Prologue

Good evening. (Wait) I'd like to thank you for allowing me to speak with you this evening. I want to talk about something that should be important to each of us as children of Christ, and that topic is service. However, before we get started, I'd like to open with a prayer. Let us bow our heads and pray.

Introduction

Almost everyone here this evening knows that about five weeks ago a group of us drove to Mississippi to help victims of Hurricane Katrina try to begin to put their lives back together, again. We drove all night just to get there and then we worked all day the same day that we arrived. Most of us performed tasks that were foreign to us and also worked hours that were long and arduous. At the end of each day, we were exhausted and looked forward to eating supper and just going to bed. I dare say that our end of day routine was also not normal for most of us either, since I believe all of us are busy people and are used to being active with many work and non-work related tasks outside the home. However, while we were there we worked hard from early morning to evening every day. I also know that after I returned, it took me a couple of weeks to get back into a normal routine.

So the question has to be asked, “Why did we do it?” My only answer to that question to date has been, “How could I not do it?” Our country was faced with the largest natural disaster in the last hundred years. When faced with that amount of pain and suffering, how could we do nothing?

Lesson

However, I've had a bit more time to consider this question and I believe I have an answer that is more complete than the one that I have used so far. It starts with the fact that, being a Christian, I am supposed to lead a life that glorifies God and shows everyone around me that I am different and filled with God's love. If I could see a disaster of that magnitude and do nothing, then I am not being the light of the world that God has commanded me to be. Instead, I am just blending in with the rest of the world and that is not what we were commanded to do.

While we were in Pascagoula, my brother Bruce Adams made a rather profound observation. Of all the people that we met and the groups that we saw working there, ALL were Christians. While there, we did not meet a single member of the ACLU, Klu Klux Klan, or even a Neo-Nazi. Nope, not a one. As a matter of fact, we did not even see a single progressive organization while we were there. You would think that this would have been an opportunity for the progressives to go down in force and deliver the people from their misery, However, the whole time that I was there, the only volunteers that I met or saw working were from Christian organizations. Honestly, I didn't even see much evidence of the Red Cross or FEMA either. FEMA was there, but at such a low level their presence was hardly noticed. FEMA gave people who had their houses virtually destroyed a few thousand dollars and some of them received a camper to live in while they were working on their houses. If that was your house that had been gutted, how would that make you feel?

In my opinion, if Christians had not put their lives on hold and rushed to Mississippi to help, the lives of the people in Pascagoula would still be in chaos. Let's take a look at what Christians have done there without the aid of the government:

· Central Church of Christ organized and is leading the recovery effort in Pascagoula

· Christians from all over are sending money and goods and helping however they can

· Christians from all over drove to Pascagoula to help people clean up and rebuild their homes and their lives

· Large Christian organizations are sending food, appliances, and goods of all kinds to Pascagoula

Since most of the help in Pascagoula has come from Christians, let's try to understand just why that happened.

As a place to begin to try to understand why Christians have made such a large presence in the Pascagoula recovery effort, I look at Ephesians chapter 4. In this letter to the Ephesians, the apostle Paul is instructing them in how they should live their lives now that they are Christians. This letter to the Ephesians is one that could have been written to each of us today. This letter has definitely passed the test of time since it was written about 2,000 years ago. Can you imagine a letter that you write today being read in they year 4,005? I don't know about you, but that would be pretty hard for me to imagine. Let's take a look at what Paul told them in

Ephesians 4:1-15 - (Wait)

1As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

7But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8This is why it^[a^] says:
   "When he ascended on high,
      he led captives in his train
      and gave gifts to men."^[b^] 9(What does "he ascended" mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions^[c^]? 10He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) 11It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

14Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. 15Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.

There are several points from that scripture that I think are important. First, Paul is urging them to “live a life worthy of the calling that you have received.” What we must remember is that once we accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior, we no longer own our own lives. It now belongs to the Lord. Our salvation was purchased with the blood of Christ so we are in debt to him because no matter how hard we worked we could never be found acceptable to God through our own works. Christ was the only human who ever lived a perfect life and only He could bear the price for our salvation. However, when God sees us through the lens of the blood of Jesus, he sees us in the perfection available only through His blood. Therefore as Paul also said to the Corinthians in:

1 Corinthinas 6:19-20 - (Wait)

19Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?You are not your own, 20for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

As you can see, it is important to remember that, once saved, we are now prisoners to the Lord. Since we are in bondage to Him, we need to serve God as we are instructed.

The second point to remember from that scripture is that we all have different gifts and we should use them “to prepare God's people for works of service.” And why should God's people be prepared? “So that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of fullness of Christ.”

So just what is Paul trying to tell us here? To me he is saying that God wants everyone to be saved. However, in order for that to happen, He needs messengers for the gospel in every walk of life. Now, when each of us serve the Lord and do his bidding openly, humbly, and gleefully, we are showing those around us His glory through our actions. I also believe that our actions are most visible when we are serving those around us in need. And when we serve those outside the Church, we make opportunities to spread the Gospel and share the Word with those who most need it.

The third point from our scripture in Ephesians 4 is that after we accept our position as prisoners to Christ and do his bidding by serving as our gifts allow us, we receive a reward for our effort. In that scripture we are told that we will mature in our faith and grow closer to the Lord and become more like Him. What greater gift could a Christian seek?

When we serve we grow, we mature, and we see our faith become stronger. As our faith grows and becomes stronger, we help build up God's Church and get closer to saving all who are lost. Now, I realize we cannot save every soul in our path, but even if we only reach a single soul, we have added riches to God's kingdom in an unfathomable amount. Why is this true? Because a single soul is worth the wealth of the whole world. Jesus teaches us this in

Matthew 16:26 - (Wait)

What good will it be for a man if he gains the world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?

Paul is very vocal about serving others in his letter to the Ephesians, but he is not the only one who teaches us to serve others. The apostle Peter also tells us that we should serve as well as how we should do it. Let's look at:

1 Peter 4:9-10 - (Wait)

Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in it's various forms.

However, both of these apostles received their inspiration from Christ himself. Jesus tells us in

Matthew 20:28 – (Wait)

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.

For the reasons I've described so far, I feel that we are called to service to give us the opportunity to share the Word with those we would not normally know. In serving others we are imitating the perfect example, growing in our faith, and helping to build God's Church. And if we are not doing these things then we are not performing our duty as Christians. Therefore, each of us should look for opportunities to serve using whatever gifts God has given us.

Now, I am not suggesting that we should all pull up stakes and head to the nearest disaster area. However, I am suggesting that we can all do more than we are doing. Look for the opportunities and they will occur. This morning Leon Brown was looking for volunteers to help with the weekly service. Start with serving around the church and then spread out to other areas. Start the habit and you'll be surprised how easy it will be. Before long, it will be a part of your normal routine. Also, Harold and Sue Painter are heading back to Pascagoula to help out with the recovery effort for another week. They are leaving Friday and would love to have a familiar face down there with them. Look them up and find out if your experience matches the one we had last month. All you need to do is open your eyes and opportunities will find you, but you need to look for them.

Invitation

There is a popular motivational speaker named Robert Ringer who wrote a book with the following title: “Nothing Happens Until Something Moves.” That's an interesting statement and one that we should consider as both human beings and as Christians. If we do nothing, then no change will occur – neither for good nor for bad. If we are not a Christian and do nothing then we face eternal condemnation and will be cutoff from God and from those who have been saved. If we are a Christian and do nothing, then we are not following the Lord's commands and risk losing our salvation that was purchased for us through the blood of Christ. So for the Christians I urge you to get involved in serving others and let your light shine in the world. Let people see that you ARE different from everyone else. For those who may not yet be Christians, I urge you to make the decision tonight to follow Jesus. Don't let another day pass, before you get right with God. Remember, our days are numbered and we are not guaranteed tomorrow. So if you are not where you need to be in your relationship with the Lord, please make things right with Him now, before it is too late.

Brother XXXXX YYYYY, will lead us in the invitational hymn and if you feel the need please come forward and pray and study with someone this evening while there is still time, because we are never assured that we will be here tomorrow.