Going Beyond Everyday Service

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. (1 Cor 15:58)

As Christians we are called to serve others.  We are called to serve God (1 Sam 12:24, Deut 13:4, Jn 12:26, Rom 12:11), our family (1 Tim 5:8), our neighbor (Mk 9:35), even our enemies (Lk 6:27-28).  Some find service comes naturally to them; others, and I think most of us fall into this category to some degree or another, have to work at it.

Service comes in as many shapes and sizes as there are people and places to serve in the world.  Here are a few ideas:

Volunteering at a local homeless shelter or soup kitchen

Long or short term mission trips

Walking a pet

Visiting the elderly or shut-ins

Helping out at your local church

Washing a car

Running errands for a friend

Shoveling snow or mowing grass

Auto repair

Teaching new skills to others

And this is just a scratch on the tip of the ice berg.  My point here is that there is no shortage of opportunity to serve and we all have skills and gifts can make us a great fit for something somewhere.

When to serve is as varied as how to serve.  There is not a set time or place in which to best serve.  In fact, some of the best experiences are when the opportunity arises with little to no warning.  Something amazing happens in our hearts when we are able to take our minds off of ourselves and step up and take action to help another person.  There is also something to be said if you can do something for someone where they don’t know and won’t know who did it for them.

The attitude we have while serving is important because it is not just an individual or group we are serving but first we are serving God.  Paul tells us, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” (Col 2:23-24).

The other day while reading the devotional Reflecting the Glory by N.T. Wright, another concept in serving others jumped out at me from what he said concerning John 15:12-17.

John 15:13 reads, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”

It is not uncommon to here this verse referenced at the memorial service for a member of the military who died protecting his fellow soldiers or who gave his life in service to his country.  This strongly touches my heart because one of my grandfathers was killed in action over France in World War II.  You may have also heard this verse referenced in discussions of Christ’s ultimate sacrifice for us when He died on the cross for all of humanity. 

Take a look at the author’s take on this verse:

“Jesus is talking about the self-giving of an entire life, minute by minute, day by day, year by year.  It is easy for us to be cynical about genuine love, to imagine that people are acting merely from a desire for status, for good reputation.  What Jesus is describing goes deeper than any self-seeking, deeper than any self-serving.  It simply wants to do the utmost possible for the beloved, up to and including the point of giving its own life.”

Although this verse is talking about making the ultimate sacrifice for another, it also points us to another level of service.  I think this gives a new and higher meaning to putting others before yourself. 

As we continue in our journey in this life we never know if and when we may be called to make the ultimate sacrifice for another but until that time may come we can definitely serve others on a higher level.

LIVE by Example

Then this Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king gave thought to setting him over the whole realm.  (Dan 6:3)

In my previous post I talked about the impact Jesus has had on the world.  How He lived that example.  There are a number of other people in the bible we can learn from, here are a few:

·         Joseph didn’t give up despite being sold into slavery by his bothers, being sent to prison after being falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife, and being forgotten by the butler until Pharaoh had a dream. (Gen 37-41)

·         Peter, James, John and the other apostles sat at the feet of Jesus before being instrumental in the growth of the early church. (The 4 Gospels and the Book of Acts)

·         Paul, even with all the difficulties he faced, shared the gospel with the gentiles of his day. (Book of Acts and the Pauline Epistles)

·         Gideon led a small army. (Judges 6-8)

·         Noah built a boat. (Gen 6-8)

·         Moses led God’s people out of Egypt, for 40 years in the wilderness, and to the Promised Land. (Books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy)

·         Nehemiah went home to rebuild a wall. (Book of Nehemiah) 

We know more about some of them than others, some had humble beginnings, and others had positions of influence before they heard God’s call.  All of them displayed faith in what they accomplished for God and gave us examples of how to live our lives.  They also made an impact on those around them and even an impact on the world.

There is one person in particular I would like to highlight as an example and the power a good example can have on the world.  That is the prophet Daniel.

After taking over the nation of Israel, King Nebuchadnezzar had several young men taken to serve in his palace.  Daniel was among these men.  These men were to be indoctrinated and trained in Babylonian affairs of state.

Daniel stood out early on when he made the decision not to defile himself and requested a different diet than was supplied by the king for himself and his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, who we know by their Babylonian names Shadrach, Meshach and, Abed-Nego. (Dan 1:8-12)

Daniel is later able to not only interpret a dream of Nebuchadnezzar; he is able to tell the king what the dream was, which none of the kings other astrologers, magicians, or sorcerers were able to figure out, even under the threat of death for failing to do so.  After Daniel did this, Nebuchadnezzar told him, “Truly Your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and the revealer of secrets, since you could reveal the secret.” (Dan 2:47)

Nebuchadnezzar again praises God after Shadrach, Meshach and, Abed-Nego are saved from the fiery furnace. (Dan 3:28-29)  How’s that for influence?  When the king (a pagan king at that) of a country that took over your own, and took you to serve in his court, is praising your God.

 

Daniel served under several leaders over his lifetime.  First Nebuchadnezzar, then his son Belshazzar mentioned in Daniel 5.  Daniel then served under Darius the Mede when he took over Babylon.  Throughout this time Daniel was blessed by God and continually distinguished himself amongst the other governors and satraps. (Dan 6: 3)

Jealousy from his peers led them to plot against Daniel by manipulating the king which resulted in Daniel being thrown into the lion’s den. (Dan 6:1-17)  After seeing that Daniel survived the night in the lion’s den, Darius had those that had accused Daniel, and their families, thrown into the lion’s den and then honored God (Dan 6:24-27) even decreeing that “men must tremble and fear before the God of Daniel.” (vs. 26)

 

We can see how Daniel had an impact on those around him and set a great example for us by not compromising himself and serving God.  Now, are you ready to take it to another level?

Do you know where the wise men who delivered gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to Jesus in Matthew 2 came from?  It is commonly held that they came from Persia and their knowledge of Hebrew scripture talking of a coming King can be traced back to the time of Daniel in Babylon.

I had heard about the wise men coming because of knowledge they had gained due to Daniel being in Babylon.  But it wasn’t until I received the following text from a friend talking about the wise men that really got me thinking.

“Imagine this… Live your life in such a way that 500 years after you die the weight of your vision motivates the descendants of your peers to travel hundreds of miles to see… THE KING OF KINGS.”

Talk about having an impact!  Living such a strong example that it leads others to act, several generations removed. That will blow your mind when you really think about it.

 

As we serve God, we will impact people’s lives.  In some cases we will witness the affect our actions have, in others we won’t.  But it really doesn’t matter if we see the results or not.  Allowing God to use us is more important than keeping score.  Let God take care of those details because you never know how and where He is going to use what you do to impact others.

One Solitary Life

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:5-11)

 

I came across this several years ago and found it again while doing some research.  It is called One Solitary Life and was taken from a sermon by Dr. James Allen Francis in 1926.

He was born in an obscure village

The child of a peasant woman

He grew up in another obscure village

Where he worked in a carpenter shop

Until he was thirty  

He never wrote a book

He never held an office

He never went to college

He never visited a big city

He never travelled more than two hundred miles

From the place where he was born

He did none of the things

Usually associated with greatness

He had no credentials but himself  

He was only thirty three  

His friends ran away

One of them denied him

He was turned over to his enemies

And went through the mockery of a trial

He was nailed to a cross between two thieves

While dying, his executioners gambled for his clothing

The only property he had on earth  

When he was dead

He was laid in a borrowed grave

Through the pity of a friend  

Nineteen centuries have come and gone

And today Jesus is the central figure of the human race

And the leader of mankind's progress

All the armies that have ever marched

All the navies that have ever sailed

All the parliaments that have ever sat

All the kings that ever reigned put together

Have not affected the life of mankind on earth

As powerfully as that one solitary life

 Definitely a different way to look at Jesus.  When we think about people that have impacted the world I think it is safe to say this is not usually what we look for in what they did or didn’t do.  In today’s society we look too much toward athletes, movie stars, musicians and the like but one has to ask, do they really make that much of an impact?  Yes, they are popular for a time due to their accomplishments in their field, but it doesn’t last.

Don’t believe me?  Without looking on the internet, list the top five most popular athletes, movie stars, and musicians from 10 years ago.  How many can you come up with?  Most of us might be able to come up with a couple.  Those that are big fans in a particular area might be able to come up with more, but not by much.  Too easy?  How about 20 years ago?  30?  Gets harder the further back you go doesn’t it?

True, some of these people have used their influence in a positive way to help with various charities and other organizations but I think most would agree it is not the majority.  Even with those that do, most of that influence gets diluted or even completely washed away by time.  Ultimately very few have a very far reaching effect on people’s lives, much less the world.

Why does Jesus have influence today, almost 2,000 years after He walked the Earth?  I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge that some of this influence is definitely because of who He is, the Son of God.  But I think it is much more than that.

Jesus taught us how to love one another and how to serve each other.  He demonstrated obedience to God’s will in His life and, through His death, fulfilled His purpose for coming to dwell with us.  Jesus showed us there is a better way to live our lives.  He also showed us we could have a relationship with Him.  And He did this not by just telling us how to do it, Jesus lived it.  Everywhere He went, in everything He did.

Jesus has had more impact on mankind for good than any other person.  Jesus changes lives because it is not just about serving God and those around us, it is about relationships that make us better people.

Jesus lived servant leadership and we are called to following His footsteps.  Allow Jesus to come in and change your life.  Live the life you were meant to live and have an impact.

A Bondservant of Christ

Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle… (Rom 1:1a)

As part of his greeting to the Romans, we see Paul refer to himself as a bondservant of Jesus Christ.  What did Paul mean by this? You don’t see the term bondservant used very often in scripture and in some translations they just use the word servant.  Is there a difference between being a servant and being a bondservant? 

A servant is a person who performs duties for others; this may be domestic duties, acting as a personal assistant, or something as simple as rendering assistance when someone needs a helping hand.  We are definitely called to serve others.  Jesus told us this much in Mark 9:35, “Sitting down, Jesus called the twelve and said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and servant to all.””  Jesus also provided multiple examples for us to follow in serving others.  One prominent example is when Jesus washed the disciple’s feet in John 13:1-20. 

How about a bondservant?  In order to understand the difference we need to look at the word Paul used in the Greek to express what he wanted to convey here.  The word Paul used and is actually used in many places in the New Testament is doulos.

The translation of doulos from the Greek is slave.  Some theologians even say it was actually the most wretched expression for slave in the ancient Greek language. Describing a servant so totally sold into slavery that he had no destiny of his own, that he was perpetually obligated to do the bidding of his owner.  And this is the word Paul used in Romans 1:1.

Does it seem strange that Paul would refer to himself as a slave?  People generally don’t take it lightly when you talk about slavery today.  Especially in reference to themselves.  That wasn’t the case in the early church.  They were called Christians but they referred to themselves as slaves of Christ (1 Cor 7:22, Gal 1:10, Eph 6:6, and Col 4:12).  Peter and Jude also make the same reference to themselves (2 Ptr 1:1 and Jude 1).  John MacArthur, in his book Slave, summed up our relationship with Christ this way, “He is the Master and Owner.  We are His possession.  He is King, the Lord, and the Son of God.  We are His subjects and His subordinates.  In a word, we are His slaves.”^[1]   This is how the early church saw it.

Although doulos is used about 124 times in the original text, it is not translated well in modern bible translations.  Current translations consistently substitute doulos with the word ‘servant’.  Ironically, there are at least half a dozen words that can be used for servant in the Greek; doulos is not one of them.  It does not matter if you are looking at the New Testament or in secular Greek literature, doulos always means slave.

So, what is the difference between a servant and a slave?  Put simply, a servant is hired, a slave is owned.  We have been told we are to serve, and Jesus set the example for us.  Most of us have no problem there.  But being a slave of Jesus Christ takes things to a whole new level.  True Christianity is not about adding Jesus to our lives, it is about devoting ourselves completely to Him and Him alone.  We are to submit our whole being to His will.  Seeking to please Him above all else.  Dying to self and following our Master’s call, no matter the cost.

This is not just blind devotion or following for the sake of following.  Looking back into the Old Testament you can see a perspective that, I believe, takes it to a higher level and is fundamental for our beliefs.  Go back to Ex21: 5-6, here we see a slave who willingly commits himself to serve a master he loves and respects.

One other thing that is important to note. Slavery in the Roman Empire was different than what we normally think of when we think of slavery today.  Today we usually think of people in chains, abuse, poor living conditions, and other such circumstances.  It is estimated that approximately one-fifth of the population of the Roman Empire was a slave.  Initially most of these slaves we taken in military conquest, eventually most slaves inherited their place in Roman society by being born into slavery.

Slaves worked in a variety of positions with varying levels of responsibility depending on their training and their master’s needs.  On the street it may have been difficult to distinguish between slaves and non-slaves.  There wasn’t any difference in dress or even the responsibilities in what you might find a slave or a free person doing on a daily basis.  Slaves could even be held in high regard due to the position held by their master in society. 

Not to say it was all wine and roses for slaves, they were considered property, not a person.  They had no legal rights, basically no legal status whatsoever.  If their master was abusive or cruel, they would have lived a life of pain and misery.  However, if their master was gracious, they could be provided some level of social and economic protection, they would not have to worry about their next meal or even where they would sleep.  In return for their good service they were taken care of.

So it’s more than just a master and slave.  It is a Master who paid the full and complete price for us and His slaves who totally devote their entire being to Him, not because they have to, but because they want to.  As part of the relationship the Master provides for the needs of the slaves, looking out for them and taking care of them.

 

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^[1]MacArthur, J. (2010). Slave: The Hidden Truth About Your Identity in Christ (1). Nashville, TN: W Pub. Group.