Three Essentials To Christian Service

THREE ESSENTIALS TO CHRISTIAN SERVICE

Today, we are going to talk about Christian service.

One of the things that God require of us is to serve Him.

The command of Jesus is very clear: "Your attitude must be like my own, for I, he Messiah, did not come to be served, but to serve and to give my life." (Matthew 20:28 LB).

We are not to be served, but to serve.

We are to serve God and we are to serve others.

But in serving, there are a lot of misconceptions among Christians.

Many of us think that Christian service is only for those who have a lot of spare time in their schedule.

"Someday, I will try to serve God if I am not that busy."

"Probably when I retire, then I can serve God fully."

But if you are not able to serve now you might have difficulty serving then.

Serving therefore should be done as soon as possible.

You need not wait for your retirement to come before you can serve God.

Another misconception is that Christian service is only for the spiritually mature such as the pastors and leaders.

"I am still very young in the faith, I don't now how to serve God."

Again, that is a wrong thinking.

You can serve the Lord even though you are a new Christian.

How? By telling other people about Christ.

Tell them how good God is in your life.

Win them for Christ.

Be a good witness.

That is part of your service.

And if you are a growing in Christ, you should serve more.

Maturity is for ministry.

We grow up in order that we could give out.

It is good to learn more and more spiritual truths each time we meet here.

But it is not enough.

We have to act on what we have learned and claim to believe.

Impression without expression causes depression.

Study without Christian service will always lead to spiritual stagnation.

And so, let us learn more so that we could serve more.

Remember the old comparison between the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee?

Here is the Map of Israel where the Dead sea and the Sea of Galilee are located.

The Sea of Galilee is a beautiful lake 13 miles long and 7 miles wide filled with fish and surrounded by lush vegetation.

It is Israel's largest freshwater reservoir.

It is also the country's largest and most important source of drinking water.

It was the place where Jesus calls four fishermen to follow him to make them fishers of men.

The Dead Sea is 50 miles long and 11 miles wide but the shoreline is 1,500 feet below sea level.

Seven million tons of water evaporate from the Dead Sea everyday.

The salt content of the Dead Sea ranges from 25-35% making it ten times saltier than the oceans of the world.

There is no sea weeds or plants of any kind in and around the water.

There are no fish or creatures swimming or living in or around the water.

As a matter of fact, all you could see is white crystal of salt covering everything around the water.

A fish can accidentally swim into the waters from one of the several freshwater streams that feed the Dead Sea.

However, it is killed instantly and the body is coated with a preserving layer of salt crystal and tossed onto shore by the wind and waves.

It is the earth's lowest elevation on land. (423 meters below sea level.)

Because of the high salt concentration, people can easily float in the Dead Sea.

Here is the similarity between the two.

Both the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea are fed by the Jordan River.

If that is the case, why is it that the Sea of Galilee is beautiful and alive while the Dead Sea is barren and lifeless?

The answer.

The Sea of Galilee has an outlet.

The Dead Sea does not have an outlet.

Water flows through the Sea of Galilee.

Water flows into the Dead Sea but not out.

In the same manner, if you do not serve the Lord, you have no outlet and you will become like the Dead Sea.

If you do not serve the Lord, your life will become stagnant.

There is no flowing or running water.

Your Christian life becomes dormant, stationary, lifeless, static and idle.

But if you always serve the Lord, your life will be like that of the Sea of Galilee, fresh green vegetation always.

Always blooming, always budding, always flourishing.

Life is like that when you are in God's service.

Life is beautiful when you are in the center of God's will.

Christian service therefore should be the heart of our Christian faith.

Serving God should always be the main priority of every one of us.