Back to Basics 2Намуна

‘Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.’ (John 13v3-5 NIV)

Jesus modelled servant leadership during His life on earth. He chose to humble Himself even though He was by very nature God and served the disciples who followed Him and the people He encountered.

Whether He was healing them, delivering them or washing their feet, He served their needs.

He showed love by setting aside His own preference and schedule, time after time, to meet people where they were at.

What does serving mean for us?

As followers of Jesus, we are called to be Christ-like. The word Christian means ‘little Christ.’

To that end, we are to mimic how He gave His time and energy to meet the needs of those around Him.

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.’ (John 13:34 NIV)

To serve someone means to be useful to or to help them.

If they are hungry, we feed them.

If they are cold, we clothe them.

These are not ideas and concepts that I am pulling out of thin air, they come directly from scripture:

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ (Matthew 25:34-40)

When we serve one another, we are fulfilling the commandment of Jesus to love one another as He loved us because He gave it all for us, even His own life.

Now that we have covered what serving is, let’s look at the practical ways we can serve one another in a Church context.