Welcome to the In Touch Podcast with Charles Stanley for Monday, February 10th. How do you serve someone who needs nothing? Today, you'll hear about the primary way you can obey God's call to servanthood. Throughout the New Testament, believers are called all kinds of things. That is, there are all kinds of titles to Christians. For example, we're called ambassadors, we're called believers, we're called brothers, church, chosen. We're called the elect, we're called disciples, we're called followers, fellow citizens, sons, soldiers.
We're called servants. There are many, many names for the believer all through the New Testament. But it's one of those names that I want us to major on primarily in this message, and that is the word servant. So I want you to turn, if you will, to Galatians chapter five. And in this fifth chapter, there is one verse I want us to look at, though we'll be looking at many of them. The fifth chapter of Galatians chapter five, and let me give you a little idea of what is happening. Paul is talking about the freedom that believers have, and he is challenging those Christians in the Galatian area there that not to slip back into their old ways of now that they've been saved by the grace of God, and now that they're free by His grace, don't slip back to trying to live up to the law to stay saved. And then that's the first verse of chapter five. Then in the thirteenth verse, he says, For you are called to freedom, brethren, only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
Which is what he's saying is simply this. Now that you are free, what you don't do is drift back in the other direction and say, Well, I'm eternally secure because of the grace of God, and therefore it won't hurt me to sin a little bit since I'm eternally secure. No, he says you weren't called to that kind of thing, but you were called, he says, but through love we're to serve one another. We are called to walk obediently before Him, and part of that obedience is service. Now, when we think about what service is all about in being a servant, we've seen that Jesus Christ is certainly a pattern for our servanthood. But servanthood is a, listen to this, servanthood is a call to God's purpose for your life and mine. It is a call to God's purpose for our life. Because it's very clear throughout the Scripture that this is what our Lord Jesus was saying.
Many times when He talked about our relationship to Him. Turn, if you will, to John chapter twelve. And in the twelfth chapter of John, I want you to notice, if you will, what He says in this twenty-sixth verse of the chapter. He says, if anyone serves me, let him follow me. And where I am, there shall my servant also be. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. That is, Jesus considered us servants.
Look at that. He says, if anyone serves me, let him follow me. And where I am, there shall my servant also be. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. This is not only a call to serve Him, which is His purpose for your life, but listen, a call to serve God is a call to grow in your personal life.
Now this is an area that's oftentimes overlooked. We say, well, you know, I'm willing to serve the Lord. And we only see that as giving, giving, giving, giving.
But that is not the truth because it goes two ways. And oftentimes we have the idea that our serving the Lord is what we have to give and what we have to do. Listen, if you place these two side by side, growing in the Lord or serving the Lord, growing in the Lord will have a priority.
But that's not the way God sees it because here's the way He sees it. God sees that our serving Him is a part of the growing process. As you and I begin to serve the Lord, we will grow. We will face difficulties. We will face challenges.
We will face situations that try us, that test us. And one of the best ways to learn the truth of the Word of God and one of the best ways to learn what you really and truly believe is to have somebody challenge what you believe. And so sometimes a person says, well, you know, I just can have somebody question what I believe.
Well, why not? Because, you see, if you believe it and you know why you believe it, you can defend yourself. Now, if you don't think you can defend yourself adequately, what happens is the more you get challenged, what happens? The more you learn how to defend what you believe. So when you go to your job and somebody says, I don't understand why you believe things like that. You see, if you get challenged enough, you get in the Word of God, you find out what you believe.
You know why you believe it. You become stronger. It is in our service that we grow in our relationship to Him.
It is not a one-way street. Growing is a part of being a Christian and serving Him is a part of being a Christian. And serving Him is a part of the whole growth process.
And when you think about it, the truth is our fruitfulness is really going to be determined by the degree to which you and I are growing. As you and I are growing in what we believe and what we understand about the ways of God, what happens is we become more useful and more effective in our service for God. A lot of people who trust the Lord Jesus Christ as their saving, they just sort of somehow sit around.
Nobody ever challenges them. They somehow don't feel like they need to serve the Lord. They just need to try to live right and do good and be good. But that is not what God said. He says, I'm among you as one who serves. And He says, is the servant greater than his master?
No. So if Jesus Christ is serving, we are to serve. And one of the aspects of that that's so very important is the fact that you and I grow spiritually. And listen, you and I also already know you don't grow spiritually automatically. You just don't grow up spiritually automatically. You've got to be in the Word, praying, listening, applying, challenge, failure.
Listen, failure is part of growing up in the Christian life. How does a person learn to walk? How do they learn to run? They learn to walk by falling. How many times? You have to pick them up and say, well, let's try again, sweetheart.
Finally they walk, and the first time they walked all the way across the floor to you, you jumped up and down and shouted and say so and so, walked all the way across the room. You were so excited? Well, I don't know how excited God gets, but I have a feeling that if we get excited, put in my terms, He must get excited when He sees you and me growing and moving ahead in our spiritual walk. Service is a part of the growing process. It is a motivation.
It is a stimulation. It is a cause for our growth. He said He predestined you and me to be conformed to the likeness of His Son. So naturally, He's always interested in how we're growing. He's interested in the degree of our faith today versus what it used to be and how we feel in terms of generosity and giving and serving and sharing, our courage, our boldness, our faith, all of these things. God, of course, knows what's going on. Well, likewise, you and I should look at ourselves this way. If we do a good job at this position, then surely God may see fit to move us to something else. And so what happens is you and I should see every single opportunity of service, whether it's in the business world, whether it's in the church, wherever it may be, every single opportunity of service as a point of measurement.
That is, somebody's watching. So would you promote somebody in your business who did a poor job? No. Somebody who never showed up on time, did a sloppy job?
No. But somebody who's diligent, they're there on time, they do more than is expected of them, what happens? When you're looking for somebody to promote, that's the kind of person you're going to find. And so God is measuring us, and you and I should serve Him in such a fashion to realize that not only is He measuring us, but other people may be measuring us, and if we want to do better and have a better place of service, whatever it may be, we do our best right where we are. And one of the snares of Satan is this. God will put a person in a place and maybe it's not a big crowd, maybe it's just a few people, or maybe it's a small ministry or whatever it may be, and the devil says, well, why should you give your best?
Look, you don't have but a few people. Why should you study? Why should you pray? Why should you work so hard? Why should you work so diligent, that Sunday school lesson, when you're only going to have about four or five people, and some of them don't even care? And so Satan just gives all that, and so what does a person do? They sit up and watch TV at about one o'clock on Sunday morning, they come droopy out into a Sunday school class, and they wonder why they don't have but four or five people.
I'll tell you why. Because when you and I give our best, our best may not be the best there is, but when we give our best, God always honors our best because He's measuring us for future service. Don't ever forget that. He's always measuring us for future service. That is true in your business, it is true in your vocation, it is true in the Lord's work, no matter where it is.
Very important you and I understand that growth is a part of the whole service idea, and that service is a part of what God is up to in growing us up. Now, somebody says, well, you know, I'm just miserable where I am. And so I'm going to leave.
Well, you know what? That's not always a sign to leave. I've been miserable lots of times. And I'd like to run away or walk away, but you know what? Here's what happens. When you walk away from the will of God, you're in a mess.
You mark that down. You just stepped into a mess when you walk out of the will of God. And second, it may be that God's got you miserable because He's trying to do something. And what we all want to do, we want to look for somebody to blame when we get miserable and say, well, if this changed and that changed and the other changed, then things would be different. Sometimes God gives us a good dose of miserableness in order to get us looking at Him, looking at ourselves and say, Lord, what do you want to change about my life? What do you want to do in my life, Lord? How do you want to correct something in my life? And I've seen people who've gotten themselves in that position, who've got on their face, cried out to God, the Lord showed them what was going on in their life, and what happens?
Then they just take off, whether it's in their business or whatever it may be. God knows exactly what He's doing when He calls us to an area of service, which leads me to a third thing, and that is? Servanthood is also a call to the exercise of our spiritual gifts.
Now, I want you to turn to two other passages, if you will. Look, if you will, in First Peter chapter four. First Peter chapter four, look at this verse. This is a very important verse. First Peter chapter four, verse ten.
Listen to what he says. He says, as each one, now who does each one include? Everybody. As each one has received a special gift that's tailored to them, employ it, put it to work in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. The manifold grace of God are the various ways in which God expresses, listen to this, the manifold grace of God is the various ways in which God expresses His goodness and kindness toward us without regard to our merit and our worth and in spite of what we deserve. So he says, each one of us has received what? A special gift.
Now, what is that special gift? Simply this, that when you were saved, the Spirit of God gifted you and equipped you to do what God wants you to do as a believer. Now, all of us come into this world with certain talents and abilities, innate talents and abilities that God has given, a certain kind of personality. And when people excel at that and when they work at sharpening up their talents and abilities and when they work at their skills, they get better at it. But a spiritual gift is a special gift that God gives. And whether it's the gift of service, the gift of giving, the gift of mercy, it could be the prophecy, teaching, exhortation, many different kinds of gifts in First Corinthians twelve and also in Ephesians or in Romans also.
But what I want you to notice is this. Isn't it interesting how we'll work so hard at an innate ability and talent that God has given us and yet oftentimes we overlook the spiritual gifts. And so he says that each one of us is gifted so that whatever God has called you to do, He has already gifted you. Now, that does not mean that you are as skilled as you could be.
It doesn't mean that you don't need any internship maybe in some areas. But you have been gifted in that area. Now, I want you to notice another verse because I think this verse likewise is equally as important. And I want you to turn, if you will, to Romans chapter twelve. Go back to chapter twelve for a moment and look at this verse.
Again, he's talking about spiritual gifts here. And he's talking about the church here, the body of Christ. And he says, so we who are many are one body in Christ individually members one of another. Then I want you to notice, if you will, the sixth verse of this twelfth chapter. He says, and since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us. That is, he says, all of us have different gifts.
Now, why are they different? Because that's an expression of the grace of God. He didn't want to make us all the same thing. Suppose everybody wanted to preach.
I'd be in a mess up here on Sunday. Suppose everybody wanted to teach. Suppose that nobody wanted to sing. And nobody wanted to play in the orchestra.
Everybody wanted to do something else. He's given us different gifts according to what? According to God's purpose and plan for our life. There's no such thing as a non-gifted person. Everybody has a gift.
Now, he says, if you'll notice. And since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us. Let each one exercise them accordingly. That is, we have to exercise their gifts according to what? According to what their gift is.
And then he names some here. Prophecy and service and teaching and so forth. Now, when you and I exercise our spiritual gift, whatever it may be. If it's a teaching or if it's giving or if it's mercy.
That is, helping people, serving people, whatever it may be. When we exercise those gifts and we serve out of that gift and our service is an expression of our gift. That's when we do our very, very best at whatever we do. Because what we are doing is we are serving according to our gift. We are exercising the gift that the Holy Spirit has given to us. So, if we want to do our best, what we do is we choose to exercise our area of service, whatever it may be, in the gifts that God has given to us. Now, we will do best that way because that's the way, of course, God has equipped us.
Well, something else I want you to notice here is this. And that is that when we think in terms of what ministry is all about, let's put it this way. That ministry takes place.
Now listen to this. Ministry takes place in your life when, listen, when the divine resources of God meet a human need through a loving servant, ministry takes place. When the divine resources reach this human need through you or myself, then ministry takes place, which means it can happen anywhere, anytime.
We're not talking about just limited to the church. We're talking about serving the Lord. We're talking about serving Him wherever He wants us to be, wherever He wants us to serve Him.
We have the privilege of doing so. Now, sometimes we want to limit that to church. And so, which brings me to say that to speak in terms of servanthood and to describe it as it is, it is a call to personal involvement in individuals' lives. Servanthood is a call to personal involvement in the lives of other people. Now, if you serve in a church, we relate to each other, relationships. If you serve, for example, you're going to serve the Lord in your business. Let's take it out of the church for just a moment. And let's say, for example, that you work in some industry or some business, whatever it may be, maybe your own private business. But no matter where you are, you are still a child of God.
And how in the world we ever separate being a Christian at church and being a Christian in our business, that's never in the thinking of God. So wherever you serve, wherever you work, wherever you live, we are to serve God all the time, wherever. It may be that my service today may be simply to be an encouragement to someone here that I see on the job with me who is very discouraged. It may be over here that the next day I see someone who has a real material need and the Lord has said to me, I want you to give them twenty dollars or whatever it may be.
Or it may be that someone over here has another need in their life, that they just need to open their heart and share what's going on. Or it may be in your business you see somebody really making some mistakes and you know that you can help them correct that and help save their job. There are lots of ways to serve God. Each one of those is an act of service. What are you doing? Divine resources, your intelligence is doing what? Meeting a human need, somebody's making a mistake on their job and you are a loving channel, so what do you do?
You go and help them. That is just as much an act of godless service to the Lord Jesus Christ is standing behind this pulpit and preaching a sermon because what we're doing is what? We're becoming available vessels to God who will have his divine resources through us meet somebody else's need. And so there are lots of little insignificant ways that you and I can serve Him. We think, well, what's that got to do with serving God?
I'll tell you what it is. Because all service to God is toward someone else. What God desires is that you and I give ourselves to people, someone else, no matter what. He says, I was in prison, you visited me, sick and you visited me.
Hunger and thirst and you gave me the food and drink. They said, well, now when did we do that? He says, because in as much as you've done it unto one of the least of these, you've done it to me. There's thousands of ways of serving God. We just have to adjust our mental thinking that we're servants of God. We're servants of the Lord and we serve Him in every single possible way. And so I would encourage you, find a place that you can serve the Lord. Here's the mentality we have.
The mentality often time is this. People behind the pulpit, people who work out schedules and events and programs, they're the servants of the Lord. And the rest of us, we're the objects of their service. That is not New Testament. Every single person a servant.
We just all have our area of activity. And all I'm asking you to do is to find out what is it, God, you want me to do in the church? Lord, make me so sensitive that I will live daily looking for ways to serve other people. Because remember this, what does the Bible say?
We forget this. Listen to this. He says, give and it shall be given to you. Give what? If I bend over and pick up something so you don't have to, I've given my energy.
If I show you how to do something that I think is going to help you save your job, I've given my understanding and my knowledge. If I see someone who falls and I pick them up, I've given them my love and my help, my energy, whatever skill I have to help them. In other words, there are thousands of ways to serve God. What He's looking for is servants.
People who are willing to see themselves, who have a mentality. Not I follow some scheduled event and I only do what is scheduled, but I'm looking for ways to pour out my life to someone else who desperately needs the Lord Jesus Christ. Servanthood is all about giving ourselves away to God by giving ourselves away to other people.
And if you forget everything else, remember this. There are many ways to serve God, some in the church, some outside the church. What our Lord wants is a mentality of servanthood, that whether I'm in the grocery store or behind the pulpit, whether I am driving down the expressway or whether I'm sitting in my home, servanthood is a mentality.
It is an attitude that God wants for all of His children because it is the pattern of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you for listening to The Call. If you'd like to know more about Charles Stanley or InTouch Ministries, stop by InTouch.org. This podcast is a presentation of InTouch Ministries, Atlanta, Georgia.
