Someone once remarked that the church should not be overly demanding of the laity because they are volunteers and not salaried staff.

Are laities serving in church volunteers? Do you see yourself as a volunteer when you serve in church? If yes, can you choose not to serve?

The correct answer lies in your understanding of your status in Christ.

Who or rather what are we in Christ?

Firstly, as people who have received the free gift of redemption through the death of Jesus Christ, we are, in the words of Paul, slaves bought by God. We were paid for with the precious blood of Jesus.

“You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honour God with your body” (1 Cor 6:19b, 20) Again in the book of Romans 14:8, “If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live of die, we belong to the Lord.”

What does it means to be slaves?

Slaves have no standing and are not paid a salary. They must submit and serve their Master; there is no question of personal choice as is the case in volunteering. Yet God does not force us to serve Him though He has every right to do so. Out of His grace He rather that we obey Him voluntarily out of love. When we serve, no matter where or in what capacity, we do so out of obedient and gratitude to Him for our salvation and not because we are doing God or other people or even ourselves a favour.

As slaves, to say “No.” to our Master’s calling or commands, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem to you is DISOBEDIENT! We are expected to submit to Christ as the Head of the Church and to all authorities He placed over us. In all that we do, whether well or poorly, we are answerable to Christ (and not to the LCEC Chairman or Pastor)! We should therefore always do our best since it is God and not man that we serve.

Secondly, we are all called to be disciples of Jesus, to follow in His example.
Christ told His disciples, whom He wanted to follow in His steps, “the Son of man did not come to be served but to serve,” and in another place He said, “…I am among you as one who serves” (Mark 10:45; Luke 22:27).
In the 13th chapter of John Gospel, “So when Jesus had washed their feet and put his outer clothing back on, he took his place at the table again and said to them, “Do you understand what I have done for you? You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and do so correctly, for that is what I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you too ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example: you should do just as I have done for you. I tell you the solemn truth, the slave is not greater than his master, nor is the one who is sent as a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you understand these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” (John 13:12-15)

Here, on the night before His crucifixion, Jesus demonstrated beautifully what it means to be a servant. Imagine the scene. Jesus and His twelve disciples were all ready for this last meal together but one thing more needed to be done. According to custom a servant, with a basin of water and towel in hand, would wash the feet of the guests who had just come in from the dirty and dusty roads outside. But since there was no slave present at that time, who among the disciples would assume this servant role and perform this lowly task? Apparently the disciples expected someone else to do this and never for a moment think that it should be himself. In seeing this Jesus laid aside His outer garment, tied a towel around his waist, took water in a basin and began washing the feet of the disciples. Jesus, the Son of God, actually laid aside His privileges and status and without shame or reservation assumed the role of a slave! That is a picture of a true heart of a servant.

Do you have any doubt that God has called you, a slave and a disciple of Christ, to serve and minister to others? Or do you think it should be left to the church’s salaried staff and to those who has the ability and time to spare? Why would you think that you are exempt from serving?

When we serve, one danger that we must constantly guard against is PRIDE.

Is any task too lowly or menial for us to do? Like preparing coffee, stacking chairs, sweeping floors? Do we refrain from such service because we see them as beneath our stations? Don’t you know that I am a CEO of a big company? A highly paid executive of a MNC? And so on and so forth? Remember as slaves of God we have no STANDING and no place for PRIDE! We do what the Master wants. Your status in the secular world really does not matter.

However for truly gifted people focusing solely on such tasks is not a good thing either. Perhaps they are being humble but the danger is in having the wrong motivation. The appeal of such tasks is that they usually do not require great effort or sacrifice of time and moreover they can appease our conscience about serving and we look good to fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. If we choose deliberately to serve below our capacity, we run into the danger of disobeying/missing our true calling and in not being good stewards of ALL the resources God has bestowed on us. In the parable of talents (Matt 25: 14-30) I wonder what the Master would have said to the five-talents servant if he had been a little lazy and gained only another two talents instead of five. Would this servant still be praised as “good and faithful”? I do not think so because in verse 15 we were told that the Master distributed the talents to each servant according to his ability; no more and no less. The Master therefore fully expected each servant to perform according to his ability and produce gains in proportion to the resources entrusted to him. Even if our ability is small like the one-talent servant, dare we bury our talent in the ground or simply deposit it in a bank (that is, doing the barest minimum) and risk the wrath of our God?

For those who are serving as leaders of the church, pride is the perennial danger. Are we serving in leadership position because we enjoy the status, power and privileges it carries? Read what Jesus has to say about greatness in Mark 10:42-45. When I agreed to be the LCEC Chairman, God reminded me many time to be humble because it will be He who builds the house and not me. All glory to Him!

What are some issues to consider when we serve?

Firstly, we need to examine our heart. Is our service motivated by a love for God and people? Any other motivation probably has its root in self-interest and pride.

Secondly, we need to seek His will. Recognise that service is really about obeying God’s calling and not about what we think is best for the church or ourselves. If we seek His will, God promised us in Matt 7:7&8, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened”
I believe a clear indicator of God’s will for you in which area to serve lies in the talent and spiritual gifts that He has bestowed on you. These serve as signposts for you.

Thirdly, discover your spiritual gifts. Explore by trying out different ministries. The varied experience allows you to test your passion and help to determine what are your spiritual gifts.

Lastly, ask God for a servant heart. How do you know if a person has a servant’s attitude? By the way that person reacts when he is treated like one!

In conclusion let us all be participant and not spectator in church, serving and evangelising together as one body to further God’s Kingdom!

“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”
Eph 4:15&16.

– Koh Hai Theng