Serving Matters
This is the rough draft of Pastor Steve’s message from the third week of “Rooted.” from August 18, 2019. You can also watch the message here. We hope you find this helpful as you pursue your next steps in Christ
Certain people in our family help plants grow and certain people in my home pretty much kill plants. I’ll keep the plan killers anonymous for now. No names. But two people that are not planter killers are Ellie and myself. We like to work in the yard and we currently have this collection of pink impatients that are growing like crazy. We have 5-6 pots filled with impatients. They get watered and they get pruned and they keep growing. We’ve noticed that as they have grown they drop some of their flowers and in time, those flowers start to grow as well. We have a handful of impatients that are growing in the cracks of the brick pavers right along side of the pots.
Ellie and I have talked about moving those impatients from the cracks in the pavers into their own pots. The key, in pulling them up from the ground to move them is the roots. You can’t simply yank them out. You have to carefully pull them to make sure as much of the root comes with the plan. It’s a feel on how much or how little you pull. You and I know that roots are key. The roots are what provides the nutrients and what feeds water to the rest of the plant. The healthier and deeper the roots, the more that plant can have sustained growth.
Believe it or not, the same is true of you and I. Our roots matter. And in particularly, I’m talking about our roots in Christ. The central idea with this series is this; Rooted people last. People rooted deeply in their faith in Christ make it. Make it in what? In life. In marriage. In business. In parenting. In the difficulties of life. People who take care of their relationship with Christ and feed those roots of faith last when life gets challenging. When we as Jesus followers deepen our roots of faith and trust in Christ, we can see long lasting growth in our lives.
The question is, how do I develop those roots? At different moments in the next 6 months, I’m going to jump in and out of this series with the how to’s of developing stronger roots. When you dig into God’s Word you consistently see three things that are necessary. What grows deeper roots in Christ? One is intimacy with God. Two is community with others. Three is serving others. You and I can only be a fully functioning and growing Christ follower when all three are working in our lives. Let’s start with this one. Serving Others.
Jesus gives us picture after picture of what it means to serve others. In John 13 Jesus gives us a compelling example as he prepares his disciples for his death. They didn’t know that yet. He sits down with them to eat a meal called the Passover; we call it the last supper. Jesus does something that is both radical and uncomfortable.
Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. John 13:3-5
Now, even though this is right from the Bible, some of you are probably freaking out right now. You know why? The reason is because you don’t like feet. You don’t like your feet much less other people’s feet. You don’t want to touch feet, muchless washing feet or having anyone do that to you. Are you with me so far? It’s a dirty and humbling job. It’s awkward and it’s uncomfortable for some of us. But Jesus does the lowly for them.
He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” 7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” 8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” John 13:6-8
Peter’s reaction is probably not only his own, but most likely the sentiment in the room. “No Jesus, you can’t. Your Jesus and I’m a nobody. You can’t.” If we were in the same place, we might react the same way.
Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” John 13:8
“Hey Peter, you are all in or all out. This is the way I roll. This is the way God is revealed. I came to serve others and I choose to serve you right now and in this way. It starts with me serving you.”
“Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!” 10 Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” John 13:9-10
Peter totally misses the point and maybe we do too? This isn’t about cleanliness or baths. So Jesus explains.
When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. John 13:12-14
Jesus challenges us with what serving looks like. He challenges us on what it means to root our lives in him and serve others. With that said, here is the question I want to ask today. What does serving really look like? I believe right out of the gate, this first idea is key. It’s not position. Isn’t that what Jesus shows us here. He says, “you’re right, I am the son of God. I am God in the flesh. You call me teacher and you call me Lord, but get this. Just because I am God’s son, doesn’t mean I lord it over people. I’m giving you a new model. If you have power or position or authority, you lead by serving others.” And Jesus demonstrates it by doing a lowly job. He washes their dirty feet. Jesus completely flips the script here.
Get this, the greatest serves. That leader serves. The person in authority serves. If Jesus did it, we do it. If Jesus, who was God in the flesh, served in the lowliest of ways, don’t we? Yes. And again, I’m not diminishing a spiritual calling or the leadership gift at all. I’m not. I am saying, however, that we simply have to disconnect part of our American way of thinking a bit that says, “I have the position, so you serve me.” Or this one. “I can’t really make a difference in the lives of others til I have a title or until I’m a leader.” Jesus debunks both here.
“I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” John 13:15
Jesus gives us more. He says “follow my example. If there is ever a doubt in your mind what it means to follow me, do what I do.” That takes us back to our question. What does serving really look like? It’s doing. It’s action. Our passion for Jesus has to be tied to action. Our transformation in Jesus is revealed in demonstration to others. Jesus followers care for people. They show up. They do! They do when it’s awkward. They do what is dirty. They do what they are passionate about. They even do what maybe they are NOT passionate about for a season because it moves the ball down the field to accomplish the mission of reaching people.
Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. John 13:16
Jesus revisits that them of position again. In the economy of Jesus, position does not grant you rights. If you have authority, that doesn’t mean you are better than anyone. It you are a certain color, you are not greater than. If you live in a certain neighborhood, you are not greater than. When I see those two words, “greater than,” do we get it? We are called to not see ourselves as greater than anyone and we prove it with serving.
You with me? When I read this passage, my mind took that high school math focus again. How many hated math? Here is what we know. 4>3. 123>120. That is simple mathematics. What would happen if we would take the same approach to what Jesus says in regards to serving? A greater than approach. Let’s keep asking that question. What does serving really look like? It’s >___________. The it’s right here, that’s serving. Whatever you can put in that blank, serving is greater; at least if you call yourself a Jesus follower. The call to serve others is what we were made for. Ultimately, It’s what we were made for.
But here is what is interesting. There are so many obstacles that often get in the way of that thinking. Time. Insecurities. Fear. What would happen if we saw serving with the eyes of Jesus? What if we realized it is one of the top three things that deepens our roots in him? Here is what Jesus demonstrated. Serving>_________. What obstacles would you put in that blank? What should serving be greater than? Serving>Convenience. Serving>Calendars. Serving>Position. Serving>Excuses. Serving>Discomfort. Serving >Your Past. Serving>Possessions. Serving>Insecurities. Serving>Culture. Serving>My Wounds.
The person who grows spiritually is the person who gets that “greater than” formula. The person who grows deep roots in Christ walks in that “greater than” mindset. They think in this way, “I’m not greater than anyone, so I serve. There is not a circumstance in my life that is “greater than” God’s call for me to serve others.
Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. John 13:17
If we serve we will be blessed. That got me thinking. What does it mean to be blessed? I mean, it’s a word we as Christ followers throw around a lot. We even hashtag it don’t we? We put up a picture of our family. #Blessed. We post that we got the job. #Blessed. I don’t think there is anything wrong with that at all. But what if blessed is more than when things go good? What if being blessed is more than when things are good in life?
In face, blessed often times has little to do with circumstances in scripture. Here are a couple of definitions of blessed; To be satisfied. To be fulfilled. So, I have to ask the question again based on Jesus’ words. What does serving really look like? It’s fulfilling. In this context, I am blessed when I give my life away to others. My life is more satisfied and more fulfilled when I practically serve and do things for others. There is a gap in my life that is fulfilled and satisfied when I am using my gifts and resources to serve others.
You know what’s ironic? We’ve all tried to fill our lives with experiences that will satisfy us or fulfill us long term. What is even more ironic about many of those experiences is they don’t live up to the hype? Your friends tell you, “You have to go see that movie. You just have to.” Everyone is talking it up. It’s has the buzz on social media and the critics said “wow.” So you got the tickets and bought the popcorn and laid down 2-3 hours of your life. And you walk out of the theater thinking, “well, that was good but it wasn’t great.” There is some lack of fulfillment or satisfaction.
Now, I’m going to offend some of you. Here goes! Sometimes I feel that way about the Disney experience. Yes, I heard some of you freak out just now. We’ve been there and had a good time with our kids. But you know what, I didn’t walk away feeling overly satisfied. I mean it’s great. We made some great memories. We had some time away as a family. I love that all. But you know what? It’s expensive. It’s hot all of the time. The lines are long all of the time. The food is super expensive. Here you go, here’s a $5 hotdog. I don’t know how those of you do it repeatedly with little kids. When we were there, we saw kids melting down constantly.
So after we did the Disney thing we collectively said, “you know that was fun. We had a good time together, but we probably don’t need to do the season pass for the rest of our lives. The Disney magic was not super fulfilling for us. Here is the point. We all have our Disney’s. The promotion. The money. The dating life. The titles. The popularity on social media. The authority. If we are honesty, they don’t live up to the hype. Jesus tells us that we are truly blessed in life, when get that it’s not about us. It’s about serving. God works supernaturally and fulfills that need in us and in others, when we serve. He bonds us with others when we serve in the trenches together. He brings joy to our hearts. He even develops deep roots of character. That’s fulfilling!
What we have read today is one of many cases where Jesus gave us the example that as followers of his, we serve. It is greater than so much. Which takes us to the nuts and bolts. How? How do I root my life in serving? Let me just give you one take away. Look for opportunities to love and serve. If you want your roots to go deep in Christ, then you are looking. I’m investigating. I asking questions. You can’t wait for the opportunities to come to you. I’m taking personal responsibility to see how I can make a difference in the lives of others.
I believe sometimes as Christ-followers we get stuck right here. We’ve become, often times, way too consumeristic in this arena. We want opportunities to serve, too often, that fit into our lives. The one that fits into our calendar best. The one that fits into our comfort zone. The one that fits with no too much commitment but where I don’t feel guilty because I am doing something. Listen, that flies in the face of what Jesus shows us here today. Maybe we are looking for someone to ask us? Maybe someone to set us up well? Maybe just tell me what to do? I get that. We want to be a church that helps you take that next step. But listen. We need to be looking. Each of us needs to have some personal responsibility and personal courage in this arena.
You know how? Here is a great start. Start with those that are nearby. Start with those right now, in your sphere of life, and look for ways to love them. Last week I mentioned these circles of influence; my family, my church and my community. You will always (say always) find opportunities to serve others just by starting there. In fact, let me mess with your world. My family AND my church AND my community. That trifecta, should be happening in all of our lives. It’s multiple choice. “Well, I’ll take a bit of family but opt out of my church for a bit.” It’s challenging, but we are called to serve in these areas concurrently.
My family: If you are married, start with loving your spouse the best way you can. Come on, I’m so tired of hearing about Jesus followers throwing away their marriages. Do you really believe he loves you unconditionally? Then love your spouse that way; no matter what has occurred. If you have kids, they need to see the love of Jesus in you so that they can grow and follow your example. Moms and dads your kids faith is more important that their grades, their sports or their social media accounts. Start there. If you are teenager, find ways to serve your parents and your siblings. Yes, you will freak out your family, but it’s what you are called to do.
My community. These are your neighbors. The students in your classroom. They guys you play ball with. The friends you workout with. People at your work. Opportunity after opportunity to serve others. We are constantly looking at ways that we can make a difference right here in SWFL. But guess what? You don’t need church to do that? Live your faith right where Jesus has you because some of those folks may take months or years before they ever step in the door of a church.
My church. Do you realize that each week there are at least 40 people, in some way that serve you? They serve to make this experience what it is. They serve on our security team to keep this place safe. They open up their homes to small groups. They post things on social media to celebrate what Jesus is doing here. The setup and tear down. They prepare musically. They teach your kids even when your kids give don’t listen.
You see here at Turning Point, we believe in serving. You know why? We want to be a church that reaches those that are far from God. We say it this way. “We exist to help others experience a life changing relationship through Jesus Christ.” And Jesus’ plan for that, is not me. It’s we. We do that when we serve others.
If you weren’t here last week, I shared with you that as a church, we are entering a new season and a new chapter of God growing us and our church. I believe that God is positioning our church to grow in our ability to make an impact here in SWFL and across the world. As part of that vision, in three weeks we are moving to a new location. We will be moving to Bonita Springs High School in September 8th. How cool is that? This new place will give us more room for our kids ministry. It will give us better tech. It will give us the opportunity to set up and tear down less. There are so many things about this move that we believe in the long term, are going to help us reach people for Jesus. It’s a conversation we have had for over a year and a half.
With that said, I’m going to shoot straight with you. I don’t need you to simply take up a chair in our new space, I need you in the game. I need you finding a place to serve other people as we launch. So, here is my challenge. Put down some roots. How? Serve in a ministry. Stack chairs. Care for children. Shake hands at the front doors. Organize data and systems. Serve students. Run tech. Serve somewhere. The opportunities are in front of you right now. There is a need. Serve once a month. If you are getting started, this is a good on-ramp. Give a service each month. That’s about 60-90 minutes a month. Anyone can do that. In fact, some of you will want to do more. You have the capacity to do more. Serve faithfully. Once you jump on board, be consistent. Be dependable. Serve others no matter how you feel. Why? Because you and I are called to reach people.
Now, with our move, we are tweaking and reshaping many things. One of those things is what we called our “Growth Track.” Our growth track is a series of 4 steps we ask people who land at TPC to move through. They happen each week and each month. We believe each of us always has a step in growing our faith.
If you’d like to serve, we’d like for you to focus on step 3 and step 4. We call them 3.0 and 4.0. These are laid back conversational classes that last about 75 minutes. Our 3.0 class called, “Discovering Your Purpose,” help you discover your spiritual gifts and passions that God gave you. Statistics say that most Jesus followers don’t know their spiritual gifts. We help you discover them and see how they fit into serving others. In fact, if you have served for awhile and have not taken 3.0 yet, this is good for you to. It’s good to see how God is wired you and maybe where he’s leading you in this season.
Then, our 4.0 class is all about “Making A Difference.” Isn’t that what we all want to do with our lives? Yes. When you take this step you will get the basics of how to serve here at Turning Point. How do you spiritual gifts and Gods’ purpose for your life fit in this local church? How can you make a difference in the lives of our kids, ur first time guests, or through shaking hands or running tech. You will know what is expected in your ministry role and what you can expect from us.
We do these classes every month; every third Sunday and fourth Sunday. But this month, with our need to multiply teams befroe we move, we are having both classes two times this month. (3.0 and 4.0 Details-Slide). We believe in both of those classes, but we really want to make sure that if you are ready to serve, get into 4.0 next week. They are both super important, but 4.0 is critical. You can sign up for either of those classes via our app, online at tpclive.org/event or in a few moments with a connection card.
With all of that said, let’s ask a key question today. What opportunity is in front of you right now? There is definitely a place for you here. Who is in front of you right now? Will you do what Jesus is calling you to do? To love and serve them.
Let’s take some time to pray and reflect on what God has in front of us right now.