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For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45 (NASB)
What does it take to be really great? How can we do our best work in building theKingdomofGodon earth? Is it having big churches with lots of programs? Is it going on mission’s trips to far-off lands or working in soup kitchens? Will ministries through fancy multi-media presentations or books or music bring the good news to the masses that need Jesus?
The answer is yes, maybe. These are all noble and effective kingdom builders. But the most effective way to build theKingdomofGodin our world, our circle of influence, is still the same way that Jesus did it when he was here on earth: being a servant.
Read through the gospels, especially from Mark’s view, and notice the number of times the phrase “And he went on from there” or “and immediately” or “Don’t tell anyone what I’ve done” is used.
Jesus wasn’t about building ministries. He wasn’t about making a name for himself. He wasn’t concerned about leaving a legacy. He came to serve people. He came to live among those who didn’t know what it was like to live in lavish palaces or enjoy the status of political, economic, religious or social status.
If Jesus were to make a quick visit to planet earth this weekend, what church do you think he’d go to? Would he visit a Baptist church perhaps? Would he go the more charismatic/Pentecostal route? Does he like the more traditional approach to worship or would he go for a completely non-denominational and contemporary venue?
At the risk of offending some of my brothers and sisters who minister in churches, I doubt Jesus would go to church if he came back for a weekend. You’d find him at the local coffee shop maybe, or in a park, or maybe even in a bar.
Jesus came to serve people. Jesus came to reach out to those who needed to hear about him. There were so many times in his ministry when it would have been completely understandable (from a human perspective) to set up shop in one town and have people come to him, but he went to them to serve them, to meet their needs, to live where they lived.
We live in a consumer-motivated society. If we don’t like this store, or that shop we go where our needs are met better. But that mentality shouldn’t be a part of the mindset of the Christ-follower. We aren’t here to have our needs met or our egos stroked. We are here to serve people.
How can you serve the person who gets your latte’ at the local coffee shop today? How can you serve the waitperson at the café you stop at for lunch? You know the one that brought your food late…and cold. How can you serve the many others God brings your way?
The church is at its best when it moves outside the walls to serve its neighbors.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, keep me from being the type of person who seeks my needs before the needs of others. Empower me with your Spirit to see how I can best meet the needs of those around me who need to hear your word. In your name, Amen.
“…just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:28
There are some who preach a gospel that says Jesus came to give us a life of comfort and prosperity. While God blesses us in many ways when we live in relationship with him, financial blessing isn’t the most important, or the most common way of blessing. In fact the Bible speaks about the difficulty of ‘rich’ people entering the Kingdom and the danger of putting money, power, and social status above our relationship with God.
Jesus’ focus while he was on earth was to tend to the needs of those around him. That was his only purpose in life. There were plenty of times in his ministry that he could have set up his own little church and settled in Can’t you see it now?
“Jesus Healing and Providing Service”, or JHPS for short. His tag line could have been “Bring me your sick, your disabled your blind and your dead. I’ll heal them for you and you’ll live happily ever after!”
Sounds a little far-fetched doesn’t it? That’s because the last thing Jesus was concerned about was his retirement pension. 410K’s and second homes and foundations bearing his name were meaningless to him.
He spent his entire life working for others and never once did he ask for anything in return! He touched the diseased and stinking body of the leper. He sat men and women who had spent a lifetime taking from others. Jesus spent his times in the slums and ghettos of life, while most of us yearn for the suburbs and the quiet country-side.
The most amazing thing about Jesus is this. While he was walking down the dusty, hot and dry paths of Palestine, he looked down through the future and saw me and you. He saw the times we’ve taken him into moral darkness. He’s heard the words we’ve used to hurt others or mock his name. He’s seen our anger, our hatred, and our apathy.
Jesus knew that even though he would give everything for me, I would still be selfish and rebellious but he died for me anyway. He died for you too. Your past isn’t important. You don’t need to clean up anything or change anything. He’ll work with you on that. Jesus just wants you to come home to him so he can love you.
That’s leadership. Leadership Jesus’ way says your needs are more important than my comfort.
PRAYER: Dear Jesus, I confess to you that most of my life is really about making myself comfortable. The times I get angry are really the result of not getting my way. Forgive me for seeking my own comfort at the expense of others. Help me to be a servant-leader like you were when you were here on earth. In your name I pray, Amen.
Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” Mark 9:35
There seems to have been an ongoing battle among Jesus’ disciples to establish a pecking order. The comparison game ran rampant. Some would argue their case based on the order in which Christ ‘chose’ them. After all, wouldn’t he pick them the way we choose teams on the playground? The most talented would surely be chosen first, and disciple number 12? Well, you know that story!
I would imagine that the fisherman in the group argued their case for supremacy based on the consistency and size of their catch. Matthew and Judas based their level of importance based on their knowledge of finances and the Roman government, The others all staked their claim to greatness on other personality traits or passion to follow Christ.
We still play the comparison game in our churches and Christian circles. We’ve become more refined, of course. Past sins, divorce and other relational issues, length of time with the master and denominational affiliation will either disqualify you, or make you more qualified, depending on your point of view.
Fact of the matter is, Jesus sets the standard for greatness pretty low. Children, livestock, women and servants were all in the same category in Jesus day. They carried no value in and of themselves. Women were valuable of course if they produced male offspring. Livestock were valuable if there were no blemishes because they were the monetary standard of the day. Children had some value because they would eventually grow up to be heirs (boys) or a way to raise yourself to a higher social level (good looking women).
Servants? Truth be told there really wasn’t a value placed on a servant. The bad ones were sold or killed or given the dirtiest jobs. The good ones were elevated until, of course, they proved themselves inadequate. There was no glamour in being a servant. Wasn’t in Jesus day, still isn’t.
Servants had no choices in life. Their sole purpose in life was to make other people happy and comfortable. Good masters may show some gratitude (to the good servants) but it certainly wasn’t necessary, or the norm. Servants generally received no praise. They were just doing their job after all. There was no Servants Union. No one to advocate for servant rights. No United Servant Code of Ethics.
Still, Jesus calls each of us to be servants in order to show His greatness to the nations. One more thing about being a servant, and this is a hard one to swallow. Being a ‘servant’ to people who we like and who are kind to us? That’s not being a servant. Servant-hood is not based on like-ability. The crabby boss? The obnoxious customer? The angry spouse? Yep. We’re called to serve them.
As Christ-followers, our question is not ‘Should I serve that person’ but, ‘How does God want me to serve that person wisely.’
PRAYER: Dear Jesus. You showed us the ultimate example of how to be a servant by reaching out to the unlovely, allowing yourself to be the object of scorn and ridicule and ultimately dying for me when I didn’t deserve it. I know your command is the same today as it was when you walked with your disciples. It’s hard being a servant in an evil world but I know that is Your desire. Empower me with Your Spirit to be the loving and wise servant You want me to be. Keep me from playing the comparison game. I’m not better or no worse than anyone else when I walk with you. Thank you for being my servant. Help me to serve others in the same way. Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 