What does "Serve" mean? For you and I, it is that. It's just doing something nice for someone or meeting a need somewhere or in someones life. We would meet that need and chalk that up as "Okay, I served. I've done my good deed for the week." and simply walk away. Should we serve the needy? Should we take care of the poor and less fortunate? Absolutely. I believe that this is the soul mission of the church of Jesus Christ. Well, three missions.
1. Soul winning (evangelism)
2. Taking care of poor people (Serving)
3. See first two missions (rinse and repeat)
Outside of those three things, our purpose is fulfilled. That's the only reason why we're here. The lost. Poor people. The work of the church.
What was the purpose of the life of Christ here on earth? Well, you may quickly answer "To die on the cross for our sins, of course!" Are you sure? Yes we, as Christians, know that the reason Christ came to this earth was to be the sinless, perfect, lamb (Isa. 53), redemptive plan for all humanity. That's an easy answer. But isn't there more to that?
During the Last Supper, before Jesus was arrested and taken to the cross, He prayed with His disciples. In His prayer, Jesus says, “I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do” (John 17:4). How could He say that He had completed the work God had given Him to do when He had not yet died on the cross and risen from the dead?
The answer? In His prayer, Jesus said that He had completed the work of making disciples. The disciples were ready to go and make disciples themselves; all they needed was the Holy Spirit. If Jesus had died on the cross for our sins but had not made disciples who could deliver the message, none of us would have heard the good news. Jesus completed the message: He died for us and rose from the grave. He also created a way for people even today to hear that message: by releasing His disciples to go and make disciples, who in turn were released to go and make disciples, and so on.
How are you doing in that area? Do you live your life in such a way that you are so caught up with yourself, meaning you are the center of your own universe, and there just isn't enough room for anyone or anything else? When you're out and about in your daily routine, commute, and see someone you could reach out to, but choose to ignore it because you're just to busy? To much going on? Afraid you don't know what to do or say? Then that would mean that you're basically, so full of yourself that there's just no enough room for anything else.
My encouragement to you would be to get out of your comfort zone. This world is yours for the taking. Take it for the Gospel. Take it for Gods kingdom.
When it comes to serving, I am reminded of the quote from one of my favorite evangelists, Tony Miano:
If you feed a lost person, give him something cool to drink, put a roof over his head and give him the
shirt off your back, but you fail to share the gospel with him, know this. If he dies after you’ve loving-
ly served him, having never heard the gospel from your lips, he will be warmed and filled as he faces
God’s judgment and eternity in hell. Serve people? Yes. But please share the gospel.
So when you "Serve" are you serving men or serving yourself? Let's focus on the task at hand, the Great Commission. There are souls on the line.
Light the darkness,
Chris
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