The 5 APPs given to us.... #2 Serving

Last week we looked at the 1st app found in the 1st line of the great commandment - “Love God with all your heart”  - Worship - life of worship leads to celebration on sunday - already worshipping.

Today we’re looking at the 2nd app also found in the great commandment “Love your neighbor as yourself” - Service/Ministry 

 So if we are talking about Love your neighbors aka love others then of course we are looking at what God’s word says about love. One of my favorite love scriptures is the key scripture for our children’s ministry. It’s

1 John 3:18

"Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth."

This scripture is why we call the children’s ministry of Focus Church, Action Adventures. 

Our desire is to teach our kids that putting love into action is the greatest adventure we will ever have. It’s also the greatest challenge because loving people can be hard can’t it? I mean it’s easy to SAY we love people or we love our fellow believers but truly loving them ‘not with words but with actions and in truth’ is something quite different isn’t it? There are just those people that are hard to love. They are annoying, maybe they are gross - they have horrific breath or B.O. or something... and as nice as they are they are it’s just hard to physically be near them. :/

Maybe they are negative to the core. I have a really hard time with negative nillies. You know what I mean? Like I decided some time ago I just don't wanna hang out with folks who are constantly spewing negativity, I think to myself, "You can't soar with the Eagles if you're hanging out with the Turkeys"  :)
 There are just people who can be difficult to love. The easy thing to do would be to just blow some of those people off but as believers we don’t get to get off that easy. We are to be the Church. We are to demonstrate Christ to the world around us - including those that are hard to love. 

Ephesians 5:1-2 says

"Be imitators of God, therefore, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us”

Guess when He gave Himself up for us?

Romans 5:8

8....God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

So while we were still hard to love is when He demonstrated His love for us, right? And we are to be imitators of Him. Wow. Chew on that for awhile. Here’s what I know. On my own - I am just not capable of that kind of love. I’m just not. I can admit it. But Christ shows me how. I can look at his life and his words to love others and open up the Service APP to see how I’m going to be able to live out the directive given in Eph 5. Let’s look at 4 of them:

Matthew 20:26b-34 

26.......whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

 29As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. 30Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!"

 31The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!"

 32Jesus stopped and called them. "What do you want me to do for you?" he asked.

 33"Lord," they answered, "we want our sight."

 34Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.

How do we love & serve others like Jesus:

1. Prepare your heart

I don’t think it’s any coincidence that this experience with the two blind men came shortly after Jesus had the conversation about serving with his disciples. Don’t get me wrong - I know it wasn’t immediately after - but it does appear to have been shortly after he spoke about serving others.

Right before encountering these 2 blind men Jesus had prepared their hearts to serve.

For you and I to be the servants Jesus has called us to be, we must prepare our hearts for service, to minister to others. 

Why is that? Because w/out it, just left to our own schedules and agendas our minds are full of thoughts which leads to activities that we need to and want to accomplish. We are self centered people with our own desires wanting to be met, so here we see Jesus preparing their hearts.

He taught about serving and loving others on many occasions. WHY? 

Because each and everyone of us need to prepare our hearts to think about & respond to others in love. 
...When we see what Jesus sees, we’ll do what Jesus says.

and you know what Jesus really demonstrated here in the passage we just read... when it comes to loving through service? He demonstrated availability. # 2 is: 

2. Willingness to be interrupted

Go back to the scripture and underline the word “stopped”. Jesus was willing to be interrupted. 

How willing are you to be interrupted? I mean really. When you really think about it. Are you really willing? 

Being interrupted is very inconvenient!

I dont like interruptions do you? This is why its so important to prepare our hearts to really see...

Jesus understood the pain of the 2 blind men. When you and I are willing to interrupted, making ourselves available to others, real love shines! 

Pro. 3:28 “Never tell your neighbors to wait until tomorrow if you can help them now.” 

What might make us unavailable? 

Feeling of Self-importance. or our own agenda, not wanting to stop what we’re doing.

Luke 10:30-31

30In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 

REALLY? That’s amazing to me! One would hope that if anyone was going to walk by you in that situation and ignore you it wouldn’t be someone who claims an affiliation with God! 

But listen to me folks, do we do that? 

Are there people that we work with or a neighbor who are clearly struggling or its obvious they need help that we walk on by.... wait a minute, the story of the good samaritan is a parable right? Soooo... is Jesus trying to show me that I'm the priest? Oh man wait... I think he's talking about me passing by all those people I've passed by in life.
What is He saying to you?

Another reason that might make us unavailable...

Feeling of Idealism. 

“If you wait for perfect conditions, you’ll never get anything done.” Eccl. 11:4 

You know what? I believe in the pursuit of excellence. I really do. I believe we should attempt to do things to the best of our ability but I also believe we have a made an idol out of excellence. There are so many people who would say, “If you can’t do it first class, don’t even try.” 

I say ‘practice makes .....(you can finish it right?)........’. I say ‘If at first you don’t succeed......(and here)........’ Everything doesn’t have to be perfect before you pursue it. 
If God only used perfect people who would he ever use!? We all have weakness, faults, failures and limitations. God can use us all. We just have to be willing to be used.  

So we prepare our hearts, we become willing to be interrupted then

Seize the moment and meet the need. 

I have to See the needs of those around me. 

Let the Holy Spirit guide you. (compass) 

1 Corinthians 10:24 “People should be concerned about others and not just about themselves.”

2 points underneath this thought:

• ASK

you see what Jesus does?  “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. in v. 32

He stopped then asked. Once we’re willing to stop, to be interrupted we ask the ? How can I help?

In my job as an outside salesman over the years I have met some unhappy customers, for whatever reason, usually company related they are not pleased. And since I'm the face of the company guess who gets to hear about it.... yep, me. So over the years I've learned a very important phrase, I ask “what do you want?" - asking that question immediately calms them down and we can continue on from there.

• Do It 

This is real love, this is what stands out. Hey in most cases, its not the thought that matters - you trackin w/ me? Its meeting the need that stands out - thats being people who are known by love.

Pro. 3:27-28 “Never walk away from someone who deserves help; your hand is God’s hand for that person. Don’t tell your neighbor, "Maybe some other time," or, "Try me tomorrow,".  (MSG)

Small acts of ministry can be so significant. Real servants do every task with equal dedication because they know it all matters.

They are all important. God knows that you have something to give that will make a difference. 

HB 6:10 “He will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.”

4. Spend what it takes. 

Gal. 6:10 “Whenever we have the opportunity, we have to do what is good for everyone, especially for the family of believers.” 

There is always a cost to being kind and serving others. But its worth it. It’s worth it to be that voice of hope. 

Jesus had an agenda. If you pull back & look at this from 30,000 ft. The Big picture here. 

Jesus knows that stopping here for these 2 men is slowing Him down, He only has 3yrs of teaching, healing, mentoring, doing the miraculous, he’s on a tight schedule, so there’s a cost to the interruption.

The same is true in our lives. But Jesus knew it was worth it. He knew the disciples needed to see this.

For you and I to be people who are known by love and a voice of hope its worth it.

and people will see it :)

So How do we love & serve like Jesus?

Prepare your heart to serve, be willing to be interrupted, see the need & meet it, & spend whatever it takes. 
When we do that.... we’re operating in this 2nd APP “Loving our neighbors as we love ourselves” 

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