This week we are going to start a discussion on Serving / Servanthood (Thanks to article from Hampton Keathly-found on Bible.org).
Servanthood– There are various definitions of Servanthood but as it applies to Christians: A devoted and helpful follower or supporter: “a tireless servant of God”
Mark 10:45– Jesus said, ‘For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as ransom for many.
Philippians 1:4– Each of you should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ Jesus had.
The link is attached but is lengthy (likely another Friday discussion). The following is a summary with questions.
https://bible.org/seriespage/mark-8-heart-servant
But what exactly is servanthood? Servanthood is the state, condition, or quality of one who lives as a servant. Further, a servant is first of all one who is under submission to another. For Christians, this means submission to God first, and then submission to one another. Then, as one in submission, a servant is one who seeks to meet the real needs of others or of the person he is serving. To put it another way, servanthood is the condition or state of being a servant to others, of ministry to others rather than the service of self. It means willingly giving of oneself to minister for and to others and to do whatever it takes to accomplish what is best for another.
However, when serving others and their needs, if the underlying motive and goal is some form of self-love, like the praise of others for the service rendered, then one’s service is in reality hypocritical. This type of service is really aimed at serving selfish ends—usually in the futile pursuit of personal significance through something like praise, power, or status.
Christ’s plan and that which produces maximum blessing to the world and the church is servanthood. A servant is one who, even when in positions of leadership seeks to lead and influence others through lives given in ministry for the blessing of others and their needs. The Lord Jesus came as a servant with a commitment to serve. Just think, if He had come to be served, our redemption could and would never have taken place. Likewise, our failure to live as servants throws up a huge barrier to effective ministry as representatives of the Lord Jesus.
Questions:
- Can one be saved by Faith alone?
- If you serve others only for the purpose to make yourself look good or feel significant, does it matter? Can Servanthood be Selfish?
- What are some examples that Hinder us from Servanthood?
- Why is servanthood so important to the Christian Life and to Christian ministry?
Men's Small Group Blog 