As a child I was never very good at the game “Simon Says.” You remember how that game is played don’t you? The leader plays the part of Simon, and everyone playing has to do what Simon says. Of course the catch is that you are only to do what Simon says when Simon says, “Simon says. . .” Whenever you would fail to follow Simons instructions, or if you did something Simon says without saying “Simon says. . .” then you’re out. I usually one of the first players out of the game being caught doing something that Simon would instruct us do without saying the magic words, “Simon says.” I also had a hard time getting my friends out when I played the part of Simon because I would give away when they weren’t supposed to do something with a pause followed by “Aahhh... do this” what ever that may have been. Now I have improved at this game with age, so if anyone is daring enough to take up a “Simon says” tournament, then you can count me in!
>> Children enjoy playing games. They will also use their imaginations pretending what life will be like when they are grown up. Children watch their parents and other grown ups and then pretend to be like them. Sometimes it’s scary how well they can put themselves into real life situations that they have observed. I’ve watched with awe as my children have pretended to drive the car, get married, have children, and go off to work (and it’s amazing how quickly their games are turning into reality).
Jesus says that unless you become as little children, you cannot inherit the kingdom of God (Mark 10:14-15). As believers we are supposed to “Follow the Leader.” We are not just playing a divine game of “Jesus says,” but we are expected to live like Jesus lived and obey His commandments. Easier said than done right?
Look with me at one of Jesus final moments with His disciples on the night He was betrayed in John 13. It is here that we find Jesus doing the unexpected, the Teacher, the Master, the One who is the Light of the world, the only begotten Son, the One who is Emmanuel–God with us, the Miracle Worker, the Creator of heaven and earth, God of very God, Jesus Christ takes the role of the servant and washes His disciples’ feet.
+ John 13:1-17 1It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love. 2The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. 3Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. 6He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?" 7Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand." 8"No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me." 9"Then, Lord," Simon Peter replied, "not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!" 10Jesus answered, "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you." 11For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean. 12When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. 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. (NIV)
Look again at what Jesus said in verses 12-17 and think carefully about what it means. The Message puts it like this:
✞ “Do you understand what I have done to you? You address me as ‘Teacher’ and ‘Master,’ and rightly so. That is what I am. So if I, the Master and Teacher, washed your feet, you must now wash each other’s feet. I’ve laid down a pattern for you. What I’ve done, you do. I’m only pointing out the obvious. A servant is not ranked above his master; an employee doesn’t give orders to the employer. If you understand what I’m telling you, act like it–and you will live a blessed life.”
Put simply Jesus is telling us, “live like I live; I’m giving you one simple rule to obey: follow my example. When you do that, you will be rewarded.”
What is the example that Jesus has set for us? What is His expectation of each of us as His followers? Christ’s example is more than just washing feet. If we believe that’s what Jesus expects then we should rename the church to be “Foot Washers Assembly of God” and place basins of water with towels at some significant location so that the world can see how well we are following Christ’s example. (Now don’t get me wrong, I believe that there is a place for a foot washing service within the local church; we’ve had such events here in the past. God can work powerfully in such services.)
If we are going to properly understand the pattern or example that Jesus has given to us we must look beyond His actions and see His heart. What is the heartbeat of Jesus that He wants each of us to emulate? Jesus expects us to have a SERVANT’S HEART. With a servant’s heart we can then like Jesus consider others as more important than ourselves and in turn meet their needs.
What does it mean to be a servant? In his book, The Jesus Style, Gayle D. Erwin described servanthood this way:
"A servant’’s job is to do all he can to make life better for others–to free them to be everything they can be. A servant’’s first interest is not in himself but others. . . Servanthood is a loving choice we make to minister to others." (Gayle D. Erwin, The Jesus Style, page 48)
Being a servant puts others at the front of the line putting others ahead of self. A willing servant’s heart does not consider the cost too great to meet as need. Nothing is too small or trivial for a servant to do. A servant knows that his life is not his own; everything a servant does is for the Master.
Servanthood is a LOVING CHOICE. Many of you should remember from the series “A Love Affair Between Christ and His Church” that when we share in a passionate relationship with Christ He will make us into a loving church. Love is not an emotional response to an individual; love is a reality of who we are because of our intimate connection to Christ. Jesus will make you into an “agape” lover, but love is still a choice.
God places His “agape” love within you by His Spirit. Within our hearts are the characteristics of a 1 Corinthians 13 love; “agape” love is a part of who you are. However, you must choose to love as Christ loves.
Remember when we come to Christ, He first makes us submissive. Our pride must be broken within us to make the right choice. When we choose not to be loving, when our hearts are hardened and unwilling to serve others our intimacy with Christ is broken. In other words: WE HAVE SINNED.
God provides a cure for our sin. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness”(NIV). As we acknowledge our sin turning from it through repentance, God forgives. We must choose to submit to Christ and in turn make the right choice to be loving–to be a servant.
Each of us must come to that place when we willingly lay down our lives and give everything to Christ––a full surrender. This is not something just for pastors, missionaries, or those working “full-time” in the ministry. Every believer must follow Jesus’ example and have a servant’s heart.
Some may think that the cost is too great, but think about what Jesus has done for you! John tells us that Jesus “having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of His love.”
Jesus would wash your feet for you; He would do for you what others wouldn’t do. Let that reality settle into your heart: God’s Son Jesus would serve you.
Jesus told His disciples, “you don’t understand what I’m doing for you, but later you will.” Jesus’ willingness to take the place of the servant washing the disciple’s feet prepared them to understand that Jesus death on the cross was for them. None of us will fully understand Christ’s love for us at the cross until we realize that He would wash our feet. Jesus humbled himself as a servant and put our need ahead of His comfort.
+ Philippians 2:4-8 4Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death–even death on a cross! (NIV)
Jesus became a servant and died for our sins–HE GAVE HIS ALL; HE HAD NOTHING MORE HE COULD GIVE. The scripture is clear. We are to follow Christ’s example and give our all as well.
Few of us will ever be called upon to give everything in a moment for Christ. In Acts 7 Stephen, one of those chosen as a deacon–a servant, had to lay down his life in a single moment for Jesus. As the stones were being thrown at Stephen–literally being murdered because he was a servant of Jesus Christ– Stephen saw heaven open and Jesus standing at the right hand of God to welcome his spirit into heaven. Instead many of us will have to give our lives to Jesus ONE PIECE AT A TIME.
With a servant’s heart we give our lives to the Lord one day at a time–literally from moment to moment. Think of it like this: imagine that the value of your life was equal to a $1 million dollar bill–and it’s yours! As I said few of us will ever be required to lay down that $1 million bill in a single moment and then enter into the glory of heaven. Rather we have to give our lives away only $1 or $2 at a time through small acts of service; maybe we might have to lay down $100 all at once, but that’s no big deal when you think about $1 million dollars.
Therein lies the problem. Satan will convince us that the cost is too great; the enemy will magnify the little that we are asked to give to others making it seem like a great loss. We lose sight of all that God has given to us and even more that for everything we willingly lay down to serve someone else, God adds it to our account in heaven. Jesus said, “Deposit your treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:20 paraphrase).
Don’t let Satan rob you of your life! If he can magnify the cost of having a servant’s heart, then you will find very little of your life has been saved for you in heaven. Jesus made it plain: “Give your life away for me–I’ll keep it safe for you in heaven” (Matthew 16:25 paraphrase).
Give your live to Jesus “one piece at a time,” “moment by moment.” Now I’m not saying that you withhold part of your life from Christ. Remember we have submitted to our Lord surrendering all to Him. A servant’s heart is willing to share the pieces of their life with other, because they know that their life is not their own.
When you become a willing servant who freely gives his life to the Master, you will discover that Jesus will add to your life with interest– that’s His promise.
Jesus tells us in John 13:17 that when we follow His example living out our lives with a servant’s heart we will receive a blessing. You can never out give God. When you start laying down your life $1 or $2 at a time you will soon discover that He has added interest to your life–the value has increased. This isn’t just pie in the sky imagination, or just warm fuzzy feelings. You have the blessing of God’s hand upon your life. This isn’t like the “hand of Midas” turning everything you touch into gold–it’s better. With God’s hand upon your life everything you touch as a servant takes on eternal value–the temporal becomes eternal.
Folks it really doesn’t get any better than that! When you are willing to surrender your all to God, He takes what many would think of as a sacrifice and holds it safely in heaven for you. That which you think you have lost becomes gain!
So what is it going to be? Will you follow Jesus example; will you do what Jesus says? If so then you have to become a servant–your heart needs imprinted with the patten established by Jesus, a servant’s heart.
What will a servant’s heart look like in our day to day life? You will consider others better than yourself. Pride will give way to humility; we will overcome our swollen heads and our repulsion to stinky feet. No longer will we see ourselves as too good to help, nor will we be afraid to get our hands dirty.
So are you ready to go home and start working on being a servant? Not too fast now! Before we close I want us to think for a few moments about what the church will look like when it is filled with servant’s hearts. Over the last two months we have talked about the church and the body of Christ. Today, I want us to ask ourselves, “Does our church follow the example Jesus set? Do we have servant’s hearts?”
To help you answer that question I want you to see what the church will look like when it is filled with servant hearts. Ask yourself if these characteristics are a part of our church–--a part of who you are.
>> But first I have to tell you that I like peanut butter. I’ve discovered that most people who enjoy peanut butter eat it in one of two ways: either they spread it on thin just for the taste, or they pile it on thick to enjoy the taste and the gooeyness too (that’s the taste that sticks to the roof of your mouth)! I like mine thick; I may not be able to talk for five minutes after a peanut butter and jelly sandwich!
▸ Now when we think about the church, some folks prefer the local church to be spread out thin–if we are going to be the church then we have to do everything. The problem in a small church such as ours is that when you’re spread out thin (a mile wide and an inch deep) you often have to give up quality for quantity. You may be able to touch a lot of people in many different ways, but all you give them is a little taste. It doesn’t always last. Many of you know from experience that when the church tries to do everything EVERYONE GETS TIRED.
▸ When it comes to the ministries within the church, I want them to be thick. What does that mean? Like peanut butter the has ministries that stick with you–a positive impression is made that lasts a long time. Everything should be done with quality and excellence to leave a lasting impression upon those who are touched by the ministry.
I believe that when a thick church reaches someone they stick to the church and the church in turn grows. How can our church become thick? We don’t try to do everything. Instead we do everything with excellence.
John Maxwell has said that leaders have followers. If a pastor believes he is leading a congregation, but no one is following him, then he’s just out taking a walk. I guess we’re about to find out if I’m leading the church, or just taking a walk.
Here are 10 characteristics of a church made up of people with servant’s hearts. If we have all 10 then we are well on the way; if not then I hope to lead some of you to be willing to have a change of heart.
1. The body is committed to one another in membership.
Membership in the local church is more than just joining an organization with your name on the “official register.” Membership in a local church is a recognition of the reality that we are all connected and united as on within the body of Christ. Through membership we enter into a covenant relationship with one another. Christ has brought us together and we commit to one another.
Lots of different folks attend our church, BUT MEMBERS WILL MAKE OUR CHURCH GREAT. It is the members who will take places of ministry within the church. If you have been attending our church for more than one year and are not yet a member then what’s holding you back? If God has indeed brought you to Praise A/G, then it’s time to make a commitment and find your place in ministry to make our church all God desires it to be.
As your pastor I won’t put just anyone into a place of ministry; God has joined the members of the body together and each one does it’s part. I have had people leave the church because they don’t believe they have to be a member, and that’s okay; they will find a church that will accept them in ministry without being a member. Praise A/G has a higher standard. If you don’t understand this or disagree, we need to talk personally.
2. The membership is committed to times of corporate prayer.
The church needs to pray together. Through times of corporate prayer God will direct the church as a whole. Unity within the church is strengthened as God knits our hearts together. Collectively our faith is renewed and built up. Through our times of corporate prayer we come to see the church as God desires it to be and then move in that direction. We need to remember, nothing with be done through our own strength or wisdom. The church will not grow because of some new program. The church needs to follow the leading of God’s Spirit!
+ Zechariah 4:6 “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,” says the LORD Almighty. (NIV)
3. The membership is committed without reservation to the Sunday Worship service.
The church must meet together regularly. That’s not my idea; that’s Bible (Hebrews 10:24-25)! We need to stop making excuses for not attending worship regularly. WHEN YOU ARE NOT HERE, OUR BODY IS DEFORMED–THE FINGERS OR EYES ARE MISSING. (Remember, your pastor loves you!)
4. The membership expects guests and welcomes them as a part of the “family.”
On a Sunday morning, you should not go out of your way to see the friend sitting across the room, you need to be hunting for visitors and making them welcome. If we don’t go out of our way to make new folks feel that they are a part of our family, then they will take the hint that they are not welcome here and leave.
5. The membership provides for the needs of children and their parents during the worship service.
Can I put this simply: Jesus welcomed children, so shouldn’t we? If we are going to see our church grow, then we absolutely must provide for the needs of children, and that begins in the nursery. When infants and preschoolers are here, WE SHOULD TAKE CARE OF THEM. Mom and Dad didn’t come to church to take care of their kids; they could have done that at home.
6. The membership gives their tithe to the local church and gives as the Lord enables and directs offerings both to the local church and other ministries.
The Bible says, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse” (Malachi3:10)–the storehouse is the local church.
7. The membership and pastor is strengthened as each one uses their gifts to fulfil the work of ministry at the church.
There are some things that have to be done and I can’t let them slide, but some of those things could be done by someone other than the pastor. The pastor has three primary jobs: [1]preacher/teacher; [2]the vision caster for the church; [3] disciples, trains and cares for the leadership. That list does not include things like bookkeeper, secretary, publisher, grounds keeper, or janitor. The more time I spend doing thing others could do, the less time I have for what is really important–therefore the whole church suffers a little at a time.
8. The membership and pastor perform pastoral care duties in partnership.
It’s a fact of the ministry–one person can only give care to 50 to 100 people; that’s why so many churches remain under 100. The pastor is expected to care for everyone. Would you join hands with me to care for one another and all those God would entrust to us?
9. The membership is committed to building relationship with one another through small groups both within the church and from house to house.
As I said earlier, Sunday morning is not the time to build our relationships within the body, that’s the time to include new folks. If we are going to grow in relationship with one another, then we must meet together beyond the four walls of the church. Are you willing to make a commitment to others?
10. The membership commits themselves to discipleship, growing in their personal relationship with Christ through corporate Bible study.
You and I aren’t going to learn to walk the walk by just hearing a sermon on Sunday morning; we need to interact and discuss God’s word together.
Conclusion:
How did we do on these 10 characteristics? None of these focused on programs; they focused on what is in our heart. If these things are in our hearts, then our programs/ministries will be first rate–they will be thick and folks will stick!
We need to apply these characteristics in three areas:
1. Sunday Morning Worship,
2. Wednesday or a Mid Week time of ministry,
3. Fellowship Groups–house to house.
