What is your reason for serving?

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As Jesus traveled through the towns and villages of Israel, he saw that the crowds were weary and neglected, like sheep without a shepherd. He saw their need to serve them and said, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (Luke 10:2) . This statement is still relevant today.

The need to serve in the church is passed down from generation to generation. There is no unemployed person in the Lord's vineyard. The Gospel of John describes how the Lord Jesus saw the white harvest field, ripe for harvest: “Lift up your eyes and see the fields; they are already white for harvest. The one who reaps receives a wage and gathers a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may rejoice together” (John 4:35-36).

In my youth, I followed the call after a sermon: "Whoever wants to do something for God, to serve in His vineyard, come forward, we will pray for you." About two years passed. By then I was married and my first son had been born. I felt an inner calling to do something for my Lord in the church. Since the new church building in Sottrum had just been completed and many members were now moving there, there was a particular shortage of singers in the choir.

After several calls for choir members, I signed up. After the first rehearsal, the choirmaster said to me, "You won't become a locomotive, but perhaps you can become a carriage in time." And so I attended choir rehearsals for three months. However, I realized that it wasn't for me.

One evening after choir practice, I was talking to my wife about it, and we agreed to pray that God would place me in the church where He wanted me to be used. Just two weeks later, brothers responsible for children's ministry approached me and offered me the opportunity to lead a children's group. Today, I have been serving the Lord for 23 years and haven't regretted a single day. Praise be to God!

 

The importance of the service

Service comes from the word "to serve" and means "to be a servant," that is, to be of use to someone. There are honorable services to which someone is called and willingly accepts. For example, Potiphar appointed Joseph as his household manager and had him serve him personally: "When Joseph found favor in Potiphar's eyes, he allowed him to serve him, and he made him overseer of his household and put everything he had into his care" (Genesis 39:4). Joshua served Moses (see Exodus 24:13). Elisha held a feast for his household and then followed the prophet Elijah to serve him (see 1 Kings 19:21).

Such ministries are always the result of a calling or appointment. In addition, there are ministries entrusted to oneself or to which one is commissioned, as with Jonah, to whom God said: “Arise, go to Nineveh” ( Jonah 1:2).

Another example is the faithful and wise servant whom Jesus mentions in the end-times discourse about His coming: “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has put in charge of his servants, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master finds doing so when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions” (Matthew 24:45-47).

I imagine it like this: this faithful and clever servant is busily running around the courtyard, tending to all the servants. His master encounters him in the middle of the courtyard while he's performing his duties. It's a delightful moment; he doesn't need to justify his service, and he would even gladly do more.

The most important thing is to demonstrate loyalty and full zeal in the service entrusted to us. Our attitude toward service must be in harmony with King David's. When his wife Michal despised him for his behavior, he said, “Before the Lord, who chose me above your father and all his house and appointed me ruler over the Lord’s people, over Israel, before the Lord I will play. I will be even lower than this and lowly in my own eyes” (2 Samuel 6:21-22).

This is also the defining appeal for the service one performs. People will sense this attitude and feel comfortable with such a servant.

The hiring of a servant

In Psalm 119, David uses the Hebrew alphabet, from Aleph to Thaw, to describe his special love for the word of God in eight verses each. The well-known verse 9 reads: “How can a young man keep his way blameless? By keeping your word!” However, this seemingly simple word is not so easy to put into practice.

While reflecting on this verse, the following thoughts have become very important to me: In order for the word of God to become alive and effective in a person's personal life, they must experience conversion and rebirth. Jesus must become their personal Savior.

To stay on this path, one must become a servant of Jesus Christ! Why?

Because man must give up his own will.

-> To do this, one must submit to the entire will of God.

Otherwise, the converted Christian will always seek the easier path in his ministry, thus making compromises with himself and the world. Jesus speaks of himself: “ For I do not seek my own will, but the will of him who sent me” (John 5:30b). In his first letter to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul speaks about the effects of the Spirit and the gifts of grace in the church: “ Therefore I want you to know that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, nor can anyone call Jesus Lord except by the Holy Spirit ” (1 Corinthians 12:3).

The first part of the verse is easier for us to understand and agree with, but why can no one call Jesus "Lord" except in the Holy Spirit? It's so easy to say "Lord" to Jesus. Jesus said that many would call Him "Lord, Lord" and even perform miracles in His name.

In the parable of the ten virgins, for example, the five foolish virgins, who were among the number of the church, also received blessings, but they did not do the Lord's will: "After this, the rest of the virgins also came and said, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!' But he answered, 'Truly I tell you, I do not know you!'" (Matthew 25:11-12). A terrible conclusion for those who knew everything and were always present.

Paul speaks to the Corinthians about serving and makes it clear to them: To truly call Jesus Christ "Lord," one must take the position of a servant! The true servant has no will of his own; he completely carries out the will of his master. The word of his master is a commandment for him, even if it is not easy to obey.

As long as someone retains their own will, they will always struggle against God's will. Only the Spirit of God, who guides us into all truth, can bring about this attitude of servitude and complete surrender in our hearts!

The apostles who were with the Lord and whom Jesus called His friends, began their letters to the churches with the following words:

-> “Simon Peter, servant and apostle of Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:1).

-> “James, servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ” (James 1:1a).

James, the son of Mary and Joseph, who grew up in the same house as Jesus when He became man, initially did not believe in Him, just like the other brothers of Jesus (cf. John 7:5). When he converted and accepted Him as his personal Savior, he did not call Him “my dear brother,” but referred to himself as Jesus’ servant.

->   Paul, who had profound revelations from the Lord and was taken up to the third heaven in paradise and heard inexpressible words, calls himself in his letters “Paul, servant of Jesus Christ” (e.g. Rom 1:1).

They all voluntarily submitted themselves to the Lord Jesus Christ as servants: they understood that their lives depended on Him . When Jesus speaks of the duty of a servant in the field, He concludes by saying how one should behave as a servant toward one's Master: “ So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what we were obliged to do ’” (Luke 17:10). Only in this spirit will we be able to walk the path blamelessly and adhere uncompromisingly to His word!

In the line of duty, one needs zeal

“Do not be zealous, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord!” (Romans 12:11). Zeal is necessary to do something wholeheartedly. If zeal wanes or is absent in ministry, one constantly has to push the person, because they only do what they have just been told and don't see the other tasks. Yet zeal is essential in ministry to carry out the entrusted task according to God's Word.

In the last chapter of the Epistle to the Colossians, the Apostle Paul, in his concluding greetings to the congregation, explicitly points out to a servant the fulfillment of his ministry: “And say to Archippus, ‘Be careful to fulfill the ministry you have received from the Lord!’” (Col 4:17).

On Paul's second missionary journey, he saw a young man named Timothy in Lystra, who had a good reputation among the brothers in the church. Timothy had been devout from a young age and was zealous in serving the Lord. Paul took him with him on his missionary journeys. His spirit burned within him, and Paul writes about him: “But I have hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be encouraged when I find out how things are with you. For I have no one else of the same mind, who will so earnestly care for your needs, for they all look out for their own interests, not for the interests of Christ Jesus. But you know how he has performed, that he ministered with me in the gospel like a son to his father” ( Philippians 2:19-22).

Look what a testament to the Lord's service! Such a servant of Christ is pleasing to people and acceptable to God. He fulfills his ministry reliably. Timothy did not seek personal gain in his ministry, nor was he zealous for his own advantage, but carried out his ministry humbly, just as it had been entrusted to him. Paul saw in his zeal love for the Lord and was convinced that Timothy would teach nothing other than what Paul had received from the Lord.

Paul wrote these words with certainty to the Corinthians: “For this reason I have sent Timothy to you, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, who will remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach in every church” (1 Corinthians 4:17).

Paul could not say this about all his servants. In his farewell address to the elders of Ephesus, he admonished them and pointed out this danger: “ And from among your own people will arise men who will speak perverse things in order to draw away the disciples into their followers ” (Acts 20:30).

 

The motives for being on duty must be right.

My zeal must not be motivated by false motives. If the motive is false, a person cannot follow Jesus. When Jesus spoke about the cost of discipleship, a scribe came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go” (Matthew 8:19b). This seemed like a very good prerequisite for ministry, but Jesus saw his motive and, referring to the challenge, told him he could not bear it: “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head” (Matthew 8:19b-20).

In other words, one must be prepared to forgo necessities of life in order to follow Jesus. To another person, who was more hesitant about following Him, Jesus said that he should follow Him.

We read in the Gospel of John how the people sought Jesus after He had fed the 5,000 with bread: “And when they found him on the other side of the lake, they said to him, ‘Rabbi, when did you get here?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs, but because you ate the loaves and were satisfied’” (John 6:25-26). After He had told them the truth and made it clear that life exists only in Him, they left Him.

Another example is given here: “For Demas has deserted me because he loved the present age” (2 Timothy 4:10a). At first, he was zealous; Demas served the Lord alongside Paul on his missionary journeys. Unfortunately, his zeal in ministry quickly faded. The reason given is that he grew fond of the world.

The Acts of the Apostles makes it clear that Paul's missionary journeys presented enormous challenges. Demas could not withstand the pressure of these challenges.

The motives for being on duty are being investigated.

But the motive is examined in every instance of service. Why are you serving? Over time, one can see what interests a person is pursuing in their service. If the motives are human aspects such as prestige, influence, and the desire for recognition, or the search for a pastime (hobby) or the maintenance of social contacts, then the service is undertaken more or less out of self-interest.

If one seeks to please people in service, Paul writes to the Galatians regarding the proclamation of the gospel: “If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ” (Gal 1:10b).

In my ministry as a youth leader, I experienced these trials. I always strove diligently to perform my duties to the best of my ability. However, there was one situation where I didn't understand a brother's actions in relation to me and felt hurt. I allowed resentment to fester in my heart, and this state demotivated me in my ministry. It became very difficult for me to fulfill my responsibilities, and I even began to neglect church services. I volunteered to stay home with the young children so that my wife could attend church.

Sometimes I wept in prayer or sang hymns alone that uplifted me. But the pain of the offense always resurfaced as soon as I encountered the person in church, and I lacked any motivation to serve.

One day I entered the church building and saw this man standing in the hallway. I wanted to turn around and leave. Then the Lord's voice struck me like lightning: "For whom are you serving?" I was startled and realized that I was too focused on the individual and that I couldn't continue serving in that way.

I prayed silently to the Lord: “Lord, I want to do it for You, only for You and not for people.” From that moment on, I repented for my behavior; the Lord helped me out of this state and healed my heart of the offense that almost destroyed me in my ministry.

It has become very important to me to do everything for the Lord and not to cling to the ministry itself, but to cling to the Lord Jesus Christ. One should never allow oneself to be disappointed by people, but rather to protect one's heart from offense and disappointment. Difficulties we encounter in ministry must be brought before the Lord in prayer, and we must ask Him what He wants to teach us through them. If we remain steadfast in trials, a spiritual perspective on ministry will develop within us.

 

The service won't save us.

Ministry doesn't save us, nor does it make us better than other people. Ministry demands more responsibility from us toward others and God, and it gives us the opportunity to grow spiritually. In the third chapter of Hebrews, Moses is compared to Christ. Moses faithfully served his entire household. He led God's people to the promised land of Canaan.

When the people argued with him and grumbled against God because they had no drinking water, the Lord commanded him to gather the people around a rock and speak to the rock so that water would flow out of it. But Moses struck the rock. The water flowed, for God was gracious to His servant: “The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Because you did not believe me to sanctify me before the Israelites, you shall not bring this assembly into the land I gave them’” (Numbers 20:12).

Because Moses had not acted according to God's word, he had to face the consequences. With God, there was no partiality.

While I was already serving as a deacon, the Lord spoke to me several times in quick succession through prophetic words, telling me that He wanted to save me. At the time, I didn't understand why it was still about salvation, even though I was already a deacon.

Later I understood that before God, my service is not the most important thing, but that He wants to save me. The end is crowned, not the beginning. The Word of God also speaks this way in Hebrews regarding servants: “Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you; consider the outcome of their lives and imitate their faith” (Hebrews 13:7).

 

This ministry gives us the opportunity to bear more fruit for the Lord.

In ministry, our hearts are pruned, purified, and sanctified so that we may bear more fruit. Ministry enables us to bear more fruit. We see this especially in the parable of the talents: “To one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his ability” (Matthew 25:15a). The first two went, traded with their talents, and gained more talents.

We see the same pattern with older servants who have served sincerely. When they go home to be with the Savior, their place must be filled by up to four additional servants. Over time, they have increased their service.

How wonderful it will be to hear when the Lord comes to settle accounts with His servants: “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful over a few things; I will put you over many things. Enter into the joy of your master!’” (Matthew 25:21).

How terrible it must sound for the lazy servant who buried the talent he was given to use, even though he knew how his master would react. No excuse helped him; he had to hear: “You wicked and lazy servant! You knew, and you did nothing” (cf. Mt 25:26). The judgment was terrible: “And throw the worthless servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Mt 25:30).

 

We have the most glorious Lord

It is important to always keep in mind whom we serve. We have the most glorious Lord, God, the almighty Creator of all creation, who made us human beings through His Son. Jesus came to this sinful earth, bowed down in service to His creation, and washed His feet.

This image touches me very deeply. He emptied himself, took on the form of a servant, and left us this example: “Very truly I tell you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him” (John 13:16).

With this attitude we should approach our neighbor in service. We have no reason to think higher of ourselves, but rather wish to bow deeply under His almighty hand because our Lord and Master has humbled Himself so. And we want to do with joy what has been entrusted to us in His vineyard.

Every day we want to serve as if it were the last day of our lives, waiting for our Lord. “Though you have not seen him, you love him; though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy for the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:8-9).

Heinrich Melling

Municipality of Bremen-Mahndorf