Is serving in the church more important than volunteering outside the church? Is it more God-pleasing? What’s the difference between volunteering and serving?   

These questions all assume that our life of faith is separate from our ‘regular’ or daily life. But Jesus is Lord of our entire life, not just part of it. And it’s not as if He simply oversees the non-churchy part to make sure we’re acting morally. All of our life is fully His. He gave it to us and He is invested and involved in what we do with all of it. 

So there is no sacred/secular separation. Whether we call it volunteering or serving, it’s all under one umbrella–serving Jesus with all that we have and all that we are. He cares just as much about how we serve our families and our boss and our neighbors as how we serve our faith family. This truth simplifies serving. He’s there to help us in all of it. All of it can be used for His purposes. Unified under His umbrella, serving is a broad and ever-changing adventure. 

 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name 
of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Colossians 3:17

To serve more faith-fully, consider:
– What part of my everyday serving might benefit from being more under the umbrella of my faith?

More Faith-full in Connecting

Sometimes God intervenes in our life in ways we can’t ignore. But mostly He waits for us to notice and invite Him in. So if He doesn’t seem involved in my daily life, perhaps it’s because I haven’t invited Him there. When we reach out, He always responds. So invite Him in. Do this in weekly worship, in regular time set aside for Him, and throughout the day. Read his love letter, the Bible. Read the gospels to focus on His words and His ways. Tell Him what’s on your mind. We all can grow in getting to know Him, to loving Him and following Him.

Invite Him in. Tell Him what’s on your mind.

Carry the prayer conversation throughout the day, especially as you’re serving. Tell Him when you’re faced with a decision, when serving is hard, when you don’t know what to do, when you’re tired and ready to give it all up. When things are going well, thank Him. Ask Him to guide you in His ways. He never gets tired of listening to you. He loves you.

He guides me along the right paths for His name’s sake. Psalm 23:3

Consider:
– What one step would grow my time with my heavenly Father?

More Faith-full in His Will 

We often wonder what specifically God wants us to do. Do I continue to lend money to the nephew who shows no interest in paying it back? Is it time to drop that volunteering I do at church even though no one else is stepping up to do it? Do I try that new thing that looks interesting? Do I give to organization A or B or both or neither? God is always listening, always caring, but He often doesn’t write the answers on the wall. Sometimes He speaks to us through scripture. Sometimes it’s through a conversation with a mature friend in the faith. When there’s no clear course, the best action is often simply to pray, “I’m going to try this, Lord. Let me know if I should try something else.” And then to go ahead. Sometimes it’s what happens after we try something that gives us the answer to our prayer. 

Love God. Love your neighbor.

Jesus made it even simpler when He summarized all that the law requires, all that He commands and desires, in two sentences: Love God. Love your neighbor.

The more we bring our faith into our serving, the more often we remember His grace and mercy, the more more thankful we become, and we become more reliant on Him, and more in tune with His words and His ways. Serving is where our faith takes action. When we bring Jesus into our serving, it becomes fertile ground for growing our faith.

Jesus [said]: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul 
and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. 
And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. 
All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:37-39

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Prov. 3:5-6

 Consider:
– In what area of serving might you ask for Jesus to guide you?

Within and Beyond the Church

St, Paul often (I Cor. 12; Romans 12; Ephesians 4) reminds us of the role our differing gifts play in the body of Christ. Every follower of Jesus should consider how their serving might bless their faith family, both through organizational volunteering and through deeds of kindness. 

But the community around us needs our serving, too. A major reason why the first-century church grew so rapidly was the way the believers were so counter-culturally kind, to their own and to others. 

The world welcomes people who serve.

Jesus’ command “Love your neighbor” is second only to loving God, and includes those outside as well as inside the church. Serving is the “sweet spot” where God’s calling and our giftedness lines up with the needs around us. The world may be antagonistic to Jesus, but it welcomes people who serve. When we join hands with others dealing with the needs of our neighbors, we are building relationships with those we serve and those serving alongside us. Trust and respect grow too, and people are more willing to hear our stories and the good news of what Jesus has done for them, too. Serving opens doors and hearts. 

From [Christ] the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, 
grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. Eph 4:15

Then the righteous will answer [the King], ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You,
 or thirsty and give You something to drink? When did we see You a stranger and invite You in,
or needing clothes and clothe You? When did we see You sick or in prison and go to visit You?’ 
The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers 
and sisters of mine, you did for Me.’ Matthew 25:37-40

Consider:
– Might God be calling you to rebalance your serving within and beyond the church?

More Faith-full in Sharing Good News

Sharing stories is welcomed

I wouldn’t go to serve in an unfamiliar place, such as a hospital or a prison or a jungle, without preparation. Serving faith-fully in our communities involves preparation, too–preparation in sharing our faith winsomely. In years past, we simply invited people to come to church with us. That may still be effective, but people increasingly have become dissatisfied or antagonistic to the church. However, when you are a friend, sharing their story with you and listening to your story is likely to be welcomed. When we connect Jesus to our story, we open the door to seeing them connect their story to Jesus’ story too. Multipli and Joining Jesus on His Mission by Greg Finke are two resources that help believers become more comfortable sharing Jesus with their friends and those they serve.  

In your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer
to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.
But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience,
so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ
may be ashamed of their slander. 1 Peter 3:15-16

Consider:
– Who do you serve who might appreciate hearing some good news about Jesus and His love?

The More Faith-full Adventure!

Serving Jesus faith-fully ties everything together. All our activities flow from our faith and are opportunities to build trusting relationships in which we can be open about our faith. Being faith-full in our serving helps us serve more intentionally, it fuels our more joyful serving and it enables us to serve more impactfully. 

Serving Jesus is never dry and boring. Everyday, all that we do becomes part of an everlasting and eternal adventure.

Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Matthew 28:20

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Worksheet: More Faith-full Everyday Serving

Share your thoughts on this topic through a comment or by contacting Karen. Let’s keep the conversation going

Also in this Series
– More Intentional (&Less Crazy) Everyday Serving
Worksheet, More Intentional Everyday Serving
– More Joyful (and Less Dreary) Everyday Serving
Worksheet, More Joyful Everyday Serving
– More Impactful (and Less Ho-Hum) Everyday Serving
Worksheet, More Impactful Everyday Serving
– More serving or Better Serving?
Worksheet: A Look at My Serving

Related Resources
– Why Look at Serving? 
– A Caregiver’s Education for Life-Long Serving
– Resource Review: Multipli