CHURCH IS A FAMILY YOU BELONG TO.

BEING THE HANDS AND FEET OF JESUS MEANS BEING WILLING TO SERVE RATHER THAN BE SERVED.

Mark 10:45

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 10:41-45

41 And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. 42 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. 43 But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

THE WORLD'S IDEA OF GREATNESS (Mark 10:42)

• Political Power ("rulers")
• Domination (“lord it over them”) 
• Oppressive Authority (“exercise authority over them”)

GOD'S IDEA OF GREATNESS (Mark 10:43-44)

• Humble Servant
• Slave of All

Galatians 3:28

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

2 Corinthians 4:5

For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.

1 Peter 5:2-3 NLT

Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly—not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God. 3 Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example.

SERVE JOYFULLY!

Colossians 3:17, 23-24

17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

Mark 10:46-52

46 And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. 47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” 50 And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. 51 And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” 52 And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.

“Mercy is a compassionate response to someone’s distress.” -Dr. Robert Picirilli

Luke 4:16-21

16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. 17 And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

  because he has anointed me

  to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives

  and recovering of sight to the blind,

  to set at liberty those who are oppressed,

19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”

20 And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

“In these verses Jesus clearly demonstrates His love for people; He has a genuine concern for their welfare. He does not heal people simply to gain praise and adoration from the crowds. His two goals are to meet the needs of suffering people and to illustrate the true nature of the Kingdom of God. God has no desire to build a kingdom that is based on military force; it will be built on love and mercy.” -Dr. Thomas Marberry

I. PRAY FOR MORE SERVANTS

Matthew 9:35-38

35 And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

II. LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITIES

John 4:35

Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest.

III. SERVE

180church.net/serve