In our weekly blog we’ve been considering some of the ways God enables our growth in our relationship with Him. This week we will consider how service of Christ and His church helps us grow. Since service is such a broad concept that could encompass things from what we do to serve our church, to our community involvement in service organizations, I want to narrow this down to two areas of service in our GCC Core values, and talk about how they help us grow in grace.
First, we serve one another in obedience to Christ in Gospel Centered Community. The clearest picture of this is in Ephesians 4:1-16. This passage demonstrates a simple fact: we need each other to grow and mature in Christ. Passages that say a similar thing include Romans 12:3-8 and 1 Corinthians 12 and 14. We each have gifts and abilities to offer one another in the body of Christ. We cannot grow and mature as we should without the ministries (service) of others in our lives. Additionally, we can’t be all that God intends us to be without using our gifts and abilities in service of other disciples.
We should avoid putting a rating or score on gifts and abilities. Preachers aren’t ultimately more important than people with mercy gifts. One may be more public, but both are useful and necessary. It would be easy for someone to diminish a less public and obvious act of service than one that is more up front. Several of our members use their gifts with our ministry partners, such as Love INC or the Pregnancy Centers of Central Virginia. These members are very quietly on the front lines of ministry, saving lives and sharing Christ. That ministry is vital in part because of its confidential nature.
The benefit of serving is abundant. I bless others in Christ’s name when I serve them. They benefit from it and are nurtured in Christ. I grow in my relationship with Christ when I serve because I’m aligning with His will for me, and His Spirit is working in me and on me as He works through me. Of course, as Romans 12:3 discusses, we each must be humble about our limitations. In addition to serving, I am humbled when I acknowledge that I need others to express their service to Christ on my behalf as well.
Consumer or Disciple?
Heeding the call to serve Christ helps me break out of a consumer mindset and live a disciple lifestyle. It is quite normal when searching for a church home to do so in a consumer mindset. You weigh the benefits and costs of the various local churches in our area. Which church doctrine most aligns with your own beliefs? Which preaching is most attractive to you? What ministries for my family does this church offer? I think most people consider those things. At some point I must mature and realize that I am also needed somewhere. I mustn’t treat the body of Christ like a restaurant choice. I need to plug in somewhere and serve, for the health of others as well as myself. Moving toward a service mindset is the mindset of a disciple. I pray that you may mature and grow as a servant of Christ.
The second GCC core value related to service is that of Gospel Witness. This core value states that disciples are called to make new disciples (sometimes called evangelism) and help them grow as disciples. This kind of service moves me outward from myself and my own home, outward from my local church and her needs, and into the world of those without Christ. While not many of us are gifted and persuasive evangelists, we all have ways we can serve the Lord in helping spread the good news of Christ. For some it may be as simple as a cup of coffee and some cookies with conversation. Where the opportunity arises, you speak about the Lord and explain what He has meant in your life. You offer yourself to your friend if they ever wish to discuss this.
Some members may serve primarily through regular prayer for the advance of the gospel. They take the church bulletin and pray for the work of the gospel around the world as laid out in the weekly prayer section and missions emphasis in the bulletin. This is one way that busy moms and seniors may get involved in gospel witness.
A friend of ours once had a house full of teens every week in her home for Bible study. She is an outgoing and enthusiastic person with a vibrant faith in the Lord. She used her home and hospitality as a platform for serving these young people with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Again, as in the service mentioned above, both the person receiving this is blessed (even if it takes a while for them to see it), and I am blessed by Jesus as I heed His call to reach all nations, beginning in my own world. Obedience and fruitfulness are closely connected in John 15:1-10. I think the progress is like this - I grow good fruit in close union with Christ, and obedience reflects the presence of such fruitfulness and encourages its greater growth.
Imagine a football team with only 11 active players. That is the number of players on one team in football. But the team must have many other players to be successful. Most players only play on offense or defense, and there must be extras for special teams and injuries. A team with 11 players would be exhausted and at great risk of injury. Thinking of the team with 11 players, what if they looked and saw the stands filled with gifted athletes in uniform - all sitting in the stands. How those poor 11 players would look longingly into the stands, hoping for a rest. Such is where we can find ourselves in our local churches. Some of our most gifted people are sitting it out. They don’t grow as they might because they aren’t “in the game.” The rest of us don’t benefit from their help, and are exhausted doing the jobs for which others are best designed to fill. I hope someone is reading this who realizes it’s time to grab a helmet and get in the game. Your church staff is eager to help you find your place!
In Him,
Don