Trinity Baptist Church

Getting Off the Plateau

At Your Service, Lord

Ephesians 4:11-12

 

If we were to go out on the street of any average American city and ask the question, "What is the secret of greatness?”, I would guess the answers would be the same in any part of the country.  Some would say money or education.  Others would say fame or family stability.

 

But Jesus Christ, the greatest man who ever lived, had a different answer.  In Matthew 20, verse 26, He said, "Whoever wants to become great must be a servant to others." 

 

Success and greatness in the kingdom of God is far different than what it is on planet earth.  To be successful in God's eyes, you’ve got to lower yourself to the lowest position and learn to serve others.  And the greatest example of that attitude was Jesus Christ Himself.  In fact, He said, “I didn't come to be served, but to serve others and give My life as a ransom for many. 

 

You remember the story in John chapter 13 when Jesus approached the disciples in the Upper Room where they were going to have the Last Supper?    To their surprise He was wearing a towel around His waist and carrying a bowl of water.  Peter said, "What's going on?"  Jesus said, "It's time to wash feet."  Peter sneered and said, "I'm not washing feet, not even yours."  Jesus said, "I know, I'm washing yours." 

 

 

Now it just occurs to me that the solution to stopping the decline in our churches and becoming more effective in reaching people for the kingdom of God might be as simple as learning to be a servant. 

 

After all, if Jesus said “whoever wants to be great must be a servant to others”, and if we want to be a part of a great church, then we are going to have to change our attitude about what it means to be a servant of God because the secret to greatness in the kingdom of God is not how many servants you have, but what kind of a servant you are.

 

Now here’s the key question for the day:  Are you more interested in being served in a church, or are you more interested in being a servant in the church? 

 

A first grade teacher asked her class the question:  "What do you do to help at home?"  One by one the answers came back.  One little girl said, "I dry the dishes."  One little boy said, "I feed the dog."  Another child said, "I sweep the floor."  Everybody gave an answer but one little boy sitting in the back.  He didn't say anything.  The teacher looked at him and said, "Johnny, what do you do to help out at home?"  He said, "I stay out of the way." 

 

I’m afraid there are far too many church members in the church who just stay out of the way.  A Gallup poll discovered that only 10% of church members are active in any kind of personal ministry in their church.  And what is even more amazing is that 50% of all church members said they have no interest in serving in any ministry of the church. 

 

 

Well whether you have interest or not, or even believe it or not, the Biblical picture is that every Christian is a minister.  That means every church member should be involved in some kind of meaningful, God-honoring ministry. 

 

And I’ll just go ahead and throw this in while we’re passing by.  There is no excuse for a saint refusing to serve.   I don’t know that there is any attitude more foreign to the spirit and life of Christ than for a blood-bought, redeemed child of God to refuse to serve in ministry. 

 

To help you process that, I want to suggest four reasons why you should determine to become the minister that God wants you to be, and get involved in the ministry that God has for you. 

 

The first one has to do with obedience. 

 

 

Ephesians 4:11-16

 

Notice in verse 12 we are told why we have evangelists, pastors and teachers. It is "for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry."

 

In other words, you were created for ministry.  Just a few pages earlier, in chapter 2, verse 10, Paul said, "For we are God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works."  Ministry and service is your very reason for existence. 

 

 

 

Everything created by God was created for a purpose.  Birds were created to sing, bees were created to give honey, cows were created to give milk, fish were created to swim and you were created for ministry. 

 

More than that, you were called to ministry.  He placed you in His body in general and this body in particular to perform specific ministry tasks.

 

Verses 15-16

 

God designed you and placed you here to make a difference.  God made you the way you are so you could do what He wants you to do.  The reason why God makes you different is so that you can make a difference.  That's why you were created.

 

The call to salvation and the call to service are identical.  When Jesus Christ first met the disciples beside the Sea of Galilee, He said to them:  "Come, be my disciples and I will show you how to fish for people!"  (Mark 1:17 NLT)  There was the call to salvation, "be My disciples," and there was the call to service, "fish for people."

 

Every Christian has been called to minister, and every Christian has been called to ministry.  Now that doesn't necessarily mean obviously that every Christian is called to pastor, or called to work full-time in a church.  But at the same time, every Christian is called to full-time Christian service.  Listen to this Scripture:  "Now you belong to Him...in order that we might be useful in the service of God."  (Rom. 7:4 TEV) 

 

 

Every Christian is to serve the Lord full-time.  In God's ministry there are no part timers, no half-days or holidays, no 9 to 5 rules, you can't go on strike, and there's no retirement. 

 

And we need to remember that a Sovereign God expects me to be involved in ministry by serving others.  Second,

 

 

2 Tim. 1:9

 

Because I have been saved by the grace of God, I am responsible to minister to others.  That is my calling.  Our calling is ministry.   A servant in the Bible is a minister.  A minister in the Bible is simply a servant. 

 

One of the most misunderstood words of our day is the word "minister" because people use it as a synonym for someone who is ordained.  When you do you reveal a misunderstanding of what the word really means. 

 

You might be surprised to learn that the word "minister" derives from the Latin word for "servant" and is based on the root word minus which means "less."  Technically a "minister" is someone of a "lesser" rank or status who simply wants to serve and not to be served.

 

You were saved to serve. You were not saved to sit, soak, or sour.  Think about this:  Why doesn't God take you to Heaven the moment you get saved?  There can only be one explanation. 

He has a ministry for you to do.  Why does God want you in a church?  He wants you to minister in the church.  Why does God bring needy people to you during the week?  It is so that you can minister outside the church. 

 

Unfortunately, we often fail miserably in our ministry.  God brings people across our path who are needing a touch from a Holy God.  How do we respond to them?  We are hateful and intolerant.  Little children who need to know that Jesus loves them are treated with disdain and contempt. 

 

People with sinful behaviors come looking for love and acceptance and we reject them.  People who are discouraged and depressed and desperate come seeking hope and we turn them away rather than greeting them with the same grave that has saved us! 

 

Never forget it is the saving grace of God that enables us to minister to others.  Third,

 

 

Ephesians 4:11-12

 

Now what you have here is a job description, both for the pastor and for the people.  And to appropriately handle this text, we need to remove some commas.  Oftentimes we read these verses and because of the way it is punctuated, we come away believing that it’s only about church leaders. 

 

They are to be the ones doing the work of the ministry and the edifying of the body of Christ.

But if I remove the commas, I get a better picture of the responsibilities.

 

(reread without commas)

 

First of all, notice that it is God's people who must assume "the work of ministry."  In other words, I am not here to do the ministry of the church; I am here to contribute my ministry to the church.  There is a huge difference.  The ministry of the church does not belong to the pastor; it belongs to the people. 

 

This leads to the second truth.  My number one job as your pastor is to equip you to do the work of the ministry.  That is the primary job of the ministerial staff.  We are to help equip you for the work of the ministry. 

 

You see some people have the idea that the pastor serves the church by doing the ministry of the church.  Listen carefully.  If the staff and the pastor do the ministry of the church, we won't be serving you, we will be crippling you.  We will not only be doing what you are supposed to be doing, we will be neglecting what we are supposed to be doing. 

 

The most crucial decision any church will ever face is this decision:  Who is going to give leadership to the church? and, Who is going to do the ministry of the church? 

 

If we will be all that God wants it to be, I have to give up something and you have to give up something.  You have to give up control of the leadership of the church, because that is what God has called me to do--to lead. 

 

On the other hand, I must give up the ministry of the church, because that is what God has called you to do--to minister. 

 

When the pastor does the ministry of the church, and the people become the leaders of the church, both groups will be unhappy.  But when the pastor leads the sheep and feeds the sheep, and the sheep follow the pastor, and minister to one another, everybody is happy because that is the way God intended for the church to operate. 

 

One more thing:

 

 

Not only has God given you equippers to help you do the ministry of the church in the pastor and teacher, but God has also given you the equipment to do the ministry of the church, called spiritual gifts. 

 

Romans 12:6

 

Every Christian is gifted.  Now we do not all have the same gifts, but we are all equally gifted in the sense that God has given us the abilities and gifts we need to do what He wants us to do in the body of Christ.

 

God never wastes anything.  Every spiritual gift and natural ability that you have God gave it to you to be used in ministry.  Spiritual gifts have not been given for your enjoyment, but for His employment. 

 

One of the best things I can ever do is help you discover your spiritual giftedness, develop that gift and get busy using it in service.

There are two primary reasons why church members get frustrated, irritated, and lose interest in the church.  Either they have never discovered their spiritual gift and don't know what it is, or they have discovered it and either they are not using it, or they're using it in the wrong place. 

 

You need to make sure that whatever you do in the church two things are true.  Number one:  You have the ability and the giftedness for it, and Number two:  You've got the passion for it.

 

Now I want to close by asking you to take two thoughts home with you.  First of all, this church needs you involved in ministry. 

 

One of the primary ways the Bible describes the church is as a body with each part contributing what that part is designed to contribute.  And if you don’t get anything else I say, I hope you’ll get this:  You matter to God and to His church!  

 

That’s what Paul was saying when he described the church as being like a body.  Now not every part of the body is as visible as other parts, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t necessary.  I’ve never seen my heart, but I can tell you this:  I’m not much without it.  I’ve never seen lot’s of the parts that contribute to my life and make me able to function and do what I need to do. 

 

And I’ll tell you something else.  Some parts aren’t as attractive as other parts.  Did you ever notice how some parts of the body are just plain old ugly?   

 

If you know abything about you, you know I believe the Bible.  I hear people say they believe the Bible cover to cover.  Well I even believe the cover!  Mine says “Holy Bible”!  I believe that! 

 

But I will confess to you there is one verse that gives me some trouble when it comes to believing it and it is Romans 10:15 which is a quote from Isaiah 52:7 and what it says is “How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace!”

 

That has to be figurative language!  I don’t understand these people who have a foot fetish because to me, the foot may be the ugliest part of the human body.  Have you ever seen a big toe? 

 

The big toe may very well be the ugliest part of the human body.  Big toes get squeezed in on by all the other toes and get corns and bunyans and as we get older our old toe nails get thick and yellow. 

 

Do me a favor when I come to see you in the hospital and keep your feet covered up!  I don’t want to have to see that! 

 

Ugly, but so necessary!  Did you know the big toe provides balance for your entire body?  Cut it off and you’re in a world of hurt!  It will affect your balance, agility and mobility!

 

Now here’s what you came to hear this morning:  You just may be the big toe of Trinity Baptist Church!  Worse than that, you may be the toenail on the big toe, or even worse, you may be the hangnail on the toenail on the big toe!  But that’s all right! 

 

 

 

 

If that’s you, just be the best big toed you know how to be!  Take a study course on how to be a big toe!  Sharpen your skills and just be a big toe for the glory of God and contribute your service to the work of the church!  And learn to praise God that you are a part of the body with a specific function!

 

Now here’s the other thing:  The other thought I want you to carry home with you is this:  You need to ask God, if you don't already have it, to give you the attitude of a servant.  It's against our nature to want to serve others.  If that’s true of you, I want you to commit this verse to memory: 

 

2 Corinthians 4:5

 

Paul says to the Corinthians we preach a two-point message.  Point number 1:  Jesus is Lord.  Point #2, as a Christian I am here to serve others for Jesus’ sake. 

 

Is that your attitude?  Did you pray this morning, “Lord, when I get to church show me someone I can serve for your sake.” Show me how I can represent you by serving others.  Give me that opportunity Lord”?  Was that your prayer? 

 

Whether we realize it or not, we very often come to church asking "How can the church meet my needs?"  That’s often how people go out looking for a new church.  “What can the church do for me?”  They evaluate the youth program or the buildings or the music or the preacher and decide whether or not it meets their needs.

 

 

 

But when you get to the stage of spiritual maturity where you ought to be as a Christian, you'll begin to ask "How can I be used in this church to meet the needs of others?"  The immature Christian asks: "Who is going to meet my needs?"  The mature Christian asks:  "Whose needs can I meet?"

 

Incidentally, I can tell you who will meet your needs.  When you begin to worry about the needs of others, God will take care of your needs. 

 

We are so obsessed with living as long as we can, so we do everything from watching our diet, to exercise, to taking vitamins.  Well, if you don't hear anything else, hear this:  What matters is not how long you live, but how you live. It's not the duration of your life that matters.  It is the donation of your life that counts.

 

Do you know what God is looking for in a church?  Servants.  Someone once asked Leonard Bernstein, the late New York Symphony conductor, "What is the most difficult position in the orchestra to play?"  Without hesitation he said, "Second fiddle."  They said, "Why is that?  Is playing second chair violin so much tougher than playing the piccolo, or a bassoon?"  He said, "No, it's not tougher, it's just that everybody wants to be first chair violin." 

 

People that want to be a chief are a dime a dozen; people that want to be an Indian are rare indeed.  Would you say today in your own heart, "Here I am at your service Lord?"

 

Let’s pray.