Joy In Serving: Devotions From Time Of Grace MinistrySample

Five: My Church

God invented congregations for many vital purposes--public worship, teaching and learning, enjoying the precious Sacraments of Baptism and Communion, fellowship, and spiritual care.

One of the most wonderful features of congregational life is the opportunity it gives for people to get involved in serving people. Jesus’ foot washing was a demonstration of attitude, not so much a literal command. Today we don’t wash other people’s feet, but we can wash each other’s dishes. We can continue Jesus’ joyful spirit with acts of service great and small: cooking, accounting, snowplowing, painting, transporting, caring for children, organizing and planning, sending cards, mentoring, singing, managing IT, and landscaping.

Just like countries, no congregation is perfect. They are all conglomerations of sinners with many flaws, shortcomings, and only partially pure agendas. They have gaps in their ministries and sometimes hurt people instead of helping and healing. And yet you’ve got to love ’em because Jesus gets so many good things done through them.

My Church: Act like the royal priests you are

One of the words about life in America that I have come to dislike is "consumer." I wouldn’t like that word applied to me, as though my principal function on earth is just to consume, use up resources. It seems to define me as just another potential customer to someone who wants to sell me something, just a user of goods and services, just a me-oriented materialist.

God doesn’t want you to settle for being just a consumer of religion either. He has bigger dreams for you than simply to be a pew sitter, just a passive consumer of religious experiences, critiquing a Sunday service the way you and your friends might critique a movie. When you were brought to faith in Christ, you were drafted into God’s ministry organization with the title “royal priest.”

“To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his own blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever!” (Revelation 1:5,6).

Make it a priority to find out what being a royal priest means. Act like one.