Recently, my son called for the immediate elder sister to help him with some water to drink. But she grudgingly answered him. I told her; “Can’t you serve your brother?” Her response was funny; “I can never serve my brother.” I guess she misunderstood the statement. I had to supply her understanding about service.
Friend, you need to serve the brethren (Galatians 5:13). Like my daughter, many people have a wrong understanding of service in the church family. According to them, if you serve the brethren, it means you are lesser than them. This is not so. Notice that Jesus had to correct the same attitude or mindset that the disciples had during their days (Luke 22:24-27).
Serving the brethren does not reduce you. Rather, it increases you. Your value and relevance are tied to your service, not your status (Acts 13:36). This idea that you are too big to serve is the very thing that is making you too small to lead. It is what is limiting your greatness in God and in the kingdom. True greatness serves. Authentic leaders serve others (John 13:1-17).
God wants us to serve one another (Galatians 5:13). Christianity is not about consumption. It is about contribution. We don’t only go to church to be blessed. We also go to be a blessing. We don’t wait to be served. We go all out to serve others. If you have been a recipient of service or ministry, you are also supposed to be a dispenser of the same (2 Timothy 2:2). It is a debt you have to pay.
You cannot continue to sit in church while doing nothing to contribute to the growth of the church or the wellbeing of the brethren (Colossians 4:12). God wants you to be involved. He wants you to make your contributions to the activities and ministries going on in church. It is one of the ways to be a vital part of the church family (Philippians 2:25-30).
According to the world’s definition of leadership and service, it is the younger that serves the older. But according to God’s kingdom, it is the other way around. The elder should serve the younger (Luke 22:25-26). Leaders are meant to serve and not just to be served. If you desire to lead, then be determined to serve (1 Timothy 3:1). Service is a blessing, not a curse.
‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria