Bible Word Study
WHAT DOES THE WORD SAY?
If you want God to entrust His gifts to you, if you want to do great exploits in His Name, then you'll first need to become a servant, a bondslave...one who goes beyond the requirements. True servants want to be totally committed to God and His Word.
Philippians 2:5-7
In what ways can we serve as Jesus served?
Colossians 3:17
How does this apply to servanthood?
Matthew 24:45-47
How are we to be faithful servants?
SERVANTHOOD:
BECOMING THE GREATEST OF ALL
"Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant."
Matthew 20:25-26 NIV
LIVING THE GOD-KIND OF LIFE
Servanthood is the key to living the God-kind of life. It's the mark by which we should measure our every decision, every action and every thought. Unfortunately, most people have a negative stereotye of what a servant is. Servanthood is looked at with a degrading eye and is certainly not something that is equated with a victorious life.
Jesus demonstrated true servanthood with His words and actions. When the disciples were arguing about who among them was the greatest, He told them that the greatest among them was the one who would first be the servant of all. Jesus later demonstrated this principle by washing the disciples feet.
In order to live the good life God intends for every believer, we have to change the way we think about servanthood. Servanthood releases the very power of God in our lives and will open doors of opportunity we never dreamed existed.
SERVING WITH EXCELLENCE
A high standard and attitude of excellence is what God expects from every believer who serves in the Kingdom of God. As God's servants, we should be well-trained, highly refined, cultured, and equipped to minister to any need with which we are confronted. There is nothing more important than what we do for the Lord, so God expects us to serve with the best
attitude, finest appearance, and highest form of service and professionalism we can render in His Name.
The One We Serve
Humility is an attitude that enables us to receive grace from God and also those He has placed in our lives. We must humble ourselves to others to receive the supply of the Spirit in the Body of Christ. Even though there is rank in the Body of Christ, we are also instructed to humble ourselves to those who are around us and under us. God inhabits eternity and dwells in the high and holy place, but He also dwells or lives with those who are of an humble spirit.
Serving the Word of God
One of the greatest ways we can serve is when we make ourselves available to the Holy Spirit to minister the anointed Word of God. Nothing is more gratifying than seeing someone restored to health because a word of healing has been spoken...someone broken from the bondages of sin because a word of redemption has been minstered or watching someone conquer a mountain of debt and lack as they are reminded that God is the all-sufficient one.
Lasting Leadership
All lasting leadership begins with servanthood. If things are not going well in our leadership, we need to examine the level of service that we're rendering to others (especially those God has given us to lead), and the spirit with which we deliver it. As we strive to meet the needs of others, we'll find our influence growing. God will exalt us and give us visibility and influence in our community and beyond if our primary focus is on how we can be a servant.
WORD STUDY: DIGGING DEEPER
Look up the answer and fill in the blanks
Authority _____________________________
Great ________________________________
Servant _______________________________
THOUGHTS TO DWELL ON:
The most basic and most effective way to serve is to make your resources available to the part of the Body of Christ to which God has called you - your local church. God designed the local churc to reach the lost and help believers grow into the image of Jesus. The church enables your supply of time, finances and prayer to produce the most fruit for the kingdom of God. Another way to serve is in your family. Serving those who are closest to you and who know you the best can be more difficult because you are with them a lot more than anybody else is.
If you humble yourself (you have to do this; don't ask God to do it for you) under God's mighty hand in servanthood, you enable Him to exalt you, lift you up and honor you before men. Then when you are in this exalted position, you give God the glory instead of taking the credit yourself. God's kingdom will receive greater visibility and increase as a result of your light shining in the darkness of this world when you become the servant He has called you to be.
Servanthood: Scriptures
1 Samuel 12:24
Matthew 23:11-12
Matthew 24:45-47
Matthew 25:21
Matthew 20:27-28
Joshua 24:14
John 15:15
Acts 2:18-19
Philippians 2:5-7
Further Scriptures:
Romans 1:1
Luke 12:37