David Blythe
July 23, 2008

We are going to continue in our series “The Path of Discipleship”

We are taking a hard look at what being a disciple of Christ is all about – the demands – the commitment – and expectations of those who follow Christ

So far we have discussed how that Jesus never called us Christians but instead His disciples

And there were three things they were clearly called to do – REPENT – BELIEVE – FOLLOW

A disciple of Christ is someone who repents and turns away from serving themselves – and they begin serving God

They do a U turn from their past life – and now focus on living a Christ honoring existence

They live their lives by Believing in Christ – His teachings – and His power

They follow Christ – no matter what it costs

They live to be influenced by the Master – and ultimately to become like the Master

Our second message focused on why we are called to be a People who love

Our scripture reference was Mark 12:30-31
And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."

This is what sets Christianity apart from any other religion – Our Love

But we came to the harsh reality that it is this lack of love that hurts our cause

And I shared with you that it is essential to develop a love for God – and that has to clearly come from your salvation experience and what He saved you from

I also explained that one of the greatest ways you show your love to God is by showing love to your fellow man

The last time we were together – we discussed why we are a People called to GROW

You see all of us grow older – but not all of us grow up!

Growing up is not automatic in this life – its optional

And there is no greater application to this than in being a disciple of Christ – Are we growing up in Christ? Are we maturing in our faith?

We talked about this process called Sanctification

How we grow and develop Christ likeness – and to a mature faith in God

It occurs over time – but the one essential element we discussed was how it required you to be an active participant

We all must be open to this idea of growth or change – and ultimately – we must be engaged in the process for it to occur

Well – tonight – we are going to talk about why we are called to be a People who SERVE

I want to share a scripture with you from Philippians 2:3-7

In this scripture Paul lays down some real truth regarding the kind of attitude and approach we all need to carry regarding others and meeting others needs

And he does it in light of the very heart of Christ – and how Jesus humbled Himself – for His tremendous task –

Establishing how His humble nature needs to be carried over into the way we serve as Disciples of Christ

Truthfully – serving which falls only second place to giving – can be one of the hardest things to get Christians to grasp and participate in

You see – I believe being a Disciple of Christ is a position of great privilege

We are children of God – We have been adopted into a royal family

We are a chosen people – a royal priesthood – a people belonging to God

That is a privilege – and yet along with that privilege comes Responsibility

We have already looked at our responsibility to Believe and Follow – to Love – and to Grow

But tonight – we look at our responsibility to serve – and this is in my opinion – will produce the most positive effect on your spiritual life – bar none

Because something occurs when you serve – it is a supernatural thing that brings about a fulfillment like nothing else

It helps solidify your Christian walk as you allow yourself to be Gods hand extended to others

And we need to look no further than Jesus Himself to see the powerful example He established on the importance in serving

In John 13 we read one of the most remarkable stories in the Gospels – where once again Jesus Himself humbled himself in service

Jesus and His disciples are gathered in a room for dinner – in fact it was the last supper

Jesus is in His place at the head of the table – he is the leader – the teacher – the Son of God – He is in the appropriate place

Understand in this day – when you came to someone’s home for dinner – it was customary for a servant to wash your feet before the meal

To wash away the dust from your journey – it was done for sanitary reasons as well as for customary reasons

Jesus gets up from the table – takes off his robe – wraps a towel around his waist – the way the servants did

Then he takes a jug of water and pours it into a basin – and begins to kneel in front of the disciples and wash their feet

One can imagine the silence that fell on this room – His disciples are frankly stunned – this is a job for a servant!

This is dirty – menial kind of work – that is to be carried out by the slaves

But here is Jesus – the leader – washing the dirt off of their feet

Peter cannot remain silent – and when Jesus comes to him he says: You are going to wash my feet? No – you shall never wash my feet!

It’s not right – not proper – not fair – it’s just plain wrong

But Jesus responds – Unless I wash you – you have no part with me

So Peter allows it to happen – and then Jesus continues until he washes all of their feet – including Judas who would within hours – betray Jesus

Jesus humbly washes their feet – puts his cloak back on – and takes His place back at the head of the table

This is Jesus – this is our Lord and Savior whom we follow

This is the Son of God who created the heavens and the earth – this is the perfect – sinless – holy – awesome – eternal – Word of God in the flesh

And he washes their feet – including the one who would set into motion – His horrendous death on the cross of Calvary

But Jesus does this deliberately – He wants them all to see and to think

He wants them to understand that He is a servant – that the Master has a servant heart

And He wants them to grasp the responsibility for each of them to likewise have the heart of a servant

He looks them in the eye and asks – “Do you know what I have done for you?”

“You call me Lord and Teacher and rightly so for that is what I am – and now that I – your Lord and teacher have washed your feet – you should wash one another’s feet”

“I have set an example that you should do as I have done for you”

It’s like He is saying – you know who I am – you know what I’ve done – Now – what are you going to do about it?

You have had the privilege of being washed by me – now you have the responsibility to go and wash others

If we have had our lives transformed and our sin washed clean through His death and resurrection – then we’re to seek to transform the lives of others

This is done through serving others

But where do we begin?

I am glad you asked – because my greatest disappointment in the church is the lack of willingness on many people’s part – to never do anything but to receive

Meaning – we come to church to be served – to be taught – to be encouraged –and to receive social interaction

And all of that does come from being a part of this great church –

But when we fail to put anything back into our church through serving – we have missed the mark
We have completely missed Jesus call for us to serve – to have a servant’s heart

You may say – Well what bearing does Jesus washing His disciples feet have upon this concept of serving?

His actions clearly articulated His heart – A Servant’s heart – Jesus is showing us how we must all humble ourselves and serve in whatever capacity is required

You see – in our culture – it is normal and expected that as you grow in stature

As you climb the promotion ladder in a career – as you make more money

As you become greater in influence – you no longer are expected to do things that many seem insignificant

You have graduated to a point where seemingly some things are now below you –

They are no longer befitting of someone who has had this measure of success

In other words – we become too good to do certain things – We think like the disciples – that’s a job for the servants to do

It’s the janitors place to clean that mess up – let the paid staff accomplish that task

We get this idea that no longer do those things apply to us – we are above it

Well that is how popular culture views it – but in God’s economy it is totally different!

Remember – He said if someone slaps you on the face – turn the other cheek!

He said the last shall be first and the first shall be last

He said to love your enemies and those who would spitefully use you

His approach to life is so far different from what the world teaches and considers normal

And that is the beauty of following Christ – because we are different

Disciples of Christ are to march to the beat of a different drummer – our marching orders fly in the face of human conventional wisdom

Because – we are here to serve and not be served – we exist to do things that the masses would never do

And it is in doing Christ’s will – that we are truly set apart from this world – and that is what grants us the opportunity to be heard

And ultimately affect change in others through Jesus Christ

So – we humbly submit ourselves to serving in whatever capacity He requires for the task at hand

Through His example of washing the Disciples feet – Never wants us to think we are above serving in any way needed

And unfortunately – we have in our human way of thinking put classifications on different kinds of serving – we have established and importance ranking

And many in the church start to believe unless you are teaching – preaching – singing – or playing an instrument on the stage – what you have to offer is unimportant

We have gotten so skewed in our thinking of serving within the church – that some of the most basic needs are being overlooked – the job is not being done

Somehow – we have allowed the worlds thinking to come into the Body of Christ when it comes to serving

If it derives no accolades –no outward appreciation – if it isn’t seen in the public eye – we place no value upon it – and that is sad

Let me tell you this – the greatest ways you can serve the local church is not necessarily from the pulpit or from behind the microphone

Those who do hold those responsibilities have been given a gift or a talent to do so – and they fill that job well

But it is the underlying things – those that are quietly and regularly done – that keep a church bound together

There is so much that goes on around here throughout the week that builds up to our Sunday and Wednesday services
• The preparation
• The communications
• The planning
• The outreach
• The record keeping
• The cleaning
• Setting up and tearing down
• The praying
• The Activities

All play as essential part as the services themselves do

You see – each one of us has been given abilities and talents to uniquely serve this local Body of Christ

No matter how outwardly visible or how seemingly stealth like your serving is – it is all essential to a healthy church and creating healthy disciples

It is God’s plan – it His way to see that every need and every job is being fulfilled and completed

And this is accomplished through………….. YOU and ME

In Ephes. 4:16 – It tells how we are all joined together – differing parts – at every joint – as a body to be effective in growth and edification

The point is – it requires a multitude of joints and ligaments and muscles to make up a human body

And to make the Body of Christ complete (The Church) we must all do our part for it to run properly

Serving in whatever capacity is the Life Blood of any Church! Any ministry

And tonight I want to impress upon you that if you do not take this seriously – I want for you to begin to do so

The problem in a large church like PFA is you see all these people and everyone believes all the bases are covered

When everyone feels that way – guess what? We become grossly undermanned

The job doesn’t get done – we can’t put our best foot forward and the Body Suffers

And our desire as a church is to do things with excellence and as unto the Lord

In a way that that makes Christ and His church shine to a lost a dying world!

The question is – Are we all doing our part?
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I am going to bear my heart to you right now – something that has been hanging on me recently and it has greatly discouraged me

Edi Phi – always has been known within the leadership of this church as servants

It has been our distinctive – when the church has had a need – we have always stepped up and filled the need

I think back on the times we hosted Hillsong and United – and the stellar job that was done attending to their needs as our guests

I think back on our outreach to the San Carlos Reservation and the incredible impact that was made in that community and that small church

Last October for the family Fall Festival – how Edi Phi manned the games and blessed the children and families of this church

Those are times where I was very proud to be your leader and you stepped up and hit it out of the park

But recently – we haven’t stepped up to the plate
I think back to the Family Fusion night we had in May – and for 4 weeks I asked for volunteers who would help to paint the faces of the children

Do you know how many people volunteered? Not one

So, Lisa Brook and I manned the table and had a blast – meeting the people and having fun with the kids

And as I left – I saw about 25 of you having a picnic on the grass – and I asked myself – Why didn’t anyone volunteer to help?

A few weeks ago, we had our annual Celebrate America – and again I stood up here and asked for volunteers to help as needed

Do you know – how many signed up? TWO

Now maybe you felt those tasks were unimportant – I am not sure – but if a task needs to be accomplished we should be willing to say – where do I sign up!

I tell you this because – I fear if we don’t reacquaint ourselves with serving – we will miss out on one of the greatest elements to our growth in Christ

I want a young adult ministry that concerns itself with serving and doing our part to assist this church in making it a place we can all be proud of

I want this to be a young adult ministry that leadership and the congregation looks to as not only men and women who love God

But a group of young people who know what it means to serve – and what it means to bless this church and those in it

Of extending our time – our talents – our hands – to others as Christ would
In case you don’t realize it – my focus has always been and will continue to be about this Church

Edi Phi falls in second place to Phoenix First Assembly – our efforts should be funneled in ways that bless this local body of believers

That is what we are called to do – this is our distinctive as disciples of Christ

I know many of you serve in a variety of ways for both this church and this ministry we call we call Edi Phi

And I thank you all for that –
• Those who lead Fusion Groups
• Those who produce our video and graphics
• Those who run our sound and video and lighting
• Those who help set up and tear down
• Those who plan our events and outings
• Those who lead our praise and worship
• Those who participate in outreach

And in the church –
• Those who serve in security
• Those who serve in Hospitality
• Those who help in Media
• Those who Usher
• Those who participate in Drama and Choir and Big events

But I pray that you will all develop a Servants heart and actually look for ways to serve at this church

I have seen some of the most incredible relationships developed through serving

I have seen growth occur in the life of those who serve – it’s almost like a light was turned on and people began to truly understand this dynamic in their life

I have seen people discover their call into ministry through simply serving

I have watched as people who were normally quiet and reserved – literally come alive through serving

But the most important thing I have seen derived in the life of those who serve is this:

They take ownership of their call to be a disciple of Christ and they take ownership of their church

It becomes something more than a destination where we come to worship and get fed

It becomes something more than a place you can leave at the drop of a hat when perhaps something doesn’t go your way or a decision is made you don’t necessarily agree with

This becomes your home – a place you can’t live without – it becomes a permanent part of your life!

And a place where you love to serve and bless others

Because it is in the serving and blessing of others through your actions – that you receive the greatest blessing of all

That is the beauty of serving – you don’t realize the blessing that comes from it until you actually serve

We need to take it from the mindset – here goes some of my free time from my life

To – How can I make a difference in someone else’s life

You are all young and vibrant and have a so much to offer this local body of Christ – don’t discount the impact you can make on others through serving

I desire that you develop a heart of a servant at your young age – so that it will carry over into your adult life and become a part of your very fiber and identity

The most vibrant – on fire – committed Christians I know – are those who have grasped this concept of serving

What a difference this has made in their life and what a huge impact it has made on the Kingdom of God world wide
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You know – This message couldn’t have been timed at a more vital time than now

You know – since Masters has left – there is a void that needs to be filled

We in Edi Phi have a golden opportunity to be utilized in many new ways

To pick up the slack for the absence of some 300 kids who would normally be on campus

And truthfully – I think this is going to be great for our church – because no longer can we just throw a project off on Masters
It will require every ministry within PFA to step up to the plate and take ownership

Well, we have our first opportunity

At staff meeting – Pastor Barnett shared his vision of what he wanted people to see when they arrived at our church

He clearly articulated that he wanted a young – youthful look – at our doors in those who were greeting people who arrive at our church

And he looked over his glasses to me – he made it very clear that he wanted us to step up to the plate and fulfill his dream

My initial response was fear – because any time PB looks over his frames at you – it can be an intimidating thing

But then my response changed to that of hope as I viewed this as an opportunity to bless our pastor and this great church

Then I envisioned what it might look like to see many of you guys at the doors making people feel welcomed

Showing this City – we at PFA have a bunch of on fire – happy Christian young adults who not only understand the gospel of Jesus Christ

But are concerned that others grasp it’s truth – and wish to see lives transformed

Do you know it is a proven fact that many people’s minds will be made up on a church – before they walk into the sanctuary?

Their ability to even receive what is being preached – is greatly influenced by their first experiences upon arriving to this large campus

We have an opportunity to make a huge impact on their First Impression through greeting them at the front doors

Now before you start thinking Oh My Gosh - I need to be here at every service

Work with me for a minute – if we do this right – it may only require a commitment to only one or two services a month

If enough of you make a commitment to help out in this endeavor – it won’t require much from any one person

I have asked Pastor Gary Blair – PB personal assistant and head of ushering and hospitality to come a share a few minutes with you

When you speak of a heart of a servant – I can think of mo one on staff here that more clearly exhibits this in his life consistently

He is my good friend – a mighty man of God – and someone with great responsibility to see that pastors Dreams and wishes become reality

Gary

Philip. 2:3-8 (NKJV)
Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
5Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.