Greetings. My name is Bill Haynes and I am one of the Elders here at Peace Church. Today we are continuing our Adult Sunday School Class focusing on the "One Another" passages found in the New Testament. In this series, we have already looked at:
• loving one another,
• living in harmony with one another, • forgiving one another,
• showing hospitality to one another, • bearing one another's burdens, • encouraging one another and • humbly serve one another.
In today's lesson we learn that we are to Serve One Another, in Love. You might be wondering why we are doing two lessons on Serve One Another. The fact is that Rick Paules, who presented “Humbly Serve One Another” last week, and I who is presenting “Serve One Another , in Love” this week, were unaware that our topics were overlapping. We didn’t discover this until I watched Rick’s presentation last Saturday evening. Rick and I got together to talk about this, and we agreed that there is so much to cover on the topic of serving one another, that it might even be beneficial to cover this topic over two Sundays. We do reference some of the same bible verses, and point out certain attributes and relationships. But God gave Rick and me different aspects of serving one another to talk about, and our hope is that both lessons will profit the time you spend listening to both of them. If you haven’t listened to Rick’s lesson yet, I encourage you to do so.
I will be covering three sub-topics: 1. The Definition of Love
2. God Designed Us to Serve Others and 3. The Ways of Serving Others
The Definition of Love
God made us for relationship, first with Him in bearing His image, and second with the rest of humanity that also bear God’s image. God’s entire history is about His demonstration and cultivation of
relationship with his creation. Much of today’s lesson will focus on honoring the role of relationship cultivation through service. God has given us a call to demonstrate our love to Him and our fellow believers by serving one another. Service ought to be a natural product of the Christian life. Service is selflessness. Service is love in action.
But just what is love? Most of us initially recognized love as an emotion that we enjoyed as recipients from our parents or others that cared for us as we grew up. In adulthood, most people eventually find another that kindles the emotion of love and want to spend their lives with them. For all ages, the love starts out with high expectations for another, be it a child, a spouse a parent, a very close friend or God as well. But for far too many, they have difficulty remaining committed to those feelings of love that they expected to last forever.
Love is
1. An inner quality
2. expressed outwardly
3. as a commitment
4. to seek the well-being of the other
5. through
concrete acts of service.
I found this definition of love in the Eerdman’s Dictionary of the Bible a few years ago, and found it very helpful when talking to individuals about how love should play out in our lives. Let’s walk through this definition.
1. Love definitely is an inner quality. We feel love, and that feeling is usually directed to someone outside of us. Love of self more than others is possible, but that is not the intent of God.
2. Our response to the love we feel is to express it towards those that we love. But how do we shape those expressions of love? 3. We show a commitment to the other. This is not, or should not be
a trial commitment. It is a commitment driven by the love we feel for the other.
4. True love seeks the well-being of those that we love. This is the heart of of the definition of love. Listen to these three statements!
1. When life becomes difficult, we do not turn from the well-being that we want the other to experience.
2. They may not be appreciative of what we are doing, but we do not turn from the well-being that we want the other to experience.
3. They may not deserve what we are doing, but we do not turn from the well-being that we want the other to experience.
5. What we need to give to the other is concrete acts of service, not just words of support, though we all need words of support for specific occasions. Learning what concrete acts of service you can provide takes time to recognize and time to learn, and a lifetime to refine. We’ll re-visit this definition of love near the end of this lesson.
Let’s first look at 1Corinthians 12:4-7 to see how we are equipped to serve one another.
The Reason for Serving Others
God Designed Us to Serve Others
1Corinthians 12:4-7 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and
there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of
activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is
given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
Paul is talking about how every person in the body of Christ, every believer has been given something, a gift, a manifestation of the spirit, something that will help us to contribute to the whole body.
There are diversities, or varieties of gifts. The symmetry of the Church consists, so to speak, of a diverse unity, when the variety of gifts is directed to the same goal. In music there are different sounds, but suited to each other with such an adaptation, to produce harmony, or agreement. In a church, it is appropriate that there should be a distinction of gifts as well as of offices, and yet all harmonize in one.
Paul, accordingly, in the 12th chapter of Romans, commends this variety, that no one may, by rashly intruding himself into another’s place, confounding the distinction which the Lord has established. For this reason, he orders every one to be contented with their own gifts, and cultivate the particular part of the church that God has given to them. God prohibits them from going beyond their own limits by a foolish ambition. Paul exhorts that every one should consider how much has been given him, what measure has been allotted to him, and to what he has been called.
Here, he also orders every one to bring what he has to the common use, and not keep back the gifts of God in the way of enjoying every one to his own, apart from the others, but aim unitedly at the enlightenment of all in common. He describes the necessary relationship of the parts of the human body. The sum of what he states amounts to this — gifts are not distributed in different ways among believers, in order that they may be used apart, but that in the division there is a unity, inasmuch as one Spirit is the source of all those gifts, one God is the Lord of all oversight, and the author of all exercises of power. Now God, who is the beginning, ought also to be the end.
Let’s now look at 1Peter 4:10 to see what we should do with these gifts from God.
God Gave Each of Us a Special Gift
1Peter 4:10 “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”
Nothing is more applicable to correct the murmurings of our heart than to remember that we do not give our own, but only dispense what God has given to us.
Therefore when he says, “Employ the gift which every one has received,” he intimates that to each has been distributed what they received, on this condition, that in helping their brethren they might be the ministers of God. We are ministers of God.
And the second clause is an explanation of the first, for instead of ministry he mentions stewardship; and for what he had said, “as every one hath received the gift,” he mentions the manifold graces which
God in different ways distributes to us, so that each might confer in common his own portion.
If then we excel others in any gift, let us remember that we are to this gift the stewards of God, in order that we may kindly impart it to our neighbors as their necessity or benefit may require. Therefore we ought to be disposed and ready to communicate with them.
Special Gifts
But another consideration is also very important, that the Lord has so divided his many graces, that no one is to be content with one thing and with his own gifts, but every one has need of the help and aid of his brother.
This is a bond which God has appointed for retaining friendship among us, for we cannot live without mutual assistance. So it happens, that those who in many things seeks the aid of their brethren, ought to communicate to them more freely what gift they have received. Peter teaches us here that God had designed this on purpose, that he might bind believers one to another.
Christ-Likeness is to Serve Others
Let’s now look at John 13:14-17 to see what we should do with these gifts from God.
The thirteenth chapter of John tells the story of Jesus’ washing the feet of the disciples. Jesus began washing the feet of the disciples without announcing what he was going to do. When Jesus approached Simon Peter, Simon Peter said
6 “…Lord, do you wash my feet?” 7 Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do
not understand now, but afterward you will understand.”
The modesty of Simon Peter would be worthy of commendation, were it not that obedience is of greater value in the sight of God than any kind of honor or service. We ought, therefore, above all, to observe this rule of serving God, that we shall be always ready to acquiesce, without delay, as soon as he issues any command.
Continuing on with verse 8,
It is a common fault, that ignorance is closely followed by obstinacy. It is a plausible excuse, that Simon Peter’s refusal springs from reverence for Christ; but since Simon Peter does not absolutely accept Jesus actions, the very desire of showing his respect for Christ loses all its gracefulness. The true wisdom of faith, therefore, is to approve and embrace with reverence whatever proceeds from God, nor is there any other way in which his name can be sanctified by us.
Continuing with John 13:12-17:
12 When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his
place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you?
13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am.
14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash
one another’s feet.
15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to
you. 16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a
messenger greater than the one who sent him.
17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.
Notice the patterns in these verses: “If I…, …then you,” “I have given you an example…, …You also should do” “If you know these things, Blessed are you.” The message is clear that we must follow Jesus example.
God freed us to serve others
Let’s now look at Galatians 5:13 to see what we are to do with the freedom we have in Christ.
Galatians 5:13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
There are two points Paul is making in this verse. The first is that the freedom Jesus offers is not for our own pursuits, but for God’s pursuits. Using Jesus example, we should use our freedom to serve those that God puts into our lives, to make a difference for God in their lives.
The difference between servitude and servanthood is the difference between have to and get to. Servitude is imposed from the outside;
servanthood grows from an inner identity, the heart, a core commitment to do what’s best for those I serve
"The world defines greatness in terms of power, possessions, prestige, and position. If you can demand service from others, you’ve arrived. In our self-serving culture with it’s me–first mentality, acting like a servant is not a popular concept." - (copied)
Greatness is Achieved in Serving Others
I’ll now read Mark 10:42-44 where we can discover how greatness is achieved in serving others.
Mark 10:42-44 42 (NASB) Calling them to Himself, Jesus *said to them, “You know
that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. 43 “But it is not this way among you, but
whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; 44 and whoever
wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all.
Serving One Another is the foundation of greatness! To place one’s needs above your own is truly possessing the heart and mind of Christ. For the heart of Christ is consumed with mercy, compassion, and love and ALL who profess to be his, should be LIKE him. Yet there are many among the brethren who desire more to be served rather than to serve. Who believe greatness is accomplished by one’s status, great name, the company they keep, or spiritual gifts. However, greatness is not achieved through ones position, title, name, possessions and the like, according to Christ greatness is achieved through service.
The Ways of Serving Others
Let’s now consider the many ways that we can serve others. The first way is a ministry of prayer.
A Ministry of Prayer
Let’s look at James 5:16.16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you
may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.
The first phrase states that we need to confess our sins to one another. Because we are sinners, it’s our nature for us to not want to admit our sins.
But James exhorts us to confess them. And why do we need to confess them to others? If we don’t confess our sins or describe our hurts or disappointments to those we pray with, they cannot adequately pray to God for our relief because they don’t understand, or maybe not even know about, the impact these conditions are having on us. We do want healing in our life, but relational, one-another type prayer that can have an impact requires us to know each others sins, hurts and disappointments.
Once we truly know what to pray about for one another, we can express to God our heart feelings about one-another’s concerns and pray for God’s will to be done and the person being prayed for to have peace with God’s action, deferral or inaction, knowing that we believe that God is sovereign and working for our best in our relationship with God. It’s ok to have hope for what appears to be a hopeless situation, because God does answer prayers, even for hopeless situations when it brings Him glory. But we must understand that He doesn’t bring us peace on our timetable, but His timetable, so continue to keep praying for one another.
God wants each of us to be a righteous person. If you are righteous in God’s eyes, then your heart is in-tune with God’s desires for your life, and you have a good relationship with God. If that is the case, God can use you to achieve much through your prayers for others. Think about that as I read a short description of someone’s burden.
“The day was long, the burden I had borne seemed heavier than I could any longer bear, and then it lifted… But I did not know someone had knelt in prayer, had taken me to God that very hour, and asked the easing of the load. And He In infinite compassion had stepped down and taken it from me.“
What if you’re not a righteous person, what if you’re a Christian that hasn’t developed good “Dialog with God” skills or what if you’re at the “I can’t even pray to God” state. You need someone to walk with you, to lead you through the experience of prayer, the power of prayer, the healing of prayer and the excitement of answered prayer. This is where a ministry of prayer really starts. There are so many people that are at the ground-zero stage of a prayer life. They may have memorized a simple prayer, and that is a good start. But prayers need to be one-to-one, relational with God, where we can express our joys, our difficulties and our sadness using relational words, where God can respond to our hearts with compassion, clarity and confirmation that He is with us, He loves us, He will direct our
lives for good, and we will be his children forever. We all need to seek out others to intentionally refine a prayer-focused relationship with God. There is no one on this earth that doesn’t need this type of relationship with God in their life, and they are among all of us. Children need to learn how to pray from their parents, parents need to learn or refine their prayer life from Pastors, Sunday School teachers, elders, spouses and prayer warriors that have decades of wrinkles on their knees from many years of counsel with God.
The ministry of prayer as a service to others is discussed first for a reason. All other ministries begin with a deep, continuous dialog with God on His will for any ministry. Without it, our relationship with God is not on solid footing. I pray that you seriously think about this after our time together today.
A Ministry of Acceptance
The next way we can serve others is a Ministry of Acceptance.
Note: The following paragraph was removed from the final video by accident when it was being prepared.
As we interact with individuals anywhere we happen to be, we should particularly show interest in those who show either the slightest appearance of interest or curiosity in Christianity or have some knowledge of Christianity and want to learn more. Those individuals may have been put into your life particularly so that you can share your Christian testimony and encourage them to learn more. This is one of the greatest opportunities you have to show how a relationship with Christ can fill empty holes in one’s heart, give meaning and purpose to one’s life, and can guide one’s life in a direction of true, eternal happiness.
Let’s look at what the Bible says in Romans 15 about our relationships with new or young Christians.
Romans 15:1-3 Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves. 2 Each of us is to please his
neighbor for his good, to his edification. 3 For even Christ did not please Himself;
but as it is written, “THE REPROACHES OF THOSE WHO REPROACHED YOU FELL ON ME.”
We are taught here that we should use Jesus’ example of putting our own desires behind the needs of others for the sake of God. For as God has destined those to whom he has granted superior knowledge to provide instruction to those less knowledgeable, so to those whom he makes strong he commits the duty of supporting the weak by their strength. In this way, all gifts should be communicated among all the members of Christ. The stronger a spiritual gift that anyone has in Christ, the more bound he is to bear with the weak in the use of that gift.
A Ministry of Listening and Silence
The next way we can serve others is a Ministry of Listening and Silence.
Listen to Ecclesiastes 3:7:
Ecclesiastes 3:7 A time to tear apart and a time to sew together; A time to be silent and a time to speak.
Bonhoeffer wrote, "In reaching out to others there is the ministry of listening. Learning to listen is a vital ministry for Christians. More inclined to contribute to the point of prattling, the Christian must recapture the art of listening. Listening must be genuine, not the kind that is waiting with half an ear ready to pour out a barrage of answers to other’s problems."
The ministry of silence is often of more value than the ministry of words. Sitting quietly with a suffering friend is often the best comfort we can give. We should take more the position of humility before sorrow and pain, realizing that often there is no one answer that we can be sure of. – copied.
A Ministry of Giving
The next way we can serve others is a Ministry of Giving. Let’s listen to Luke 6:38:
“Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure — pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”
From John Calvin’s Commentaries, we find these words of wisdom about the promise in this verse. “The Lord will cause him, who is indulgent, kind, and just to his brethren, to experience the same gentleness from others, and to be treated by them in a generous and friendly manner. Yet it frequently happens, that the children of God receive the very worst reward, and are oppressed by many unjust slanders; and that, even when they have injured no man’s reputation, and even spared the faults of brethren. But this is consistent with what Christ says: for we know, that the promises which relate to the present life do not always hold, and are not without exceptions. Besides, though the Lord permits his people, when innocent, to be unjustly oppressed and almost overwhelmed, he fulfills what he says in Isaiah 58:8, that “their uprightness shall break forth as the morning,”. In this way, His blessing always rises above all unjust slanders. He subjects believers to unjust reproaches, that He may humble them, and that He may in time maintain the goodness of their cause. It ought also to be taken into account, that believers themselves, though they endeavor to act justly towards their brethren, are sometimes carried away by excessive severity against brethren, who were either innocent, or not so greatly to be blamed, and thus, by their own fault, provoke against themselves a similar judgment. If they do not receive good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, though this is chargeable on the ingratitude of the world, yet they ought to acknowledge that it was partly deserved: for there is no man who is so kind and indulgent as he ought to be towards his brethren.
This commentary by John Calvin that I just read is a wise, but somewhat difficult analysis of the meaning behind this verse. I had to read through this commentary a number of times to ensure that I understood it. Here’s what I got out of it: When we give time, talent and resources to anything out of our gratitude for what God does for us, we should not expect anything in return in this life. That we see
God’s love for us by allowing his son to die on the cross for our sins is more than we could ever expect a loving God to do, a God that has a personal relationship with every one of us that accepts the forgiveness of His son by faith. Within a church we can experience healthy, Godly loving relationships that urge us even more to be involved in giving our time, talent and resources to God, and the source of these encouragements are really from God using godly people as His instruments of love. We need to be aware though, that even within a church there can be difficulties between individuals that God knows about. Our response to those difficulties is important. Do we respond in humility so that God’s purpose may ultimately be served, or do we respond without humility, losing sight of God’s purpose. Whatever the case, God’s response to our ultimate uprightness shall break forth one day, “in heaven.”
A Ministry of Doing
The next way we can serve others is a Ministry of Doing. Let’s look at James 1:22 through 25.
James 1:22-25 (NASB) 21 Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains
of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. 22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who
delude themselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like
a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; 24 for once he has looked at himself
and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. 25 But
one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.
To “receive the word” in verse 21 is now clarified as prove yourselves doers of the word in verse 22. Believers who are merely hearers of biblical truth are self-deceived. A believer who does not act on truth is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror. James has just referred to our spiritual birth <(v. 18)> and will allude to our new self in the “law of liberty in verse 25. So natural face in verse 23, which is literally “the face of one’s birth,” corresponds to the believer’s spiritual birth. The Christian looks in the mirror of God’s Word <((2Cor 3:18)2Co 3:18 NASB)> at his new self, transformed by the new birth <(v. 18)>. But the Christian who has gone away from the mirror in verse
24 has tragically forgotten what kind of person he is in Christ (v. 24; cf. 2Pt 1:9). The law of liberty in verse 25 is the “law” or “principle” by which God frees believers from sin <(Gl 2:4; 5:1, 13; 1Pt 2:16)>, namely, the gospel, creating in them new selves <(2Co 5:17; Eph 4:24; Col 3:10)>.
Brothers and sisters, even if we are just one day past the moment of being a new believer, we should soon begin to see God’s replacement of our old self with God’s glorious law of liberty. As with the earlier types of ministry we’ve reviewed, this doing for others in humility can spawn a friendship and relationship, in Christ, that will give both you and the “one anothers” in your life a great hope for the future.
A Ministry of Encouragement
The next way we can serve others is a Ministry of Encouragement. Let’s look at 1 Thessalonians 5:11.
“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”
In this verse, Paul instructs them to communicate to one another what has been given them by the Lord. He adds, that they may edify one another—that is, may confirm each other in the doctrines of Christ. But consider, as we are slow to what is good, those that are the most favorably inclined of all, have always, at times needed to be stimulated. We need one another. It’s as simple as that. We need one another for encouragement when we stumble, for mutual protection when we’re being attacked, and for strength when we’re under stress.
An elderly widow, restricted in her activities, was eager to serve Christ. After praying about this, she realized she could bring blessing to others by playing the piano. The next day she placed this small ad in her local paper: "Pianist will play hymns by phone daily for those who are sick and despondent – the service is free." When people called, she would ask, "What hymn would you like to hear?" Within a few months her playing had brought cheer to several hundred people. Many of them freely poured out their hearts to her, and she was able to help and encourage them.
The ministry of encouragement does not involve great personal gifts of speech, or musical talent. Encouragement can be done by anyone, who will simply try to see those around them through the eyes of Christ, and there is a great need for people who will lift up rather than put down. It is a gift that we all must cultivate, or many who are downtrodden, will be ground into the dust.
Let us pray: Our Heavenly Father, thank you that as we study Your Word, it is so clear that your intentions for us is a loving, eternal relationship with You. As you love us, you only ask that we be faithful to your Word, listen to you and carry out your will. I’m so grateful that you provide daily examples of Your commitment to provide well being to me and to all those that call you Lord. May our hearts remember and cherish Your examples so that we can pass on Your love to others in meaningful ways.
