House of Serving
Philippians 2:3-8 NIV
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility
value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but
each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with
one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in
very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be
used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself NOTHING by
taking the very nature of a SERVANT, being made in human
likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled
himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!
Luke 22:24-27 NLT
Then they began to argue among themselves about who would be
the greatest among them. Jesus told them, “In this world the kings
and great men lord it over their people, yet they are called ‘friends of
the people.’ But among you it will be different. THOSE WHO ARE
THE GREATEST AMONG YOU SHOULD TAKE THE LOWEST
RANK, AND THE LEADER SHOULD BE LIKE A SERVANT. Who is
more important, the one who sits at the table or the one who serves?
The one who sits at the table, of course. But not here! For I am
among you as one who serves.”
Observations:
- Greatness begins with a humble heart.
“I was not created to be great in myself, but rather to reflect the
greatness of God through myself.” - A humble heart is formed through serving others.
- The more I serve others the more secure I am in myself.
Romans 8:7 MSG
Focusing on the self is the opposite of focusing on God. Anyone
completely absorbed in self ignores God, ends up thinking more
about self than God.
Three Areas to Develop the Heart of a Servant:
- Begin to SERVE the WORLD you live in.
1 Corinthians 9:19-23 MSG
Even though I am free of the demands and expectations of everyone,
I have voluntarily become a SERVANT to any and all in order to
reach a wide range of people: religious, nonreligious, meticulous
moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized—
whoever. I didn’t take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in
Christ—but I entered their world and tried to experience things from
their point of view. I’ve become just about every sort of SERVANT
there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life. I
did all this because of the Message. I didn’t just want to talk about it; I
wanted to be in on it! - Begin to SERVE the FAMILY you live with.
Matthew 7:12 MSG
“Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behavior: ASK YOURSELF
WHAT YOU WANT PEOPLE TO DO FOR YOU, THEN GRAB THE
INITIATIVE AND DO IT FOR THEM. Add up God’s Law and Prophets
and this is what you get.” - Begin to SERVE the CHURCH you commit to.
Five Levels of People in the Church:
- COMMUNITY: people who watch online or visit from time to time
- CROWD: people who attend church but never join (usually visit
many churches) - CONGREGATION: people who connect with one church but aren’t
deeply involved - COMMITTED: people who join church and serve, tithe, etc.
- CORE: people who go above and beyond to give, serve and lead
sacrificially in a church
Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJ
And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some
evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the
saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till
we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son
of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness
of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and
carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in
the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in
love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—
from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every
joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part
does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in
love.