I Will Not Let My Church Be about My Preferences and Desires

Christians can sometimes act like demanding children who want things their way. But the strange thing about church membership is that we actually give up our preferences when we join. Don’t get me wrong; there may be much about our church that you like a lot. But we are here to meet the needs of others. You are here to serve others. You are here to give. You are here to sacrifice. As a church member, my motivation should not be to get my preferences to the top of the list. I am supposed to be last, not first. I am supposed to be a servant instead of seeking to be served.

33 Then He came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, “What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?” 34 But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest. 35 And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” (Mark 9:33-35)

I. The Servant Motif

A. Serving is important in the Bible.

The word servant occurs fifty-seven times in the New Testament. Sometimes it refers to a person who has that official role in a household. But many times it refers to the role we are to assume as Christians. Also, serve occurs fifty-eight times in the New Testament.

Jesus said we must be last of all and servant of all. That doesn’t sound like all the church members we may know. Many church members demand their preferences, their desires, and the way they’ve always done it.

B. Jesus said we are to serve.

We will never find joy in church membership when we are constantly seeking things our way. We will find the greatest joy when we choose to be last.

That’s what Jesus meant when He said the last will be first. True joy means giving up our rights and preferences and serving everyone else.

II. The Mind of Christ

A. Our Attitude.

One of the best descriptions of the attitude we should embody was written by Paul: 5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2: 5-11)

So what did Jesus do in these verses? He did not consider Himself equal with God as something to be used for His own advantage. He emptied Himself by assuming the form of a bondservant. He humbled Himself. And He was obedient to the point of death—even to death on a cross.

B. Our Example

Philippians 2 is not only a description of the obedience of Christ; it is an example for us to follow. We are to be servants. We are to be obedient. We are to put others first. We are to do whatever it takes to keep the unity in our church.

If we approach church membership from the perspective of entitlement, we have it upside down. You always ask first what you can do for your church. Then you will have discovered the joy of being last.