What is a disciple: Serve

Introduction

We are continuing this week in the what is a disciple series. Last week we covered that disciples break generational curses. They rely on God’s power to change their future direction. They rely on God instead of the old ways that they knew before coming to God.

Today we will break this down into two sections I want to cover. First, there are two models a church may be based on: Consumer church and Servant Church. Secondly, we will cover the difference between a servant and one who serves out of love.

Two Church Models

The first topic we will cover is exploring the two types of church models we find today. While there are all different kinds of church models, the two I am focusing on today has to do with viewing servanthood in the church.

In the consumer model church, there are two underlying questions that drive serving. The first question is people approach the church with the attitude of what does this church do for me. In this model and attitude, people are focused on coming to church because they believe the church serves the purpose of giving them what they need and want. People will come to this church as long as they are being served. This is all based on viewing that the church’s role is to serve the people who are part of the church. The church is responsible for understanding and fulfilling the people’s needs.

If the church does not meet the needs then people will leave and search for another church that will meet their needs better than the previous church. Their passion and desires for this church are all based on what the church does for them. Does this church have the right programs to meet my needs? Does this church provide for the right worship that meets my needs? The focus of the consumer model church is about the church serving the needs of the people.

The second model church is the servant model church. While this is easy to say, it is different to live by. In the servant model church, it is the opposite of the consumer model church. In the servant model church, the people’s focus is how am I serving the church’s mission? How is my service or volunteering of my gifts, helping to meet other’s needs?

The two church models are opposite in that the consumer model church it is about the church meeting the people’s needs and the servant model church is about meeting the church’s needs and serving the mission of the church.

Which model church do you believe Jesus would want this church to be? I believe deep inside us there is a desire or a need to find a purpose in serving. God’s gives gifts in order to meet the needs of the body of Christ that the church is part of. When we use those gifts in order to serve others, we fulfill that deep desire in our hearts to find that true purpose in serving.

However, people sometimes misunderstand the difference between simply being a servant because that is your lot in life versus someone who serves because there is love in serving others.

Servant versus Serving

While it sounds like I am splitting hairs, there is a real difference between simply being a servant and dedicating yourself to serving others. In the passage in John, Jesus talks to the disciples calling them friend, no longer calling them servants because they are friends now.

What does that mean to be friends with Jesus? Jesus says the servant does not know what the master is doing. A servant just does what they are told without regard to what the purpose of the task is. When we simply turn into servants we are not caring about what Jesus is up to with the work we are doing.

A child doing a task has two ways of carrying out the request. They do something just because they are told to and are being obedient. Or another way is that they may question what they are doing to understand the purpose behind the request. Yes I know we all love playing 20 questions with children when we ask them to do chores. However, when you care about the goal behind the request, it helps motivate you more.

You too can simply do things because you are told to. You are told to come to church so you come to church. You are told to read your bible so you just read your bible. This is the servant, simply doing what you are told to without understanding the purpose behind the request or task. Yet this is not what Jesus desires of us.

Jesus commanded these disciples and us to love one another, even to the point of willing to lay down one’s life for another. This is the key to everything, to do what you do out of love. You love Jesus so you read your bible to get to know Jesus more through the written word. You love the church which is made up of your neighbors and when you do things for the church you do this out of love. You want what Jesus wants because you are motivated by your love of Jesus to fulfill his purpose. You are not simply doing things because you are asked but you are motivated because you understand why Jesus wants you to serve them out of love.

Jesus wants us to be friends with him and friends with each other. Jesus has commanded us to love as he loves. Jesus is motivated by love of his creation. We too should be motivated by Jesus love for us. As Jesus as loved us, we too shall love each other and serve with our gifts out of love.

In case you still have not researched your gifts, I am going to keep asking until you do. Why? Because Jesus wants you to know. Jesus wants you to serve by using that gift. The Holy Spirit gifts you out of love for you. The gift is given for the purpose of building up of the body of Christ. I want you to discover that same love I have discovered. Take the 15 minutes it takes to learn what your spiritual gifts are. Go to our website asburyumctn.org and click on the link.

It is hard to know where or how to serve if you don’t know that gift the Holy Spirit has given you. When you discover that gift and understand it better, you may find that you already are using it and didn’t realize it. Serving others with this gift comes naturally out of love. When you are asked to do a chore and you do it, you simply do it because it needs to be done. However, there is something that oddly flows naturally when using that gift for another that is not begrudgingly done but gladly done.

For example, people ask me to pray for them, and not just because I am the pastor. I pray for people during the week like my morning prayers, my lunch prayers, my mid-afternoon prayers, my evening prayers, my any other time I feel like praying or someone asks me to pray for them. I do this comfortably because I want to bring them before God. I want them to be healed when they are sick, I want them to be comforted when they are anxious or upset or sad, I want them to be set free when they feel trapped. The desire for them to be brought before God and for God to hear and answer the prayer comes naturally.

I was not always this way believe it or not. I struggled for years with this. I struggled for years with the idea of the gift of healing. I doubted it often. I even reached the point to where I believed others could pray for healing and if I was not involved, then it could happen. Doubt loves to creep into us and paralyze us.

God changed me though and helped me to understand healing is such a broad concept. God sees us in a wholistic way. how I used to see healing in the past and how I see it today is much different. Today I am much more comfortable because I understand better that God is faithful to answer prayers of healing. We can see it too when we don’t box in what healing is as far as one thing in that person’s situation.

We remember the story of the paralyzed man being brought before Jesus by his friends. Jesus did something very unexpected in that situation. He first told him his sins were forgiven. This was more important than his physical situation. Jesus looked at him holistically and saw the sin condition. Some may theorize the spiritual issue of sin caused the physical issue of paralysis but we can only speculate as the text does not give us any explanation for Jesus’ actions or reasoning for doing what he did. What we can see is that Jesus saw the sin condition and set him free. We see that the man was no longer paralyzed physically. Jesus provided the healing he needed which was both physical and spiritual.

While I sound like a broken record, I cannot stress enough the importance of beginning that journey of discovering your spiritual gifts. Even if you took the test a few years ago, I encourage you to take it again. Take the test every year. What happens is that over time gifts can change. The purpose of the gifts is to build up the church and build up the body of believers. What is needed can change over time so the gifts change over time. How you were serving in the past may not be what is needed today. How you served in the past may still be the way you serve today. You won’t know the answer to these questions unless you take the test.

Knowing your gifts sets your feet on the right path for serving, for serving out of love for God and neighbor. This is what Jesus commands all of his followers. If we are to take serious Jesus’ call on your life, then take serious his commands. If you are to be a follower of Christ then pick up the cross and follow Jesus daily. Focus on getting to know God through the written word and prayer. Focus on learning your gifts to serve in the body of Christ.

I ask you today that if there is anything holding you back, lay it down at the altar. If there is something making you worried or concerned, come and lay it down on the altar. If you are upset or angry, come lay that down at the altar. If you are sad and missing loved ones, come to the altar to be comforted. If you feel confused and uncertain what to do, come to the altar and ask God what to do. If you feel unworthy that the Holy Spirit has not gifted you, come to the altar and ask to feel worthy. Whatever is holding you back from taking that step of trying to figure out or confirm your spiritual gifts, lay it down at the altar today.