THE MUTUALLY SERVANTHOOD COMMUNITY

 

Today’s Gospel describes how Jesus sent out the disciples, two by two, to serve Him by going town to town to proclaim Good News of God’s love.  They returned back with joy in their hearts. JJJ

 

 This gospel reading confirms the themes of our two previous Sunday sermons—that by serving God in worship and in helping others, God repays us with His joy—that same joy that the angels proclaimed the night that Jesus was born. This is one of the fundamental truths of the universe.

 

Upon hearing the news from His disciples , the Bible says,” Jesus, full of joy, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.”   The self-centered wise, mighty, and super wealthy may not ever think about this; but Jesus has revealed this  precious secret to you and me.

 

Once we make a heartfelt commitment to serve Jesus, we break the erroneous idea, planted in our hearts by sin, that most of our lives should be souly focused upon our personal  needs,  our personal  troubles, our personal happiness, and our personal well being.

·       Long ago, I attended a conference  where the leader had us write down the major topics of what we think about most in daily life

·       My list was filled with concerns like my work, my money, my friends (or lack thereof), my tv shows, my opinions on the daily news, my resentments, and the like.

·       We were then asked to guess how much time we thought about God?

·       Well, I was shocked and ashamed.  I thought about God in my prayers, which were not daily; but most the time I didn’t think too much about him, except when I had problems, then I turned to Him in prayer.  You see, what we really love, we think about.

 

You see, a meaningful life should not be primarily focused upon me.  A meaningful life should extend itself beyond our selves to actively care about our loving God and his people.  When that becomes a major concern in our lives,

 that’s when life has full fulfillment, meaning, and joy.   It’s so simple: Serving God and others results in joy.

 

Now this has been proven scientifically. One study focused upon serving God and others by being generous with our money.  In a recent Swiss psychological study, using MRI scans, scientists discovered that generosity triggers a response in our brain which is closely related to happiness.  In a controlled experiment, the group that gave money away was analyzed to be much happier than the group of “self-spenders “only. They went on to find an added benefit. QUOTE “Generosity, and the happiness it generates, can improve wellbeing and facilitate greater social success. UNQUOTE

 

So, look how God has wired us.  He made us to be givers and servers...and such acts of self extention result in JOY.

 

I would like for us to reflect upon one context in which serving others is especially rewarding.  This story comes from the business world:

 

EVERYONE FROM SAM’S TEAM KNOWS THAT HE’S “THERE FOR THEM.” He checks in with them often to see how they are, and helps them develop skills they need to advance their careers, even if it means they may move on.  Sam also tries to see situations from others’ perspectives.  He makes the decisions with the team’s best interests in mind, and ensures that everyone has the resources and knowledge to meet their objectives.  Sam is an example of a , QUOTE, “A SERVANT LEADER.”

 

What is a servant leader? A servant leader is a servant first; and also a leader, in that the servant looks for ways to serve others on his or her team. This is a hot concept in business, because it results in less turnover and greater success than the top down structure of many old-style businesses.

 

Have you ever been on a team –where everyone is valued and cared for by everyone else?  PAUSE      JJJ This can be so exhilarating!!!!  Well, this is the true goal of Christian community: a community of mutual love and service, where everyone is important to each other, just as we are all important to God.

 

Now, the apostolic church, in the first 3 centuries AD, was built upon such small communities, because local churches were very small.  There were no church buildings. Different types of people of different races, creedal backgrounds, and nationalities all met in peoples’ homes for worship , fellowship, learning & service. They were very secretive about their meetings, which were outlawed by the Roman authorities. But their experience in these small communities made them happy.  Why?

·       Their fellow group members would listen to them, because everyone wanted to hear from everybody.

·       They listened to one another with empathy, listening to hurt feelings behind the spoken words.

·       People experienced healing—emotionally, spiritually, and sometimes physically, as they prayed for one another and their loved ones.

·       They mutually experienced emotional growth by interacting in a supportive community, their interpersonal skills matured.

·       And they grew spiritually ---for there is no better way to super charge your growing faith than by participating in a small group, studying God’s life giving word.

Do you know that millions and millions of Christians still experience this sense of mutual serving in church settings all over the world today?  It happens in small groups that meet for bible study, prayer, new friendships and fellowship.  Likewise, this is what dozens and dozens and even hundreds of people have experienced through our Small group program, which is now beginning its 6^th year.

 

The reality is –you need to feed your soul, so that you can grow to serve God and others until you receive His joy.  Ask yourself this:  Are you experiencing the abundance of joy, which God is ready to provide for you?  Or, are you caught up in a spiritual rut?  Spiritual ruts can capture us, as we are slowly aestheticized to vibrant Christianity.

 

But, don’t take my word for it.  Let’s hear what Carrie Stepek has to say.