The Gift of Serving

Uniquely You in Christ: (Part III)

THE GIFT OF SERVING

Philippians 2:19-24 (NIV)
19 I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you.
20 I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare.
21 For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.
22 But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel.
23 I hope, therefore, to send him as soon as I see how things go with me.
24 And I am confident in the Lord that I myself will come soon.

            Time and again, here at BCI, I would like to remind all of us about the fact that we are bless to be a blessings. In other words, when God in His goodness give blessings to His people, they are not just for personal consumption. He expects that we invest His gifts for the furtherance of His kingdom.

            If you go back to the Old Testament, the nation of Israel had difficulty getting this very important point: Notice:

Isaiah 5:1-5 (NIV)
1 I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside.
2 He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well. Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit.
3 "Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard.
4 What more could have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it? When I looked for good grapes, why did it yield only bad?
5 Now I will tell you what I am going to do to my vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it will be destroyed; I will break down its wall, and it will be trampled.

               Can you feel God’s frustrations toward His people? He felt that He did His part to ensure a fruitful harvest from His vineyard, yet all He got were bad fruits. As a result, in verse 5, He conveys judgment to His people.

            On our end, I believe with all my heart that we never fall short of blessings. God has given us everything we need to be fruitful believers. In fact, in our series, we are primarily dealing with spiritual gifts. These are special abilities we have received through the Holy Spirit so we can serve each other and therefore build the body of Jesus Christ. Like the other blessings we have, we have received gifts so we can bless others. I hope we are doing our best to know our gift/s and use them to be a channel of God’s blessings to others before it’s too late. Remember, the Israelites had to be disciplined harshly because of their negligence.   

            So far, we already have explained some basics ideas about spiritual gifts. We also have spent time studying the gift of prophecy. This morning, allow me to specifically discuss the gift of serving. Based on our text, we can see that Timothy perfectly demonstrates this gift to us. Let’s discover together some important truths about it:

I           THE DESCRIPTIONS:

            Again, serving is one of the spiritual gifts based on Romans 12: 7, “If it is serving, let him serve.”  The Greek word used for serving is “diakonia” where we get our word Deacon. This word conveys rendering services in practical ways to meet needs, relieve suffering, and build the body of Christ. Kenneth Gangel, a well known Bible commentator wrote: "Those who possess this gift tend to be marked by a less-talk-more-action style of service"

            In the New Testament, Timothy seems to have exemplified this quality of serving. When there were some needs in the church of Philippi, Paul could not think of anyone else who could do a better job in helping them. Examining the life of Timothy, we can find some of the common descriptions of someone who has the gift of serving:

A.    Sincere interest in the welfare of others

Those who have this gift are selfless. They literally have more concern on others than themselves. They desire to sincerely invest in the lives of others.  I remember the response of Barrack Obama when Pastor Rick Warren asked him during the Civil Forum for Presidency the question, “What would be the greatest moral failure in your life.” Let me quote a portion of his response, He said, “I was so obsessed with me and you know the reasons I might be dissatisfied that I couldn’t focus on other people. And you know I think the process for me of growing up was to recognize that it’s not about me . . .”

I am not endorsing Obama, but I think it is a must for all public servants to be willing to put himself aside for others.

B.     Alert to detect and meet practical needs

Because they are so sensitive with others, they are the first ones to notice the needs on others. And they are motivated to meet those needs as quickly as possible.

C.     Frees others to achieve

The joy of the server is not just in initiating tasks, but knowing that through their services they’re bringing a peace of mind to another person which will allow that person to be more productive in the tasks which God has called them to do. The apostle Paul was able to minister extensively to so many churches at the same time because of people like Timothy who allowed him to fulfill his calling.

D.    Strong desire to be with others

Timothy seems to function well in working with groups. You would find him in the company of others most of the time.

Acts 16:2 (NIV)
2 The brothers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him.

Acts 17:14-15 (NIV)
14 The brothers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea.
15 The men who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.

            Someone with this gift love to work with teams because more people mean more needs are met.

 

II         THE DIFFICULTIES:

            However, we also need to identify some challenges with those who possess this gift.

A.    Frustration with long –range responsibilities

Servers prefer short-range projects. In Paul’s encouragements to Timothy, there are evidences whereby he needed to be told to endure like a soldier or continue in his calling.

1 Timothy 4:16 (NIV)
16 Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

2 Timothy 2:3 (NIV)
3 Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

            The tasks which attract people who have this gift are usually immediate needs. So if you are asking the server to help in long range projects, be sure you provide ways to encourage him to stay on. You can best do this by affirmation and appreciation. I don’t think servers are constantly looking for praises, but they need to know that what they are doing is making a difference in other people’s lives.

B.    Tendency to neglect personal health

The people who possess this gift are committed to provide relief or help to the best of their abilities. Unfortunately, they often overlook their personal health and comfort. Paul at one point had to remind Timothy:

1 Timothy 5:23 (NIV)
23 Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.

            Perhaps, this warning can also be extended to family needs. Since the server is more focus on the completion of the tasks which he/she knows will benefit the individual they are helping rather than their personal welfare, he or she can also disregard their own family’s needs. Be careful because this can lead to some unnecessary tensions in the home. Always seek to have a good balance in your Christian service.

C.    Saying “No”

Another area that a server needs to really watch is saying yes to almost every request. Saying “No” to requests is usually very difficult for the server because requests represent needs, and they always feel obligated to meet them. However, this can bring some frustrations on him or her for the reason that saying “yes” and getting over-involved or over-committed they have a tendency to get side-tracked. Timothy was told twice by Paul not to get side-tracked.

2 Timothy 4:9, 21 (NIV)
9 Do your best to come to me quickly,

21 Do your best to get here before winter. Eubulus greets you, and so do Pudens, Linus, Claudia and all the brothers.

III        THE DISTINCTION:

            Someone who has done deeper studies on this gift provided some distinctions on the performance between a server who is spiritual or mature and a server who is carnal and immature:

 

SPIRIT                        FLESH

Alert                             Unconcerned

Generous                      Stingy

Joyful                           Self-pity

Flexibility                      Resistant

Availability                    Self-centered

Endurance                     No endurance

 

            To be a greater blessing to the body of Christ, the server needs to continually grow in his or her Christian life. Greater maturity means greater efficiency and productivity. The apostle Peter spoke about his truth:

2 Peter 1:5-8 (NIV)
5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;
6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;
7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.
8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

IV        THE DELIGHTS:

            Generally speaking, Christians who faithfully serve the Lord are promised great rewards. I’m reminded of one special verse in John wherein Jesus promised the blessing of fellowship and honor to His servants:

John 12:26 (NIV)
26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

            First, don’t fail to notice, “Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be.” Human masters would probably prevent their servants, or employers with their employees, to be with them at all times. But Jesus guarantees constant fellowship. He promises an intimate relationship with those who serve Him.

            But more than fellowship, there is also the assurance of being honored by the Father – “My Father will honor the one who serves me.” This thought reinforces again the commendations given to the faithful servants in the Parable of Talents:

Matthew 25:21 (NIV)
21 "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'

            I know for people who have the gift of serving, there is great joy when they know that their efforts have made a difference in the lives of others. But, there is still greater joy that awaits them in the future. As I always say, God is a worthy master!