Whatever It Takes – Gifted to Serve

We are in week 3 of our stewardship & generosity series called Whatever It Takes, where we’ve been asking as a church: What role do we play in service to the mission of God?  

God has made his intentions clear to us: He desires people from all nations to confess Jesus as Lord and to worship him in spirit and truth, and his chosen means for making that happen today is through the faithful work of his church empowered by the Holy Spirit. 

See, God calls us to do great things in his name, but he never sends us out empty-handed. He always provides us with the strength and gifts we need to do the work he’s called us to do (Heb. 12:1; Eph. 2:10). So, as we’ve been talking about stewardship, today we’re focusing on the gifts and talents God has given us to use for mission. 

But to do that effectively, we first need to learn to put on the mind of Christ. And you could argue no one modeled that better than the Apostle Paul. 

Paul was so devoted to the plans of God that he wouldn’t let anything in this world distract him from fulfilling God’s calling in his life. He says [Phil. 3:13-14]—One thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. He saw the prize set before him and went full speed ahead.

And when he got to the end of his life he knew his life wasn’t measured by possessions, but by faithfulness to God. Which is why he poured everything out in service to God. That’s why in [2 Tim. 4:7-8] Paul could say – I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.

Paul was determined to do whatever it took to serve God. And when we look at his life, I think it’s a fair question to ask ourselves: Why can’t we do the same? Why should our drive and motivations be any different? We’ve received the same gospel, the same Spirit, and the same calling to advance Christ’s kingdom. It’s not like the early church was made up of a bunch of super-Christians—they were just ordinary people who learned to be faithful with what God had given them.

And just as God supplied the early church with what they needed in their day, he’s also supplied us with everything we need today. Jesus didn’t call us to a life of idleness until he returns. He’s called and equipped us for action today, and our job is to learn to use the gifts he’s entrusted to us for his kingdom purposes. 

But before we can talk about how to be wise stewards of God’s gifts, we need to spend some time thinking about the last days. So if you have a Bible, turn with me to 1 Peter 4 (also on the screen).

[v. 1] – Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. 

Peter wants us: To recognize that we’re in the last days, which is why we need to be armed with the mind of Christ. 

Jesus told us during his earthly ministry that the end was near and that in these last days we would experience suffering. In John 16, Jesus told the disciples to “Take heart because he had overcome the world.” But just before that he also said: “You will have suffering in this world…” 

Now, that’s not a promise we think about putting as the screensaver on our phones, but it’s the reality of the times we live in.

So, if we’re going to gear up to do great things for God, we need to be prepared for what we’re up against. We shouldn’t be naive to the fact that we have an Enemy who’s working against us and wants to stop us from following Jesus altogether. 

That’s why Peter tells us to “arm ourselves with the mind of Christ.” To arm yourself means to get ready for a fight. You would never go into a battle without some kind of armor for protection and some kind of weapon to defend yourself. Peter’s saying be fully armed in these days by putting on the mind of Christ who didn’t see suffering as a reason for failure but as the pathway to victory. 

Now most people wonder when they experience suffering if they did something wrong or they start to question God’s existence. But Jesus didn’t think like that. 

He entered the world knowing that he would suffer and die for the sins of the many. He says in [Mark 10:45], “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

When Jesus was up on the Cross, he wasn’t hanging there thinking well this didn’t work out the way I thought it would. No:

• He says things like: Father, forgive them. 
• He says to one of the thieves on the cross: Today, you will be with me in paradise.  
• He cries out: Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. 

This doesn’t sound like a guy who thought his death meant defeat. It sounds like someone who knew he was in the Father’s will and that God would be faithful to every promise, even when life felt impossible. 

We’re tempted to fall into the trap of thinking that life should be more enjoyable than it is OR we look for comfort in the promise that one day our problems will get easier. There’s nothing wrong with wanting some relief, but a life of ease is not a promise God’s given us to hold onto. 

God doesn’t want us to trust that one day life will get easier. He wants us to remember that Christ has died, Christ is risen, and one day Christ will come again. Those are two totally different mindsets. [Easy life vs. Christ’s return]

I’ve fallen into the comfort trap way too many times in parenting. I’ve thought to myself, everything’s going to be okay because a day’s coming when things will get a little easier. I’ve heard other parents say, “Oh, it get’s easier at this stage or when this happens.” And that may very well be true. But that is not a promise God’s given to bring comfort and false comforts don’t sustain you like the promises of God do.  

I’ve come to realize that God doesn’t want me to desire the easy life. And I know that he withholds no good thing from those he loves. So, what I’m still learning to grow up into is saying: If there is an easy season coming, then praise God. And if the years of parenting continue to be hard, then praise God.

Because I know the Lord desires to make me more like him, and I can’t imagine how hard that must be. But I do know that he can do it. And I don’t want to treat anything with contempt that God uses to make me more like Jesus. How might God be working like that in your life? 

What this means for us: 

First — If you live for the promise of comfort, then you won’t be generous when things get hard. God teaches us to give our first and best to him, but when things get hard and money gets tight we stop thinking about what we can do for God and focus only on what we need to do for ourselves. We shift into survival mode, in which case, our situation exposes that we really only learned to practice generosity with our excess and never cheerfully or sacrificially with our firstfruits. 

Second — If you’re waiting for life to slow down and get easier before you devote yourself to the mission of God, then you’ll never be ready to step out in faith. Busyness is a fact of life. But I will be thoroughly surprised if when we get to heaven we ask some of the saints of old how they were able to do great things in God’s name, and they tell us: I just had a lot of spare time. 

I think they stepped out in faith because they believed the gospel, they hungered to see God move among them, and they were convinced that God would use them in powerful ways when they did step out in faith. 

Third — If you live for the promise of ease, then hardship will only make you bitter, not faithful. When life doesn’t go your way, you’ll just grow angry and resentful. Just when you think things are starting to settle down and fall back into place some other problem will come and instead of being free to serve the people around you you’ll be biting and devouring them. 

See, hardship often reveals our true character. And it forces a choice upon us: Will we follow Jesus or will we drift back into a life of sin? When life gets hard or when it stays hard, will you run to God’s Word and prayer or will you self-medicate with distractions like Netflix and pornography or food and drink? There are plenty of ways to numb yourself to the pain of this world, but don’t mistake the numbness with the comfort Jesus provides. They are not the same thing. 

[v. 3] – For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. 4 With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; 5 but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does.

Peter’s trying to tell us that trials don’t cancel God’s plans for us and comfort doesn’t always mean obedience. We saw this last week with the Rich Fool—just because things are going well right now doesn’t mean you’re living a life of obedience to Jesus. And just because things are hard right now doesn’t mean you’ve fallen out of favor or that you’re deserving of God’s judgment.

At the end of the day, judgment isn’t determined by our circumstances. It’s determined by our faith in Jesus. The Cross shows us that even suffering and death can’t take away the blessings of the gospel. In fact, laying one’s life down in service to others and suffering is actually the means God used to deliver his grace to us. It’s how Jesus came to serve us. And then after Jesus serves us, he turns around to his disciples to say, “Just as God sent me in service to you, now I am sending you in service to the world.” 

Which brings us back to the question of stewardship: How do we leverage the gifts God has given us in service to his mission? 

[v. 7]—The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. 8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Here’s how Peter says we should live in these last days until Christ returns: 

First, we should pray like crazy– God wants us to take the lead in releasing his power into the world by being on our knees in prayer. If you have a sober mind about the state of our world and a clear understanding about where God intends to bring it, then you know we need a miracle. 

Like I said earlier, God wants to bring all peoples of the earth together in worship of King Jesus. Don’t you believe that? Because if you do, you would not hesitate to pray. And you don’t need to look far to find things to pray for. Where do you see brokenness in your life or in the lives of others around you? Where do you see people living in unrepentant sin?

If you want to enter into the work God is doing today, you should start by getting on your knees and interceding for the nations among us to come to faith in Jesus by whatever means he desires to do it. Now, I know there are other churches in KL, but if we’re not among the community of Christians regularly lifting up prayers for our city who do you think’s going to do it? 

And listen, if you think you have nothing else to contribute in service to God (which is not true, BTW), but at the very least, you know that you can go all-in with prayer and that God will do mighty things through those prayers. 

Second, we should love like crazy – This is one of the most compelling forces within the church – our love for one another. Peter calls us to love each other earnestly because love covers a multitude of sins. 

That doesn’t mean we hide sin in the church. It means we endure with one another and serve one another in bringing healing from sin through faith and forgiveness. In so many other places in the world, sin leads to disunity, destruction, and despair. 

But for those who serve God, it’s not like that. We know that people within the church continue to struggle with sin. I hope that doesn’t surprise you. But in the church, we don’t let sin destroy us. Instead, we minister Christ to one another. We endure with one another. We share in each other’s burdens, we practice forgiveness, and we trust Jesus to deal with all our sin at the Cross. 

Third, we should welcome others like crazy – We’re talking about hospitality. Being hospitable doesn’t mean showing kindness to others with the expectation that they’ll pay you back in kind. It means putting yourself in a position to serve others without expecting anything in return and not growing weary or angry when people actually take you up on your generosity. 

Maybe God’s calling you to practice hospitality by joining our welcome team. Or maybe he’s calling you to practice hospitality by getting another community group started in your home because we need one in your part of the city. 

We host our community group on Thursday evenings, and sometimes I think to myself, “Do I really want to give up the comforts of my home in service to others?” Like, hosting people is work. It’s disruptive. Sometimes it’s inconvenient. But when I put on the mind of Christ I remember that even my home can be offered in service to the Lord. And when I have offered it, I’ve seen non-Christians hear the gospel, believers encouraged, and our community strengthened. And I will gladly give up my home in service to those ends every time. 

Fourth, we should serve like crazy. 

Again, [v. 10] – As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 

Let me close with four observations about being good stewards of God’s varied grace: 

a. We all have a gift.

If you’re a Christian then you’ve received the Holy Spirit, which means that you’ve been empowered by God for mission. So the question you need to ask yourself is not if I’m called to serve God, but where and how he’s called me to serve.

Now, I won’t try to list every way you could use your talents or your career to serve God. My goal is to help you see that your gifts and skills ultimately come from God and should be used for his glory. So, I encourage you to ask yourself: 

• What gifts has God given you to bless the people around you? 
• What skills and interests come naturally to you? Why do you think God made you good at the things you’re good at? 
• Ask your close friends and family members what they see in you. And don’t overlook your natural abilities as if those aren’t also gifts from the Lord. 

Some people can walk into a room and instantly notice beauty. Others can’t. We need beauty. We need creativity. We need ingenuity. As we’ve been talking about doing some renovation work in our office space, we need people gifted in demolition and we need people gifted in design. Both matter. God gifts us in all kinds of ways. 

• God uses city planners and architects and politicians to help strengthen the places we live. 
• He uses parents and teachers and doctors to help bless our children and families. 
• He uses farmers and factory workers and restaurant owners to help create the food culture so many of us love.

The church is filled with untapped potential, and we won’t fully realize all the things God desires for us to do until we start mobilizing ourselves in service to him. 

And so if you’re sitting around waiting for someone to give you permission to start discovering your gifts or using them to bless others to the glory of God, then you have it. Because we all have a role to play in the mission of God and we need the whole body to be involved.

b. We’ve been blessed to be a blessing. 

God is clear about what he wants us to do with the gifts he’s given us. He wants us to use them to serve others. He’s blessed us to bless others. And so here’s my encouragement to you. We want everyone to get involved in serving in some way both inside and outside the church. We want to exert ourselves in building up the church AND in blessing our city. Because we want people to know Jesus. 

Many people come to church asking, “What can the church do for me?” But I want you to come in asking, “How can I use my gifts to serve the church?” And if you see a need, let’s talk about how you can help our church grow in the area that God has gifted you in. Just because we’re not doing something yet doesn’t mean we shouldn’t—you just might be the person to help us get started. 

That means there’s a place for you here and we want to help you find it. Go visit the connect table in the back to sign up for a serving team. You don’t have to commit forever, but you should get started somewhere. I think I’ve served in almost every area of the church you can think of. 

I’ve served in kids, welcome, A/V, parking, community groups, announcements, setup and teardown, outreach, men – Nobody could find a good spot for me so that’s why I became a pastor. I think the only ministries I haven’t served in yet are the women’s ministry and the band. Get involved.

Sometimes serving means stepping outside your comfort zone to meet a need. I remember one time I joined the welcome team at a church because it was a need. One time while I was serving, there was a young family that came up to our first-time guest tent. And they had a cute little girl. And the thought process in my mind was, “I want to go the extra mile to help them get connected to our kids’ ministry quickly and smoothly so they can enter the service without any problems.” 

What came out of my mouth was—Do you know how old your daughter is? 

Like, that’s the first impression I made on behalf of our church. Which is fine, it’s just a silly question to ask parents. Of course, they know how old their child is. What’s even worse is that I asked the mom. Ask the dad, and all of a sudden it’s a fair question again. Ask the mom and she’ll give you the child’s age down to the month. All that to say, my time on the welcome team was short-lived. 

The point is, you don’t have to be perfect. You just have to be willing for God to use you and then watch how he grows your heart for others in the process. God has given each of us gifts, and it’s our responsibility to discover them, grow them, and use them in service to others.

c. God gives many gifts to meet many needs. 

The church is filled with needy people and needs are not one-size-fits-all. So, God provides a variety of gifts to help meet the variety of needs we have. Again, we need everybody to get involved. 

I can think of lots of times when I had a need and God used his people to meet them. There have been times when I was weak and discouraged and God sent someone to pray for me and to speak a timely word in season and it was just what I needed.

There have been a few occasions recently where my family had to deal with car issues. And the Lord supplied us with what we needed. He provided people with mechanical skills, people who could speak the language of the locals in the repair shop we took the car to, and even people willing to help entertain our kids until things got sorted out. I hated not being in a position to go help my family, but praise God for the people who came around them to bless us. 

God uses people to meet our needs; he also equips us to serve in meeting the needs of others. I once had a Christian couple tell me they thought part of my ministry in the future would be to provide shelter for people navigating the storms of life. I didn’t ask for that, but over time, I’ve realized God has given me a calming presence for those who are hurting. And if he’s given me this gift, I need to grow in using it for his purposes—because there will be times when others need it. The way to grow in your gifts is through practice and prayer.

Being a calming presence in hard situations doesn’t guarantee I’ll be helpful. I can’t take away someone’s pain, but I can come ready to speak God’s truth and promises when they need them most. And I’ve seen God continue to bring people into my life who need his grace. He doesn’t have to do that, but in his kindness, he chooses to include me in his redemptive work. 

Again, to be a good steward means when we use our gifts to meet needs we make others stronger. One last example: I once saw a woman from our church—who’s an amazing cook—teach some of the kids at TPEC (refugee school) how to bake with some of the non-perishable food items they had in their pantry that they didn’t know how to cook with—while other volunteers were leading a game with the rest of the kids. That moment stuck with me as a beautiful picture of the body of Christ working together to use many different gifts to serve many different needs. I wouldn’t have even thought to do that, but it seemed to come so naturally for her. 

What gifts has God given you to minister his grace to others? 

d. When we serve, God gets the glory. 

[v. 11] – whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

God wants us to speak his words back to one another. He wants us to serve others with the strength he supplies. He wants us to do whatever it takes to make Christ known wherever we are. 

Seeing the church faithfully steward the varied grace that God has given us in service to others is such a beautiful thing to behold because it ultimately points people to the glory God so rightly deserves. When we serve people in both word and deed; when we meet both spiritual and physical needs, people experience the love of God that moves them to sing the praise of God. 

Let me give you one last story: A woman from my sending church has been a consistent encourager for my family over the past several months, even going so far as to schedule video calls with my kids during tough times. It’s hard to quantify the value of a gift like that. My son has said on multiple occasions, “Ms. Cathleen is my favorite person in the whole world.” Am I just like, “What did she do to pass me?” But the truth is she has a gift for making kids feel seen and loved, and God has used that gift to bless my family immensely.

After one of their recent video calls with Ms. Cathleen, my son said, she’s so nice, but I knew that what he was really trying to say is she’s so nice to me. And even deeper than that, few people show love the way she does. When she comes to serve, she comes with what feels like an endless supply of grace to give out. Like a grandparent spoils a grandchild with sweets, she just dishes out grace upon grace. To the point that my son asked, is she a Christian? 

Now, here’s what’s happening: When we rightly give of ourselves in service to others, we give people a taste of God’s glory and a tangible reason to praise God. Our acts of service serve as signposts to the goodness of God in the world today. It’s ultimately meant to draw people in to praise the Lord. 

And praise is exactly what we plan to do next as we turn our attention to the Lord’s Table.