Together # 13
A Together of Attitude
A Together of Attitude
Serve One Another
copyright by Dick Wulf, 2018
Have the attitude of a servant toward one another. Be motivated to serve others and let them serve you.
Luke 22:26-27; 2 Cor 4:5; Gal 5:13; Phil 2:5-7
Scripture exhorts us all to have the attitude of a servant. We are to be woven together in interdependent service to one another.
Many of the Togethers blend with others, looking like there is duplication. However, examining them separately brings out further understanding and distinct contributions. This Together of serving one another creates a servant attitude. This servant attitude takes over a life, while acts of service can be separated by periods of unconcern. A servant attitude comes from a servant heart.
In most friendship groups, families, even marriages, there are some who have the attitude of servants and are looking for the needs of others. Then there are those who will help if asked, even without reluctance, but they are not looking for opportunities to serve. Lastly there are those who do not expect themselves to serve.
Every Christian probably knows that the proper attitude is, “I am willing to serve.” However, more usual are the following attitudes. “I know I should be serving others more.” “If someone asks me, I usually help them.” “I would like to serve, but I don’t have much to offer.” Good intentions do not qualify as servant attitudes, as the following parable of Jesus shows.
Many of the Togethers blend with others, looking like there is duplication. However, examining them separately brings out further understanding and distinct contributions. This Together of serving one another creates a servant attitude. This servant attitude takes over a life, while acts of service can be separated by periods of unconcern. A servant attitude comes from a servant heart.
In most friendship groups, families, even marriages, there are some who have the attitude of servants and are looking for the needs of others. Then there are those who will help if asked, even without reluctance, but they are not looking for opportunities to serve. Lastly there are those who do not expect themselves to serve.
Every Christian probably knows that the proper attitude is, “I am willing to serve.” However, more usual are the following attitudes. “I know I should be serving others more.” “If someone asks me, I usually help them.” “I would like to serve, but I don’t have much to offer.” Good intentions do not qualify as servant attitudes, as the following parable of Jesus shows.
“What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went. And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you.”
Matt 21:28-31
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Even though the parable was referring to salvation, we can see biblical teaching about servanthood. Clearly, the consequence of not serving is severe if Jesus referred to tax collectors and prostitutes. Not mentioned is the most excellent servant attitude that says, “Yes, I will go work in the vineyard today” followed by actually doing it.
God’s kingdom needs everyone to serve. There is so much to be done, but so little actually accomplished. This is to our shame. Everyone is prepared by God to serve. This was the whole point of my book Find Yourself – Give Yourself published by NavPress in 1983. God has designed us for His service, and that service is usually to other humans, especially other Christians.
Fortunately, most of this service to one another is to be done within our Christian friendships, Christian families and Christian marriages where there is regular contact at the personal level. We must not limit such service to organizational church participation. That is extremely shortsighted.
In our organizational churches, 20% of the congregation does 80% of the service. We can only hope that the other 80% who attend a church are active servants elsewhere and that is why they do not take on church responsibilities. My experience as an elder for many years does not support that hope. The trend toward larger and larger churches can make this problem even worse by paying salaries to get the service needs of the church done.
What is going wrong? The easy way out of doing leadership in the church, in all of its forms (organization, friendship group, family and marriage) is to ask for volunteers and stop at that. In doing so, we do not really treat one another as either the Lord’s servants (see the Together “Serve God Together”) or one another’s servants. Have we become too polite to just say, “We need your help” and let the other person decline. Even though God Himself expects us to serve, we hesitate to communicate that service to one another is necessary. Have we portrayed Christianity as such a good deal that we just have to sit back and let God shower us with blessings? At conversion were no expectations placed on us to actively and consistently serve God and serve one another at His desire?
The following Scripture does not say that leadership is to prepare only 20% of the church for works of service.
God’s kingdom needs everyone to serve. There is so much to be done, but so little actually accomplished. This is to our shame. Everyone is prepared by God to serve. This was the whole point of my book Find Yourself – Give Yourself published by NavPress in 1983. God has designed us for His service, and that service is usually to other humans, especially other Christians.
Fortunately, most of this service to one another is to be done within our Christian friendships, Christian families and Christian marriages where there is regular contact at the personal level. We must not limit such service to organizational church participation. That is extremely shortsighted.
In our organizational churches, 20% of the congregation does 80% of the service. We can only hope that the other 80% who attend a church are active servants elsewhere and that is why they do not take on church responsibilities. My experience as an elder for many years does not support that hope. The trend toward larger and larger churches can make this problem even worse by paying salaries to get the service needs of the church done.
What is going wrong? The easy way out of doing leadership in the church, in all of its forms (organization, friendship group, family and marriage) is to ask for volunteers and stop at that. In doing so, we do not really treat one another as either the Lord’s servants (see the Together “Serve God Together”) or one another’s servants. Have we become too polite to just say, “We need your help” and let the other person decline. Even though God Himself expects us to serve, we hesitate to communicate that service to one another is necessary. Have we portrayed Christianity as such a good deal that we just have to sit back and let God shower us with blessings? At conversion were no expectations placed on us to actively and consistently serve God and serve one another at His desire?
The following Scripture does not say that leadership is to prepare only 20% of the church for works of service.
So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his 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.
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him 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 4:11-16 (NIV)
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This passage makes it clear that Christian maturity depends on Christians serving one another. If leaders in our churches are not actually getting us all to adopt servant attitudes and help one another through many of the Togethers, then we will have to do it without their help if we want to become mature and attain the fullness of Christ.
Lack of active, intentional service to one another holds back the church and its maturity as the body of Christ. That is why we need to call to arms our Christian friendship groups, our Christian families, and our Christian marriages. We just cannot let maturity in Jesus slip through our fingers. We can help one another to continual works of service in our Christian Inner Circles. (See the Together “Spur One Another On to Love and Good Deeds”.)
Lack of active, intentional service to one another holds back the church and its maturity as the body of Christ. That is why we need to call to arms our Christian friendship groups, our Christian families, and our Christian marriages. We just cannot let maturity in Jesus slip through our fingers. We can help one another to continual works of service in our Christian Inner Circles. (See the Together “Spur One Another On to Love and Good Deeds”.)
For you were called to freedom, brothers.
Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh,
but through love serve one another.
Gal 5:13
Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh,
but through love serve one another.
Gal 5:13
It is easy to feel we love one another. Service proves how deep that love runs. We know who can be counted on when we really need help because they are the ones in our Christian Inner Circles who live to serve. They identify with these words of the Apostle Paul.
For what we proclaim is not ourselves,
but Jesus Christ as Lord,
with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.
2 Cor 4:5
but Jesus Christ as Lord,
with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.
2 Cor 4:5
We call Jesus our Lord, but to avoid dangerous hypocrisy we need to be careful that we let Him commission us to serve one another regularly, not just occasionally. We serve one another for the sake of Jesus as a way to proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord.
Serving one another is an honor. It is not to be out of obligation. A servant attitude is cheerful. And, it is assertive. We must be joyfully looking for ways to serve.
What holds service back among Christians? We value independence and self-sufficiency far too much. We can often use help but seldom ask for it. And, we do not all see ourselves as useful to others. And, we get caught up in less important activities than helping one another because of our addiction to pleasure, comfort, and safety.
Often the only help we offer is prayer, telling ourselves that it is sufficient and all that we can do. Those with servant hearts go further. They realize to first pray because we cannot do anything more important than pray. But, those with servant attitudes and obedience to Scripture understand that prayer is the beginning of a process of loving one another to be followed by some sort of service in many situations.
Serving one another is an honor. It is not to be out of obligation. A servant attitude is cheerful. And, it is assertive. We must be joyfully looking for ways to serve.
What holds service back among Christians? We value independence and self-sufficiency far too much. We can often use help but seldom ask for it. And, we do not all see ourselves as useful to others. And, we get caught up in less important activities than helping one another because of our addiction to pleasure, comfort, and safety.
Often the only help we offer is prayer, telling ourselves that it is sufficient and all that we can do. Those with servant hearts go further. They realize to first pray because we cannot do anything more important than pray. But, those with servant attitudes and obedience to Scripture understand that prayer is the beginning of a process of loving one another to be followed by some sort of service in many situations.
What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
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James 2:14-17
Serving one another is one of the natural results of true, biblical community. And it happens most in Christian friendship groups, families, and marriages. Christians in these forms of the church should not pass up opportunities to serve. Christians should do all they can to help everyone in their Christian Inner Circles yield to the Holy Spirit’s empowerment to serve with a cheerful attitude. Every aspect of life and faith together offers opportunities to serve. Putting our own needs on hold to be of service to one another must be top priority. Being an obedient servant can involve just about anything. Reviewing the Togethers can open our minds to the many ways we can serve one another.
Opportunity to Become More and More Like Jesus Christ
Opportunity to Become More and More Like Jesus Christ
The Pierce Family finds time for a short reading from the Bible as often as they can in spite of schedules that make it difficult. They have been going through the gospels and taking note of how much time Jesus spent in service to others. When He was not healing or teaching the masses, He was paying attention to his disciples.
Looking back, they think it was 16-year-old idealistic Kenny who asked if they as a family ought not to be spending more time serving others, just as Jesus did. At first the family made the usual resistant comments. They were too busy. Not everything that needed to be done around the house was getting adequate attention. Everyone they knew seemed to be getting along just fine. Then 14-year-old Ronda asked, “But, don’t we want to become more like Jesus?” Ronda’s question haunted the family for weeks, most likely because of the unseen urging of the Holy Spirit. Eventually, they yielded to what God was doing to advance His purpose of molding each family member into the image of Christ. They carved out some time to serve others as a family, decided some things around home did not really need to be done right now, and admitted that the people they knew had deeper needs than just getting by peacefully in life. As a result they met with the pastor of their church and asked if there was a single-parent family with inadequate friendship support that also needed to grow in their faith more intentionally. After two years now, you would think that the two families were one because they seem inseparable. |
Serving one another is being very much like Jesus.
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.
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Phil 2:5-7
Some aspects of being like Jesus are more popular than others. Being like Jesus in the sense of having a servant attitude may be one of the least desirable because it costs commitment and action. It is easier to want to be like Jesus in being peaceful than to spend life serving others. Therefore, the opportunity to be like Jesus with a desire to serve without ambivalence is quite a challenge.
Jesus even called Himself a servant. Therefore, a servant attitude should be worn as a medal of honor.
Jesus even called Himself a servant. Therefore, a servant attitude should be worn as a medal of honor.
Who is greater right here as we eat this meal—those of us who sit at the table, or those who serve us? Doesn’t everyone normally assume those who are served are greater than those who serve? But consider My role among you. I have been with you as a servant.
Luke 22:27 (The Voice Bible)
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In considering the question of how we can attain a servant heart, it seems that it is by wanting to be like Jesus and follow in His steps. Clearly in Luke 22 Jesus is saying that He is our model. Loving Jesus enough to want to be like Him is the path to a servant attitude and heart.
Think of how Jesus spent His days. He was constantly out among the people healing and teaching. He set such a great example for us. He went looking for people who had a need. And, so can we.
Notice how the Apostle Paul often introduced himself in his letters. The Apostle Peter did the same (2 Peter 1).
Think of how Jesus spent His days. He was constantly out among the people healing and teaching. He set such a great example for us. He went looking for people who had a need. And, so can we.
Notice how the Apostle Paul often introduced himself in his letters. The Apostle Peter did the same (2 Peter 1).
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, . . .
Rom 1:1
Rom 1:1
If Jesus and the two main apostles in the Book of Acts were enthusiastic about being servants, let’s join them. We can serve one another and know that we are in the greatest company.
Look at how Jesus handled two disciples who, through their mother, asked for special favor. When the other ten disciples found out that they wanted to be so special as to sit in heaven at Jesus’ right and left hands, Jesus reversed normal thinking.
Look at how Jesus handled two disciples who, through their mother, asked for special favor. When the other ten disciples found out that they wanted to be so special as to sit in heaven at Jesus’ right and left hands, Jesus reversed normal thinking.
“But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 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 your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Mt 20:25-28
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Note that the above Scripture states two roles, related but different. To grasp the possible distinction between being a servant and a slave, consider The Voice Bible translation.
This is the Kingdom’s logic: whoever wants to become great must first make himself a servant; whoever wants to be first must bind himself as a slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life as the ransom for many.
Mt 20:26-28
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Do we want to be great? Be a continual servant. Have a servant attitude with a servant heart. A servant does what he or she is told to do but has the option of quitting. He or she is an employee, not a slave.
Do we want to be first? Fully commit to others as their slave. A slave cannot choose whether or not to stay in his or her position as a slave. A slave is a servant for life. In some translations the Apostle Paul calls himself a bond-servant which most likely means a servant who is also a slave.
To most fully obey the Scriptures that make up this Together to serve one another, we become one another’s servants as if we were their slaves. Only pride and a shortage of grateful love for God can deter a decision to adopt a servant attitude for a lifetime of service to one another.
Opportunity to Worship God
Do we want to be first? Fully commit to others as their slave. A slave cannot choose whether or not to stay in his or her position as a slave. A slave is a servant for life. In some translations the Apostle Paul calls himself a bond-servant which most likely means a servant who is also a slave.
To most fully obey the Scriptures that make up this Together to serve one another, we become one another’s servants as if we were their slaves. Only pride and a shortage of grateful love for God can deter a decision to adopt a servant attitude for a lifetime of service to one another.
Opportunity to Worship God
Sitting in his rocking chair in the nursing home, Stephan looked back on his forty-plus years as a church leader with ambivalence. He hardly ever missed a Sunday at church unless he was out of town, but the draw was not to the church service itself. He was a little uncomfortable about this. He enjoyed sitting in the pews with fellow Christians, but the order of service did not deliver an adequate sense that he was worshiping the Lord he loved so much. He took solace in the fact that the church was participating together in worship, but it was not the height of his worship experience on Sunday mornings.
Instead, Stephan recalled that he went to church every Sunday because someone might need him. Serving others for his King felt like worship in a vivid way. While he could not sing all that well, he could serve. He almost always taught Sunday School. And before and after services he made himself available to many people, approaching them with concern about how they were doing. He remembered such times as occasions to search for opportunities to serve. Stephan hoped that the Lord he loved dearly would understand and accept his service to God’s people as exalting Him in spirit and truth, since he fell short on ecstasy with the worship service itself. |
God has given us the great privilege in community to serve one another. When we do so, we worship God by reflecting back to Him the very nature of Jesus Christ who came as a servant to minister to mankind. We also reflect, however imperfectly, the nature of the Godhead wherein the Father, Son and Holy Spirit serve one another.
God serves people He in no way needs to serve. Every person receives gifts from God that are necessary for life. When we serve one another, we reflect God’s character back to Himself in lifestyle worship. God gives us rain. When we give one another a glass of water to drink, we participate with God and, to the extent our service is done for Him, it is worship.
God serves people He in no way needs to serve. Every person receives gifts from God that are necessary for life. When we serve one another, we reflect God’s character back to Himself in lifestyle worship. God gives us rain. When we give one another a glass of water to drink, we participate with God and, to the extent our service is done for Him, it is worship.
Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’
Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ Mt 25:34-40
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God is self-sufficient and still asks us to serve Him. So, when we ask others to serve us, we reflect God’s character and it is worship. Of course, we do not ask one another for worship, but God asks of us many other things than worship, like taking care of the less fortunate.
But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”
Luke 14:13-14
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Therefore, we must ask for helpful things from one another in order to be like God who asks things from us. We have to escape the thinking that we do not want to bother another. God doesn’t seem to mind “bothering” us. He does not overburden us with His requests and declares His burden to be light, but He does asks for our help in doing His work in the world. And, so, we ask for one another’s help within reason, being careful to not overburden.
Would we steal from another’s treasure chest in heaven if we could? No. But, by not asking for help we prevent others from gaining treasure for that chest in heaven. This tying other’s hands from gathering treasure through service is almost the same as robbing them.
In some of us it is ingrained to not ask for help unless we absolutely need it. Perhaps we had parents who were annoyed when we asked for help. Then, again, we might just be proud and not want to appear needy. These are the devil’s strategies to keep us from the kind of relationships God wants us to have. Serving one another is one the most effective ways to build bonds of love.
And, it is great worship! Let’s serve other Christians and also ask them to help us.
How Used in Battle to Defeat Evil and Satan
Would we steal from another’s treasure chest in heaven if we could? No. But, by not asking for help we prevent others from gaining treasure for that chest in heaven. This tying other’s hands from gathering treasure through service is almost the same as robbing them.
In some of us it is ingrained to not ask for help unless we absolutely need it. Perhaps we had parents who were annoyed when we asked for help. Then, again, we might just be proud and not want to appear needy. These are the devil’s strategies to keep us from the kind of relationships God wants us to have. Serving one another is one the most effective ways to build bonds of love.
And, it is great worship! Let’s serve other Christians and also ask them to help us.
How Used in Battle to Defeat Evil and Satan
Lena’s Christian Inner Circle contains about 15 people, half of whom know each other. It includes an aunt, three Christians from work, two of her siblings, and friends from her neighborhood and other groups to which she belongs.
Lena has a true servant’s heart and attitude. Therefore, she keeps close touch with those fifteen people and knows the troubles Satan throws at them to defeat their success and faith. And, it troubles her that so many in her Circle have the culture’s attitude that everyone should take care of themselves and their own business, as if they each make their own troubles and Satan is not a real foe. Lena has started to bring into conversations with her Christian Inner Circle the necessity of making certain that those they know are not needlessly frustrated by the troubles of life. She reminds them that all evil is orchestrated by God’s enemy Satan. At first this seemed to fall on deaf ears and no one picked up the privilege of defeating evil through service to one another. Therefore, Lena has started asking one or two others to join her in helping another with an overwhelming situation. She is teaching those who join in the joy of service the great satisfaction of “getting their hands dirty” and defeating the devil’s attempts to harm. |
In the Garden of Eden Satan showed that he does not want us working together. He somehow figured out that if Adam and Eve helped each other as God had said they must, he would be defeated. So, it should be no secret that the devil does not like us serving one another.
Right there at the beginning of human history Satan played one of his most powerful strategies in tempting individualistic autonomy – living without needing one another’s involvement in the daily affairs of life. By now, after hundreds of years, individualism has grown to be a monster that makes a servant attitude very difficult.
Nowadays, the devil does not have to work very hard to keep us from lives of more than occasional service to one another. We have come to think of the things that take up our time as more important than serving one another. Unfortunately, we have not been taught that we must serve one another for the growth of our faith beyond institutional practices and Bible studies.
The basic truth so ignored is that we belong to God and He wants us to serve one another. Jesus said that He came to us as a servant, and we know He is the Model we should follow. Instead, the devil has managed to have us believe that superficial love and service is enough. Therefore, we give ourselves great pats on the back for simple service to one another that barely honors God and His request.
Every Together is based on commands and teachings of Scripture outlining deep ways to love and serve one another. As long as we remain unfamiliar with these expectations of God, the devil can keep us from victory over him. Take for example the task of examining one another’s faith. Has church leadership gone beyond teaching us doctrine to explain why it is so important that in our closest Christian relationships we examine one another’s faith? This is one very important way we are to serve one another.
When Christians put on their best behavior at church functions, faith not practiced is rarely exposed. Too often as a psychotherapist and counselor I discover faith so shallow as to not guide interactions between husbands and wives or parents and children. In almost all cases I wonder what on earth the church is doing wrong that such hurt in Christian relationships and such empty acceptance of basic doctrine could survive years and years of church involvement. Almost always those who had knowledge of dysfunction going on, or that essential doctrine was not truly believed to allay anxiety, were not taught that they should get involved. They haven’t had a clue how to examine and build up the faith of those they cared about who were going through such rough times.
To build the church to be forceful and defeat Satan it must more than merely suggest that we should serve one another. We must not assume that it is obvious how we need to serve one another. Christians must be told they are to serve one another. It must be made clear that we are at war with God’s enemy the devil and service has to go beyond niceness. The 65 Togethers are 65 guides to 65 essential services we need to supply to one another. They are not simple or easy, nor should they be if they are to honor God and ascribe worth to Him. But, since everything is possible with God, they are not too much for us.
First, we must open our eyes to the full spectrum of service to one another that is needed to build such strong faith that we can march against the gates of hell. Second, we need to take our doctrine and apply it to more than head knowledge. We need to learn how our basic doctrines translate into obedient living through the things Scripture teaches. Then, we need to spur one another on to serve each other in deeper ways.
The Army of God most frequently operates in squads, akin to our Christian friendships, Christian families, and Christian marriages. These are the units that church leadership needs to train for works of service down in the trenches of life. Christian friends need to examine one another’s faith, to stick with just one example from the many Togethers. Christian family members have a microscopic view of each other’s strengths and deficiencies of faith, opening up powerful opportunities to build one another up in the faith and maturity in Christ. Husbands and wives are all too aware of each other’s shortcomings of faith but have not been taught that it is their job to examine faith through such close-up observation. They have not been taught what to do to help build their spouse’s faith through an often slow, steady process of love.
Our church culture downplays the expectations of the God who loves us so much. Perhaps we all need to consider ourselves church leaders since such instruction is not likely to be adequate in sermons and Bible studies. Each of us can learn the Togethers and with those we are close to explain what a privilege it is to serve one another in sacrificial ways for two fantastic reasons: to love God back with costly love as He has loved us and to defeat God’s enemy Satan who does all he can to keep Christians weak in faith and obedience.
Let’s put up a better fight against evil by loving more deeply through serving others in the more difficult ways of the love of our faith.
How in the Sinful Environment this Together Prepares Us for Heaven
Right there at the beginning of human history Satan played one of his most powerful strategies in tempting individualistic autonomy – living without needing one another’s involvement in the daily affairs of life. By now, after hundreds of years, individualism has grown to be a monster that makes a servant attitude very difficult.
Nowadays, the devil does not have to work very hard to keep us from lives of more than occasional service to one another. We have come to think of the things that take up our time as more important than serving one another. Unfortunately, we have not been taught that we must serve one another for the growth of our faith beyond institutional practices and Bible studies.
The basic truth so ignored is that we belong to God and He wants us to serve one another. Jesus said that He came to us as a servant, and we know He is the Model we should follow. Instead, the devil has managed to have us believe that superficial love and service is enough. Therefore, we give ourselves great pats on the back for simple service to one another that barely honors God and His request.
Every Together is based on commands and teachings of Scripture outlining deep ways to love and serve one another. As long as we remain unfamiliar with these expectations of God, the devil can keep us from victory over him. Take for example the task of examining one another’s faith. Has church leadership gone beyond teaching us doctrine to explain why it is so important that in our closest Christian relationships we examine one another’s faith? This is one very important way we are to serve one another.
When Christians put on their best behavior at church functions, faith not practiced is rarely exposed. Too often as a psychotherapist and counselor I discover faith so shallow as to not guide interactions between husbands and wives or parents and children. In almost all cases I wonder what on earth the church is doing wrong that such hurt in Christian relationships and such empty acceptance of basic doctrine could survive years and years of church involvement. Almost always those who had knowledge of dysfunction going on, or that essential doctrine was not truly believed to allay anxiety, were not taught that they should get involved. They haven’t had a clue how to examine and build up the faith of those they cared about who were going through such rough times.
To build the church to be forceful and defeat Satan it must more than merely suggest that we should serve one another. We must not assume that it is obvious how we need to serve one another. Christians must be told they are to serve one another. It must be made clear that we are at war with God’s enemy the devil and service has to go beyond niceness. The 65 Togethers are 65 guides to 65 essential services we need to supply to one another. They are not simple or easy, nor should they be if they are to honor God and ascribe worth to Him. But, since everything is possible with God, they are not too much for us.
First, we must open our eyes to the full spectrum of service to one another that is needed to build such strong faith that we can march against the gates of hell. Second, we need to take our doctrine and apply it to more than head knowledge. We need to learn how our basic doctrines translate into obedient living through the things Scripture teaches. Then, we need to spur one another on to serve each other in deeper ways.
The Army of God most frequently operates in squads, akin to our Christian friendships, Christian families, and Christian marriages. These are the units that church leadership needs to train for works of service down in the trenches of life. Christian friends need to examine one another’s faith, to stick with just one example from the many Togethers. Christian family members have a microscopic view of each other’s strengths and deficiencies of faith, opening up powerful opportunities to build one another up in the faith and maturity in Christ. Husbands and wives are all too aware of each other’s shortcomings of faith but have not been taught that it is their job to examine faith through such close-up observation. They have not been taught what to do to help build their spouse’s faith through an often slow, steady process of love.
Our church culture downplays the expectations of the God who loves us so much. Perhaps we all need to consider ourselves church leaders since such instruction is not likely to be adequate in sermons and Bible studies. Each of us can learn the Togethers and with those we are close to explain what a privilege it is to serve one another in sacrificial ways for two fantastic reasons: to love God back with costly love as He has loved us and to defeat God’s enemy Satan who does all he can to keep Christians weak in faith and obedience.
Let’s put up a better fight against evil by loving more deeply through serving others in the more difficult ways of the love of our faith.
How in the Sinful Environment this Together Prepares Us for Heaven
When Adele and her husband Terrence retired, they discussed how they wanted to spend the rest of their lives. Just 67 years old and in good health, they had many options. Their retirement funds were more than adequate. They considered long vacations to visit their children and grandchildren, cruises, and even taking college courses. But in the end they considered long-term planning; not end-of-life planning, but after-death planning. Unlike so many of their friends, they became concerned whether or not they could better prepare for heaven.
They decided against cruises and college courses, hoping to find ways to serve the Christians in their community they had known for many years. They decided to use their remaining years to enhance not this life which was waning, but the next life with its endless possibilities somewhat dependent upon how they lived and prepared for them now. Once they discovered the list of 65 Togethers, each holding promise to become more like their Savior and produce growth in their spirits for an enhanced life in heaven, Terrance and Adele got down to eternal business. They made a list of the many Christians they had come across in the past ten years with whom they had not invested much time, prayer, and service. Then they matched names to Togethers as far as they could determine needs. They created a budget and schedule for inviting people to their home and got down to preparing for heaven through determined service. They looked forward to the benefits that would result from becoming more like their Savior, offering to God new lifestyle worship, defeating Satan and opening up their spirits for growth that would translate well to heaven. |
Heaven will be a place of service for all of its citizens. It is simplistic to think that most service will be divine in nature. Serving the citizens of heaven will be serving God. So when we are told in Scripture that our rewards in heaven will be places of service, we should look beyond just doing “religious things” in heaven.
Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me,
and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.
Revelation 22:12
and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.
Revelation 22:12
It might be normal to think that our service for God in heaven will be lighting candles at an altar. Perhaps this is because we have unintentionally been led to think of serving in the organizational church as more valuable and God-directed than serving the needs of those around us, especially in our Christian Inner Circles. This misunderstanding can be easily discarded if we look at how Jesus served God as told in the gospels. While He occasionally spoke in a synagogue, there is no record that He lit any religious candles or participated in any formal or organized religion.
When Jesus was responding to people’s physical and spiritual needs all day, was He serving God? Of course He was! So, in heaven will we be serving God by serving the other citizens of heaven? Most certainly.
Perhaps some of us are familiar with the different levels of expertise of electricians. There are apprentices at one end and master electricians at the top. Similarly, we will go to heaven anywhere from apprentice servants to master servants. This will depend on how we have honed our spirits to serve here against the atmosphere of sin that encourages taking care of self over taking care of others.
In heaven there will be innumerable needs for service to one another, even with the absence of sin. Even now there are many services needed that do not relate to pain and suffering. Helping one another build fences and enjoy nature are ways of service unrelated to sin. Likewise, there will be vast opportunities to serve in heaven where there is no sin.
Many of the Togethers, like encouraging one another, have application on the streets and homes in the New Jerusalem. There will be no need to clean someone else’s living quarters because they are injured or handicapped. But, we may still help with taking care of things while someone is away for a month on an adventure. (Somebody will have to maintain the aquarium and feed the dog and cat.) God will have us serving one another as we live in communities, as we worship, as we venture out on adventures, and many others ways far beyond our present imaginations.
And so we prepare to be able to serve in heaven by serving one another here and now. This is the time to discover the satisfaction of putting aside our own activities because someone needs us for something. This is the time to spur others on to serving so that only a few of us are overworked.
All helping in heaven will be enjoyable, but not all assignments will be equal. There will be some whose reluctance to serve now will only qualify them to sweep store floors because they did not allow the Holy Spirit to stretch their spirits toward joyful, inconvenient service. Yet, they will be happy because they will be serving at the maximum tendency of their spirits and not having to serve beyond their proven abilities. Others, however, will have served others before death in inconvenient ways, perhaps even in the secular arena. In heaven they may serve as mayors of towns happy as a lark because they are not serving below the capacity of their spirits.
Every act of service now for one another is an opportunity presented by God to change and improve our spirits. Each situation has God’s timing for the most marvelous change. Thus, it is the servant attitude that opens the door to these fantastic opportunities to do one or more of the Togethers, each with the change it makes in our spirits, changes that will enhance our quality of life in heaven for all eternity.
Let’s help one another grow in serving others willingly with joy. Let’s help those Christians among us who do not look for ways to serve others to overcome their reluctance and turn to assertive love for others so they can experience the joy now and the many benefits later in heaven.
How this Together Can Make It Really Good in Heaven
When Jesus was responding to people’s physical and spiritual needs all day, was He serving God? Of course He was! So, in heaven will we be serving God by serving the other citizens of heaven? Most certainly.
Perhaps some of us are familiar with the different levels of expertise of electricians. There are apprentices at one end and master electricians at the top. Similarly, we will go to heaven anywhere from apprentice servants to master servants. This will depend on how we have honed our spirits to serve here against the atmosphere of sin that encourages taking care of self over taking care of others.
In heaven there will be innumerable needs for service to one another, even with the absence of sin. Even now there are many services needed that do not relate to pain and suffering. Helping one another build fences and enjoy nature are ways of service unrelated to sin. Likewise, there will be vast opportunities to serve in heaven where there is no sin.
Many of the Togethers, like encouraging one another, have application on the streets and homes in the New Jerusalem. There will be no need to clean someone else’s living quarters because they are injured or handicapped. But, we may still help with taking care of things while someone is away for a month on an adventure. (Somebody will have to maintain the aquarium and feed the dog and cat.) God will have us serving one another as we live in communities, as we worship, as we venture out on adventures, and many others ways far beyond our present imaginations.
And so we prepare to be able to serve in heaven by serving one another here and now. This is the time to discover the satisfaction of putting aside our own activities because someone needs us for something. This is the time to spur others on to serving so that only a few of us are overworked.
All helping in heaven will be enjoyable, but not all assignments will be equal. There will be some whose reluctance to serve now will only qualify them to sweep store floors because they did not allow the Holy Spirit to stretch their spirits toward joyful, inconvenient service. Yet, they will be happy because they will be serving at the maximum tendency of their spirits and not having to serve beyond their proven abilities. Others, however, will have served others before death in inconvenient ways, perhaps even in the secular arena. In heaven they may serve as mayors of towns happy as a lark because they are not serving below the capacity of their spirits.
Every act of service now for one another is an opportunity presented by God to change and improve our spirits. Each situation has God’s timing for the most marvelous change. Thus, it is the servant attitude that opens the door to these fantastic opportunities to do one or more of the Togethers, each with the change it makes in our spirits, changes that will enhance our quality of life in heaven for all eternity.
Let’s help one another grow in serving others willingly with joy. Let’s help those Christians among us who do not look for ways to serve others to overcome their reluctance and turn to assertive love for others so they can experience the joy now and the many benefits later in heaven.
How this Together Can Make It Really Good in Heaven
I can’t adequately tell you how good it is to get up each morning and commence my service for the Lord. It is just what my heart has been yearning to do all of my life. It is such a joy to serve the citizens of heaven this way.
Others have different responsibilities, some more difficult and some less, some requiring more authority and some less. I know that if I had any of these different responsibilities of service, I would not be as joyful. |
If we have had a job sometime in our life that was so enjoyable and fit us so perfectly that we could not wait to wake up and start a new day, then we have felt what every day in heaven will be like. Imagine how good that will be for all eternity.
If we just take in consideration the 65 Togethers of Scripture, and who knows how many more strengths in our spirits will be taken into account, imagine what our resumes will look like in God’s hands as He assigns us our job/reward in heaven. Since it would take too long to list all of the Togethers, let’s make something up with regard to just a few of the resume entries. And, it will help to imagine a system of measuring the strength of our spirits like levels in a video game.
One of us has a level of 39 in encouragement, a level of 15 in being fascinated with the differences in people across centuries and cultures (Bear With One Another), a level of 26 in understanding God’s forgiveness (Forgive One Another: “forgive, and you will be forgiven” – Luke 6:37), and only a level of 6 in serving others joyfully and assertively. These scores, 39, 15, 26 and 6 of this resume will exactly fit some service needed in heaven.
Matching someone with these strengths of spirit would be a headache for us, much less 61 or more additional strength-levels. But, God will be able to handle the task with ease. And, so, in some way like this God will reward us according to what we have done so that the responsibilities we have in heaven will fit us as snug as the finger of a glove fitting our fingerprint exactly.
If we only enjoyed serving family and close friends, we will be given a job serving only a few, perhaps a shoemaker in a small town of heaven with only 40 residents. It will feel just right. But, if we enjoyed helping Christians we knew outside of our closest friends, we might be a shoemaker outfitting a city of thousands. And, that will fit just right.
So, none of us need worry that we will feel unfulfilled in heaven. But now is the time to consider if we want to let the Holy Spirit have His way with us. We know that God wants us to be conformed to the image of His Son, and Jesus served people far and wide, not just His closest friends. So, even though there will not be pain later for being lazy in this assignment to serve one another, we might want to push ourselves a little more in serving a wider circle than we are prone to do.
Let’s consider pleasing God more by increasing the breadth of our service to other Christians. There is a more complete quality of life in heaven waiting for those of us who do.
Opportunity for a Closer Relationship with God through Empathy
If we just take in consideration the 65 Togethers of Scripture, and who knows how many more strengths in our spirits will be taken into account, imagine what our resumes will look like in God’s hands as He assigns us our job/reward in heaven. Since it would take too long to list all of the Togethers, let’s make something up with regard to just a few of the resume entries. And, it will help to imagine a system of measuring the strength of our spirits like levels in a video game.
One of us has a level of 39 in encouragement, a level of 15 in being fascinated with the differences in people across centuries and cultures (Bear With One Another), a level of 26 in understanding God’s forgiveness (Forgive One Another: “forgive, and you will be forgiven” – Luke 6:37), and only a level of 6 in serving others joyfully and assertively. These scores, 39, 15, 26 and 6 of this resume will exactly fit some service needed in heaven.
Matching someone with these strengths of spirit would be a headache for us, much less 61 or more additional strength-levels. But, God will be able to handle the task with ease. And, so, in some way like this God will reward us according to what we have done so that the responsibilities we have in heaven will fit us as snug as the finger of a glove fitting our fingerprint exactly.
If we only enjoyed serving family and close friends, we will be given a job serving only a few, perhaps a shoemaker in a small town of heaven with only 40 residents. It will feel just right. But, if we enjoyed helping Christians we knew outside of our closest friends, we might be a shoemaker outfitting a city of thousands. And, that will fit just right.
So, none of us need worry that we will feel unfulfilled in heaven. But now is the time to consider if we want to let the Holy Spirit have His way with us. We know that God wants us to be conformed to the image of His Son, and Jesus served people far and wide, not just His closest friends. So, even though there will not be pain later for being lazy in this assignment to serve one another, we might want to push ourselves a little more in serving a wider circle than we are prone to do.
Let’s consider pleasing God more by increasing the breadth of our service to other Christians. There is a more complete quality of life in heaven waiting for those of us who do.
Opportunity for a Closer Relationship with God through Empathy
“Well done, my good and faithful servant.” That’s how Jesus comes to my place of service and greets me every time. It is just like His parable from Matthew 25:21.
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His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’
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Those occasions when the Lord and King visits me are so very enjoyable. He makes me feel like we are alike, one servant meeting with The Servant. And I feel His joy in having His people served by me.
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Servants on large estates of the rich have some of their best times in the servants’ quarters. The kingdom of God in heaven will be the largest, most exquisite estate in the universe. While there won’t be servants’ quarters or office, the Chief Servant will still meet with His servants.
Here before death, a head servant might have to meet more often with those servants who fall short in their duties, but it will not be so in heaven. Every servant will be perfectly matched with her or his job. The Chief Servant will not have to spend corrective time with poor servants. Instead, He will likely fellowship more with those having greater responsibilities as does a manager in a well-run organization.
There will be those whose servant attitudes before coming to heaven led them to fairly consistently ask if Jesus wanted them involved in service as situations presented themselves. So, in this sense, Jesus was with them even then more than with others because of their invitations to guide them. In opening their thoughts to those of Jesus and asking if the Lord wanted them to serve in some way or other, they often invited Jesus closer.
So it is even now where an employment relationship exists. Those of us who ask our boss what she or he wants in addition to what we are already doing naturally will be favored by the boss. Those of us who do only what we can get away with will be sending a demeaning message to the boss. Those really trying to shirk their responsibilities will actually avoid the boss. At the annual Christmas party, who do we think the boss will spend more time with and be more affirming?
If this is so logical to the employment situation, it is most likely that way in heaven. Those who often asked the Lord what He wanted done will be closer to Him than one who did only what he or she felt had to be done in order to be seen as a Christian. And the Christian who shirked serving others and avoided the Lord so as not to confess and repent will have treated Jesus as not very important and may have very seldom visits in heaven from Him.
An employer of servants in past times, or in wealthy homes now, appreciates the servants who are always looking for some way to be useful. To those servants with an attitude of assertive service will be given the best raises, the most important assignments, and retained when layoffs must be made. A servant attitude even in the sinful, secular world builds trust and closer relationships.
Why would it not be the same in heaven? In the various ways that God will be able to visit us, does it not make sense that those who had a servant attitude will be visited either more often or more intensely by the Lord? They will have overcome sinful temptations to just watch out for self and family and close friends. They will have served the Lord by serving others before themselves. And that will build trust and a closer relationship with God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Let’s want to have more of God’s presence because we were like Jesus and took the role of servants with many other Christians.
Praise and Prayer Regarding this Together
O Servant Lord, help me to adopt a servant attitude and develop a growing servant heart. May I constantly be aware that you may have someone for me to serve.
I and those in my Christian Inner Circle will need Your help to grow our spirits to serve other Christians, especially those in our Christian Inner Circles. Help us to yield to the work of the Holy Spirit for all of us to give You more glory by serving Your people as You have asked.
Please help us all to become more like Jesus and serve others. As Jesus said that He did not come to be served but to serve, so may such serving become our lifestyle. Take away our ambivalence to deny ourselves to serve others. Jesus is our model, and we want to become like Him. Let us take the identity of being Your slaves, servants for life serving others to serve You.
May our lives worship You more because we serve other Christians that we do not need to serve, in order to mirror to You as worship how You do not need to serve, but You do anyway. And, like You ask us to serve You, help all those in my Christian Inner Circle to ask for and let others serve us.
Make us strong in Your power to defeat the devil by refusing to live autonomously without serving one another. We want to interrupt Satan’s plan for us to think and act like we can be independent of one another and not serve one another. Put in the backs of our minds for spontaneous use all of the Togethers as ways to serve one another.
Help us all to more faithfully be Your servants and prepare ourselves to serve You in heaven for all eternity. Help us to find that deep joy in serving You that will make our experience in heaven pure bliss.
Ever increasing practice of the Togethers of Scripture will (1) create in you the loving essence of Jesus, (2) give Jesus the kind of love He requested, (3) provide you with the most significant spiritual lifestyle which is attainable only through Christian community, (4) offer significant worship to God by reflecting his own character back to him through your behavior, and (5) bring God’s kingdom to earth as asked for in the Lord’s Prayer. And for heaven, such growing obedience to Scripture now will later (6) qualify you for a more responsible place of service as reward in heaven, and, (7) most important of all, give you greater empathy with God for a closer relationship with Him for all of eternity.
Here before death, a head servant might have to meet more often with those servants who fall short in their duties, but it will not be so in heaven. Every servant will be perfectly matched with her or his job. The Chief Servant will not have to spend corrective time with poor servants. Instead, He will likely fellowship more with those having greater responsibilities as does a manager in a well-run organization.
There will be those whose servant attitudes before coming to heaven led them to fairly consistently ask if Jesus wanted them involved in service as situations presented themselves. So, in this sense, Jesus was with them even then more than with others because of their invitations to guide them. In opening their thoughts to those of Jesus and asking if the Lord wanted them to serve in some way or other, they often invited Jesus closer.
So it is even now where an employment relationship exists. Those of us who ask our boss what she or he wants in addition to what we are already doing naturally will be favored by the boss. Those of us who do only what we can get away with will be sending a demeaning message to the boss. Those really trying to shirk their responsibilities will actually avoid the boss. At the annual Christmas party, who do we think the boss will spend more time with and be more affirming?
If this is so logical to the employment situation, it is most likely that way in heaven. Those who often asked the Lord what He wanted done will be closer to Him than one who did only what he or she felt had to be done in order to be seen as a Christian. And the Christian who shirked serving others and avoided the Lord so as not to confess and repent will have treated Jesus as not very important and may have very seldom visits in heaven from Him.
An employer of servants in past times, or in wealthy homes now, appreciates the servants who are always looking for some way to be useful. To those servants with an attitude of assertive service will be given the best raises, the most important assignments, and retained when layoffs must be made. A servant attitude even in the sinful, secular world builds trust and closer relationships.
Why would it not be the same in heaven? In the various ways that God will be able to visit us, does it not make sense that those who had a servant attitude will be visited either more often or more intensely by the Lord? They will have overcome sinful temptations to just watch out for self and family and close friends. They will have served the Lord by serving others before themselves. And that will build trust and a closer relationship with God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Let’s want to have more of God’s presence because we were like Jesus and took the role of servants with many other Christians.
Praise and Prayer Regarding this Together
O Servant Lord, help me to adopt a servant attitude and develop a growing servant heart. May I constantly be aware that you may have someone for me to serve.
I and those in my Christian Inner Circle will need Your help to grow our spirits to serve other Christians, especially those in our Christian Inner Circles. Help us to yield to the work of the Holy Spirit for all of us to give You more glory by serving Your people as You have asked.
Please help us all to become more like Jesus and serve others. As Jesus said that He did not come to be served but to serve, so may such serving become our lifestyle. Take away our ambivalence to deny ourselves to serve others. Jesus is our model, and we want to become like Him. Let us take the identity of being Your slaves, servants for life serving others to serve You.
May our lives worship You more because we serve other Christians that we do not need to serve, in order to mirror to You as worship how You do not need to serve, but You do anyway. And, like You ask us to serve You, help all those in my Christian Inner Circle to ask for and let others serve us.
Make us strong in Your power to defeat the devil by refusing to live autonomously without serving one another. We want to interrupt Satan’s plan for us to think and act like we can be independent of one another and not serve one another. Put in the backs of our minds for spontaneous use all of the Togethers as ways to serve one another.
Help us all to more faithfully be Your servants and prepare ourselves to serve You in heaven for all eternity. Help us to find that deep joy in serving You that will make our experience in heaven pure bliss.
Ever increasing practice of the Togethers of Scripture will (1) create in you the loving essence of Jesus, (2) give Jesus the kind of love He requested, (3) provide you with the most significant spiritual lifestyle which is attainable only through Christian community, (4) offer significant worship to God by reflecting his own character back to him through your behavior, and (5) bring God’s kingdom to earth as asked for in the Lord’s Prayer. And for heaven, such growing obedience to Scripture now will later (6) qualify you for a more responsible place of service as reward in heaven, and, (7) most important of all, give you greater empathy with God for a closer relationship with Him for all of eternity.