What does being a true Christian servant look like?

 

Jesus Christ – Our Example

For every born again Christian, male and female alike, the example we follow in our daily walk in everything we do and say can only be Jesus. Jesus as God’s Son as well as Jesus the Word of God and Jesus through whom all things were made!

John 1:1-3, 14 (NIV)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Keeping in line with the topic of this article which is, ‘What does being a true Christian servant look like?’, let us examine His example of true servanthood in order that we may follow Him correctly!

In Matthew 20:25-28 Jesus is talking to His twelve disciples. He tells them that they must not want to seek to become like the Gentiles that want power over others in order to ‘Lord over them’, but to become great in the Kingdom of God, they must become the servant of others in love and humility! He goes on tell them that the reason why He came was not to be served but to serve others.

Matthew 20:25-28 (NLT)

25 But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles have absolute power and lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them [tyrannizing them]. 26 It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, 27 and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your [willing and humble] slave;

28 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

In Romans 8:29 below the Apostle Paul tells us that God knew us before we were born and that He predestined His children to be conformed to the image of Jesus and become the Lord’s brothers and sisters. Being ‘conformed to His image’ has nothing to do with our physical appearance, but being conformed to His character, His ways and His nature and when we do this, we take on the very attributes of God Himself!

Romans 8:29 (KJV)

For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Another prime example of true servanthood that the Lord himself leaves us with to emulate is found in John 13. Let’s examine the three verses below!

John 13:3-5 (NLT)

3 Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. 4 So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, 5 and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.

Here the Apostle John tells us that Jesus, knowing that the Father has given Him authority over everything, humbled himself by taking off His outer robe and taking a servant’s bowl and towel, wrapped the towel around his waist and began to wash His disciples’ feet.

The significance of this act is not the washing of feet itself but the fact that he made himself do the work of the lowliest servant, the foot washer, in any house or establishment. Foot washing in the Jewish tradition was done for any guest that came to one’s establishment as a sign of respect and welcome. This was done as a guest that had just arrived at your house, would have dirty feet, mucky feet from the street as, in those days people only wore open sandals and not the kind of shoes or boots that we wear today!

This was Jesus, the Messiah, showing His willingness to serve others out of His genuine brotherly love for them! This is the kind of servanthood that Jesus expects His Church to show to each other at all times to this very day and beyond into eternity!

Are we doing this, Church?

The Apostle Paul in Philippians 2 exhorts us to emulate the humility of Christ by adopting His attitude and mindset and being one in spirit and of one mind in the way in which we serve each other and build each other up and encourage each other in the Spirit!

Philippians 2:1-8 (NIV)

Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

6 Who, being in very nature God,

did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;

7 rather, he made himself nothing

by taking the very nature of a servant,

being made in human likeness.

8 And being found in appearance as a man,

he humbled himself

by becoming obedient to death—

even death on a cross!

Jesus laid down His life for us in true humility, “he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death”! This was in obedience to the will of the Father!

Luke 22:41-44 (NIV)

41 He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, 42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” 43 An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 44 And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.

Are we doing this, Church?

The Apostle Paul in Colossians 3 encourages us to do everything with all our heart as if we were doing it for the Lord Himself and not for other humans. In other words, do everything out of love as His true servant who is obedient to His will and not obedient to our own flesh! We are serving Jesus not men when we become servants to each other!

Colossians 3:23-24 (NIV)

23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Are we doing this, Church?

In 1 Peter 4 the Apostle Peter says a similar thing to Paul when He encourages us to use the gifts that God freely gives us (the gifts of the Spirit) and our natural talents which also come from God, to serve others as His faithful servants.

1 Peter 4:10 (NIV)

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.

James 1:17 (AMP)

Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above; it comes down from the Father of lights [the Creator and Sustainer of the heavens], in whom there is no variation [no rising or setting] or shadow cast by His turning [for He is perfect and never changes].

Are we doing this Church?

In Galatians 5, Paul reminds us that in Christ Jesus we have freedom and then warns us not to use this freedom for our own selfish needs but to humbly serve our brothers and sisters in Christ in His agapé love – His Church!

Galatians 5:13 (NIV)

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.

Are we doing this, Church?

The Apostle John in John 13 recounts from his first hand experience of being with Jesus, the time when Jesus washed the disciples’ feet. During this humble service the Lord tells the disciples (and now us as His born again Church) to follow His example of serving each other out of love and humility – He wasn’t just referring to washing each other’s feet but to serving each other in everything we do. Putting the needs of others before our own as it is spoken in Philippians 2 above!

John 13:14-17 (NIV)

14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

Are we doing this, Church?

In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus tells us about being the “servant of all”, Mark recounts how the Lord had heard the disciples arguing about which one of them was the greatest when they were on the road to Capernaum. When they arrived in Capernaum, Jesus calls the disciples to Himself and gently scolds them about this argument and makes it very clear to them that the one who wants to be known as great in the kingdom of God is the one who is willing to become the servant of all. This is a lesson we all need to embrace today!

Mark 9:33-35 (AMP)

33 They arrived at Capernaum; and when He was in the house, He asked them, “What were you discussing and arguing about on the road?” 34 But they kept quiet, because on the road they had discussed and debated with one another which one [of them] was the greatest. 35 Sitting down [to teach], He called the twelve [disciples] and said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be last of all [in importance] and a servant of all.”

Are we doing this, Church?

Now, dear Readers, in finishing this article let us hold fast to the teachings of God’s Word in order to become more and more Christlike as we walk our road to Christian maturity. The Apostle Paul gives us some very good advice in the scriptures below!

Romans 12:9-11 (NIV)

9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.

When we, the Church as brothers and sister in Christ, are serving each other in this way, then we are truly serving Jesus our Lord, our King and our Saviour!

Are we doing this, Church?

Speaking for myself, my dear readers, I definitely need to get better in serving others in my local fellowship! There is always room for improvement in me! We all fall short of the glory of God! Sometimes I’m good at it and sometimes I’m not! I need to be evermore trying to be like Jesus the Servant King! Always consistent in the serving of my brothers and sisters in Christ!

Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father
In the name of Jesus, I pray that you would fill me with your Holy Spirit and help me to live my life in accordance with your will. Lord, help me to live and walk on the path that you have willed for my life always and in every way and help me to serve you Lord by serving others in accordance with your Word in true love and humility, putting the needs of others before my own! Amen.

To Jesus belongs all glory, honour and praise!

Jesus the Name above all names!

Remember: Reading this article is no substitute for reading and studying the Bible for yourself! I am flawed the Bible is not!