Service Ought To Be Our Spiritual Nature

Articles

Antoine N. Holloway
06/15/14 - Church Bulletins

We have heard several sermons on service in the local church. Whether we are talking to those in unauthorized religions who are confused, new Christians needing a concrete understanding or veteran Christians who simply need a reminder, service is the call of the Christian in the local church. To the Christian, service is our moral responsibility & it should be our desire. Yet, this statement begs the question why?

Jesus is the Head of the church & He is our example of service (Ephesians 5:23, Matthew 20:25-28, & Luke 22:25-27).
1. Nobody should wear the name, “Christian”, if we are unwilling to do what Jesus did, which was serve others.
If we are friends of God & friends to Christ, then by relationship, we are friends of one another (John 15:15, James 2:23, & Romans 15:7).
1. It is through this relationship, we serve one another willingly because of the love we have for God & our brethren.
We are the family of God (Ephesians 3:15).
1. God’s will is for Christians to grow & serve together with His children. It is through service we mature in the faith. When we are fed, we mature (1 Corinthians 3:1-3). When we are disciplined, we mature (1 Corinthians 4:14-21). When we are protecting one another, we mature (2 Corinthians 11:1-6). This is how we serve ourselves & one another.

Our love for Jesus should be the most important thing in our lives. Yet it is hypocrisy to say we love Jesus & it is not displayed in our service to others. Are we serving God if we are not faithful in our attendance? Are we serving ourselves by NOT reading our Bibles daily? Are we serving our brethren if we refuse to worship with them, help them in a time of need, or simply spend time sharing Christ with one another in an atmosphere outside of the local assembly? Are we really serving the world if evangelism is an afterthought instead of a primary inclination? Worship, study, prayer, fellowship, & outreach should be our spiritual nature. Let us grow in these areas so when God &/or the world looks at us, they will see a pattern of good works (Titus 2:7-8).