Vol. XXXVIII August 1, 2006 No 8
THE SERVICE
by Tom McLemore
Have you ever considered what the New Testament has to say about the subject of serving? In this article, please survey with me this multi-faceted concept which is at the very heart of being a Christian, a child of God.
The Society of the Service
To be a servant of God is to be in the most honorable company. God's servants include the prophets and saints and all who fear his name, both small and great (Revelation 11:18; cf. 1 Peter 1:12). Angels are God's servants for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation (Hebrews 1:7, 14). They are fellow servants with the prophets, with us, and with our comrades who hold the testimony of Jesus and who keep God's word (Revelation 10:7; 19:2, 5, 10; 22:9).
Moses was faithful in all God's house as a servant (Hebrews 3:5; Revelation 15:3). The true Israel (those Israelites who had faith in God and were faithful to him) was the Lord's servant (Luke 1:54). David was a servant of the Lord (Luke 1:69; Acts 4:25). After he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, he died, and was laid beside his ancestors (Acts 13:36).
Christ is the servant of God (Matthew 12:18; Acts 3:13, 26; 4:27, 30; Hebrews 2:17). Christ served his people Israel, on behalf of the truth of God, in order that he might confirm the promises given to the patriarchs even though many of them did not believe on him (Romans 15:8). Jesus, the Son of Man, came not to be served, but to serve others and to give his life a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45) Mary the mother of the Savior placed herself at the disposal of God as his servant. She offered herself willingly to the purposes of the Lord and thereby found the way to blessedness (Luke 1:38).
Simeon referred to himself as the Lord's servant (Luke 2:29). James, the brother of the Lord and the author of the epistle that bears his name, was a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ (James 1:1). So were his brother, Jude, and the Apostle Simeon (Simon) Peter (2 Peter 1:1; Jude 1:1). Those early Christians who first read the book of Revelation were servants of Jesus and God, including John to whom Jesus gave his revelation (Revelation 1:1; 6:11; 7:3; 22:6). The apostles were servants of the word of God (Acts 6:4). Early Christians who were eyewitnesses to the events of the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ, and who told and wrote what they had seen and heard, were also servants of the word (Luke 1:2).
Paul was a servant of God and Jesus Christ for the sake of the faith of God's elect and the knowledge of the truth that is in accordance with godliness (Romans 1:1; Galatians 1:10; Titus 1:1). That meant that he did not seek human approval but God's approval and Christ's approval. Paul served in league with others who served Christ (Colossians 1:17; 4:7, 12; Philippians 1:1; 2:22). He was a servant of the gospel according to the gift of God's grace (Romans 1:9; Acts 26:16; Ephesians 3:7; Colossians 1:23, 25), and served God accordingly with his spirit.
Although there are other important characteristics which Jesus seeks in churches, it is clear that when churches are engaged in service, they are pleasing to him (Revelation 2:19). Those who beguile Christ's servants into practicing immorality and irreverence are despicable to him (Revelation 2:20). The powers that be, ordained by God and functioning to administer justice, are God's servants to execute wrath on the wrongdoer (Romans 13:4, 6).
The Service of the Sovereign and the Savior
Christians serve God the Father and Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 1:12; Acts 4:29). We must avoid the temptation of rendering the service of worship to any other except the Lord our God (Matthew 4:10; Luke 4:8). Because some exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, God gave them up (Romans 1:25, 26). The God we serve is the only living and true God (1 Thessalonians 1:9). He is not served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mortals life and breath and all things (Acts 17:25).
No one can serve two masters. If we try to serve two masters, we will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. We cannot serve God and wealth (Matthew 6:24; Luke 16:13). It is possible to be slaves of our own appetites, and if we are such, we do not serve our Lord Christ (Romans 16:18). Just as no one serving in the army gets entangled in everyday affairs, but aims to please the enlisting officer, so those serving in the army of the Lord avoid becoming slaves of the world and its desires (2 Timothy 2:4; cf. 1 John 2:15-17).
The service of God and Christ is a priestly service. Jesus Christ loved us and washed us and made us to be a kingdom and a holy nation of priests so we can serve his God and Father (Revelation 1:6; 5:10; cf. 1 Peter 2:5, 9). As Paul preached the gospel to the Gentiles, he was fulfilling his commission to be a minister (servant) of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God. He labored in this service so that the offering of the Gentiles might be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:16).
To be a good servant of Christ Jesus involves following sound teaching and being nourished on the words of the faith (1 Timothy 4:6). The Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kindly to everyone, an apt teacher, patient, correcting opponents with gentleness (2 Timothy 2:24).
The Service of the Saints
While doing good to all people, saints are also to devote themselves especially to serving other saints, who are fellow servants of the Lord (1 Corinthians 16:15, 16; 2 Timothy 1:16-18; cf. Galatians 6:10). As good stewards of the manifold grace of God, we should serve one another with whatever gift each of us has received (1 Peter 4:10). Some have spiritual blessings to share, others have material blessings to share (Romans 15:27; cf. Philemon 13), and some have both. But whatever we have, we can use it to serve our fellow Christians. Paul and Titus served the Corinthians (2 Corinthians 8:23; 11:8). As we enjoy every blessing and privilege which God bestows upon us (such as freedom), we are to do so as genuine servants of his, rather than as a pretext for evil (1 Peter 2:16). For instance, servants of God do not take advantage of their fellow servants (1 Timothy 6:2). They do not disrespect them on the ground that they are members of the church. Rather, they show them all the more respect, since they are believers and beloved. Whomever they are serving, and under whatever circumstances, God's servants render service with enthusiasm, as to the Lord and not to men and women (Ephesians 6:7). Just as the prophets served not themselves, but generations yet to come (1 Peter 1:12), we serve not only our own generation, but those who shall come after.
It is the master's, not a servant's, prerogative to judge the master's servants (Romans 14:4). Nor should servants be elevated above other servants (1Corinthians 3:5). For we are all God's servants working together, no matter who we are (1 Corinthians 3:9). Let us all think of ourselves in this way, as servants of Christ and stewards of God's mysteries (1 Corinthians 4:1).
The Sacrifices and Satisfactions of the Service
Being a servant of Jesus involves following him (and that inevitably means suffering and sacrifice), but this is the pathway to receiving honor from God the Father and the intimate friendship of Christ (John 12:26; 15:15). Servants of Jesus are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them (John 13:16, 20).
Since their master served and was a servant, it is not beneath them to serve others, and in so doing they are following the example of their master. They may expect the same treatment as their master receives, and they may expect a similar response to their teaching as he receives. In this manner, servants of God commend themselves. (2 Corinthians 6:4-10). Serving the Lord is done with all humility and often with tears, while enduring trials (Acts 20:19).
Being servants is very desirable because of the benefits the service provides, not only to the recipients of the service, but also to the servants themselves. Servant-hood is the way to greatness and being first in the kingdom (Matthew 20:26; 23:11; Mark 9:35; 10:43). God's servants receive the reward of serving him in eternal worship around his throne and in fellowship with the Lamb (Revelation 22:3). Blessed are those servants of Christ whom the master finds alert when he comes! He will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them (Luke 12:37).
All of us who serve the Lord Christ can know that from the Lord we will receive the inheritance as our reward (Colossians 3:24). Deacons are servants, and they serve as the result of having proved themselves blameless. Those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 3:10, 13). God is not unjust, and he will not overlook our work and the love that we show for his sake in serving the saints (Hebrews 6:10). Let us not lag in zeal, let us be ardent in spirit, and let us serve the Lord (Romans 12:11)!
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