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Our Core
Values
Who We Are
And Why We Do What We Do
Servanthood—Using
Our Gifts In Ministry
John 1:41-42
Introduction: Examples of Servanthood
Their names are Wes and Muriel. Every week they are here making
sure the worship center is ready for all of us. They make sure the cards and
pens are where they should be in that little pocket on the back of the chairs.
They straighten the books. They make sure the bulletins are ready to hand out.
They are great examples of performing a ministry that is usually only seen when
it hasn’t been done.
Her name is Martha. She can be
seen walking into the church on a regular basis with napkins, plates, and other
supplies for the kitchen. When you walk into the supply room you will find
these items because Martha has checked to see what is needed and then supplied
it.
Her name is Elda Ann. She
prepares the trays for communion each month. As we celebrate one of the two
most meaningful celebrations of our Christian faith, it is because she has made
sure the necessary items are ready.
Her name is Pat. Once Communion
is finished she takes the trays, empties and cleans them and then stores them
away where they will be ready the next time.
His name is Rod. He has a
truck. If someone needs help he is there and ready to help. He also has DVD
duplicating equipment. When someone needs material copied and distributed he is
up to the task.
These are just a few of the people who serve the
Lord here at Discovery Church. I could provide an almost endless list of ways
in which people serve here, but these are some of the “behind-the-scenes”
people who serve quietly and unseen. As we examine our core values as a church
we are looking today at servanthood—the
quality that makes a good church great. Those of you who have taken the 301
Class Discovering My Ministry already know the answer to this question: How many
ministers are there at Discovery Church?
The answer is over 100. I’m the only full-time paid pastor but there are
over 100 people serving as ministers in this church. One of my most important
responsibilities is to equip, teach, train and unleash you to carry out the
ministry God has for you. Did you realize you actually pay me to get you to
work? I have a great job!
As we reaffirm the value of committing to use
our gifts in ministry I want us to look at one of Jesus’ disciples who was a
behind-the-scenes kind of guy. He wasn’t into leading worship or preaching
sermons. He didn’t write any of the Bible books with his name to identify it.
He just did ministry day in and day out. His name is Andrew. He is a great
example of servanthood. There are three attributes that show the kind of person
he was and what made his ministry so significant. He made the disciples of
Jesus better and he is the kind of person who makes a local congregation a
great church.
Andrew Understood The Value of People
Wherever you find Andrew in the Gospels you see
him pouring his life into someone else. We meet him in the first chapter of
John. Jesus has just called the first two disciples to follow Him. Andrew,
Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two.
The first thing Andrew did was to find
his brother Simon and tell him, "We have found the Messiah"
(that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus. John 1:41-42 NIV
Andrew had been a disciple of John of the
Baptist. He heard John identify Jesus as the Lamb of God. Understanding what
that meant he left John to become a follower of Jesus, knowing that Jesus was
the Messiah. The first thing Andrew did was to go and tell his brother and
bring him to Jesus. Right then and there Jesus says to Peter,
Jesus looked at him and said,
"You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas" (which, when
translated, is Peter). John 1:42 NIV
Peter would take center stage as the key apostle
after Jesus returned to heaven. He would preach powerful sermons. He would
confront those who hoped to stop Christianity dead in its tracks. He would
truly become the rock in the formation of the church. It all began because Andrew
went to bring his brother to meet Jesus.
One day as Jesus was teaching a large crowd
along the shores of the Sea of Galilee Jesus questioned Philip about how much money
it would take to feed all of them. Philip estimated that even 8 months of wages
wouldn’t buy enough bread to give each person one bite. Andrew enters the
discussion.
"Here is a boy with five small
barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?" John 6:9 NIV
Andrew found the boy with his lunch and brought
him to Jesus.
In the last week of Jesus’ ministry there were
some Greeks in Jerusalem for the Passover.
They came to Philip, who was from
Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. "Sir," they said, "we
would like to see Jesus." Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in
turn told Jesus. John 12:21-22 NIV
The Greeks came to Philip because he also had a
Greek heritage. H wasn’t sure what to do with the request made to him. What he
knew he should do is tell Andrew. Andrew took them to Jesus.
People were important to Andrew. As he
found people, his first thought always seems to be, “I need to take this person
to meet Jesus.” What a great attribute it is to value people so much that you
can’t wait to introduce them to Jesus. He didn’t have the public, more
flamboyant ministry gifts but he used his gifts to honor His Lord.
Andrew helped people because he knew the value.
Let me give five principles for being a
people helper.
Character Is More Important Than Gifts
Who we are and what we are is more important
than what we do. Hopefully, what we do is consistent with who and what we are.
Being Godly Is More Important Than Being Right
People will always have different opinions about
what is right and wrong. God calls us to live according to His standards. He is
the only audience that matters.
Love Is More Important Than Good Works
Love in the body of Christ is a top priority.
Loving the people of God is our calling.
You Never Lose By Being A Learner
If your attitude is to keep you spirit of
learning alive, you will always be growing in your relationship with Christ.
There Is Always Room For One More Servant
The roster is never full. When you are ready to
release your gifts for God to use, He has a place for you.
Andrew Understood The Value of Invisible Service
Andrew has a behind-the-scenes ministry. This is
where the true heart of servanthood is seen. Let me reformat the scene in the
first chapter of John this morning so we can truly appreciate the spirit of
serving Jesus.
We have seen how Andrew’s first act as a
follower of Jesus is to bring his brother Peter to Jesus. I believe this has
great significance.
I think the day Andrew brought
Peter to Jesus he already knew Peter would be one of the top disciples. The
brothers had grown up together. They had family dynamics just like your family
does. Peter was a charismatic, natural leader. He was the strong one. He was
the probably the one to whom the other guys looked. When they went places
together Peter was the one people noticed. Eventually they recognized that Andy
was also there with Pete.
So, all of his life Andrew lived in the large
shadow cast by his brother. Following Jesus may have been one of the first
times he had been first. So, what does Andrew do? He brings his brother to
Jesus knowing that as soon as he introduces Peter to Jesus that he will never
be one of the top disciples. That place will go to Peter. It always has. Peter
has natural leadership ability. Jesus will see these qualities and He will
utilize them. Andrew demonstrates the trait he has already seen in his mentor,
John the Baptist, who acknowledged that he was not the Messiah. When John
realized Jesus was the Messiah—the Lamb of God—he said,
He is the one I was talking about when
I said, ‘A man is coming after me who is far greater than
I am, for he existed long before me.’ John 1:30 NLT
Andrew was destined to fall back into the ranks
of the other disciples.
What Andrew does have, however, is an incredible heart for God and
people and bringing the two together. This is what he
might say to us today.
I understand where I fit. It’s
okay. I don’t have to be up front. I don’t have to be in the inner circle, sing
the solo or preach the message. It’s all right if others don’t see me.
Let me tell you what I know about people who
have the ability and the willingness to do ministry in the background. Unlike
some of us who are up front all the time, they display the heart of the servant
as they fulfill the nitty-gritty, day in and day out duties. Here’s what I
know: their motives are pure.
They’re doing it for God because they love God. They’re not doing it for
applause. They’re not doing for it recognition. They’re not doing for praise
from others. I’m not saying those of us who are more visible are doing what we
do for recognition and praise, but it is one of the challenges with which we
are confronted.
At the funeral for Dawson Trotman,
the founder of the Navigators, a pastor from Taiwan stood to share what he
remembered about this highly gifted leader. He said, “I’ll tell you what I
remember Dawson Trotman for. In Taiwan together we took a hike one day when it
was very muddy. We came back that evening extremely tired and fell into bed.
The next morning when I woke up my shoes were washed and shined. Dawson Trotman
had gotten up early.” That is the heart of a servant.
James and John along with their mother show the
other side of desiring the more visible, prominent positions. You can find the
account in Matthew 20. We find here the original stage mom campaigning for the
best roles for her boys. She actually goes to Jesus to ask Him to give the two
most prominent positions—the seats on Jesus’ right and left—to her boys. Her
boys were already part of the inner circle of three. I wonder if she might have
been trying to deal with the personality of Peter. Jesus told James, John and
mom that He wasn’t free to give these positions because they are assigned by
the Father.
When the other 10 disciples—including Peter—hear
about this they are indignant. They are probably wondering why they didn’t
think about doing it first. Jesus uses this incident to call them all together
for a lesson.
You know that the rulers of the
Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over
them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be
your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son
of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a
ransom for many. Matthew 20:25-28 NIV
Jesus teaches them that the way up is down.
Greatness comes from being willing to be in the background.
Leadership can be pictured as a pyramid. The higher you move toward the
peak the fewer personal options you have. You surrender your rights because of
your willingness to serve others. You give up the freedom to do what others
might be able to do because you now represent something—Someone—who is bigger
than you. In fact, an upside-down pyramid is a better picture where God builds
His church only as men and women are willing to serve rather than be served.
That won’t happen if leaders are in for the personal acclaim.
Consider
four “God-Thoughts”
on servanthood
1.
When the disciples sought
out greatness, Jesus didn’t rebuke them. He just gave them
an unexpected method.
2.
In the Kingdom of God the
greater serves the lesser.
3.
The motivation for serving
is not personal greed, but personal gratitude.
4.
The acid test of whether
you’re a servant comes when someone treats you like one.
So far we have seen that Andrew understood the
value of people and the value of invisible ministry. The third attribute is
Andrew Understood The Value of Insignificant Gifts
Let’s go back to the miracle of feeding 5,000
people with five small barley loaves and two small fish. Andrew had the ability
to see how little things become great when placed into the hands of God.
There are times when the little things are the most important things.
There was a time in my life when mowing the lawn took longer than it should
have. When Andy was a preschooler we reached that point where more than
anything he wanted to help me. That meant that he would stand in front of me with
his hands reaching up to the handle and off we would go as I tried to straddle
the best I could. If that moment was about mowing the lawn in the most
efficient way possible, then it was a miserable failure. But, it that moment
was about a child wanting to spend time with his dad, it was a great success.
Years later it even paid off as Andy took over the mowing duties.
There is a point here. It is this: God doesn’t need me to do the work of His
kingdom. If it’s only about fulfilling His kingdom He can probably do that
work far more efficiently and effectively all by Himself. If God wanted my
advice about this I would tell Him, “I don’t understand why you want to involve
me as a partner in this venture. If my Son had died on the Cross, I sure
wouldn’t use me.” He wouldn’t use any of us. The most amazing thing to me is
that God in His incredible omnipotence and omniscience is walking around His
kingdom with us helping Him!
Key Thought: God doesn’t need me to do the work of His kingdom but He chooses to use
my insignificant gifts. I’m not so valuable to God that He can’t do it
without me—or you. He doesn’t hold His breath when I get in my car or on a
plane wondering what He will ever do if something happens to me. He chooses to
invite us to partner with Him in ministry using the gifts He has given to
us—whatever they may be—to serve Him by serving other people.
As we move toward the close of this service on
Memorial Day weekend—a time when we remember and celebrate selfless,
sacrificial service—consider these ten truths about being involved in a
ministry where you serve God.
1.
The Foundation Of Ministry
Is Character
2.
The Nature Of Ministry Is
Service
3.
The Motive For Ministry Is
Love
4.
The Measure Of Ministry Is
Sacrifice
5.
The Authority Of Ministry
Is Submission
6.
The Purpose Of Ministry Is
The Glory Of God 7.
The Tools Of Ministry Are
The Word Of God And Prayer 8.
The Privilege Of Ministry
Is Growth 9.
The Power Of Ministry Is
The Holy Spirit 10.
The Model For Ministry Is
Jesus Christ
Conclusion: Help Wanted
You may think it strange that the Lord of the
Universe would post a Help Wanted sign. But, that’s the way He has chosen to accomplish
His purpose. What does that mean for you and me? I think this story told by
Billy Graham will answer the question.
An 80-year-old woman who was blind
was talking to God one day. She prayed, “God you know I served you all my life.
Take me home.” God answered, “No, I have some ministry for you to do.” She had
no idea what that could be. Then, she realized one day she had a telephone
directory written in Braille. From that day, starting with the letter A, she
called people on the phone every day to talk to them about Jesus. Over 9 years
she talked with thousands of people. At 89, this blind woman, who just used the
phone directory to call people, had led 3,000 people to Jesus.
If you have been serving God faithfully for many
years or haven’t quite figured out what God wants you to do, my challenge to
you is to make this your prayer,
Is there anything you want me to do for you, God? I’m
here and I’m ready to serve you with the gifts you have given to me. Amen.
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