Service

 How many here wanted to grow up to be an astronaut, or maybe a doctor, or a professional athlete, or a movie star? Many little kids have huge dreams for their lives. Anyone here ever want to grow up to be a butler? I'm not sure I've ever heard that one from a kid. I was wondering how does one even become a butler - is there some kind of school? It turns out there is - Butler University... (Good night everyone, that's my time.)

Last week I talked about how we should serve our families - turns out I had more to say about being a servant. So today I wanted to think more about how we all should serve others. I want to start this morning by looking at a passage of scripture that talks about some individuals who willingly took on roles of service. I want to look at Acts 6:1-7 (NIV)...

In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. (2) So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, "It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. (3) Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom.

We will turn this responsibility over to them (4) and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word." (5) This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. (6) They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

(7) So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.

These men who were chosen to wait on tables were not placed in this position of service because they couldn't do anything else. These were faithful men, wise men, capable men - they could have, and did do many other important spiritual things. But they also willingly accepted the role of servant. They were called to minister to the physical needs of a group of widows. They were…

I. Chosen to serve

And those who were chosen gladly served because they knew their job was much more important than simply waiting on tables. They were honored that they were chosen to serve as if serving Jesus Himself. They didn't see their appointed job as a menial task, but as a privilege. They knew that they would be blessed by their service as much as they were a blessing to the ones they served. And regarding this specific kind of servants, Paul wrote this in 1 Timothy 3:13 (NIV)...

Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus.

Now I don't want to give the mistaken idea that by serving we somehow earn salvation, but you do gain this assurance that when you serve on behalf of Jesus - you are demonstrating your faith in Him; you're not just following in name only. And when you understand, Biblically, what it means to be a servant, servants are all about…

A. Meeting needs

The servant is preceded by the need. What I mean is that if there is no job – there's no need for a servant. If there is not an unmet need – there's not a need for a servant. The true servant only finds purpose in service; in meeting a need – in being used for purposes larger than themselves.

Now the phrase "being used" has negative connotations the majority of the time it's used. No one wants to be 'used' by someone else. But when it comes to God's Kingdom - Jesus always seems to have a way of turning things upside down.

Matthew 20:25-28 (NIV)

Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. (26) 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."

The rest of the world views service very differently than Jesus does. There's no power in service, there's no authority in service - service is more about submission. But when it's in submission to Jesus - service can be a very powerful thing.

I want to jump back to that passage again from Acts 6:2-3 (NIV)...

So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, "It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. (3) Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them"

I want to focus on the phrase…

B. All the disciples

This passage of scripture was about choosing 'servants' for a specific task - but all the disciples were expected to serve according to their gifts and abilities. Anyone who wants to follow Jesus is called to serve. We will all serve in different ways - but we should all be serving.

At most post graduate schools, when you graduate with a PhD - your doctorate comes with a certain level of respect and honor. For years, when one graduated with a degree in ministry or theology from Lincoln Christian Seminary - after you were handed your diploma, you were then given a towel. The towel was a visual reminder that your degree was not one of prestige, but as a servant. We are all called to serve.

I've heard it said that in an average congregation 10% of the people in a Church do 90% of the work. From my observation - I'd say we're better than average, better than that 10% figure. And I do know that there are some volunteers here that certainly do an amazing, over the top amount of work and service here. We have some genuine servant leaders among us and for that I am very grateful.

There are many who have found their place of service both on a Sunday morning and throughout the week. But again, all of us are called to...

II. Be the Church

You can go to the grocery store, you can go to the office, you can go to the movies – but you really don't go to Church. We are the Church. If you simply go to Church – Church is no different than attending a meeting of a social club or attending a sports event or a concert. You can go to a football game and sit as a spectator. You can go to these different events and reap the benefits simply by sitting and taking it all in. You can't be a spectator and be the Church. Being the Church brings with it the responsibility of service.

What's so different about the Church and any other organization or event? The Church was not established by human hands.

Matthew 16:13-18 (NIV)

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" (14) They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets." (15) "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" (16) Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

(17) Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. (18) And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it."

The Church is Christ's Church and the One who established the Church - Jesus - makes all the difference! And then, referring to Jesus – we find Paul's words in Ephesians 1:22-23 (NIV)...

And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, (23) which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

Jesus is the head of the Church. And He didn't design the Church, His body, to be passive. Jesus made the statement, "the gates of Hades will not overcome it." I always like to point out - gates are stationary – gates are fixed at the hinges. It's not supposed to be the gates pushing against the Church but the Church actively pushing against the gates. AND Jesus says those gates don't stand a chance! But that will only be true when the Church is active - when the Church is on the move!

And that's why I'm again encouraging you to be the Church - to encourage you to…

A. Go serve

We are the Church! And if we are not all involved in the ministry of the Church – we will not be able to accomplish everything that God has called us to. It's only when we all serve with whatever gifts God has given us, wherever He leads us – it is only then that the Church will accomplish the whole purpose for which He placed us here in the first place!

The Church isn't supposed to be just a 'building' that people in the community look at - but a positive force for good! We want to be useful rather than just ornamental. And we are - but we all need to be seen being active outside these walls every now and again. When you go to work, when you're running errands, when you go to the Dr.'s office, when you take your car to the mechanics - are you thinking just about your needs, or are you actively trying to 'Be the Church' out in the world? That may be a very different mindset than we usually have.

Back in Bible college, I was walking along with a man named Lynn Laughlin who was the head of recruitment at the time. As we were walking along the sidewalk, Lynn kept talking but swerved off the path and grabbed a discarded candy bar wrapper off the ground and shoved it in his pocket. I jokingly said something like, "So they demoted you to trash pickup?" And he said something to the effect, "I love the mission of this place, and if the parents of a prospective student came by and thought we didn't care - I'm not doing my job." After that, I found myself picking up random trash on campus and throwing it away.

There are lots of ways we can serve others in our community. It might be as simple as returning others' shopping carts left in a parking lot. Maybe it's helping someone stranded by the side of the road. I know in the past, some here have baked cookies and delivered them to the police department or fire department and prayed for them. And one of the biggest things we can do for others here - is pray for them!

Prayer is essential for us to have a real impact! Otherwise, we're just doing nice things - which is fine. But when we do these things bathed in prayer - it's then that we see ourselves as servants of Jesus. It's then that God can take that small gesture and turn it into a huge blessing!

Paul says in Ephesians 3:7-11 (NIV)...

I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of his power. (8) Although I am less than the least of all God's people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, (9) and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.

(10) His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, (11) according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Through our service to others we spread the message, we build connections and relationships. But I do want to be upfront with you. Being the Church will possibly be very tiring at times. Going to Church only takes a little time on Sunday, but being the Church – that takes a lot of hard work. And our service may require more of us than we think we could do. But when we offer ourselves to serve the Lord, God can accomplish great things - even through someone like me. God can't work, however, through someone who chooses not to serve.

So how do we change our everyday mindset and make serving a priority? The servants who I have seen that are the most successful are the ones who are…

B. Motivated by love

We don't do good deeds to get to Heaven; we do good deeds because we are going to Heaven! Our service must be motivated by gratitude, by love.

What sort of work does Jesus ask his servants to do? Love one another. He asks us to become servants and be willing to do just about anything, however costly or undignified a job it is. We talked about it last week - the example Jesus set at the Last Supper when He played the servant's role and washed the disciples' feet.

"Whatever you do for the least of these..." It's only through the power of God's Holy Spirit in us that we can ever hope to accomplish the kind of service that God desires from us.

So What?

I shared this story a few years back - Back when I was a youth minister, I took a group of students on a weeklong service project called "Mission Indy". We worked in various locations around Indianapolis - helping with an inner city VBS one day, working on a 'clothing drive' another and even helping rehab an old Church building right down the road from a crack house.

The day that we were working on the Church building, we took turns painting inside and cleaning up an adjacent parking lot. The lot had been neglected for years and had become overrun with weeds. While we were working - some rather rough looking guys were walking by wondering why we were working so hard in their neighborhood.

One of the "Mission Indy" workers told us that if anybody asked us what we we're doing to simply respond, with a smile on our face, "Pulling weeds for Jesus." As soon as we said that to even the hardest of the bunch – most got a huge grin on their face and one even stopped awhile and helped pull weeds for Jesus, too.

The most menial of tasks takes on a certain divine quality when it's done on behalf of God. Author A.T. Pierson wrote, "The supreme test of service is this... Is it work from God; for God; and with God?"

You are needed whether you believe it or not. I'm asking you to use whatever various talents and abilities that God has given you for His purposes. Our success doesn't come from our ability but in our willingness to serve. And when it's done for God's purposes - He will bless that service! Who knows, maybe you could pull weeds for Jesus? Pick up garbage or return shopping carts for Jesus? Pray with a police officer or firefighter for Jesus?

Maybe volunteer with Mark and Trish Reid for a project around the building? Or maybe volunteer with Cindy Ramsey to help with VBS? Ask God where He would like you - and serve!