service

Less than one-third of churchgoers say they volunteered for a charity or ministry the previous years, according to a new Lifeway Research survey that also found that most congregations encourage their members to be active in service.

Once we are clear about our God-given identity, we can find transformative ways to use our God-given influence.

A pro-life organization is gearing up for a “summer of service” to counter threats of a “summer of rage” by pro-abortion activists as the U.S. Supreme Court decides if it will overturn Roe v. Wade.

I agree completely that we need to take Christ to the lost. Jesus called us to be “fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19); fishermen go where the fish are to be found and use methods appropriate to the fish they are trying to catch. However, in an effort to make the church more accessible to the culture, there is the risk of unintentionally diluting the biblical call to “offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe” (Hebrews 12:28). When last were you awed by God?

Are you paying a price to follow Jesus in our fallen world? If not, why not? We don’t need to encourage persecution, of course, but we should not be surprised when it comes. Jesus told us, “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account” (Matthew 5:11). Notice that he said when, not if.

Christians should be with God’s people and serve wherever we can. At the same time, Scripture is clear that everything done well to God’s glory is also worship.

As Christ-followers, our supreme leader is Jesus who has not only modeled to us how to serve others through stories such as the Feeding of the 5,000, but he has also made it clear that we are to serve in all seasons. Whether there is one person or 5,000 in need, we have been called to serve so that we can share the love of Christ.

To return from an "I" centered culture to a "we" centered culture, we must fulfill our God-given calling to serve others.

Like teachers and baseball players, you and I were made to serve others by a God who serves us. Jesus testified that he “came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28).