Your Growth Group #7, Discover Serving

 Last week my family read a fictional story about children who visited a palace in ancient Egypt. The children were stunned by the wealth and magnitude of the home. Seeing the luxury that the wealthy Egyptians enjoyed, they asked one another, "Would you wish that you could live here in such extravagance?" One of the children replied, "Not at all." The others were surprised at the response and asked, "Why not?" The child who answered spoke up and said, "Have you seen the sad faces of the Egyptian children? They have everything in the world, but it's still not enough. They never lift a finger. Only servants tend to their clothing and belongings. The servants cook all their meals. The children look bored and dissatisfied." 

Christians today can suffer in the same way as these Egyptian children. Many Christians see their faith as a religion where God exists to give them what they want. They see the church as a place to go to receive goods and services, but they themselves don't serve. Christians with this mentality are consumers, not contributors. They expect to be served, not to serve. They miss out on an ocean of blessings that God gives to those who serve. 

Service is the way of the kingdom of God. Jesus, the King of the kingdom, told His disciples, "But whomever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve" (Mt. 20:26-28). Being a servant is the way of greatness in God's economy. When we are saved by the gospel of Christ, we get to be servants of the living God, servants of one another, and servants of the Lord's church. 

God's word tells us that our service is for our good. As we serve, we draw on God's spiritual power which indwells us by the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38; Rom. 12:4-8). We experience God in new and wonderful ways as we empty ourselves and rely on His strength (Jn. 15:5). As servants, we get to fulfill God's will in our lives (Eph. 2:10). We get to contribute to the eternity of others in that serving often leads to people becoming disciples of Jesus Christ (1 Tim. 2:1-3). Further, it secures for us rewards in heaven which give us capacity for greater worship and service to God (1 Cor. 3:14).

So, it's not surprising that FBC Harrah wants to lead our people to be servants, not consumers. One of the places where we learn to serve is in our growth groups. There are many things which need to be done for a growth group to be a meaningful community of believers. The tasks range from taking attendance to welcoming guests to bringing a meal to a sick group member. More than likely your growth group leader is doing most of these tasks alone and would appreciate help. Ask your growth group leader for a way to serve on an ongoing basis, and he or she will be ready with a role for you.

Your growth group leader can also coach you in finding your place of service in our church on a ministry team. We have several teams which provide meaningful opportunities to serve men, women, children, senior adults, or the poor on an ongoing basis. Your leader can help you discern which role(s) of service God has prepared for you and which ones the church has the most pressing need. I'd encourage you to find one (no more than two) ongoing role and commit to it. Trust that if you sacrifice the time and effort to do that role well, God will bless you in your service.