Fully Devoted Followers Serve God Faithfully

Nothing can be compared to the thrill of serving God, of truly being used

by Him to make an eternal difference in the lives of people and advancing

His purposes in the world. (Bill Hybels)

THE PROBLEM WITH SERVING

vTYPE 1: Seekers

vTYPE 2: Soakers

vTYPE 3: Servers

. . faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action is dead and

completely useless . . . (James 2:17)

vGod uses me in spite of my past

vGod uses me in spite of my problems

vGod uses me because of my potential

Life is worth nothing unless I can use it for doing the work assigned to

me by the Lord Jesus Christ . . . (Acts 20:24)

YOU ARE CALLED TO SERVE!

And now . . . what does the Lord ask of you . . . to serve Him with all

your heart and with all your soul . . . (Deuteronomy 10:12)

For we are God’s masterpiece, created anew in Christ Jesus to serve

Him and do His good works . . . (Ephesians 2:10)

SERVICE

Using whatever God has given me to honor Him and help others!

Just as each of us has one body with many different parts and these body

parts all have different functions, so it is with Christ and the church.

All of us who are different form one body and each part belongs to the

other. And God has given to each one of us different gifts . . . (Romans

12:4-6)

vFACT 1: Every believer is a minister

vFACT 2: Every minister has a gift

vFACT 3: Every gift is important

vFACT 4: All of us should serve

MOTIVATION

Why do I do what I do!

So our aim in life is to please Him in everything . . . whatever we do, it

is because Christ’s love now controls us . . . those who really do

receive His new life will no longer live to please themselves, but they

will live their lives to please Christ.

(2 Corinthians 5:14-15)

. . give your lives totally to God as a living and holy

sacrifice—the kind he will accept. When you think of all that He has

done for you, is this too much to ask?

(Romans 12:1)

vMOTIVE 1: I want to honor God so I serve Him

vMOTIVE 2: I am so grateful to God so I serve Him

And as Christ’s own soldier, don’t let yourself become tied up

in the affairs of everyday life, for then you cannot please the one who

enlisted you . . . Follow the Lord’s rules for doing His work, just

as the athlete either follows the rules or he is disqualified and wins no

prize. Hardworking farmers are the first ones to enjoy the fruit of their

labor . . . (2 Timothy 2:3-6)

. . I have done my very best in the race, I have run the full distance,

I have kept the faith . . . (2 Timothy 4:7)

Let everyone do his very best, for then he will have the personal

satisfaction of work well done and won’t need to compare himself

with someone else. (Galatians 6:4)

vMy service deserves excellence

vMy service demands diligence

vMy service requires perseverance

YOU ARE S.H.A.P.E.(D) TO SERVE

(With thanks to Rick Warren)

You (God) created every part of me. You put me together in my

mother’s womb.

(Psalm 139:13)

Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! It is amazing to think

about. Your workmanship is marvelous – and how well I know it.

(Psalm 139:14)

Your hands formed me and shaped me . . . (Job 10:8)

vI am unique

vI am valuable

vI was created for a purpose

vSpiritual Gifts

(WHAT HAS GOD EQUIPPED ME TO DO?)

vHeart (WHAT DO I LOVE TO DO?)

vAbilities

(WHAT AM I GOOD AT?)

vPersonality (WHAT AM I

TEMPERAMENTALLY WIRED UP TO DO?)

vExperiences

(WHAT EVENTS HAVE SHAPED MY LIFE?)

What God made me to be determines what He intends for me to do. I will

understand the purpose I was created for when I understand the kind of

person I am. This is the secret of knowing God’s will for my life.

(Rick Warren)

A PERSONAL APPLICATION

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to

give His life as a ransom for many. (Mark 10:45)

vIf not now, then when

vIf not here, then where

vIf not you, then who

petronius@hushmail.com

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to

give His life as a ransom for many. (Mark 10:45)

Feed the hungry and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out

from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as the