In January Keith began a series of messages on the Christian Life…Let it Roll! This week our study is in on SERVICE. I hope to encourage all of us to serve God by serving each other. Our Scripture text is found in Ephesians 4:11.

It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.

So we are being prepared for works of service to build up the Body of Christ. My focus this morning is on our service to the Body of Christ. Keep in mind that we are called to serve the wider world, but today we are focused on service to the Body of Christ.

As I thought about a message on service, I had an immediate reference point. For the past number of weeks, the small group that Nancy and I belong to have used Pastor Rick Warren's "The Purpose Driven Life" as the basis for our study. For those of you not aware of this resource, it is a powerful study designed to be completed over a 40 day period. The focus of the study is to ground us in God's purposes for our lives. The basis for these purposes comes from the Great Commandment and the Great Commission.

Great Commandment - Matthew 22: 36-40

Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law? Jesus replied: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: "Love your neighbor as yourself." All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.

From the Great Commandment, we find two of God's purposes for our lives:

• We are to worship God (Worship)
• We are to serve (Service or Ministry)

Great Commission - Matt 28: 19-20 19

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

From the Great Commission, we find God's remaining three purposes for our lives:

• We are to share the Good News (our Mission)
• We are to fellowship with other Christians (Fellowship)
• We are to become disciples and to disciple (Discipleship)

We are called to live out all five purposes, not just choose from the list. We are to worship, we are to serve, we are to share the Good News, we are to fellowship, we are to disciple. In addressing service today, "Purpose Driven Life" has been a most helpful reference. For anyone interested in this study at SFC, Chris and Barbara Clark will be leading this study, 40 Days of Purpose on Sunday mornings beginning February 29. I encourage you to join this study or start one in your small group, with a partner, etc. - if you invest the time, it will be a source of revival and renewal in your relationship with the Lord.

At the beginning of this study, we are given a good reminder that one day we will all stand before God and as Rick Warren puts it - "God will do an audit of our lives, a final exam." The Bible says in Romans 14, "Remember, each of us will stand personally before the judgment seat of God…Yes, each of us will have to give a personal account to God." I don't know about you, but this is where the fear of God thing comes alive for me. God will ask us a couple of questions

First, "What did you do with my Son, Jesus Christ?" Did you accept Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord?

Second, "What did you do with what I gave you?" What did you do with your life - all the gifts, talents and opportunities that I gave you? Did you spend them on yourself, did you use them for the purposes I made you for?"

While I could immediately respond to the first question, the "where I will spend eternity question"…YES, I have accepted Jesus as my personal Savior and Lord, my initial response to the second question - "what did you do with what I gave you" was DUH! Not exactly the dynamic response I think that God is looking for from me. My life's story, the answer to this question will determine what I do in eternity!

Today, I hope we can all work on our answer to the second question "what did you do with what I gave you" with Service in mind. After all, We are God's servants, so how's the service?

So what does "service" mean in the Christian community? Since words have meaning, I always like to begin with a definition.

Definition of Service/Servant

• American Heritage Dictionary - Service is defined as the occupation or duties of a servant. The act or means of serving. Wow, not very appealing is it…duties of a servant!
• Bible Dictionary - Servant means a person who performs tasks at the direction of others. To be called a servant of a king or God implies a high rather than a menial position. Christians should serve one another, being sensitive to needs and willing to meet them. OK this is sounding better!
• The Bible - Jesus is the definition of service/servant. From Matt 20:28, "This is what the Son of Man has done. He came to serve, not to be served." How did Jesus model service for us in practical ways? He specialized in menial tasks that everyone else tried to avoid: washing feet, helping children, fixing breakfast, serving lepers and in some cases, just being there to support a friend…to love a neighbor.
• SFC…how do we define service within the church? What are some examples of our service to one another? Teaching Sunday School, small group leaders, working around the church, involvement in the care ministry, etc.

Now that we have defined service, let's explore why we should serve.

1. We were created to serve God - the Bible says in Ephesians 2:10b, "God has created us for a life of good deeds, which he has already prepared for us to do" These good deeds are our service. Whenever we serve others, we are actually serving God. We were created to serve God, so how's the service?
2. We were saved to serve God - the Bible says in 2 Timothy 1:9, "It is he who saved us and chose us for his holy work, not because we deserved it but because that was his plan." Service does not save us - we were saved for service. Why should we serve? We should serve out of the absolute joy and thanks for what God has done for us. He has saved us! We were saved to serve God, so how's the service?
3. We are called to serve God - the Bible says that every Christian is called to service. Our call to salvation included our call to service. Regardless of our jobs in this world, we are called to full time Christian service. The Bible says in Romans 7:4, "Now you belong to him…in order that we (the Body of Christ) might be useful in the service of God."
   At Federated we say, "every member is a Minister." Am I, are you, are we? Servant and Minister are synonyms. If we are Christians, then we are ministers. When we are serving, we are ministering. Have we answered the call to serve Him? We are called to serve God, so how's the service?
4. We are commanded to serve God - In the movie Apollo 13, the one line that probably sticks in our minds is the line, "failure is not an option." For Christians, we should have a similar line emblazoned in our hearts and minds - service is not an option! It is the heart of the Christian life. Once again, the Bible says in Matthew 20:28, "Your attitude must be like my own, for I, the Messiah did not come to be served, but to serve and to give my life." Our society preaches just the opposite. Service is something others do. The prevailing message we are told is it is better to be served, than to serve. A memorable quote from Rick Warren - many people in the Christian community will say, "I am looking for a church that meets my needs and blesses me, instead of, I am looking for a place to serve and be a blessing." In the famous words of a former Youth Director here at SFC, Eric Liljenstolpe, it's not about you! It's not about me! We are commanded to serve God, so how's the service?

So we were created to serve, were saved to serve, are called to serve, and are commanded to serve so then how should we serve? What should be our attitude?

We should serve in the area that God has wired us for service, live out your passion - teaching, discipling, taking care of children, helping around the church, washing Keith's car . We should also be prepared to serve where we are needed at the moment. Not a lot of gifting is needed to clean-up after an event, put chairs away, staple papers and so on. No task is unimportant or too menial. So then how should we serve?

1. Be available for service - Servants are ready to jump into service when called on. Real servants do what's needed even when it's inconvenient. Can God change your schedule without upsetting you? Start every day reminding yourself that you are God's servant. Ask him to show you opportunities to serve. I remember one service opportunity that came my way several years ago. At around 10:00 PM one night, I received a call from an SFC member trying to resolve a very difficult situation. Without even thinking about it, I told Nancy, I have got to go. Due to the circumstances of the situation, I called upon my brother Kirt Priest and laid out the opportunity to him. Without hesitation, Kirt responded…I'm in! While we were driving home around midnight, I'll never forget Kirt's statement to me, he said, "I love doing ministry with you!" I thought to myself, what is he thinking? It's now midnight, I have to get up early in the morning, etc. Then it struck me that we need to be ready to serve whether the conditions are right for us or not. We made ourselves available without question and trusted that God was able to use us in this situation. So Be available for service!
2. 2. Be attentive to the needs of others - servants are always on the lookout for ways to help others. When they see the opportunity, they seize it. The Bible commands us in Galatians 6:10, "Whenever we have the opportunity, we have to do what is good for everyone, especially for the family of believers." The needs of our church family are to be given preference, not be placed at the bottom of our "to do" list.
   A couple of months ago, our small group was given the opportunity to serve one of the couples in our group when they experienced a death in their family. Upon learning of their loss, our small group swung into action and asked if there was anything we could do for them. For the next several days, meals for this family were supplied. A big deal, NO. It was a joy to serve them. While simple, providing meals was one less thing the family had to deal with while they handled all of the other important matters. "Whenever we have the opportunity, we have to do what is good for everyone, especially for the family of believers." So be attentive to the needs of others!
3. Be dedicated to whatever you do - stick with it and finish strong! Colossians 3:23-24 says, 23Whatever "service" you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. So be dedicated to whatever you do!
4. Be faithful to your ministry - Rick Warren says, "servants finish their tasks, fulfill their responsibilities. They don't leave a job half done, they don't quit when they get discouraged. Can you be counted on by others? This is a test. God is testing our faithfulness. In fact, God has promised to reward our faithfulness in eternity." The Bible says in Matthew 25:23, "Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let's celebrate together."
   I call people who demonstrate total faithfulness to their ministry, "Servant Warriors." These are the faithful folks committed to their service, committed to their ministry, quietly serving, looking for no applause. Can you think of Servant Warriors you know? I can. Her name was Alma Foster. She was our adopted grandmother when Nancy and I lived in central California. She was 83 when we first met her and full of life and love for the Lord. Alma was an omnipresent Sunday School teacher - adults, children, teenagers. When Alma died at age 95, she had taught on Sunday mornings for 82 years without a break. - This was a lady who knew how God wired her for service, her ministry. She touched the lives of countless people and led or pointed many to Christ. She is a servant warrior. Can you just imagine the greeting she received upon her arrival in heaven? "Well done, my good and faithful servant!" So be faithful to your ministry!

How then should we serve? We should serve by being available, attentive, dedicated and faithful servants. So then what should we do? How should we respond? How can we respond…even today?

1. If you have "found" your area(s) of service - serve on! For those who know your area of service and find joy in what you do, we all want to encourage you in your ministry - thank you for your service to the body of Christ.
2. If you have not "found" your area(s) of service - pray, wait, but get into the game! I love the verse from Ecclesiastes 11:4 , "If you wait for the perfect conditions, you will never get anything done." If you wait until you have the perfect golf swing before you play or a perfect understanding of the Bible before you apply it or teach, you may never get into the game. Jump in and serve where there is a need. You will soon discover if God has gifted you for this area of service. If not, play on and play through! If you don't know the areas that God has gifted you, ask a Christian brother or sister what gifts they see in you, or take a spiritual gifts inventory (refer to the on-line gifts questionnaire). Find out how God has wired you for service. . If you don't know where to start, ask one of the Pastors. Tim, how can I help you in Children and Youth ministry? In fact, if you take a look at the bottom of the message outline in your bulletin, you will find a listing of the Ministry areas overseen by our Pastoral staff. Check it out and talk with them today. Drop them an e-mail. Check out the web site. You can respond today.
3. Join a small group and encourage one another to serve together in community. A small group can explore spiritual gifts, practice acts of service with one another, encourage each other to serve and find ways to serve together. Talk to Greg Davis or Rick and Elaine Burgess. They are out in the patio this morning. If you are not in a small group community, what are you waiting for? You can respond today!

Ephesians 4:12 - "to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up" should remind us that as God's people we are constantly being trained to perform skilled servant work. As we close our time this morning, let me make one thing very clear - serving the Lord is not about keeping score. We serve him out of our love and gratitude for what he has done. I don't always remember what I have done nor do I know all that I will do in the future. However, I do know that I am called to serve whatever that may mean or bring. When I appear before the Father in heaven I, like all of you, most certainly hope to hear, "well done good and faithful servant." Until that time let's encourage each other to serve the Lord with all our hearts, our minds and our souls loving and serving our neighbors. After all, We are God's servants, so how's the service?