The Purpose of The Church #4 “Service” Jeffery Anselmi http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon.asp?SermonID=60622&Sermon%20The%20Purpose%20of%20The%20Church-%20Service%20by%20Jeffery%20Anselmi

1. The Purpose of The Church #4 “Service” Jeffery Anselmi http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon.asp?SermonID=60622&Sermon%20The%20Purpose%20of%20The%20Church-%20Service%20by%20Jeffery%20Anselmi

2. As we have looked at the question “What is the Purpose of the Church,” thus far we have identified three areas that should be included in the purpose of the church, worship, fellowship, discipleship.Today I want to look at an area a lot of churches struggle with. It is an area that if neglected will make the church and those who make up the congregation, become self-centered.

3. Today we are going to look at the next purpose for the church, that purpose is SERVICE.One of the purposes of the church is to serve, to minister. We sometimes call specific areas of service ministries. The church is called to minister to people. It is called to serve people.

4. When we neglect this purpose we will end up just sitting and soaking. We will learn a lot about what we are called to do but spending little or no time doing it.When we forget we are called to service, we then change our focus from “What does God want us to do in order to carry out His mission”, to “I want what I want.”

5. This is an area that many times we excuse ourselves because we think that someone else will do it.Matthew 20:28 NET just as the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Today I want to look at the purpose of service. I want to look at what we are to do to fulfill this purpose.

6. EVERY CHRISTIAN IS A SERVANT (MINISTER) Matthew 20:26 NET It must not be this way among you! Instead whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant,27and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave —28just as the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve,(MINISTER)and to give his life as a ransom for many."

7. What is a “minister”?A minister is a servant. The word that is translated “minister” is also the same word that is translated “deacon”. Jesus came to serve.We are called to serve God in some way because of what He has done for us.

8. 1 Peter 2:9 NET But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may proclaim the virtues of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.10You once were not a people, but now you are God's people. You were shown no mercy, but now you have received mercy.

9. We are all called to serve God in some way.Ephesians 4:11 NETIt was he who gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,12to equip the saints for the work of ministry, that is, to build up the body of Christ,13until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God — a mature person, attaining to the measure of Christ's full stature.

10. The church leaderships, preacher, and teachers are the ones who help prepare people for ministry.This work of service can be translated work of ministry.Ephesians 2:10 NET For we are his workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we may do them.

11. What ways are you serving Jesus? William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, was interviewed near the close of his life. This is what he said: "God had all there was of me. There have been others who had greater plans, greater opportunities than I; but from the day I got a vision of what God could do, I made up my mind God would have all there was of William Booth."

12. Ministry is using whatever God has given me to serve Him and the needs of others.2 Corinthians 5:10 NET For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be paid back according to what he has done while in the body, whether good or evil.

13. EVERY MINISTRY IS IMPORTANT 1 Corinthians 12:15 NET If the foot says, "Since I am not a hand, I am not part of the body," it does not lose its membership in the body because of that. 16And if the ear says, "Since I am not an eye, I am not part of the body," it does not lose its membership in the body because of that.

14. 17 If the whole body were an eye, what part would do the hearing? If the whole were an ear, what part would exercise the sense of smell? 18 But as a matter of fact, God has placed each of the members in the body just as he decided.

15. 19 If they were all the same member, where would the body be? 20 So now there are many members, but one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, "I do not need you," nor in turn can the head say to the foot, "I do not need you." 22 On the contrary, those members that seem to be weaker are essential,

16. God places the members as He wants. If God placed you, then you are important. All parts of the body are important If one quits working then the others have to work hard to compensate.

17. The size of the ministry is not important. What is the most important light in the house? The little night light that keeps you from killing yourself in the middle of the night when you head for the toilet or refrigerator.

18. Romans 12:3 NET For by the grace given to me I say to every one of you not to think more highly of yourself than you ought to think, but to think with sober discernment, as God has distributed to each of you a measure of faith.4For just as in one body we have many members, and not all the members serve the same function,

19. 5 so we who are many are one body in Christ, and individually we are members who belong to one another. 6 And we have different gifts according to the grace given to us. If the gift is prophecy, that individual must use it in proportion to his faith.

20. 7 If it is service, he must serve; if it is teaching, he must teach; 8 if it is exhortation, he must exhort; if it is contributing, he must do so with sincerity; if it is leadership, he must do so with diligence; if it is showing mercy, he must do so with cheerfulness. This passage shows us that it is important for each of us to use our gifts in service to Jesus.

21. No matter which function your part of the Body of Christ is to perform, it is crucial. Be it the job of an Elder watching over the flock, a Deacon taking care of the material needs, a class teacher, playing the piano, leading the singing, a prayer warrior, or one who shows Jesus in the work place or out in the world. Your job is critical!

22. EACH MINISTRY IS DEPENDANT ON THE OTHERS Romans 12:4 NETFor just as in one body we have many members, and not all the members serve the same function,5so we who are many are one body in Christ, and individually we are members who belong to one another.

23. 1 Corinthians 12:22 NET On the contrary, those members that seem to be weaker are essential, 23 and those members we consider less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our unpresentable members are clothed with dignity, 24but our presentable members do not need this. Instead,

24. God has blended together the body, giving greater honor to the lesser member, 25 so that there may be no division in the body, but the members may have mutual concern for one another. 26 If one member suffers, everyone suffers with it. If a member is honored, all rejoice with it.

25. What if those who are gifted in evangelism bring in a lot of people, but then we do not have people who are gifted in teaching or hospitality? After a while, we will either lose the new people or they will not grow in Christ.

26. 1 Peter 4:10 NET Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of the varied grace of God.11Whoever speaks, let it be with God's words. Whoever serves, do so with the strength that God supplies, so that in everything God will be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen. When one part does not function, the rest of the body is affected.

27. OUR “SHAPE” SHOULD DETERMINE OUR MINISTRY. Romans 12:6 NETAnd we have different gifts according to the grace given to us. If the gift is prophecy, that individual must use it in proportion to his faith. 7 If it is service, he must serve; if it is teaching, he must teach; 8 if it is exhortation, he must exhort; if it is contributing, he must do so with sincerity; if it is leadership, he must do so with diligence; if it is showing mercy, he must do so with cheerfulness.

28. Do you wonder why God did not make us all the same? Why didn’t God give us all the same abilities? Psalms 139:13 NET Certainly you made my mind and heart; you wove me together in my mother's womb.14I will give you thanks because your deeds are awesome and amazing. You knew me thoroughly;15my bones were not hidden from you,

29. when I was made in secret and sewed together in the depths of the earth.16Your eyes saw me when I was inside the womb. All the days ordained for me were recorded in your scroll before one of them came into existence. God knows that each one of us is unique. There are also many different jobs that need to be done in order for the work of the kingdom to get done.

30. One of the greatest frustrations a person can have in trying to serve God is to be pushed into an area of service that we feel that we cannot do. Now I do not want people to use this for an excuse for not reaching out to people or trying to stretch themselves. We are to all witness to people, although we will all do it a little differently.

31. As you look around us, you will notice that each of us has a different shape. Did you know that your ministry or area a service should be determined by your SHAPE.

32. Rick Warren uses the word SHAPE as an acronym for: Spiritual Gifts (How God has gifted me?) Heart (passion) What do I love to do? Abilities (What natural talents do I have?) Personality (Where does my personality best suit me to serve?) Experience (What experiences have I had?)

33. Our SHAPE could be dependant on 5 aspects of our life. 1) Education (What type of service did your education prepare you for?) 2) Vocational (Does your job experience point you towards an area of service?) 3) Spiritual (Spiritual gifts, maturity, may determine your area service.) 4) Ministry (How you served in the past could influence your service today.) 5) Painful (What problems, hurts and trials have you learned from?)

34. Isaiah 64:8 NET Yet, LORD, you are our father. We are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the product of your labor. We are all different because God made us that way.Your personality will affect how you use your spiritual gifts; your passion will affect what you place as important.

35. Too many times we go about things backwards. We feel that since we do not know what we are gifted in, we do nothing. We think that we can take a test to find out what our SHAPE really is.The best way to find out where your gifts, talents and heart is, is to serve in many different areas and from that you will settle into what you are good at.

36. If the church is not a church that focuses on serving others, then what will happen to us is we will become friendly to ourselves, we will take care of ourselves, and we will focus our resources on ourselves.If, as a collective body of believers, we are not each focused on serving or some area of ministry, the whole body will be hurt.

37. If I have areas of ability that I will not use for the body of Christ at the Lindley Christian Church, then I am hurting the body of Christ here. For this body to function, we need each and every part of it to be functioning.God did not call us to sit on the bench, but He called us to find a position on the field and be involved in the activity.

38. What happens on a team when part of the team decides not to do its job? It is my prayer that each and every member of this congregation is an active part of the body, that each one of us is serving the body of Christ in some way.

39. Too many times we sit back and want to be served and then we complain about the service. Too many times we feel sorry for ourselves. The best way to get out of that is to serve others. Remember, we are to be like Jesus, Jesus came to serve, He came to seek and save those who are lost.

40. At the end of World War I, Herbert Hoover, later to become President of the United States, led the allied relief efforts in Europe. He kept hundreds of thousands from starving, and a new word entered the Finnish language. In Finland, to “Hoover” means to be kind, to help. If someone coined a word from your name, what would it be? Would it signify character? Helpfulness? Cheerfulness? Or would it be some mean and ugly word?