10 Reasons to Serve Your Local Church

(AND WHY IT MAKES YOUR LIFE BETTER)

You can’t be in a church building for very long without hearing the word “serve.” We know that, as followers of Jesus, we’re called to serve others, but the question is why? Why are we called to serve and why should we do it? Serving others is not a space on a resumé or an application, it is an act of obedience that strengthens our relationship with God, others, and has immense benefits for our personal lives.

1. We serve a donkey-riding, foot-washing, cross-carrying, Servant King.

Jesus Himself left heaven for earth so that He could fulfill His role as the Suffering 

Servant. His life on earth was marked by washing the feet of His disciples, a triumphal entry into Jerusalem on a humble donkey, and carrying his own, heavy cross on his back as he trudged to His death. Jesus gave all of Himself so that others might know the love of the Father, and as people marked by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, we must do the same. 

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” - Philippians 2:3-7

2. Greatness in the Kingdom is measured by service.

The saying “the last shall be first” is not anything new, but it is something we should take seriously and that has great implications for our lives. As servants and children of the King, we know that our reward, our inheritance, is in heaven, and it should be our goal to hear our loving Father say, “well done, good and faithful servant” so that we can “enter into the joy of our master.” (Matthew 25:21)

“And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, ‘If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.’ And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, ‘Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.’” - Mark 9:35-37 

3. Service is an act of bringing God’s Kingdom down to earth.

The Kingdom of God is the world as we know it flipped upside down – the last will be first and the first shall be last. But because God’s dominion is everlasting, when we act in accordance with His commandments, we are building God’s kingdom where He rightly receives all glory and we are able to serve Him alone in praise and worship. 

“And Jesus called them to him and said to them, ‘You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’” - Mark 10:42-45

“And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.” - Daniel 7:14

4. Service is the way that others know the love of Jesus!

As Jesus People, we are called to show the people around us the love of Jesus, and serving them is a key facet in which we do so. Our selfless servanthood is a beam of light in a dark world, a promise of God’s coming kingdom, and a beacon to the church that is the light of the world, a city on a hill. 

“For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to five the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” - 2 Corinthians 4:5-6

5. Your gifts are needed to serve effectively

We all have a role to play in the body of Christ. The Holy Spirit has given each of us a gift to better the church and the world around us, and using these gifts to the best of our ability means that we are stewarding God’s grace. When we think of God’s varied grace, think of a glass prism, reflecting and refracting white light. The end result? A variance of hues for us to reflect back to the Father as the light of the world. My challenge to you today is to reflect your color well. Boldly say yes to Jesus to using your gifts, for increased revelation to what your gifts may be. The church needs you to be the best you can be, and your best is found only in the light of Christ. 

“Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace. Whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies – in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.” - 1 Peter 4:9-11

6. Serving others allows us to be our best

In a culture that preaches self-care and self-love, Jesus followers have to flip that narrative upside down and become the best version of themselves by loving and caring for others. Loving our neighbor as ourselves is the fulfillment of the second part of the Great Commandment, and it is in obedience that we find righteousness and the fullness of life.

“And a second is like it: You shall love our neighbor as yourself.” - Matthew 22:39

7. Service celebrates diversity.

1 Corinthians 12:1-11 lays out the idea of spiritual gifts – the gifts we are to steward in serving others – and suggests that each individual in the collective body of Christ has their own unique and diverse gift. Serving calls for unity, not uniformity, and by practicing service we can clearly see the fearfully and wonderfully way that God created each and every one of us. Diversity can only be properly celebrated and honored in the context of the gospel of Jesus Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit. 

8. Service gives our life a purpose.

The Great Commission – the pinnacle of our lives as Christians – calls us to action, to go out and make disciples. Making disciples means showing others the love of Jesus, serving others so that they may know the freedom of the gospel. The Great Commission has eternal consequences, meaning that our efforts in being obedient to this commandment gives our lives a purpose greater than ourselves. 

“‘Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’” - Matthew 28:19-20

9. Serving others leads to righteousness.

Servant and slave are synonymous, and both words generally have a negative connotation. We understand that both words mean that those who are defined by servanthood have no promise of an earthly reward, that we should not expect to see anything in return for our efforts. In this life, we are a slave to something: sin or righteousness. However, as servants of Christ and of one another, our reward is righteousness and right relationship with the God of the universe. Because we are free in Christ, we are to use our freedom to bring life and righteousness, since slavery to sin brings death. 

“But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient form the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have becomes slaves of righteousness.” - Romans 6:17-18

10. Serving others builds community and creates a place of belonging.

Service that is rooted in Christ reflects His love in such a way that anyone who experiences it cannot leave without being changed. The early church lived in complete service to each other and were united in all of their endeavors. Being empowered by the Holy Spirit and unity in the gospel, they saw exponential growth each and every day. Service gives you a space to feel loved and to participate in your purpose while inviting others to do the same.

“And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God for having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” - Acts 2:44-47