Selfless Service

But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

The foundation is Love God/Love Others

Last week we started discussing our values here at Renew

We started with Passionate Pursuit

This week it seems fitting that one of our core values would be Selfless Service

I want us to become a church known as the church that is finding a way to serve Saline County!

I want people to see us and know that we are passionate for God and Serving our community

We laid out a vision and one of them was a “Neighborhood Renewal”

We are going to adopt a street!

This starts this week!

Start with Lora Drive

We are going to go out and find ways to serve this street!

But we are going to pray for them daily

Put them on your prayer list!

Part of this has always been Big Serves

5th Sunday

But I want us to do MORE!

SERVE MONTH

This is your opportunity to serve!

To find ways to serve on a daily basis

Look for people around you

Find places to serve the community

Your friends etc

We are going to have opportunities to serve throughout the month as well

On Lora Dr

With others

Find places to serve and let us know!

Let’s serve together!

Why Do We Do This?

Free Servants

Galatians 5:13 ESV

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

What is this freedom that we have?

We are free to come and go as we please

It is freedom from the bonds of sin

Free to worship

We are not enslaved to anything!

Or are we?

Our freedom has come from Jesus

Galatians 5:1 ESV

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

While we were born sinners, because of Jesus we are free!

We use this freedom to serve others around us

It’s because of this freedom that we are able to serve

Nothing holding us back!

This freedom from the flesh causes us to lose the selfishness that we have and look outward to those around us!

Not what is convenient or beneficial for me but what I can do to reach those around me

They need to hear of the freedom that has set us free

That those things that are holding onto them can be released because of Jesus

We all have a freedom story to share

We have to go to them and share it!

Meet Them Where They Are

1 Corinthians 9:19–23 ESV

For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.

Paul was wiling to become all things to all people so that he could reach them

He met them in their element

There are a lot of people that will not step foot in this building first

Church hurts, misconceptions based on the media etc has driven them from church

We have to go to them

This is why we are doing the neighborhood renewal

It is easy to speak to someone in their element

They are comfortable and receptive

This is where the serve and love until they as why comes in

We may not get to share the first time or the second time

But we want to reach out to them as many times as it takes to get them to as why

Problem with street evangelism is there is no relationship

Just like in sales, people will listen to you if they like you and they can trust you

We must find them in their element

Meet them where they are but love them too much to let them stay

We can find them in what they are in but we cannot let them stay

Liberal churches - come as you are and find your truth

Conservative churches - clean up before you come

Renew - Come as you are. Become who you were made to be

It is our responsibility to meet them where they are

But our love for them MUST drive us to push them farther

That is my desire for each of you and for every person who walks in those doors

Why Is This Important?

Love God. Love others

That is the foundation of the gospel and this church

Our love for God drives us to serve.

Galatians 5:13 ESV

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

We have been made free because of Jesus

Because of Jesus, we serve!

The month of February is a month dedicated to love

I want us to show those around us the love of Jesus with that serve and love mindset

Where Do We Go From Here?

Do you need freedom

I want us to show those around us the love of Jesus with that serve and love mindset

Who can you serve today?

Meditate -

Galatians 5:13 ESV

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.