Servanthood in the House of God
Philippians 2:1-11
Servanthood is a foundational truth for us as Christians. Serving is your all access pass to everything of God. Having the heart of a servant and living like a servant is the most rewarding thing we can do as Christians. This principle, like so many other kingdom principles, goes against the view of the world. In the world servers are often looked down upon and treated poorly. We as Christians should go out of our way to treat people who are serving us as well as we possibly can. However, sometimes Christians in church have a sense that they are better than others. Sometimes they can look down on those that are serving and have an expectation that they are there for us and to do for us.
As people join our church, I want people to feel our servant’s heart. I want them to feel like they are at the Ritz Carlton, and are going to have the best experience possible. The same spirit that is on high class, well run, well trained establishments is the same feeling we want people to have when they come to church because I believe that is a kingdom principle. That is the principle of servanthood.
“Don’t be selfish. Don’t live to make a good impression on others. Be humble thinking of others as better than yourselves…Your attitude should be the same as that of what Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God.”
Sometimes we have this indignation that says “I have rights. Don’t you know who I am? I have a position which denotes that I have certain rights.” Jesus didn’t cling to his rights, but took the humble position of a slave, took human form and humbled himself even further by dying a criminal’s death. Because of this, God lifted him up and gave him a name that is higher than all names. We have the perfect example of servanthood in Christ. From his example, we can learn and understand how we are to live our lives. It is troubling when as the more we get to know God, we manifest our knowledge in arrogance and pride instead of by becoming more like Christ and having a servant’s heart. The more we know God the more pronounced our sense of humility should be. We need to understand that the call of God on us as Christians is primarily to serve others. It isn’t about our position, it is about serving God and others.
Sometimes this arrogance comes from a misunderstanding of what ministry is. Ministry actually comes from the root word for servanthood. Servanthood began in the early church when the apostles became overrun with serving the people and raising up others to help ensure that the people’s needs were met. There was no government structure to serve these needs, so the church grew very rapidly as people in need gravitated to the church’s ministry. We must never lose sight of this role. Before we are preachers, teachers or ministers, we are first servants of God, others and his house.
The more you succeed in something, the more you tend to develop a sense of entitlement. “Don’t I deserve this or more?” Jesus said if you want to be greatest in the kingdom, you have to be prepared to be lowest in the kingdom. The more fruitful I am for God, the lower I need to become. “Even though you will have authority in my kingdom, I want you to submit and serve as I have. Just as I have become the servant of all, so to do I want you to become the servant of all.” What the world is looking for is not more arrogance and not more I know better than you. When we leave the foundation of serving, we get a mentality of “I think I am right and everyone else is wrong.” Perception is reality to the world, and these attitudes give them a negative perception of what Christ and the church is, regardless of what is in our hearts. They perceive that the church thinks it is better than them and has judged them already. Judgment won’t attract the lost to Christ.
The church is a great place to practice this life of servanthood, and hopefully how we act in church reflects the person we are and the way we live outside of church. We want to be the same people wherever we go, not just turn on our “Christian person” on Sunday. Church isn’t a place where we have to be perfect. Perfection is unattainable and is almost an enemy. If I keep trying to live up to an expectation of perfection - which I will never hit - I am setting myself up for failure. If we get caught up in a cycle of self-righteousness, it will also affect how we see and treat other. Servanthood comes from our heart attitude. In our heart, to serve, we have to accept our own shortcomings and accept people for how they are. There but for the grace of God go I. If it wasn’t for what God did for me I could never be what I am not. It all comes from a place of understanding that everything I have in life, I have because God gave it to me.
Romans 12:9
“Don’t just pretend you love others, really love them. Hate what is wrong and stand on the side of good. Love each other with genuine affection and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy in your work but serve the Lord enthusiastically…When God’s children are in need, be the one to help them out.” When we are Christ, we have nothing. He owns everything. Servanthood is about loving others, meeting their needs and giving to others. Be prepared to lay everything down - possessions, pride, dreams, aspirations - and use them to serve God and serve others. If you aren’t ready to give a portion of your life away then you haven’t really given your life to Christ. But, when you begin to trust God with everything, he begins to give things back to us on his terms. He becomes our provider. So many people have trouble following God because they are selfish. Their hearts get harder and harder the more they live for themselves. When we lose everything, the process begins where we begin to gain everything.
Servanthood begins from the place of “I have nothing. I have lost everything to God. Everything I have is because God gave it to me. I will live my life on the foundation of serving God and serving others.” A serving environment loves people, not judges, and creates an environment where people will open their hearts to God. This attitude and environment need to permeate every aspect of our church.
