A Servants
Heart
Our master/Lord/Savior/God/Everything if on earth today
would wash our feet. John 14:12 tells us that if we believe in him we are to do
what he does. Does that mean we have to wash peoples feet? No, to a point. What
if we need to hold open a door for 30 minutes to let a large group of the
elderly into a store? What if you have to clean a toilet at your church or
wherever? Jesus was telling us about serving people. You have a title. Doesn’t
matter. You don’t have a title. Doesn’t matter. We are to serve others. I was
on my way to a Sunday service when I was out of town on a business trip. I felt
I needed to get a liter of water when I stopped for gas. I did not feel like
drinking water but I did it anyways. As I was stopped at a light, there was a
homeless young man on the corner. I felt that pull from the Holy Spirit, but I
had no cash on me. Then I heard clearly. Give him the water. That was service.
I could have ignored it, but I did not.
I gave him the water. Every service I work the audio board for my
church. Do I feel some days like doing nothing and sitting in the pews to just
listen to the Word. Yes, I do. But my service is important to me. I serve as
Jesus serves. Do I miss it at
times? Yes, but we have to remember that as we hear and then do the work of the
Lord we show ourselves trustworthy. The more we have entrusted to us the more
responsibility God gives us. Is that
hard work? Yes, but its sweat less by the grace of God. Work on the heart of a
servant in you today. Are you going to miss it at times? Possibly, but show
yourself to be a servant to God and he will honor you. God will show himself
mighty in your life.
John 13:12-17
12After
Jesus had washed their feet and put on his outer clothes, he took his place at
the table again. Then he asked his disciples, "Do you understand what I've
done for you?
13You call me teacher and
Lord, and you're right because that's what I am.
14So if I, your Lord and teacher, have
washed your feet, you must wash each other's feet.
15I've given you an example that you
should follow.
16I can
guarantee this truth: Slaves are not superior to their owners, and messengers
are not superior to the people who send them.
17If you understand all of this, you are
blessed whenever you follow my example. GWT
Acts 2:17-18
17“‘In
the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and
daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions; your old men will
dream dreams.
18Even on my servants,
both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will
prophesy.
Acts 5:12-32
12The
apostles were performing many miraculous signs and wonders among the people.
And all the believers were meeting regularly at the Temple in the area known as
Solomon’s Colonnade.
13But
no one else dared to join them, even though all the people had high regard for
them.
14Yet more and more people
believed and were brought to the Lord—crowds of both men and women.
15As a result of the apostles’ work, sick
people were brought out into the streets on beds and mats so that Peter’s
shadow might fall across some of them as he went by.
16Crowds came from the villages around
Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those possessed by evil
a
spirits, and they were all healed.
17The
high priest and his officials, who were Sadducees, were filled with jealousy.
18They arrested the apostles and put them
in the public jail.
19But
an angel of the Lord came at night, opened the gates of the jail, and brought
them out. Then he told them,
20“Go
to the Temple and give the people this message of life!”
21So at daybreak the apostles entered the
Temple, as they were told, and immediately began teaching. When the high priest
and his officials arrived, they convened the high council, the full assembly of
the elders of Israel. Then they sent for the apostles to be brought from the
jail for trial.
22But when the
Temple guards went to the jail, the men were gone. So they returned to the
council and reported,
23“The
jail was securely locked, with the guards standing outside, but when we opened
the gates, no one was there!”
24When
the captain of the Temple guard and the leading priests heard this, they were
perplexed, wondering where it would all end.
25Then someone arrived with startling
news: “The men you put in jail are standing in the Temple, teaching the
people!”
26The captain went with
his Temple guards and arrested the apostles, but without violence, for they
were afraid the people would stone them.
27Then
they brought the apostles before the high council, where the high priest
confronted them.
28“Didn’t
we tell you never again to teach in this man’s name?” he demanded. “Instead,
you have filled all Jerusalem with your teaching about him, and you want to
make us responsible for his death!”
29But
Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than any human
authority.
30The God of our ancestors
raised Jesus from the dead after you killed him by hanging him on a cross.
31Then God put him in the place of honor
at his right hand as Prince and Savior. He did this so the people of Israel
would repent of their sins and be forgiven
.
32We are witnesses of these things and so is
the Holy Spirit, who is given by God to those who obey him.”
Acts 6:1-8
The Choosing of the Seven
1In
those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among
them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being
overlooked in the daily distribution of food.
2So the Twelve gathered all the disciples
together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the
word of God in order to wait on tables.
3Brothers,
choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and
wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them
4and will give our attention to prayer and
the ministry of the word.”
5This
proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and
of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and
Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism.
6They presented these men to the apostles,
who prayed and laid their hands on them.
7So
the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly,
and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.
Stephen Seized
8Now
Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous
signs among the people.
Romans 12:1-10
Living Sacrifices
1Therefore,
I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living
sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.
2Do not conform any longer
to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing
and perfect will.
3For
by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more
highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in
accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.
4Just as each of us has
one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same
function,
5so in Christ we who are
many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
6We have different gifts,
according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it
in proportion to his faith.
7If
it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach;
8if it is encouraging, let
him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give
generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing
mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
9Love
must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.
10Be devoted to one
another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.
1 Corinthians 12:10
10to
another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing
between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,
a
and to still another the interpretation of tongues.
b 11All these are the work
of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he
determines.
One Body, Many Parts
12The
body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts
are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.
13For we were all baptized
by
c
one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all
given the one Spirit to drink.
14Now
the body is not made up of one part but of many.
15If the foot should say,
“Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that
reason cease to be part of the body.
16And if the ear should
say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for
that reason cease to be part of the body.
17If the whole body were
an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear,
where would the sense of smell be?
18But in fact God has
arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to
be.
19If they were all one
part, where would the body be?
20As
it is, there are many parts, but one body.
21The
eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the
feet, “I don’t need you!”
22On
the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable,
23and the parts that we
think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are
unpresentable are treated with special modesty,
24while our presentable
parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body
and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it,
25so that there should be
no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each
other.
26If
one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every
part rejoices with it.
27Now
you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
28And in the church God
has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then
workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help
others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different
kinds of tongues.
29Are
all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles?
30Do all have gifts of
healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?
31But eagerly desire the
greater gifts.
John 14:12
"I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will
do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be
with the Father.
