Articles
“Three Levels of Service”
For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
Galatians 5:13
The gospel has “called” us out of the spiritual bondage of sin—and the guilt associated with it—into “freedom” (Gal. 5:1). But rather than freeing us from every restraint so that we can pursue selfish goals (“an opportunity for the flesh”), Christian freedom exhibits itself in loving service to others. It is a freedom from sin to service.
Christians ought to know how important it is to serve others. Loving service is one of the defining characteristics of God’s people (Jn. 13:14-15, 33-34). In serving others we are really serving our Lord (Col. 3:24). Leadership and greatness in the kingdom is all about service. Our King himself said (and exemplified), “the greatest among you shall be your servant” (Mt. 23:11) and “whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mt. 20:26-28)
As we mature in the faith we find ourselves growing in this ability to serve. To do anything well takes practice and consistency. There are three levels of Christian service: beginner, intermediate and expert.
The beginner stage is simply doing acts service. When we first “put on Christ” (Rom. 13:14; Gal. 3:27) we start the lifelong process of learning how to think and behave like him (Eph. 4:22-32; Col. 3:12-17). In the realm of service, we take that initial step by looking not only to our “own interests, but to the interests of others” (Phil. 2:4). This movement away from selfishness toward the needs of others sets us on the path of Christian service. We can serve in thousands of ways: a phone call, a visit, lending a listening ear, helping someone with tasks around the home, teaching, praying, etc. The first step is just doing it.
The intermediate stage is doing acts of service without grumbling. Paul said we are to “do all things without grumbling or disputing” so that we can stand out in a grumbling and disputing world (Phil. 2:14-16). Peter admonishes us to “show hospitality to one another without grumbling.” (1 Pet. 4:9) Sometimes our struggle is not serving other people but serving them with a good will. This can be especially difficult if the ones we are trying to serve fail to show any gratitude or complain themselves. Serving others while constantly fussing about it makes the ones we’re trying to help feel guilty and ashamed of being in need and less likely to ask for help in the future. Many people in the world understand their obligation to serve others. We will only stand out from the ones that do if we serve without grumbling.
Why is much of our service tainted with grumbling? When our service seems burdensome it might be because we are not “serv[ing] by the strength that God supplies,” (1 Pet. 4:11) i.e. we are relying too heavily on ourselves and our own resources. But it’s not all on our shoulders. When we enjoin our acts of service with a faithful trust in God, knowing we are doing his will and pleasing him no matter how it is received on earth, our burden of service will be noticeably lighter (Mt. 11:28-30).
The expert stage is doing acts of service with love. When we genuinely love those we are serving, even the ungrateful ones, we are truly behaving like Jesus. Remember Paul’s instruction in Galatians 5:13, “through love serve one another.” Our service may start with mere obligation and graduate to a service without complaining but, ultimately, we must strive for a service that issues from a heart of love.
This love-service opens up new possibilities to stand out in the world and testify to the truth of the gospel. When other people feel and know that we desire to help them, genuinely want them to succeed, and even enjoy serving them, it is enough to make them stop and wonder. We are shining God’s light upon them, the perfect God who “makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” (Mt. 5:45) If you have ever been helped by someone in this expert stage then you know how impactful it can be!
Where are you in your journey of service? Perhaps you are new to the faith and just now learning how vital it is that you take that initial step and start helping. Maybe you are doing what you can but are struggling with your attitude. Remember to serve with the strength that God supplies. In the end, we must all strive to reach Christian maturity and serve with love just like our Lord Jesus. God can help us get there if we but trust him and take the initial step.
