Service
The most well-known of all the spiritual practices is that of service. As long as the Church has existed, the world has known it for how it serves others. Sometimes this is for the right reason. Sometimes it is for the wrong reason. The motivation behind our service must be deeply rooted in a Gospel that is all about the greatest practice of service: Jesus denies Himself to serve the needs of others. To serve is to put the needs of another ahead of your own. In other words, what someone else needs now becomes your need. Their priority is now yours.
The Bible is filled with amazing passages on service. From Jesus’ own life to anecdotes found in the Gospels, we see that the practice of service is one that begins in the heart before it’s ever shown by our hands. Another way of saying this is that we must become servants before we ever serve. We must find ourselves at a place of deep surrender and dependence on Jesus before we can ever genuinely serve others. In Mark 10:35-45, James and John (and arguably the rest of the disciples) want to be served by the Servant Jesus instead of serving Him. They whip up a demand to Jesus that comes from a broken desire that they are somehow the center of their own universe. And with this broken desire, they desperately crave the world’s understanding of greatness by the authority that they can be given. Their demand is quite simple, and common for even us, “Jesus, we want power, we want all the attention, we want success, we want comfort, we want control, we want what we want.”
However, this is not the way of Jesus. The practice of the world is filled with the demands of “we wants,” but the way of Jesus is always asking the question, “what do you want?” Now, this isn’t a question said in a sarcastic or negative way. This is a question asked with such compelling compassion that the deepest desire of the person telling you what they want becomes your want. It’s in this very battle of the desires or “wants” of our hearts that the Gospel shines through. In our moments of want, we are reminded of a Savior who denied all of his own desires and chose to serve, even going so far as to deny His own life by serving others with His own life. Truly, the disciples, as well as us, enter our daily spaces with a want to be served by others when greatness is enjoyed when we simply serve in silence, without expectation, and for the glory of Jesus.
Mark’s story surprisingly doesn’t end there. If you continue to 10:46-52, you will read about a parallel story where Jesus meets blind Bartimaeus. This story is actually a response to how badly the disciples got it. When you compare the responses of the disciples and Bartimaeus, you can see why Mark places these stories back-to-back. The disciples want Jesus to serve them, Bartimaeus serves Jesus by surrendering to who He is, calling Him by his royal name, Son of David, and begs for mercy. A true practice of service must begin with a heart that is humble to God and His mercy. Even when Jesus asks Bartimaeus the same question He asked the disciples, Bartimaeus’ heart has been so radically changed that he doesn’t demand anything. Instead, and the Greek better captures this, “that I may receive sight.” Again, a true practice of service must begin with a heart that doesn’t believe they are entitled to anything but lives out of the faith of who Jesus is and what He has done for them.
Practical Ways to Serve:
To serve must always begin with the question, what am I willing to give up? The heart of the Gospel is always remembering that what we’re giving up is very little compared to gaining the joy of serving another. In fact, your service could lead to someone’s salvation as they see the Gospel on display in front of them. Here are some practical ways to consider how the practice of service can shape your life:
Daily Interactions:
Exchanging the pleasure of a “thank-you” for the gift of simply serving
Serving in silence, without the want or desire to be known for what you’ve done
Setting aside all expectations before you serve so that you can freely serve
Reflecting on the motivations of your own heart when you don’t feel the freedom that serving brings
Listening to someone else tell a story because that story is as equally important to you as it is to them.
Pursuing those who struggle with loneliness or isolation by sharing the community and presence God has given you.
Requiring you to relentlessly pursue someone you know and/or love despite what they’ve done to you because their need to be loved is more important.
Learning to say “Yes” when someone else suggests an idea that you don’t agree with but isn’t that big of a deal
Letting someone get their way because you love them more than what they want
Striving for the awareness of others’ needs in a moment when you could ignore
Being second at something and then achieving on being last when you can choose to be first
Using opportunities to go out of your way to do for someone what they struggle to do for themselves
Corporate Engagements:
Missions: The Great Commission is also a mission of service to the nations. At The District Church, we are partners with organizations that want to share the Gospel with our words and acts of service in areas where their needs far outweigh our own.
Here are some options for you to consider:
The District Church: One of the purposes of the local church is for the believer to serve others through their gifts of service. We have many ways you can serve and it’s as simple as signing up to be on a Serve Team. Here’s the link to start serving:
JOIN A SERVE TEAM