Last blog post I talked about being on mission. I hope you read it and understood a little more of what it means to be on mission! This post will specifically talk about serving.

As the church, I think service is something we really need to move towards more and more. This past weekend, instead of having church inside , we had church inside out. We met, sang, prayed and worshiped through serving the community. It was weird!  Instead of our traditional Sunday morning experience listening to a message, we were the message being lived out in a community. As odd as this was, it was refreshing to start to think through what is the church? Is church just a Sunday morning activity or is it more than that?

If we were to take a snapshot of Jesus’ ministry, I think one thing that would stand out is serving. Jesus served, and he taught others to serve as well. He served with an attitude of love. What an example we as the church can look to! More than ever I feel the church is taking a turn. As a whole, we are seeing that serving is the new street preachers of the past. People have been hurt and affected by the way the church has acted in the past; no longer will a seeker friendly service work to draw people in.

People want to see Christians not just talk about love, but living that love out. This is a huge calling, but I feel the church is ready to rise up to the occasion to show love in the communities around us.

From the church that leaves us, what are we to do as individuals who are the church?

Serve, serve, serve!

I’m sure many would disagree with me that there should be a number of things before this. But, if we are not serving, how are we meeting people? If we are not serving, how are we spreading the Gospel? I think serving is the gateway to greater conversations. If someone were to ask, why are you serving? We would be able to answer, “Because Christ calls us to love and to live out that love. We serve because Jesus loves you and He wants you to know that.” And just like that, the gospel message is opened.

Individually, take a moment and find something that is close to your heart. I heard a message once about a man who was wondering what God had for him. Through a circumstance, we saw what God called him to. God called him to minister to people in a slum out in the middle of nowhere. He brought heaven to earth for these people; a clash of two kingdoms to minister to these people. He ended his talk with asking everyone these questions

What is your Slum?

What has God called you to?

Where is the area he wants you to serve?

God has called each and every one of us to serve in some capacity. It might take work, it might change over time, but find something to plug into and serve! Through serving, I feel we eventually become less in our own eyes and Christ shines in us more.