God never forgets the love you have shown in caring for others.
An expectation
At the age of 13, a new Pastor came to lead the church I attended in a small village in the North East of Scotland. Well, it is actually two villages on the opposite side of a road, but that is a whole other story! He came with a few new ideas about how to do church, but I was too young at the time to realise they didn't always match with the status quo.
I was not expected just to attend anymore. Even at the tender age of thirteen, it was time to get involved, to serve. Over the next few years, until I left to take up my studies at Bible College when I was nineteen, volunteering became my top priority and greatest joy. I would not have been able to put these words to my experience back then, but here are some ways serving has been life-changing for me. (And I am thankful to my friend Tony Morgan of the Unstuck Group for the headings below)
When we serve others, we tend to worry less about the challenges we're facing in life.
Although I was born into a loving family, my childhood and early teenage years were difficult for me. Being painfully weak, thin as a rake, and awkward made me the subject of many jokes and cruel comments from my peers. My stature was a constant frustration to me as a sport-obsessed kid. Much later in life, I discovered a genetic disorder, CMT, is the root of all my problems. But, at the time, I felt insecure and tended to withdraw.
Serving in the church started small. I operated the Overhead Projector, or OHP for short. For the uninitiated, the OHP was cutting-edge technology in its day. This lightbox shone text typed on a clear acetate sheet onto a screen enabling the congregation to sing the new choruses, not in the hymn book. Taking up that small piece of responsibility helped to take my eyes off the challenges I was facing daily and feel a sense of worth and pride.
When we serve others, we feel more connected to the Body of Christ and the mission God has given the church.
Without a doubt, the most catalytic times experienced in my young faith were at Youth Camp. My new pastor organised a 600-mile trip from North East Scotland to Great Walstead School in East Sussex. In the late '70s, our trips took almost 24 hours, including negotiating the traffic of central London because roads such as the M25 had not made it off the planning table. The private school, nestled in the English countryside, was to become a special place, meeting new friends, creating lifelong memories, and most of all, discovering a deepening relationship with Jesus.
Those early years as a young person gave way to visiting as a group leader, and one summer when I spent a whole month serving all the church groups visiting that summer. Each week followed a familiar pattern. Youth Groups arrived with most of the 'campers' having to be cajoled to a service they endured rather than enjoyed. As the days passed, God would start to move, softening hearts and changing minds. As the week drew to a close, services in the chapel seemed like heaven on earth as ecstatic worship, and undying commitment rose to our God.
My month of service in 1984 consisted mainly of cleaning toilets and washing dishes, but it gave me a ringside seat of God at work, changing the hardest of hearts and forming friendships with my fellow volunteers that have spanned decades.
It is only serving God that is doing immortal work; it is only living for Christ that is living at all.
Charles H Spurgeon, 1834 - 1892
When we serve others, it stretches our faith as we trust God to do what only he can do.
If you had met me as a young person, possibly the last ministry you would have seen in my future would have been a teacher/preacher. Being painfully introverted and anxiously insecure, talking to anyone was a challenge, let alone standing up and talking to an auditorium full of people.
My first opportunity came in a children's club when I was asked to share 'the story' with the gathered crowd. Cutting-edge technology back then was a magazine containing text and a picture. All I had to do was hold up the magazine so the children could see the picture enabling me to read out the words on the reverse. It was also helpful that the magazine hid my face, wracked with terror, so the kids were not scared to death.
My next 'test of faith' came when my pastor asked me to preach my first sermon. It lasted less than 5 minutes, and I guess many people listening to me now wished my talks would be over as quick. It was all written by hand and read out without lifting my head to see the faces of the congregation.
Each step of service seemed monumental to me, but at each step of the way, I saw God at work in my life, and the lives of others, and that is still the greatest feeling in the world. (Scoring a goal for Aberdeen FC would be a close second!)
When we serve others, we experience a sense of fulfilment that we're making a difference in someone else's life.
Earlier I mentioned I regularly served in a children's club. In fact, at one point, I served in three clubs each week. "Sunshine Corner" (sorry about the corny name), took place in my home village on a Tuesday evening, in the nearby village of St Combs on Wednesday and in Crimond on a Thursday. (Crimond is possibly better known as the place where the most common tune to 'The Lord is My Shepherd' was composed by Jessie Seymour Irvine, daughter of Rev. Alexander Irvine, minister of the Crimond Parish.)
I can't say we saw hundreds of children follow Jesus during those years, but we did see some, and even though I moved away some 40 years ago, I know through the wonders of Facebook that they are still following Jesus as keenly as they started out.
Love God, Love People
Matthew lets us into a conversation between Jesus and the Pharisees. During it, they asked, which was the great commandment in the law?
Jesus answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment."
Perhaps noticing a sense of self-satisfaction amongst the religious elite, Jesus paused before saying, "And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets" (Matthew 22:37–40). Love God, Love People!
We should never separate these two pillars of God's Kingdom. As Bible teacher John Piper says, 'worship and witness; hallowing God's name and helping God's people; savouring God's glory and serving the saints.'
Remember God's eternal promise, 'He (God) will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers.' - Hebrews 6:10 (NLT)
Saved to Serve
We are God's servants doing what he equipped us to do and watching him make the difference.
Here at Venture Church there are many ways you to demonstrate our love for God and others through serving in our church and in our city. Take the first step today.
