Journey With Jesus: Serving Like Jesus
Introduction
In our journey with Jesus we have studied… The foundation of the disciple’s life, the Beatitudes. The source of authority, Jesus is Lord. The divine help we receive, the Holy Spirit. Today we move further into our study to talk about one of the key qualities of discipleship - a life of service.
John Wesley wrote, “One of the principle rules of religion is to lose no occasion of serving God. And, since he is invisible to our eyes, we are to serve him in our neighbor; which he received as if done to himself in person, standing visibly before us.” Matthew 25:45 “Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.” Galatians 5:13 “…Serve one another in love.”
The words translated “serve,” “servant,” or “serving” appear over 300 times in the NT. Ephesians 2:10 NIV "For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Being a servant so often goes against our usual way of thinking. We prefer to be served, to have things our way. Service can be time consuming. Service can cost us money. Service often requires sacrifice.
We most learn about service by looking at Jesus! He not only served, but declared himself a servant. Luke 22:27b “But I am among you as the one who serves.” Mark 10:43-45 But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave[e] of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
1. Five Attitudes of Service
Humility - reject self-centeredness
Jesus presented a self-less model of servanthood. Philippians 2:2-5 NLT “…Make me truly happy by agreeing
wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.”
Readiness - Equipped and Ready to serve
Charles Kingsley: “Have your tools ready and God will find you work.” Romans 12:6-8 “Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
Awareness
We have been saved for a life of good works that match our abilities. 1 Corinthians 7:7 “…But each has his own gift from God, one of one kind and one of another.”
Love: Service is Love.
William Ward: “Service is love made visible.” (Via McLellan). Galatians 5:14 “For the whole law is fulfilled in one
word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” Being a servant requires both dedication and wisdom - the
willingness to serve and understanding your own boundaries of what you can do.
Growth
Foster: “Nothing disciplines the inordinate desires of the flesh like service, and nothing transforms the desires of the flesh like serving in hiddenness.” When we are servants we find our attention being focused on others and not simply on ourselves.
Some Actions of Service to Consider
Consider the small ways of serving make a big difference in our world. Richard Foster suggests acts of service such as…
-Guarding the reputation of others - refusing gossip.
-Common courtesy - giving people the time of day - acknowledge others.
-Listening - requires compassion / patience.
-Bearing the burdens of each other (Gal. 6:2)
-Sharing the Word of Life with one another.
-Foster suggests, “Begin the day by praying, ‘Lord Jesus, I would so appreciate it if You would bring me someone
today whom I can serve.’”
Keep your Eyes Open for Opportunity.
1 Peter 4:10-11 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
-Offer your gifts
- Offer grace
- Offer words of truth
- Offer service
- Offer glory to God
Donald Whitney - “Beyond the church walls, serving is baby-sitting for neighbors, taking meals to families in flux, running errands for the homebound, providing transportation for the one whose car breaks down, feeding pets and watering plants for vacationers, and - hardest of all - having a Servan’t heart in the home. Serving is as
commonplace as the practical needs it seems to meet.”
Remember the Motive
Matthew 22:37-39 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
Is there already a ministry that I can plug into or do we need to begin serving in new ways?
What can I do as an individual to contribute to the spiritual health of the congregation? Do I have to wait to be asked?
Conclusion
Matthew 5:16 NLT “Let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”
Malcolm Muggeridge: You know, sometimes … someone asks me what I most want, what I should most like to do in the life that remains of my life, and I always nowadays truthfully answer - and it is truthful - I should like my light to shine, even if only very fitfully, like a match struck in a dark, cavernous, night and then flickering out.” (Via McLellan)
3. We are saved to serve and saved to love. The journey with Jesus is a journey of service. The Daily Trek of Discipleship is one of serving and loving others.
4. This is because Jesus is our example, and he teaches us to serve and love. It’s easy to get sidetracked into our own concerns, but the Jesus Way is to be focused on others.
5. Psalm 100:2 Serve the Lord with gladness!
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Questions for Discussion
1. Who can share a time when someone served you? Was it difficult or easy to receive that kind of attention from someone else.? Have you ever been served by someone in secret - you didn’t know who blessed you?
2. What kinds of things keep us from serving as we should?
3. Richard Foster wrote, “Nothing disciplines the inordinate desires of the flesh like service, and nothing transforms the desires of the flesh like serving in hiddenness.” What do you think he means by ‘serving in hiddenness’? What makes it hard to serve in ‘hiddenness’? How does that relate to the ‘desires of the flesh’?
4. What are some areas where our church is always needing servants to help? Are there areas you would like to help but there doesn’t seem to be a ministry operating?
5. Being a servant requires both dedication and wisdom - the willingness to serve and understanding your own boundaries of what you can do. Why do we need to consider boundaries?
6. Here are several ideas about how to put service into action. Which ones have you consciously tried to do? What sounds like something you’d like to start doing?
- Random Acts of Kindness
- Pray for others who are in need.
- Volunteer
- Check-In on Others: Reach out to friends, family, or neighbors.
- Share Your Skills: cooking, fixing things, tutoring
- Donate: Declutter your home and donate
- Consider donating blood or contributing to a charity.
- Smile: A genuine smile can lift someone’s spirits.
7. What else did you want to talk about today?
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Resources
Foster, Richard. Celebration of Discipline, 20th Anniversary Edition.
Harper Collins, 1998.
McLellan, Vernon. 20th Century Thoughts That Shaped the Church. Tyndale, 2000.
Rose Book of Discipleship. Rose Publishing,
Sanders, J. Oswald. Spiritual Discipleship. Moody Press, 1994.
Smith, James Bryan. The Good and Beautiful Community. InterVarsity Press, 2010.
Whitney, Donald S. Spiritual Disciplines For the Christian life. Navpress, 1991.
