Seek to Serve and Not Be Served
Most people pursue what is in their best interest. They seek what is good for them. This attitude applies in most all situations, including church attendance. They go in expectation of what they will learn or experience.
They seek to be served, not to serve. This may be backward.
Follow Jesus’s Example
Jesus taught that he didn’t come to be served, but to serve (Mark 10:45). The most significant example of Jesus’s service to us is him dying on the cross in our place to save us from our sins.
Yet Jesus’s entire life was about service. Everything he did was in service to others. He taught them, he helped them, and he healed them. The only activities I recall him doing for himself was eating and sleeping.
Yet he often ate and rested only after serving others. He put them first and his own needs second. We should strive to do the same.
Move Away from WIIFM
Most people go through life with a what’s-in-it-for-me (WIIFM) attitude. Though this concept comes to us from the sales and marketing sector, it permeates most all that we do.
Whether consciously or subconsciously, we evaluate most things from a WIIFM perspective.
Such as the case with church attendance. We want worship music that inspires us. We expect a sermon that uplifts us. Neither of these pursuits is wrong, but they may not be the best areas to focus on.
Church Attendance
Don’t go to church with the expectation of what you will get out of it. Go to church for what you can give to it.
This, of course, starts with worshiping God and honoring him. But a most practical way to worship and honor our Lord is to serve others, just as Jesus did.
When at church, look for someone who doesn’t have anyone to talk to. Then talk to them—even if you don’t feel like it. In doing so, you serve them, honoring God in the process.
Next, seek someone who needs encouragement. Sometimes this is visually apparent. In other instances we may have knowledge about their situation. But beyond this, we can let the Holy Spirit guide us into who we can encourage.
Each Sunday go to church with the goal of encouraging others.
Another idea is seeking someone you can help or somewhere you can serve. This may be filling in for a short-staffed program initiative or underserved group.
Other times it may be an individual who is in need. You helping them could occur at church or it may happen afterward. Maybe they need a ride home or to the store. Maybe they have a practical need that you can fill. Go do it.
Seek to Serve
In all things, both at church as well as everywhere else, seek to serve others. Do this for Jesus and the kingdom of God.
Set your own wants aside and serve them first. That’s what Jesus would do. To be more like Jesus, seek to serve others and don’t expect people to serve you.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront a status quo faith and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.
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