Serving is the Seed to Growing

It has been said that the unchurched don’t care about what Christians know until they know that Christians care.

“In fact, when the Barna Research Group did a survey involving 152 separate items comparing the general population with those who called themselves Christians, they found virtually no difference between the two groups. They found no difference in the attitudes of Christians and non-Christians, and they found no difference in the actions of Christians and non-Christians.” Quoted from The Big Idea by Dave Ferguson I personally find this disturbing, very disturbing.

I have the opportunity to speak with many groups about their serving experiences. When a group first starts out in their serving journey there is always a similar question amongst the group members about how to connect with those that they are serving. For example, when a group goes to a soup kitchen for their first time they always ask, “How do I sit down and start conversation with the people there?” A very fair question indeed. After all, on the surface you have nothing in common. You can’t really discuss the latest addition you are building on your home. Talking about your sweet new ride will probably not go over well. Going on about the latest fashions or the newest techy gadgets takes the conversation nowhere. Ah, talking about Jesus is the answer, right? NO. And yes. For the ‘yes’ you will want to totally rely on God to guide you. If he says go, you should go. Keep in mind that I am in no way suggesting that you compromise your beliefs or faith in conversation but be sensitive to His lead. However, in general you may find huge walls built when you try to strike up a casual conversation. I am here to tell you that it takes time invested to break through those walls.

WARNING: If you are not ready to stretch yourself, read no further!!!!

Here is why they have walls; There are hundreds of people that come through soup kitchens doing their serve time, getting their serving fix so they can feel good about themselves. Admit it, we have all been there. “Yes, I go down to the community center and feed the homeless every Thanksgiving.” Kudos to you. It is a good thing the homeless only need to eat once a year. People on the margins of society are still people. They understand when they are being used to help you with your personal self sustaining agenda. They have been burned, hurt, stabbed in the back, and physically/mentally spit upon. When they start to see you and your group showing up on a regular basis that is when they really start to see Jesus. This is when they know that your hearts’ passions are to reach them and not to use them.

One time serving experiences will definitely give you a glimpse of God's grace—the grace He has extended to you, and the grace you need to extend to people. Ultimately, serving others is not just a one-shot deal, but a way of living each day. We also need to remember the situations that aren't planned though … going up to someone and filling their need instantly—whether that be giving a water bottle to a homeless person or even talking to the person you don't want to talk to. This is a bigger challenge and is an important facet of what Jesus teaches us about serving.

The ultimate success of a church should never be that sanctuary seats are filled, services are orderly or that the sermon packs power. God measures our impact on this world based on our faithfulness to His directives, our obedience to His promptings, and sensitivity to His Spirit. We can’t just listen to the Word, we have got to do what it says.

We have to make service a lifestyle.