When soldiers for the 6th Massachusetts Militia were attacked, and many were wounded at the
start of the Civil War, they were brought to Washington, D. C. Clara Barton had been a teacher in
Massachusetts, and she recognized some of the wounded soldiers as her former students. She went
to the hospital to help, and she discovered that no one was prepared for this emergency, and the
supplies were short. Other trains began to arrive with the wounded, and Clara appealed to her
friends for supplies. Barrels of food and bandages were being sent to her.
Many of the wounded died because it took so long for them to get treatment. She kept moving
closer and closer to the scene where they were wounded until she ended up right on the battlefield.
She became known as the Angel of the Battlefield. She escaped death through all four years of the
Civil War, even though wounded men she was treating were shot as she was aiding them. She was
like a angel being guarded by an angel.
After the war Lincoln asked her to take on the enormous task of locating the 80 thousand
missing men, and report to the families if they were found dead. This was another four years of
work. In 1869 she went to Europe for her own health. While there the Franco-Prussian War
broke out, and she volunteered her services. She was again nursing the wounded. She saw the
efficiency of the Red Cross at work. She came back to America and for 5 years labored to get
legislation through Congress for the United States to join The International Red Cross. She
succeeded, and in 1882 the U. S. branch was established. At age 77 she was on the battlefield
again in the Spanish-American War. She died at age 91 in the year of 1912.
Her lifetime of service to others all began with service within her own home. When she was
11 years old her brother had an accident and was ill for two years. She became his nurse and
developed such a love of meeting the needs of the suffering that it became her passion for the rest
of her life. She gave her life to serving others, and was very conscious of the presence of Christ.
She quoted Jesus: "In as much as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye
have done it unto me." Then she added, "I never in my life performed a days work at the field that
was not grounded in that little sentence." She was asked how she could endure all the horror of the
battlefield, and she replied, "You must never think of anything except the need and how to meet it.
Then God gives the strength, and the thing that seemed impossible is done."
Her life illustrates one of the hardest lessons in life for us to learn, and that is that greatness is
not measured by what you get, but by what you give. We have the same problem as the disciples
had because we think greatness and successful living has to do with the position, power, and
prestige we get in life, rather than the service that we give in life. It is such a hard lesson to learn
because all of the media constantly bombard us with the opposite message that life does consist in
the abundance of your possessions, and that the key to greatness is power, position and prestige. It
is hard for our minds not to conform to this message when the Christian world tends to promote the
same value system.
There is little in our culture that causes anyone to aspire to be a servant. That is a thing of the
past. Servant-hood seems so archaic and obsolete. Sid Frank in The Presidents tells of how two of
the presidents of the United States were indentured servants as boys. The two were Millard
Fillmore and Andrew Johnson. They were under contract for 5 to 7 years, and for all practical
purposes were owned by their masters. Andrew Johnson was indentured to a tailor and he hated it
and ran away. A reward of ten dollars for his capture was advertised in the Raleigh, North
Carolina Gazette, but he was never captured. Fillmore purchased his freedom for 30 dollars after
he served a couple of years. This kind of servant hood links it with it with slavery and this is
repulsive to freedom loving Americans.
It is hard for modern American Christians to get their minds open to the mind of Christ on this
issue because it goes against the grain of our culture. The New Testament, however, is loaded
with teachings about being servants. To make matters worse the primary word for servant in the
New Testament is the word doulos, and it means slave. In Matt. 20:6-7 Jesus said to His disciples
who were indignant at James and John trying to get places at His right and left hand in His
kingdom, "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants
to be first must be your slave." In the parable of the talents the master says, "Well done thou good
and faithful servant." He uses the word doulos, which is slave.
The study of this word is time consuming, for it is used so many times. But let me point out
that Paul called himself, and his companions, slaves of Christ, and he considered all Christians
slaves of Christ. James, Peter, and Jude likewise proudly wore the same title. It would take hours
just to read all the verses that exalt the role of servant in the Bible. When we come to the text in
Luke 22 we see Jesus is using a different word than doulos. Here He uses the word diakoneo,
from which we get the word deacon. Jesus came into this world to be a deacon, which is one who
serves. The word means one who waits on and ministers to others. Jesus did not come to be
waited on, but to wait on others, and to be their servant.
There is no escape from this reality that Jesus both taught and lived. True greatness can be
found only in service. Therefore, whenever people are aware of the presence of Christ there will
be a desire to minister to the needs of others. If we open our homes to Christ, it means we will
have no problem with the issue of submission to one another. Submitting simply means ceasing to
play the role of master and taking on the role of servant. Since this is the highest role we can play,
it means the husband never stands taller than when he serves the members of his family by meeting
their needs. The wife's calling to submit to her husband is not then a call to a place of second class
lowliness, but rather, it is a call to the most Christ-like role of the servant.
The reason wives and mothers are more honored and exalted by holidays, and in poetry, is
because their role as servants meets so many vital needs of the family members that everybody
knows they are the greatest factor in family harmony, health and happiness. It is service that
makes them the greatest in the kingdom of the home just as it is service that makes any of us great
in other realms of life. Jesus took the little lads lunch, and that service that his mother rendered to
her one little boy was used to feed 5,000. Her family service was multiplied to minister to a
multitude of families. Jesus does this for all of us. Whatever service we render to another member
of the family enhances their potential to be of service to others.
This means that the Christian home is a service center. It is a place where we are served, and a
place where we learn the art of serving. Someone said, "No matter how small your lot in life there
is always room on it for a service station." Each of us can be great in the kingdom of God by
means of service. We want to look at two aspects of service in this text.
I. THE SUPREMACY OF SERVICE.
Jesus said the servant is the greatest, and the whole of the Bible and history support this.
Moses was a great many things. He was a leader, a law giver, a miracle worker, a man of prayer
and faith, and a man of courage and compassion. There are so many things one might remember
him for, or put on his epitaph to sum up his life. But in Joshua where God comes to him to tell
him he was the new leader of Israel he referred 4 times to the fact that Moses was his servant.
That is the one characteristic that God selected to describe this great man. There is no greater
compliment that God can give a man, for to be a servant is to be the greatest of all.
Many of the great men of the Bible are called servants of God, and so the only upper class in
the Bible is the servant class. When you get into this class you are at the pinnacle of your career
for God, for there is no place to go that is greater and higher. If your goal in life is to be in the
upper class, then service is the only way to go. The final proof of this is that the Son of God
Himself came into human life, not to be a king and ruler before whom masses would bow, but to
be a servant of the masses. Our Savior is supremely a Servant. He not only taught this truth, He
demonstrated it. Jesus is Lord of all men, not just by right of creation, but by right of redemption.
He is the only being in the universe that has provided a vital service for every person who has ever
lived. He provided the way of salvation so that all can be forgiven and have eternal life.
There is not way to be like Jesus without being a servant. In Acts 10:38 Peter sums up the life
of Jesus by saying that He went about doing good. Jesus was the servant of every man, woman
and child He met. That was the whole point of the parable of the Good Samaritan. Who is my
neighbor? And the answer is, every person you confront in life who has a need you can meet. The
Scribes and Pharisees passed by on the other side. They were, no doubt, better Bible expositors
than the Good Samaritan. They, no doubt, had more gifts, and their worship was more consistent
with Old Testament law. But Jesus exalted that Samaritan to the highest class because He was a
servant. He was upper class, and these spiritual leaders were low class, for they refused to give
service.
The servant and love are the two sides of the same coin. Love is the highest virtue, and the
servant is simply one who expresses love. That is what service is. It is love in action. Love is
something you do. David took a tumble and fell further than most of the Old Testament saints,
but he came through in the end as a hero because he was a man after God's own heart. He had the
heart of a servant. He loved people and ministered to people, and he has continued to do so all
through history through his Psalms. His epitaph was, "David served his own generation by the
will of God." He fell the lowest, but he also climbed the highest, for he made it to the servant
class. It was not by being a king, but by being a servant.
The world says we measure greatness by how many people are under us serving us. The Bible
measures greatness by how many people are lifted and blessed by our service of them. Only Jesus
lifted everyone, and He is the Supreme Servant, but by being channels of His Spirit we too can be
lifters and lovers of many. This is the whole point of the gifts and fruits of the Spirit. R. A. Torrey
said, "There is not one single passage in the Bible, either in the Old Testament or the New Testament
where the baptism with the Spirit is spoken of, where it is not connected with testimony
or service." In other words, the goal of all spiritual experiences is not that we have an emotional
high, but that we become more able and effective servants.
The difference between the sheep and the goats in the judgment is simply service. The sheep
are those who met needs and ministered to people. The goats did not do so. They never became
servants, and so they never became a part of that upper class welcomed into the eternal mansions
prepared for that class. God honors only the servant class. In reality, that is true for the honors of
men also. We see a soldier being honored with a medal for his bravery, but he is honored because
his bravery was a service to us. He risked his life for us. We don't care about his bravery. He
may have been scared silly, but he still did what was a service that benefited us. If bravery was
worthy of honor in itself we would have to give medals to sky divers and bungi jumpers. But there
bravery is of no service to others, and so we have no such medals. It is service that we honor.
We think we honor leaders, but this is not the case if they do not become servants. Leaders
who do not serve seldom become great, or greatly loved. Frank Warren said, "If you wish to be a
leader you will be frustrated, for very few people wish to be led. If you aim to be a servant, you
will never be frustrated." His never is too strong, but his point is correct. The servant is always
desired, for all people what service. Next consider-
II. THE SUCCESS OF SERVICE.
Learning to develop the servant's spirit is the key to overcoming the greatest problem in
relationships, and that problem is selfishness. Selfishness operates on the world's value system. It
says, "I have my position, my rights, and my power, and I expect to be served accordingly." This
leads to a host of hurts and hostilities in relationships. The servant spirit reverses this and says,
"Regardless of my position and rights I will seek to meet the needs of other in so far as I can."
This leads to peace and positive relationships.
David Mains tells of an assistant he had in his church in Chicago. He came out of a well to do
home where he had many servants. When he became a Christian he decided to go to a Bible
school. When he got to the dorm he found the washroom dirty and reported it to the headmaster.
He then returned to his room to wait until it was cleaned. Almost immediately he heard footsteps
and looked out of his door, and to his shock it was the headmaster carrying a bucket and rags. He
cleaned the room himself, and then came and reported the job was done. He learned that day a
powerful lesson on servant-hood that changed his life. Here was the leader stooping to serve his
need, and that was success.
Christian success is always servant's success. If you work for others, you must provide a
service for them to be successful. The secular success of the Christian also revolves around
service, for without service there can be no satisfaction. It is service that gives meaning to life and
all that we do. Back in 1802 Beethoven made out a will, and in it he wrote of growing deaf and
how that he was tempted to despair when others spoke of hearing beautiful music. He was
restrained from taking his own life by his deep desire to bring out of himself his full potential for
the service of others. Every suicide could be prevented if people could see their potential for
service. That is what saved Beethoven and many others. Every person alive has meaningful
service to give to others, especially within the family. But when they become blind to this they
lose their sense of self-esteem and give up.
Successful living is in discovering what service you can provide for others. Church growth is
built on the principle of finding a need and meeting it. In other words, church growth is a result of
service, and so is personal growth. You find a need in your home and you meet it. You find a
need in your community and meet it. You find a need in your church and you meet it. In every
realm of life success and service are one. Someone wrote, "We must be God's arms to comfort
and help, God's eyes so quick to see that need, God's ear, so ready to hear the overburdened heart,
God's feet, so quick to run His errands, God's fingers to do His work.
The successful people in God's book, and all through history, are people who have the servant
spirit. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. just two months before he died preached a sermon in which he
said, "Every now and then I think about my own funeral. If any of you are around when I have to
meet my day, I don't want a long funeral. And if you get somebody to deliver the eulogy, tell them
not to talk to long...Tell them not to mention that I have a Nobel Peace Prize, that isn't important.
Tell them not to mention that I have three or four hundred other awards, that's not important...I'd
like somebody to mention that day that...Martin Luther King Jr. tried to give his life serving
others. I'd like for somebody to say that day that Martin Luther King Jr. tried to love somebody...I
want you to say that I tried to love and serve humanity."
King became famous, but there are millions of successful people in God's book who never did.
They are people who see a need and meet it. They may not even be leaders in their local church,
but they are people who make life easier for leaders because of the service they provide. They are
mates and children who make home life easier and happier for everyone because they carry their
own load, and then help with the load of others. Successful living is always lifting the load of
others.
This is so obvious a reality that it is universally recognized. Here is a paraphrase of an
ancient Chinese proverb, and in it you can see that the ancients knew that service was the key to
successful living. It says, "If there is a love of helpfulness in one's heart, there will be acts of
gracious serving in one's life. If there are acts of gracious serving in one's life, there will be
harmony in the home and trust among friends. If there is harmony in the home and trust among
friends, there will be order in the nation. If there is order in the nation, there will be peace in the
world."
Your contribution to the peace of the world starts with the spirit of service. How do we get it?
It is by being aware of the presence of Christ as we relate to people. What would Jesus do as He
sees the need of the person before us? It may be our mate, our children, a friend, a neighbor, or a
complete stranger. If we could only be conscious of the presence of Christ we would relate to all
as a servant, and we would be concerned about how we could meet the needs of those around us.
This can be a problem, even as it was for Jesus. He had so many needs to meet that He had to
escape and find rest for Himself. He had needs also, and so the servant does not ignore his or her
needs. A successful servant ministers to himself as well as others. Balance is a must.
If you lose balance and begin to focus exclusively on your own needs then you become a
major problem to yourself. Your self-centeredness robs you of the success of serving others, and
this leads to depression and all sorts of emotional problems. Unhappy people are usually people
who have gotten into the rut of selfishness. They are locked into serving their own needs only, and
this is just not a satisfying way to live. James Magner wrote a book about the problems Christians
can get into mentally. It is titled Mental Health In A Mad World. After describing how messed up
we can get our minds and lives by self- centeredness he writes, "The moment a person takes his
mind off himself and applies it to the needs and welfare of others, he becomes alert, active,
interested in life, and concerned with positive functioning. With this outlook, the world becomes
full of real people, not merely walking shadows. We begin to have an actual investment in some
of them, so that what they do or fail to do becomes vitally important to us.
His studies confirm our point that successful living is found in service, and in meeting the
needs of others. He warns, however, of the danger of sudden change from selfish living to servant
living. Those around you may not buy it right off, but be suspicious motive behind your service.
He told of a man who brought a box of candy to his wife and she asked, "What is this?" He said,
"It is a gift for you my dear." She asked, "What is the occasion?" "You know," he responded, "It
is our anniversary." "Yes," she said, "I remember, but this is the first time you have remembered,
what kind of mischief have you been up to?" He was so offended by this that he lost his cool and
threw the box of candy out the window.
Magner said it was still laying there outside when he arrived for counseling. Peace was restored
and the candy was retrieved, but the problem could have avoided by communication that he was
striving to be more of a servant in their relationship.
Our service within the home is a far greater significance than we tend to realize. Jesus said,
"As you have done it unto the least of one of these my brethren you have done is unto me." This
means that service to members of our family is a major part of successful living. Do good unto all
men, but especially to those of the household of faith. The Bible makes it clear that the common
place everyday acts of service that make the home and the church function more efficiently may
not make the news, or win you any honors, but the represent successful living to Jesus. This kind
of service is serving Him.
Service in the family goes deeper than merely doing chores. It has to do with meeting deeper
and inner needs. We all need someone to take the garbage out, but who helps us get rid of the
emotional garbage that builds up within? Happy and healthy families allow for temporary
insanity. Mom may ordinarily be the calm and collected type who never gets rattled, but one day
she is so irritable that she screams about every little thing that does not go right, and she treats the
rest of the family in a spirit of resentment and anger. This is not acceptable behavior over the long
haul, but it may be necessary to endure it for a day because mom has unusual pressures and
frustrations. If she is tolerated for this day, she will probably be back under control the next day.
It is a form of service to be tolerant of this temporary insanity, and she will love you for not
rejecting her when she is so rejecting of you.
Mates who do not fight back but become an outlet for anger in their mate can perform a
service that will lead to deeper love and appreciation. It is not a slam at you that you are asked to
get rid of the garbage in the kitchen, and so do not take it as a slam when you are asked to help get
rid of the garbage in the heart and mind of your mate. Garbage is not pleasant, and there is no
way to make it so. But getting ride of it is pleasant, and helping your mate get rid of it can lead to
both of you enjoying the pleasantness of a garbage-free night together. The alternative is to
throw garbage at each other and spend the night in the dumps. Someone said, "Love is found by
those who can live with human nature as it is." This means we need to be tolerant of each other
when we are temporarily on a sub-Christian level.
One of the reasons Gandhi became one of the most famous men of the 20th century is because
he found his greatest pleasure in service. His brother-in-law became very ill and he spent day and
night nursing him. He wrote in his autobiography, "My aptitude for nursing gradually developed
into a passion, so much so that it often lead me to neglect my work, and on occasions I engaged
not only my wife but the whole household in such service. Such service can have no meaning
unless one takes pleasure in it. When it is done for show or for fear of public opinion, it stunts the
man and crushes his spirit. Service which is rendered without joy helps neither the servant nor the
served. But all other pleasures and possessions pale into nothingness before service which is
rendered in a spirit of joy."
Service at home led him to service his nation and the world. He wrote, "I had made the
religion of service my own, as I felt that God could be realized only through service." He wrote
that in the context of describing the Christians who had the biggest impact on his life. They were
people who were devoted in serving others. They were Christians who had reached the upper
class, that is, the servant class. Life is complex, but some messages are simple to grasp, and this is
one of them. If you want to be the best person you can be, and the most effective Christian you
can be, and rise to the highest level you can attain, you have only one option, and that is to be a
servant.
Every Christian is called to serve the Lord with gladness. Paul was so delighted that the
Thessalonians turned from idols to serve the Living and True God. In Rom. 12:11 Paul says this
is our perpetual calling: "Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the
Lord." When you stop serving you stop being a successful Christian, for success in Christ is in
service. God has no other plan by which to love the world and his family on earth. His love does
not sail about in the air, but it flows through those who are His servants. Service is not only the
supreme means of doing the will of God, on earth as it is in heaven, it is the sole means. That is
why there is no success without service. God wants us all to live on the highest level, and it is
only by being servants that we can be in the upper class.
