Faith without works, is dead
“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you say to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled”, without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”
– James 2:14-17
Serving others, out of a humble heart, is not an easy choice that not everyone will make.
In the church, we talk about serving all of the time. And to be honest, we have too. Serving is of vital importance to every church’s existence and operational ability. The church was not created to be a paid enterprise organization that is able to pay every single person that changes a diaper or leads a small group. As crazy as it sounds, the church was created to be a vessel of people that would pour into the people around them and inside the walls of the church building to be able to lead those to knowing and following Jesus.
There is one thing about learning about God from an academic stand point, but it is something completely different when it comes to following Jesus’ example of life here on earth.
When we see the disciples, which eventually become Apostles in the book of Acts, get called by Jesus, very early on we see the disciples both learning things and unlearning things. The disciples are learning from Jesus about what life could look like and unlearning what they have been taught since they were kids. Jesus also takes the moments to send his disciples out, very often, the disciples are sent out to serve and to preach the good news of Jesus.
You see when you begin to follow Jesus, and become his disciple, we find that serving is intertwined with your faith and your deepening understanding of who Jesus is for us and through us.
The problem we all face, is that serving has become somewhat of a ‘glamour’ seeking endeavor. Serving has been distorted to be into something that we can brag about. If you read Thought #8, you may be thinking, this sounds a whole lot like hospitality, well because serving and hospitality go hand in hand with our discipleship to Jesus.
You see as we get closer to Jesus, we see that Jesus had a natural rhythm to life that we can emulate. It may not be as deep or as perfect as Jesus’, which is no surprise, it can be lived out in a daily way.
” ………….But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” – Mark 10:43-45
Serving is not about your ability to brag about where you serve or how many people you serve. Serving is about the love you have for Jesus overflowing out of our hearts towards others. It could look like this:
Having a meal with family friends that don’t know Jesus. (hospitality)
Planning a VBS while on a mission trip in Ethiopia. (serving)
Wiping the nose of an upset 3 year old at church in the middle of the summer. (serving)
Stopping to listen to a hurting friend or coworker. (hospitality)
Cleaning the bathrooms at a church that doesn’t have anyone to clean the church on a regular basis. (serving)
Reaching out to your neighbor about the doctors appointment they had. (hospitality)
Could it be hauling furniture from The Sharing Shed to a family in our community? (serving)
As our love for Jesus grows, our hearts for hospitality and serving increase.
There is a forward-facing part of serving and hospitality that is undeniable and very real.
When we serve someone or a group of people, there is a very real and undeniable focus put on you and the same goes for when you show hospitality to someone or a group. As Christians, we are called to go and make disciples of all nations, of anyone that will listen and accept the good news of Jesus and to lead them to following Jesus and his commands. Which means we will be looked at and unfortunately, potentially judged for our actions.
Jesus gave us a new command in John 13 by saying ” we must love one another, like I have loved you…..BY THIS, all people will know you are my DISCIPLES.” – John 13:34 & 35
Then again in John 17, Jesus says ” I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of this world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world…..I do not ask this for these only, but also for those who WILL believe in me through their word, that they may be one just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me….” – John 17:15-21
To James’ point, can we have faith with out works….yes but it doesn’t mean much. On the flip side of that, can we just serve others with out the faith behind it….sure but that also doesn’t mean much because there is nothing attached to the deed. Sure you could be looked at a good person, but in the discourse of salvation, serving to check a box on a to-do list, doesn’t lead to being a disciple of Jesus.
Serving should first and foremost always come from the outpour of love that Jesus has given you and now you attempt to give to others.
As much as bible study and worship and small groups and prayer and silence and solitude are important to your discipleship with Jesus, if we neglect to serve also, then we are missing the whole picture of being a disciple of Jesus.
The question then is, where will you serve to be able to breath the life and love of Jesus out to others?
If you are reading this and are not serving, here is a painted picture worth thinking about:
Here at Harvester Christian Church, there are hundreds of places you can serve…….hundreds really.
Recently I asked just some of the ministries around HCC, what kind of volunteer numbers could they use right now…….150…..Meaning, we could use 150 more people to come and serve the church and the guests that are coming to church each and every week and month.
That number gets even larger when asked what would a dream number of volunteers be….one ministry said 200, another said 270!!
Imagine the kingdom impact we could make as a church if we all took one opportunity to serve in some way….what would it look like, what would it feel like, how would you be used to impact someone else’s life?
Can I challenge you…..take a moment and think about where you would want to serve, just TWO TIMES…what ministry would be it, how would you be serving?
Could it be that you want to help guests find a parking spot with our parking team?
Could it be opening a door for one of our disabled guests that struggle to open the door themselves?
Could it be serving behind the cafe counter helping our guests with some donuts to make the environment of Sunday morning warm and welcoming?
Could it be holding a crying baby until they fall asleep in your arms so that the parents can go and worship?
Could it be leading a small group of 2nd graders to help them understand how much God loves them?
Could it be flipping switches on our tech team in that back where if we didn’t have people, our services wouldn’t happen?
Could it be having conversation with our online guests to welcome them and help them have the best online experience they can?
Could it be helping a new family walk from Guest Central to Kids Check in to help them feel calm and welcomed as they bring their kids to Harvester Kids?
There are so many opportunities for you to step out, in faith, and serve those coming to Harvester Christian Church.
The question is, will you?
If you are interested, let us know or join us for Discover Harvester on June 9th, here is a link – Discover Harvester –
