Service

A partnership is when two or more people affiliate together for a common cause or venture. It is a collaboration of assets, efforts, and skills for the purpose of making a profit or an important accomplishment.

Peter was a man who, like all of us, was hindered by his flesh. He often spoke too soon, made promises he could not keep, and allowed his temper to get the best of him.

We know that Jesus had a great passion for the lost: “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). Christ’s main passion and overwhelming burden for the lost was that they would be saved.

Leadership—especially spiritual leadership—involves shepherding people. It involves connecting hearts with the life-changing truths of God’s Word. This requires a Spirit-filled leader with a heart large enough for people. It requires a leader who sees management as necessary to leadership but not defining of leadership.

It’s hard to believe that we are already entering another summer season of ministry. Depending on your occupation and age, the word summer likely holds varying connotations for you. If you are a student, it means vacation! If you are a teacher, it means preparation. If you are a farmer, it means work.

Time after time in the Bible, we find God providing an abundant blessing for one of His servants, then immediately exhorting that servant to be a blessing to others and to glorify His name. We see this principle when God blessed Abraham, then immediately said, “Thou shalt be a blessing.”

The following list will provide some practical reasons for serving. Keep in mind that this list is far from exhaustive, but provides some compelling motivations for serving our great God! Why, then, should I involve myself in the ministry?

You’ve heard it said: In life there are two groups of people—givers and takers. The titles are self explanatory: givers invest, and takers seek to be invested in. Every Christian should be a giver, but those in the ministry should especially be givers. We should be investing our lives in others.

One of the most seductive traps into fleshly ministry is the belief that we must gain God’s acceptance by our accomplishments. The accomplishments might even be spiritual goals—winning souls, building a Sunday school class, raising godly children. But if we undertake them to gain the Father’s acceptance, we’re working in the flesh and missing the joy of the acceptance provided through Christ.

One of my favorite things about serving the Lord as a missionary in a country that does not have a Christian heritage is that virtually everything in the Bible is new to the people. Sadly, many Christians who grew up with the Bible eventually get bored with the Bible. I don’t think it has to be that way, but oftentimes it is.

God sees more in us than we see in ourselves. While we see our own insufficiencies, He sees His ability to do mighty things through the lives of those who will take Him at His Word.

The story is told of a struggling community who called an open town meeting to discuss their financial straits. Included in the group of a couple dozen people at the meeting was a stranger. No one knew him, and no one paid him any attention. In fact, once when he tried to speak up, he was interrupted as the townspeople continued to hash out possible solutions. Soon the stranger left.

The highest model of leadership is cloaked in the lowest forms of humility. Specifically, servant leadership was set and demonstrated by Christ Himself when He left Heaven’s glory and “took upon him the form of a servant” (Philippians 2:7).

I am uncomfortable with the expression that teenagers are the “church of tomorrow.” Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure well meaning people imply by those words that teenagers will one day be the adults that populate our churches and serve as leaders in our ministries.

If you are an adult Bible class leader, you are probably good at serving people. You are willing and able to help people grow in their Christian walk. You have already accepted this as your responsibility and privilege. But is your class also serving?

Service is a part of a Christian’s DNA. It is built into our new nature.Eagles are made to fly, wolves are made to hunt, canaries are made to sing, moles are made to dig, and Christians are made to serve.

Substituting service for prayer was a concern for the early church. The leaders were concerned about allowing the distribution of food to the widows to dominate their schedule.

In the business world many catch phrases and buzz words arise. Several years ago I started hearing about paradigms (pair-a-dimes). I’m a simple kind of guy, an Alabama boy at heart.

The command to love one’s neighbor appears ten different times in the Scriptures. At Lancaster Baptist Church, we have set aside a special week to devote special attention to following these instructions.