Serving in Hiddenness

One of my greatest inspirations to serve God is my grandmother. She passed away about 13 years ago, just a couple of months before I got married. My grandfather founded a small church in a small little town (literally just a road intersection filled with shophouses) on the west coast of Malaysia. There were roughly 50 people in the church service each weekend. But on Saturdays, my grandmother ran a “Sunday School” where she invited the kids of the town to come to church.

So, every Saturday, she and my grandfather would drive from house to house (in my grandfather’s old Volkswagen, without air-conditioning), picking up the kids and bringing them to church. Most of these kids were non-Christians. There were about 20 of them, so they had to make a couple of trips each Saturday. At the Sunday School, the kids would gather around the church organ as my grandmother led the kids in a short time of worship - singing Sunday School songs. This is followed by a time of Bible stories. At the end of it all, she and my grandfather would send each one of these kids back to their homes before heading out to buy their lunch. This was their Saturday routine, which went on for 30-40 years. Many of those kids became Christians either through her ministry or when they moved to bigger towns. But, there is no doubt in my mind that the seeds of their salvation can be traced back to my grandmother, who sowed the seeds of faith into their hearts all those Saturday mornings.

My grandmother had never written a book or recorded a worship song for Spotify. She had never produced a YouTube video or publicised what she was doing for God on Instagram. She had never shared a quote and credited it to herself on Facebook. She was never invited to teach others about running a children’s ministry or to speak in another church. No church history book would have her name in it. She was just a simple housewife who loved God and carried His heart for the world. She served the Lord the best she knew how - in hiddenness. And she did it for 30-40 years until the day she no longer could. Apart from our Lord Jesus Christ, my grandmother has been a shining example of what servanthood is all about and what ministry should look like - steadfast and hidden, without the praise of man.

In the passage that we read today, Jesus says that “a servant is not greater than his Master.” What Jesus is saying here is this: He is the Master, and we are His servants. If He, being the Master, lived a life of servanthood, how much more we who are His servants? When Christ comes into our lives through the Holy Spirit, He begins to mould our hearts into Christlikeness. One of the first things He moulds is our posture so that we can be a servant to others. Servanthood is not just about what you do. Rather, it is so much more about who you are. And if you look at the life of Christ, He was a servant wherever He was - to the woman at the well, to Jairus, to the lepers, to the demon possessed man… all of these were not His to-do list. These moments were birthed out of who Jesus was - a servant.

Are you a servant? Is it natural for you to lift up those who are weak? Do you stop for the “least of these” or for Jairuses in your life? Or do you just move on in your life because you are in a hurry to reach success and financial wealth? Do you serve out of talent, or do you serve simply because you want the best for others? Discipleship (which is becoming more and more like Christ) must begin with the posture of servanthood because that is who Christ is. When we have a community of servants that imitates the servanthood nature of Christ, the world will be drawn to us because they can’t find it in the world. They can argue with our theologies or value systems but they can never argue against our love. May you examine your heart and posture before the Lord and ask the Holy Spirit to shape you into a servant, just like your Master! May you be willing to serve in hiddenness without any recognition or praise but simply with a heart that is transformed by love.

Reflection

• How has God served and blessed you without you even knowing it?
• What attitudes do you need to have in order to be a servant for life?
• Who are 2-3 people that you can intentionally serve in this season of your life?

Application

Learn to serve in hiddenness. Serve in such a way that your only audience is God Himself and not man.