Improving Your Serve!

“Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can and as long as you can.” John Wesley

    Did you hear the story about the set of identical twin boys born in Rome? They were given up for adoption immediately. One of the identical twins was taken to Spain where he was named, “Juan.” The other was taken to Saudi Arabia and he was named, “Amahl.” Juan and Amahl never knew each other during their lives, but when they became young men, they began to trace their roots and each discovered that he had a twin brother. So, they arranged to meet their biological families in Rome. It was an exciting day for all of the family members. They were at the airport as Juan arrived. They were so happy to see Juan; they greeted him as their long lost relative! Somehow though Amahl’s plane was running late, so, they had to leave. Somebody said, “You wait here and when Amahl arrives, bring him to our family reunion. They said, “Well, I’ve never seen Amahl before. How in the world will I recognize him?” They said, “That’s easy! If you have seen Juan you have seen Amahl!”

  In the Christian life, in the Church, there is no such thing as spiritual identical twins. We are all unique. No one is exactly alike. That’s why it’s so important for you to know that each believer is a gifted child of God. When you came to Christ, God gifted you to serve the Lord (1 Peter 4:10). Yet, how we serve the Lord falls into some typical categories.

   Some don’t serve. One pastor periodically noted by a name on his membership list in his study the letters “FBPO.” A friend’s curiosity got the best of him so finally he asked what “FBPO” meant. The pastor replied, “That means, ‘For burial purposes only.’ They’re a member of this church, but they don’t come. They don’t give. They don’t serve. Their name is on this church roll just so when they’re buried, their obituary will say, “He was a member of _______ Church.” FBPO. Every church has professing believers where we’d have to write FBPO beside their name. But there’s no retirement program this side of eternity. We’re saved to serve (Eph. 2:10). In the New Testament a local church is compared to a body. Every body part has a purpose. It’s also compared to a building. Every piece has a place. If someone is not serving and using their spiritual gift, one might as well write FBPO over his/her life. They’re disobedient and missing God’s calling on their life. It’s not safe to not use the gifts God has given you, as Jesus pointed out in His parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30).

  It’s tragic to watch the Lord chasten a believer that refuses to use what God has entrusted to them. There are also some telling symptoms of someone sitting on the sidelines. Typically, they’re sporadic in attendance, yet tend to be petty and critical. As they have little investment in the work of God, seemingly they justify it by fault-finding. Life for them is a selfie, yet it comes at a high price. Believers are saved to serve. Those who won’t often struggle with depression, loneliness and poor self-esteem. It’s nearly impossible to be emotionally healthy when one is self-absorbed.

  My friend, Scott Ziegler, bluntly says to such folk who attend his church, “If you’re not going to give or serve, please go somewhere else and leave that space for a lost person or someone who’s going to get involved.” 

  Some primarily serve reciprocally. It’s tempting to limit yourself to reciprocal service, yet you miss out on so much. Add to that, it obstructs your spiritual growth. Those who serve reciprocally serve in the nursery, children’s ministries, etc.…as long as they have children involved in those ministries. Afterwards, you’ll hear things like, “I did my time. It’s someone else’s turn.” Even older adults will focus on older adult ministries to serve.

  The Bible teaches that a church is a family. Every member is vital and needs to be involved in serving others. It’s why at Grace, we look for avenues for even children to be involved in service. And we encourage, where it’s appropriate, for parents to have their children serve alongside of them. Our sinful nature is narcissistic. Serving helps inoculate us against this malady. When I serve others where there’s no “payback,” it’s more easily done for God’s glory alone.

  A wonderful minority serve sacrificially. This is the biblical model. Someone who serves sacrificially serves as Jesus did. Only in eternity will their investment be fully rewarded. Like Jesus, they serve outside of their comfort zones. Think about it. What was “comfortable” about leaving heaven to come to earth in the Incarnation. What was comfortable about washing His disciples’ feet.

  The Christian life isn’t about playing it safe. The cross wasn’t safe. It’s about risk and putting it all on the line. Serving outside of our comfort spaces helps us grow in faith, as we’re more dependent on God’s enabling. We know too, the good that takes place is only of the Lord because we didn’t have it in ourselves. In nearly every church you know who these godly individuals are. If you ask, “Who are some of the most Christlike individuals in your church?” Invariably, their names come up.

  Every Christian can “help.” One spiritual gift listed out in 1 Corinthians 12:28 that’s available for every Christian is labeled “helping.” Even the youngest believer can “help.” It can be anything from picking up trash, setting-up or tearing down for a church function, watching children for a single parent, or helping someone move, or doing yardwork for a senior citizen. It could be as simple as dropping a note of encouragement. One of our best means of helping is prayer. We can all pray. Sometimes that’s the best help, particularly when we don’t know how to help, like when a friend has lost a loved one or is going through a time of suffering. 

  John Piper wrote a small yet powerful book every Christian should read, Don’t waste your life! Please don’t waste your life. Choose to serve. Invest in something that will count for eternity. Glorify God and show your gratitude for His great love to you by serving Him and serving others!

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.