
7. We begin to experience God’s presence in new ways. Encouragement and healing go hand in hand. As we encourage others and they find healing, we’re encouraged. Many people who go on mission trips say they came home feeling like they got more than they gave.
8. Serving is good for your soul. Studies have shown that volunteering is so good for the mind and body that it can ease symptoms of stress and depression. Tapping into our gifts and passions build self-confidence, energy, and strength. Serving others can also be the best distraction from our own worries.
Conclusion. The story was told of an Old couple who went to serve in Africa as missionaries for years. When they got to the New York wharf to board the ship for their home state, they discovered that they were booked on the same boat as President Theodore Roosevelt, who was returning from a big game hunt. The president had people cheering him excitedly with pomp and pageantry when he boarded and disembarked. Nobody noticed this couple and the man also knowing he had no pension, no recognition was discouraged and felt bad towards God. While grumbling and complaining his wife wisely replied, “Why don’t you go in the bedroom and talk to the Lord about the whole thing?” He did and God said “My child, you’re not home yet.’”
I bet it is not only the old missionaries that feel they are not getting the attention, the praise, the awards, the recognition, the applauds, the pension , the cheers and accolades, Pastor Dada feels so sometimes and so do you, but God wants you to keep serving, “you are not home yet.” God answers such thoughts by saying- Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. John 14:1-3. In Lk 16 we read about the rich man who ended up in hell, not because he was rich but he did not serve God with his riches and poor Lazarus made heaven, he served in his poverty. God is saying as you serve or intend to serve “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” May you and I have as part of our rewards eternity with Christ, at the end of our sojourn on earth for that is the purpose of service! Shalom
