AT YOUR SERVICE - FOCUS Friendly

When we go out to a rest., or hotel, or where ever, we expect good/great service. It is often the service that draws us back –
put's the business/org. over the top above it's competition.
Great service is just as important in the local church –
we have eternity at stake
Maybe 1st time here? Dont tune out b/c you'll see what it means to be
a true Christ follower & what FOCUS* is all about. This is for everyone.
WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL?
Serving expresses the Heart of God

God is not out to get something from us, the very nature of God is to
give something. When U & I serve we are expressing the heart of God.
Quite often when we go to a church or begin attending.
Quite often the ? Becomes, “What does this place have for me?”
That's OK for a season, for a while.
But eventually, we need to move from, “What's in it for me?” to
“It's not about me”
When we say, “It's not about me” we are expressing the heart of God.
When we think of God and the Bible – the most popular vs. that comes
to mind for a # of reasons is Jn. 3:16,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
The very heart of God is to serve
When we serve we are expressing the heart of God.
Read Matt. 20:20-28
“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their
high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead,
whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave– just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:25-28
Christ followers become one with God – b/c of Christ we are now joined
with Him & His heart becomes our heart. His heart is to serve.
It is a shift we make – of how we see ourselves – it's an identity change.
“Our heart is that we have His heart”

Serving makes the church work

This is not a modern concept – if you go back to the early church,
the 1st church, 1 of the things you'll discover about that church is
that it was growing rapidly. Jesus had ascended to Heaven and the disciples who were with Him while He was on Earth, now it was their job to teach, preach, vision cast, and lead the early church. Not only were they doing
all of that, the bible tells us in Acts 6 they were also waiting tables.
They were helping to serve the food to the widows who needed to eat.
Now that's an important job that has to be done, but the Apostles found themselves out of time. They couldn't do the things God had called them
to do, designed them to do, what they were SHAPEd to do & to wait tables also.
Now I know this may surprise you, you may find this hard to believe
but the bible says the people complained – I cant imagine that.
People in the church were complaining, “Hey that was a great message
you guys taught, but you're lousy at waiting tables –
What's the deal with you guys?”
The apostles got together and had to rethink how they were going to set up
the church. This is not working let's make some changes –
Look at Acts 6 with me
“So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would
not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to
be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”
Acts 6:2-4
What a brilliant move they made, but how simple it is.
All they said was, “God has called us to preach & teach so were going to delegate ministry to the people in the church so they can take care of
the day 2 day operations. The bible says once they did that, chose those 7 individuals & gave them the opportunity to serve - the church grew rapidly, not only did it grow rapidly but people were coming to know the love and forgiveness of Christ Jesus.
W/in our Church here – as the staff gives opportunities for others in this church to serve – those serving will be on the front lines. The people
who are visiting our church for the 1st time will see the people of this church who are serving before anything else, before they hear any music, before any message is given. Barna research group study:
1st time guests make up their mind about the church in 11 minutes. WOW!
That proves the importance of being a church that is FOCUS Friendly.
A community known by Love.
Serving makes the church work – it's a tag team effort –
it's another way we partner together.

Serving leads to maturity

Let's say Matt wants to become a world class body builder –
he has the body for it, but not the desire.
He goes to the gym, puts on his gloves, stretches, gets ready and
then just sits there – looking at the weights. Matt comments, “Hmmm that weight looks heavy – Ewww that weight looks even heavier” He looks at
the guy next to him and says come on buddy you can do it – and to another
guy he gives advice on how to correct their weight lifting technique.
(do you ever see or hear something similar in the church)
A bit later we hear Matt complains that he's not getting any stronger
or toning at all. Obviously he never picked up a weight. (begin to wonder who's the dumbbell here) The problem is he never picked up a weight.
This teaches us a very important truth in life. We dont make strides
in any area of our lives just sitting there.
We've got to get busy, we've got to make an effort, we have to do a little exercise.
The same is true for us spiritually. Some folks will say, I want a deeper connection w/ God, I want to experience God, I want to have this richness
in my faith, but then just sit there. You see God will do His part, but we still have to do our part, we have to hold up our end of the bargin. We have to read our bibles, to talk to God, come to church, worship, apply what I've learned and...listen... I must serve! Serving leads to maturity.
It's a part of the puzzle, a part of the formula
“It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” Ephesians 4:11-13
This speaks of a deeper relationship with God, To experience God, to have a richness in our faith. HOW? In serving
Serving leads to maturity
"A person starts to live when he can live outside himself"
Einstein Quote

AT YOUR SERVICE - Discover Your DESIGN

God has a purpose and a plan for everyone.
“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD ,
"plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope
and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

Regardless of our past, He has a plan. It doesn't matter if I am a
brand new Christ follower, or if I've been a Christian for 50 yrs.
There are no age requirements - 5 or 85 each person has a purpose
and a plan.
Only you can be you.
God designed each of us so there would be no duplication
in the world. No one has the exact same mix of factors that make you
unique. That means no one else on earth will ever be able to play
the role God planned for you.
“God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus,
God made us to do good works, which God planned
in advance for us to live our lives doing.”
Ephesians 2:10

You were shaped for serving God and others

“Your hands shaped me and made me” Job 10:8

How God Shapes you for serving:
S piritual gifts
H eart/ passion
A bilities
P ersonality
E xperiences

Unwrap You Spiritual Gifts

God gives every believer spiritual gifts to serve others.
These are special God-empowered abilities for serving that are
given only to believers. (Romans 12, 1 Cor. 12, and Eph.4)
We cannot earn them or deserve them – that's why their gifts!
Your gifts are not given to you for your benefit but to benefit others.
“A spiritual gift is given to each of us as a means of helping the entire church.” 1 Cor. 12:7
Do you know yours?
Mine are: Teaching, Pastor, Exhorter, Leadership
We have a test for you if you need it.
Your gifts reveal one key to discovering the direction God has for you in serving others. Your S.P. Are not the total picture, there's more.

Listen to your Heart

The bible uses the term 'heart' to describe the bundle of desires,
interests, ambitions, dreams, and affections you have. Your heart is the source of all your motivation. Proverbs 27:19 - “As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the person.”
Your heart reveals the real you – who you truly are (some of you right
now are thinking, “Eww, that's scary) It reveals the real you,
not what others think about you, or what circumstances force you to be.
Your heart determines why you say the things you do, why you feel the
way you do, and why you act the way you do.
We all have a unique heartbeat - no ones heartbeat is the same as
anyone else's.
In the same way God has given each of us a unique “emotional” heartbeat
that just races when we think about certain subjects, or activities, or circumstances that interest us. We instinctively care about some things
and not about others.
These are clues for us to think about where we should be serving.
Another word for heart is Passion. What are you passionate about?
What experiences capture your attention, you get really excited about?
What makes you pound the table if someone is coming from a complete
opposite direction.
These reveal the nature of your heart.
“Serve the Lord with all your heart.” Romans 1:9
This is God's design – He did this on purpose. He wants you to serve
in the areas that make your heart go “piter pater” He did that on purpose –
He wants you to serve Him passionately, not dutifully.
People rarely excel at tasks they do not enjoy.
How do I know I'm serving with all my heart?
Are you enthusiastic?
Does it motivate and challenge you? You dont need rewards or
applause b/c you love it.
Are you effective?
Are you good at it? That passion drives toward perfection.

Figure out what you love to do – what God gave you a heart to do – and then do it for His glory.

Apply your Abilities

Your abilities are the natural talents you were born with.
Some people have a natural ability with words: they came out of the womb talkin' Others have natural athletic abilities,
still others are good at mathematics, or music, or mechanics.
All of abilities come from God
Even abilities used to sin are God-given; there are just misused or abused. “God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well.” Romans 12:6
Every ability can be used for God
“...whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 1 Cor. 10:31
The bible is filled with examples of different abilities that people used
to serve God and others - artistic ability, admin, baking, boat making, designing, fishing, needle work, being a soldier, the list goes on and on...
The bible says, “There are different abilities to perform service, but the same God gives ability to all for their particular service.”
1 Cor. 12:6
God has a place for you where you 'specialties' can shine and make a difference.
When it comes to discovering God's will for our lives,
and serving Him and others, we should seriously examine what
we are good at and what were not good at.

You've got Personality

I'm not sure we always consider how truly unique each of us are –
until we start unraveling our amazing DNA structure. Your uniqueness
is a scientific fact. When God made you, He broke the mold.
There never has been, and never will be anybody exactly like you.
You are very special. I think some of you need to know that this morning
– you are very special – let that sink in.
It's obvious God likes variety – just look around you at the unique combination of personality traits.
God made introverts and extroverts. He made people who love routine
and those who love variety. He made some people thinkers, and others are feelers. Some work well alone, others excel in a group project.
We all have different personality profiles. The bible gives plenty of proof that God uses all types of personalities. Peter was a Sanguine. Paul was a Choleric. Jeremiah was a Melancholy. When you look at the 12 disciples,
it's easy to see why they sometimes had interpersonal conflict. There is no right or wrong temperament – They all work in serving. Remember, God created us the way we are on purpose.
We have a personality profile test to give you if you do not know what yours is exactly. We can recommend some resources to dig deeper if you like.
“Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous--and how well I know it.” Psalm 139:14
You are wonderfully weird!
When we understand our personality temperament it helps determine
our SHAPE and direction to serve others.

Employ your Experiences

We have been shaped by our experiences in life. Most of which were
beyond our control. God allowed them for His purpose of molding us. In determining our SHAPE for serving God and others, we need to examine the experiences of our past.
Family experiences – What did you learn growing up in your family?
Educational exper. - What were your favorite subjects in school?
Vocational exper. - What jobs have you been most effective in and enjoyed most?
Spiritual exper. - What have been your most meaningful times with God?
Ministry exper. - How have you served God and others in the past?
Painful exper. - What problems, hurts, thorns, and trials have you learned from?
This involves some work on our part. It will take a bit of time,
we may rehash some things we don't, but that's okay. Let me say this, that last category, painful – that God seems to use the most to prepare us
to serve Him and others. God never wastes a hurt!
Who better to minister to the parents of a Down Syndrome child than,
... Who could better help an alcoholic recover than, ... who better to
comfort a wife whose husband has left her for an affair than, ...
God allows us to go thru painful exper. to equip us to be able to
minister to others.
“He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When others are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.” 2 Cor. 1:4
If you really desired to be used by God, you must understand a
powerful truth: The very experiences that you have resented or regretted
most in life – the ones you've wanted to hide and forget –
are the experiences God wants to use to help others.
They are your ministry – they help determine our SHAPE.
Dont waste a single experience, use it to help others.
One more thing...

Service is the pathway to real significance

“Each of us finds our meaning & function as a part of His body.”
Rom. 12:5

AT YOUR SERVICE - To be Known by LOVE

"Love others as much as you love yourself." Matthew 22:39

Love is a romantic word. More songs have been written about
love than any other subject or word in the world. Would there
even be a movie industry w/out love? There is an entire genre
called romance novels because people so desperately long for love.
Yet as much as we talk about it & claim to build our lives around it,
love is actually a rare commodity. Most of what we call love falls into
other categories: from like to lust, “I love your shoes” or
“I love “The Simpsons” - from passion to possession. “I love the Houston Astros” or “I'd love to own that car” - We have been so inundated w/ love imitations that we've become blind to what love is really about.

In the end How does love manifest itself?
In Sacrifice

Jesus told us the way the world would know we are His followers is
if we love one another.
"A new command I give you: Love one another.
As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
By this all men will know that you are my disciples,
if you love one another." John 13:34-35

To be known by LOVE.

We see love in sacrifice.
How do the relationships that we are involved in grow?

In Sacrifice.
We turn away from our own selfish wants and desires and we sacrifice
what we may want to do, or where to go, or where not to go – WHY?

It is purely done out of love.

Notes from an anonymous journal:
Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a
hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering
from a rare and serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared
to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had
miraculously survived the same disease and had developed antibodies
needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her
little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes, I'll do it if it will save her." As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did,
seeing the color returning to her cheek. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice,
"Will I start to die right away?" Being young, the little boy had
misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save his sister.

Now that’s Sacrifice. That’s being known by LOVE.

In John 15:13, Jesus gives us the practical expression of love. He says,

“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for
his friends.” Ofcourse, Jesus was speaking of his own death,
explaining that his sacrifice would be the ultimate expression for
the love of all humanity.
The church erupted out of an act of love. It shouldn't surprise us
that the church only moves toward God when it is fueled by love.
Listen... in a world of imitations, real love draws a crowd. It stands out.
It is undeniable. It is defining.
That being the case, What is the practical expression of love?
Servanthood

It is impossible to come close to God and not have love overwhelm you.
And when we realize that the practical expression of love is servanthood,
love begins to change everything about your relationships. In fact,
this is the one amazing things about God: He loves to serve.
In John 13 when Jesus tied a towel around his waist and began washing his disciples feet, this was not an extraordinary act for God but right in line with who He is. Jesus Christ was a servant. He was doing nothing more than expressing the serving heart of God.
“... the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve...” Matt. 20:28

People matter to God, so... People matter to us.

I have made the mistake of passing judgment on others. Have you?
We tend to make these armchair assessments of who God has use for and
who He doesn't.
Jesus made it clear of the value each person has a # of times,
but one that stands out for me was a conversation He had on the cross.
Luke 23:32-43
32 There were also two criminals led out with Jesus to be put to death. 33 When they came to a place called the Skull, the soldiers crucified Jesus and the criminals -- one on his right and the other on his left.....
38 At the top of the cross these words were written: this is the king of
the jews. 39 One of the criminals on a cross began to shout insults at Jesus: "Aren't you the Christ? Then save yourself and us." 40 But the
other criminal stopped him and said, "You should fear God! You are getting
the same punishment he is. 41 We are punished justly, getting what we
deserve for what we did. But this man has done nothing wrong." 42 Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." 43 Jesus said
to him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."

Think about this – while they were hanging on crosses one of them
launched into a verbal tirade.
The other thief opened his eyes to what was really happening –
he realized in a short amount of time he was about to face eternity,
and he was painfully aware of the kind of life he had lived. So he yells to the other criminal to SHUT UP! Can't you see what's goin on here –
we derserve to die but this man doesn't. He looked to Christ and said
"Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." in essence he was saying, I know this sounds like a silly question, but could somebody like me, who has committed the sins I've committed, who has not exactly been a great guy, I have treated people like garbage, could somebody like me, still matter to anybody?
What did Jesus say? Without hesitation, He assured this man,
“You matter far more than you can even imagine. And because of your faith
and you tender spirit, you'll meet up with me a little later today in paradise, where we'll be together for eternity.

Sometimes it tough to comprehend that kind of compassion,
that kind of love. But that's exactly what God wants us to be like –
He said it is that kind of love that will show people you are my followers.
It is that kind of love that marks you as a follower of Christ.

Love produces servanthood
Servanthood sees sacrifice as a privilege

Whenever we are known by love, God's reputation is intact.
When people see our love and sacrifice for others it shows that this is real.
It shows that "Christianity" is legit. What do people think and say when
we dont show God's love towards others - when were only concerned about
ourselves, when we expect everyone to just fall right in line with us -
They think were hypocritical and phoney's.
When love erupts in the hearts of God's people,
they become the servants of a lost and broken world.
And the world will see
May we be known by LOVE