I Love My Church: Love In Serving Others

 I Love My Church: Love In Serving Others

Opening Illustration:

Good morning brothers and sisters and welcome to Eastern Shore Baptist Church. For the last three weeks we have been engaged in a sermon series entitled “I Love My Church”. Friends, let me tell you something, I love my church and I love you. I am so thankful to be a part of this place. We are an active, alive, and amazing church. If you are visiting with us this morning, I want to tell you welcome. I am so glad to see you this morning worshipping with us. 

Point:

Last week we learned that the church is our number one source of encouragement, enlightenment and engagement. The church should be our primary place where we find our friends, people that love us, and friendships that last the course of a life time. The church is a people holistically committed to praying for us when we are down, visiting us when we are sick, and loving us through life’s most difficult days. 

Encouragement. 

The church is also a place where we run to grow in our faith with Jesus Christ. The church is held together by the might of God’s Word and Holy Scripture is taught here. The Bible reveals to us the sinful areas of our spirit that need to be removed. The church also provides men and women who are spiritually mature. These friends disciple us, teaching us about Scripture, and sometimes discipline us so that our relationship with God can be restored. 

Enlightenment.

The church is also our launching pad for ministry. We have church members Christy Jesse who have created new ministries that have impacted dozens of fellow believers. We have church members like Phillip Rivers who are gifted teachers who visited the church, found a great Life Group Class, and is not helping teach the life group class that he visited. We have members like Amy Abercrombie who started visiting the church from Wyoming by watching online. They moved here, visited in person, and now she works full time with our preschool. She teaches God’s love to the littlest children…after all…it is never too early to teach God’s God’s love. What about T Jay Bowling. T Jay is an accomplished musician who joined the church with his family over a year ago. He saw that we had a need for a musician so he got involved. One of my favorite stories of the church serving as factory for ministry and missions is Bill and Sylvia Browning. Hailing from Washington State, Bill and Sylvia visited Eastern Shore Baptist Church more about 7 years ago. They found their greatest friendships here at the church. They also saw that they would be discipled and educated in God’s Word. Bill has always been a Christian but he did not have a ministry background. He was not ordained but he simply loved the church. Today Bill is our Senior Adult Pastor. Story after story. Person after person. People come to this church and God directs them to use their talents, their giftedness, to reach people for Christ. 

Point:

You see friends, the church is all about engagement. Commitment. It is all about serving the Lord by serving others. Where are you serving? What ministry is God putting in your heart to create or what ministry are you looking to jump into?

What Did We Learn Last Week?

The Church Is Our Source of Encouragement, Enlightenment, and Engagement!

Point:

Brothers and sisters, that brings me to our “Today’s Thought” portion of the message. Think about, if the church is our launching pad for ministry, what a gift we have in the church. You may not realize it, but the person sitting to your right, the person sitting to your left, they are God’s gift to you. You are to serve them as they serve you. 

Fill in these blanks for me this morning. The church is to model Jesus’ final mandate…minister to one another. 

Funny Illustration:

Some of the most humorous and enlightening moments in our lives center around eating and drinking.

Take for instance the interaction between a pastor and young boy in a certain congregation. It seems this particular congregation loved good fellowship and always served coffee after the sermon. One Sunday the pastor asks a little boy if he knew why they served the coffee.

"I think," said the boy, "it’s to get the people awake before they drive home."

Well friends, thankfully we serve a lot more than coffee here at Eastern Shore Baptist Church.

Point:

In a few weeks, April 5th to be exact, we will celebrate “Maundy Thursday”. Most Baptists do not know what “Maundy” means. It comes from the Latin word “mandatum” which is where we receive our English word “mandate”. 

John 13:34-35 captures the words of our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” 

The last command of Christ, His last words to His disciples, His final mandate was to love one another. In fact, the way that the outside world would know them to be His followers is how they love one another. They would set aside petty squabbles, they would no longer seek to be greater than their brother, they would lay aside their personal goals and aspirations, all for the sake of loving one another. The church today is to model the command of Christ and love everyone, everywhere. 

But Stuart, what about the people that we dislike or disagree with, surly you don’t mean them? I do. We are called to love as Christ loved. 

But Stuart, you don’t know how they have hurt me, abounded me, or abused me, surly you don’t expect me to love them or forgive them? I do. We are called to love as Christ loved. 

But Stuart, they are from the opposite political party, they come from a personally offensive lifestyle, they are a different religion, a different race, they don’t go to church, they were in jail, they’ve been divorce, they they they they…

I do. We are called to love as Christ loved. Period. End of story. 

Today’s Thought:

The Church Is To Model Jesus’ Final Mandate…Minister To All Mankind!

Dr. David Jeremiah is one of my all time favorite Bible messengers. I just love his teachings, preaching, and writing. Listen to what he says about loving others and serving them. “Every time we deny ourselves in order to serve someone else, we grow in Christ.”

Did you hear that friend? When we serve others, using the church as our factory for missions and ministry, we grow in Christ. If you want to put feet on your faith, if you want to give practical hands to the Holy Spirit, then love others by serving them. 

Today’s Quote:

“Every time we deny ourselves in order to serve someone else, we grow in Christ.”

-Dr. David Jeremiah

Background and Context:

This morning we are reading from two separate verses. The first is from I Corinthians and the second from Romans. Both letters were written by the Apostle Paul. Corinth was a very populous and popular city. It had a tremendous amount of wealth and trade and the residents for the most part were very wealthy, educated, and cultured. It was the intellectual center of Rome. It was very cosmopolitan. Did I say cosmopolitan? I also meant to say corrupt? The church there in Corinth existed in a grossly sinful atmosphere and instead of the church making a dent in the darkness of the city, the city began to influence the church in a terrible way. Paul wrote the letter to encourage believers to live differently. Paul called out their sin boldly and commanded them to repent, believe, and display their love for one another. The church was supposed to be a light among the men and women of Corinth. Instead, the church hardly looked any different from the world. 

Romans was written for much of the same reasons. In fact, when you read Romans 1, Paul speaks out boldly against sexual sin and perversion. He commands the believers in Rome to live boldly for Christ. Yes, they would face persecution but they were to be more than conquerers. They were to be living sacrifices even if it meant that their worshipful acts cost them their very lives or livelihood. Again, the church was to influence the culture, not the other way around. The church was to display the love of Christ to the community. 

So this morning, we will read I Corinthains 12:4-7 and Romans 12:3-8. Both passages will be taken from the English Standard Version. 

Statement of Belief:

We believe the Bible to be inspired, God breathed, infallible, and authoritative. We believe the Bible is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training believer’s in righteousness. God’s Word gives life. It provides peace in trouble and protection in tribulation. It is alive, active, and cuts to the core of the human soul. Since there is no other book like it, let us stand to show our reverence and respect.  

Today’s Scripture:

I Corinthians 12: 4-7, Romans 12:3-8 ESV

I Corinthians 12:4-7 ESV

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

Romans 12:3-8 ESV

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

What Do We Discover When We Serve Others?

I. We Discover… The Purpose of Serving Others vs. 4, Romans 12:3-8

Point:

Know this dear brothers and sisters, when we serve others, we serve God. In fact, God’s purpose for service is to draw you closer to Himself. So, when you serve your fellow man in the name of Jesus, the Spirit of Jesus is manifested in your works. You were not put here on planet earth for yourself, to make yourself happy, or to fulfill your basest desires. Our culture believes that your main purpose is to fulfill you, your wants, your demands, and for everyone else to revolve around you. 

Fill in your first blank this morning, “we discover the purpose of serving others. We discover the purpose for serving others in I Corinthians 12 verse 4 and Romans 12:3-8. 

Have you ever heard it said, “this world does not revolve around you”? Of course you have. Our parents often told us then when we were children. The idea behind the statement was to help us understand the the core Biblical truth, we are called to put the needs of others ahead of our own. 

God wants you to make this earth a better place. In fact, He wants you to bring heaven to earth. Don’t believe me? Let me prove it to you. Do you remember when the disciples asked the Lord Jesus to teach them to pray? The story is captured in Matthew 6. 

Matthew 6:9-11 ESV

Pray then like this: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. [10] Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. [11] Give us this day our daily bread,

“Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is done in heaven”. 

You see, God’s Kingdom exists in you and I and we we serve others, God’s Kingdom exists in that moment and event. 

Do you know the word that is used when Christians choose to serve other people? The word is minister. Know this, every Christian has a ministry and every Christian is a minster. You don’t have to have a seminary degree and a training in religion to have a ministry. You don’t have to be ordained as a deacon or have Reverend in front of your name to discover the purpose for service. Not every Christian is a pastor but every Christian is a minister. This means that we are to all use your God given gifts to be a gift to you fellow man. You are to be a giver and not a taker. 

“Love one another”

“Care for one another”

“Pray for one another”

“Encourage one another”

“Help one another”

“Speak to one another”

“Share with one another”

“Counsel one another”

“Confess to one another”

The list goes on and on. Did you know that phrase like these or phrases like them are used 58 times in Scripture. 58 times. This means that God plan and purpose for you is to serve fellow believers and your fellow man. 

Point:

Let’s be honest. Serving others is not always easy. It can be down right frustrating can’t it. People are not always appreciative of your service or work. They don’t always say thank you. In fact, most people will not recognize your contributions. Let me remind you that God sees. Remember that when you serve others, you serve the Lord Himself. Don’t be discouraged for you have a mighty reward awaiting and the glory of God is being revealed in your life. 

The Bible tells us that God “will not forget how hare you have worked for him and how you have shown your live to Him by caring for other believers”. That’s from Hebrews 6. 

Remember every member is a minster. Paul reminds us of this in I Peter 4:10.

I Peter 4:10 ESV

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace…”

What Do We Discover When We Serve Others?

I. We Discover… The Purpose of Serving Others

II. We Discover…The Power of Serving Others vs. 5

“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who EMPOWERS them all in everyone.”

Point:

What do we discover when we serve others? We discover our purpose. That was point one. Point two…we discover the power in serving others. Isn’t if funny how our world…our culture define power? The world says power is strength. Domination. When you think of power you usually think of a celebrity, a King, a Queen, royalty. Jesus came to show us a different definition of power. 

There is power not when we are served but rather when we are serve. Again, the verse five says that it is God working through us that empowers us to serve. The Greek word being used here for “empower” is en-erg-eh'-o. It is where we get our English word for “energy”. It means put forth power, to aid, to work for one. It also means to effect. 

Think of it like this, and I truly think that this is what Paul meant when he wrote verse 5. If you want to effect people, if you want to effect others for Christ, then serve them. 

I think that we would all agree that the only way a person can be truly changed and transformed is under the power and direction of the Holy Spirit. Yes? We all agree that Stuart cannot change anyone. I cannot transform anyone’s life. 

However, if the Holy Spirit is the one and only think that can transform someone’s life, the act of serving is the runway for that transformation. There is story after story in the Gospels where Jesus transforms people’s lives but before that transformation occurs, He uses the runway of service to open the door to that transformation. 

Recall the demon possessed man.

Recall the woman at the well. 

Recall the man at the pool.

The blind beggar.

The man with the withered hand. 

The woman drug into the streets to be stoned. 

In each case you are presented with someone who had a physical disability or spiritual deficiency and before their lives were altered, Jesus served them. 

Service is the power of God moving through the lives of a believer to change and alter lives. 

If you want to see God’s power, then serve. 

Illustration:

Just yesterday our church went Stockton. Each month, our church partners with the Prodisee Pantry to provide food and assistance to those living in the food desert of Stockton. Brant sent me a picture of young Tori Moss praying. Tori was praying with two men from our church and they were praying for someone in need. Our church used the power of service to impact the lives of other people, all in the name of Jesus. 

Brothers and sisters, if you are missing God’s power and influence in your life, serve. I love my church because we seek to serve others. Listen to Luke as he talks to us about serving others. 

Acts 20:35 ESV

In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

What Do We Discover When We Serve Others?

I. We Discover… The Purpose of Serving Others

II. We Discover…The Power of Serving Others

III. We Discover…The Promise of Serving Others vs. 6-7

Point:

So, what do we learn when we serve other? We learn the purpose of serving others. We learn the power in serving others. Lastly, we learn the promise of serving others. 

1 Corinthians 12:6-7 ESV

and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. [7] To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

There are several things that occur when we serve others. When we serve, we open ourselves up to miracles. Think about John 2. Do you remember what happened? Jesus had not yet performed any miracles. He and His disciples had been invited to come to a wedding feast. The couple ran out of wine and Mary asked Jesus to fix the problem. Jesus, honoring His mother, agrees. You know the rest of the story. Jesus fills several jars with water, prays, and then He instructs His followers to serve the wine. The guests had no idea that they had seen a miracle, but the servants knew. It was the servants who witnessed the movement of Jesus. The servants were the first ones to see the very first miracle of Jesus. That’s amazing right. Take this to the banks friends. God promises that when we serve Him, we will see miracles. I don’t know the miracle will be, but trust me, it will happen. It could be the miracle of salvation. It could be the miracle of someone giving their life to Jesus Christ. Miracles. 

Here is another promise. Serving Christ and serving others increases our faith. If you are suffering from doubt, disbelief, or a lack of assurance, then serve.  Serving others will often times call us our from our comfort zones. Service to the Lord may mean that you that accept a call to full time missions. Serving God may mean that you leave your comfy lifestyle on easy street and travel a road less walked. It may mean you are called to leave your job or sacrifice a prized material possession so that you can better position yourself to see God’s movement. 

One last promise, serving the Lord improves your soul. Studies have shown that serving others is good for the mind, body and spirit. Serving others provides new perspectives. Your problems shrink when you serve others. When you are using your gifts to glorify the Lord, it can relive depression and anxiety. Depression and anxiety are really just results of when we overly focus on ourselves and our problems. Serving others take the focus off ourselves and places it on God and others. 

But what about all the excuses? What about all the excuses for not serving? 

“Im mad at the pastor”

“They hurt my feelings”

“I don’t have time”

“Im not smart enough or I don’t have enough training”

“They don’t need me”

Oh, that’s my favorite. Trust me, we need you. Understand we may not need you in the area that you think you should serve but we do need you. 

The reality is that God does not call the equipped, He equips the called. God used men and women with all the same excuses. Moses doubted his ability to lead and he was not a very good speaker. What about David? David was small. He was young. Paul was a murderer. 

The point is that God can take anyone He wants and put them in a position of service. I have even met prisoners who have been sentenced to years in prison serve their fellow inmates. 

The promise of serving others is this: God does not want to just work through you, He wants to work in you. 

There is always a reward for serving the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords. Listen to what Jesus states in Luke 6 about serving God and serving others. 

Luke 6:38 ESV

Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

Remember friends…

The Church Is Your Launching Pad For Ministry and Service!