A Gift of Service
Mark 9:35
Introduction.
Don McCullough relates this story in the book Waking from the American Dream.
During World War II, England needed to increase its production of coal. Winston Churchill called together labor leaders to enlist their support. At the end of his presentation he asked them to picture in their minds a parade which he knew would be held in Picadilly Circus after the war.
First, he said, would come the sailors who had kept the vital sea lanes open. Then would come the soldiers who had come home from Dunkirk and then gone on to defeat Rommel in Africa. Then would come the pilots who had driven the Luftwaffe from the sky.
Last of all, he said, would come a long line of sweat-stained, soot-streaked men in miner’s caps. Someone would cry from the crowd, ‘And where were you during the critical days of our struggle?’ And from ten thousand throats would come the answer, ‘We were deep in the earth with our faces to the coal.'”
Not all the jobs in a church are prominent and glamorous. But it is often the people with their “faces to the coal” who help the church accomplish its mission.
When we consider the English word “minister” or “ministry,” we often think of the preacher and his work.
That, however, is not necessarily what this Greek word means.
The basic definition of this word is “service.”
This evening (perhaps) we will discuss the passage in Mark 9:35 where Jesus says, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”
That sentiment is echoed later in Mark 10:43-45.
“But whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
While a preacher is meant to be a servant, there are other offices and uses of this word as well.
We will consider this today.
Preview.
Body.
Definitions.
Person.
The word when referring to a person is διάκονος.
It is transliterated in some places as “deacon,” as we see in 1 Tim. 3:8; Phil. 1:1.
A deacon, according to 1 Tim. 3:8, is an office in the Lord’s church—a servant.
This word is also translated as “minister.”
This is a descriptive word used for preachers such as Timothy (1 Tim. 4:6).
The preacher is to be a servant, after all.
And, of course, this word is translated as servant in many places.
There are several people who are explicitly called a διάκονος.
This includes apostles like Paul, prophets like Silas, preachers like Timothy, Tychicus, and Epaphras, women like Phoebe, and even our Lord Himself.
Ministry.
This is the word in question in Romans 12:7, the διακονία or “ministry.”
This isn’t anything that is particularly amazing, but at the same time it is.
Thayer’s describes this in five ways:
Service/ministering.
Of those who by the command of God proclaim and promote religion among men.
The ministration of those who render to others the offices of Christian affection, esp. those who help meet need by either collecting or distributing of charities – we might call this benevolence.
The office of the deacon in the church.
The service of those who prepare and present food—this refers specifically to Martha in Luke 10.
People who are described as having a διακονία include the Apostles like Paul, various preachers and disciples like Barnabas, Silas, Timothy, Archippus, and those in the household of Stephanas. This also includes churches such as the ones in Corinth and Thyatira.
If you are a servant, you have an area where you serve, i.e. a ministry.
And really, looking at what Jesus said in Mark 9 and 10, shouldn’t we all be serving?
Service.
Service, of course, is not limited to men (as we note Phoebe).
It is also not limited to those who hold church office, such as preachers, elders, or deacons.
This is the Greek word διακονέω – to serve or wait on.
We note those who are said to have served in the NT: Apostles like Paul, prophets like Silas, preachers like Timothy and Erastus, others like Onesiphorus and Onesimus, and of course our Lord. Let us also not neglect the women, such as Peter’s MIL (Mark 1), Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the Less, Salome (Mark 15), Joanna the wife of Chuza, and Susanna (Luke 8). Along with these were groups, such as the Corinthian church and Hebrew Christians, along with the prophets of old.
These definitions of these three Greek words help us to understand this gift.
Gift.
All seven functions in the church listed in Romans 12:6-8 are said to be gifts.
These are “gifts differing according to the grace that is given us” (Rom. 12:6).
So then how is ministry a gift?
Given by grace.
Grace, of course, is unmerited favor.
We have all been granted grace—every single human being has been granted it.
God is well within His rights to punish us the moment we commit a sin, but He doesn’t.
He gives us grace that we might have every opportunity to repent and obey the gospel.
Then “the grace that brings salvation has appeared to all men” (Tit. 2:11).
We all have been given this grace, too, but not everyone believes it, therefore not everyone is saved (Eph. 2:8-9).
So we have universal grace, grace that grants salvation, and then we have the grace discussed here in Rom. 12:6.
Grace by definition is a gift.
These other gifts, both miraculous and non-miraculous, were all given by the grace of God.
This includes the gift of service.
How is this a gift?
We each have our areas of expertise and interest.
We should not cling to these in pride, saying, “I’m good at that.”
The truth of the matter is, we have only become good at a particular thing because God has allowed us to be.
He has given us the opportunities we have had to develop our talents.
Even the talents we have were given by God.
This is parallel to Paul’s statements concerning Christ’s gift given by grace concerning the offices given in the church: apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers (Eph. 4:7, 11).
If you are a musician, for instance, you may have been born with a particular talent or natural ability. You had an interest in it, or perhaps someone noticed your talent. You then go to school for music to develop that talent. You work hard and become a great musician.
Now, of those things, what did you do all on your own? Well, you worked hard in school, right? But if you didn’t have that school and those teachers, who would have taught you? Well, you had a natural talent. Yeah, but who gave that to you?
Same with service. You may be a good cook, but you had to develop that to get even better. You may be a great electrician, but you had to learn how to do that.
We each have something we are good at, or something we could develop within ourselves that we can use in service to God for His glory.
Application.
Questions to ask before using your gift.
I cannot possibly tailor this lesson to fit every possible talent and gift out there.
But I can give you some questions to ask yourself so that you can know how best to use it.
Question #1: Have you prayed about it?
We should always seek the Lord’s guidance for such things.
We can always pray that if it’s the right thing to do, the Lord will give us success.
And if it isn’t, we can pray that the Lord will close that door, making that option unfeasible.
Question #2: Can this be used biblically?
Make sure that your gift is suitable for the church.
You see that we do not use musical instruments in our worship—well, there’s a reason for that.
If your talent is that you’re a musician, don’t expect to bring a guitar or piano to worship to play while we sing.
If you can sing, however, use that to lead us in our worship in song—if you are male.
There are some very talented female singers out there, my wife among them.
But Scripture does not permit a woman to lead in the worship of the church (1 Tim. 2:12).
So search the Scriptures to see what you might be able to do with your talent.
If you’re not sure, ask someone how you might be able to use it.
While my wife cannot lead singing in our worship, she can certainly help others stay on track with the leader.
You might have noticed when I’m leading singing on the live stream, she will often help me stay on track.
She gets no glory for it, but it helps me and it in turn helps all of us in our worship—the point is not to receive the glory but to serve God.
Question #3: Does it give God the glory?
The arrow should never be pointed at us when we serve God and serve others (Matt. 5:16).
Others may give us accolades and praise, but be sure to direct that praise to God.
It is easy to let such things get to our heads—don’t let it!
Such praise is meant to encourage you to keep going, to build up your talent, to get better.
Most of the people who work on the building and grounds do so when no one else is here, and they rarely get praise for it.
They do it for God’s glory, to help the church look good for our members and especially our visitors.
When a building is taken care of, it shows we care about ourselves and others should, too.
Question #4: Will it edify the church / help others / help spread the gospel?
To edify means to build up.
Certainly the things we have talked about so far would certainly build up the church.
Aiding in our singing and mowing the lawn help to build us up.
What else can we do to foster a spirit of community among our members?
Some provide food for going through health issues.
In fact, food is a big part of this because we all need to eat, and it gives us time to get to know one another when we eat together (pandemic notwithstanding).
Perhaps there are other activities we can do together to build one another up.
You might have an idea that would help us do just that.
We should also want to help others through our benevolence efforts. In what areas can we be more benevolent, keeping in mind our limitations?
What are other areas in which we can more effectively spread the gospel?
These are questions to consider that can help us answer this fourth question.
Conclusion.
Service is a big part of being a Christian.
We are all meant to serve, regardless of office.
Just like those miners, some jobs are not as glamorous as others, but still quite necessary.
We each can work to develop a ministry of our own or participate in others’ ministries (acts of service).
Such things are a gift from God, and we should not be prideful about them.
Always ask yourself these four questions before proceeding, however.
Have you prayed about it?
Can this ability be used biblically?
Does it give God the glory?
Will it edify the church / help others / help to spread the gospel?
What is that gospel that needs to be spread?
We must be a member of His church, after all, to reap any ultimate reward for our efforts.
Become a Christian today!