Hi Everyone,
I was wondering if you guys could suggest different ideas on how we could serve Christ and the church without having really any money. Like ways to interact with the community, to help spread the gospel.
Thank you,
James
Ways to Serve
Re: Ways to Serve
I personally believe the best way to serve, money or not, is to pray. The more time you spend with the Lord, the more you just enjoy him in worship and adoration, the more you become like him and the more his drive and direction and desires will just become a part of you.
Another thing I would suggest is to get together with other Christian brothers and pray together.
Romans 12:1 says "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship."
Notice that "bodies" is plural but "living sacrifice" is singular. The Christian life is a life spent with others and sacrificing with and for other Christians.
I hope this helps. I don't want you to think I am ignoring your request for a certain task, its just that any task is meaningless without a call from God.
Another thing I would suggest is to get together with other Christian brothers and pray together.
Romans 12:1 says "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship."
Notice that "bodies" is plural but "living sacrifice" is singular. The Christian life is a life spent with others and sacrificing with and for other Christians.
I hope this helps. I don't want you to think I am ignoring your request for a certain task, its just that any task is meaningless without a call from God.
Re: Ways to Serve
Hi Jacob,
I really like what you said. You provided some great ideas about praying and supporting each other. I'm not quite sure, however, about what you meant by this:
Does "a call from God" include Christ's commands, which we can read in scripture?
I really like what you said. You provided some great ideas about praying and supporting each other. I'm not quite sure, however, about what you meant by this:
I thought any task is meaningless without love (1 Cor 13: 1-3)....it's just that any task is meaningless without a call from God.
Does "a call from God" include Christ's commands, which we can read in scripture?
Re: Ways to Serve
Hey Jacob, Thank you for the response...
I do feel a calling and a strong desire to do "something" for the people in my community. I just recently signed up to help with food distribution for the needy, it's only once a month but its a good start. I am hoping that other opportunities like this arise...
Though it makes sense to be "called" to a certain task, it seems in general we have a good basis for things we could do based on Jesus' teachings, it's just finding outlets around here to do things of that nature is hard. I agree that praying intently is a really good idea, thank you for the supportive answer!
James
I do feel a calling and a strong desire to do "something" for the people in my community. I just recently signed up to help with food distribution for the needy, it's only once a month but its a good start. I am hoping that other opportunities like this arise...
Though it makes sense to be "called" to a certain task, it seems in general we have a good basis for things we could do based on Jesus' teachings, it's just finding outlets around here to do things of that nature is hard. I agree that praying intently is a really good idea, thank you for the supportive answer!
James
Re: Ways to Serve
-Yw Videsigns. I hope I helped 
-Michelle, your right, I didn't really word that well. I'm not thinking of call in the sense of like getting a call to be a pastor and then that's what you do for the rest of your life. I'm thinking more like a burden that comes from the spirit. Like when your talking with someone and get the feeling you should witness to them.
Your right we should do everything in love, but what are we talking about when we talk about love? If we are talking about God's love then it has to come from God. It doesn't just spring from us. If we are using our own love, we will wear out, but God's love is everlasting. In order for Love to matter it has to come from the right source, or else it's not the love that Paul is talking about. The only way to have the right source is to be in prayer and only move when the Lord moves.
An example from my own life, I wanted to work in a pro-life ministry. I think its the most important ministry in the US other than preaching the gospel. I think you would agree it is a ministry of love. The more I worked on signs and the ministry, the Lord pushed more and more that that wasn't were I was supposed to go. Eventually I resigned myself to it and went back into what the Lord actually called me into.
-Michelle, your right, I didn't really word that well. I'm not thinking of call in the sense of like getting a call to be a pastor and then that's what you do for the rest of your life. I'm thinking more like a burden that comes from the spirit. Like when your talking with someone and get the feeling you should witness to them.
Your right we should do everything in love, but what are we talking about when we talk about love? If we are talking about God's love then it has to come from God. It doesn't just spring from us. If we are using our own love, we will wear out, but God's love is everlasting. In order for Love to matter it has to come from the right source, or else it's not the love that Paul is talking about. The only way to have the right source is to be in prayer and only move when the Lord moves.
An example from my own life, I wanted to work in a pro-life ministry. I think its the most important ministry in the US other than preaching the gospel. I think you would agree it is a ministry of love. The more I worked on signs and the ministry, the Lord pushed more and more that that wasn't were I was supposed to go. Eventually I resigned myself to it and went back into what the Lord actually called me into.
Re: Ways to Serve
Does "a call from God" include Christ's commands, which we can read in scripture?
I'm sorry, I missed this line. This question requires a long answer but I can't spend any more time on it now.
If someone sets out to do the things, and be the person Jesus gives us in the bible, then that someone is going to find themselves in the same situation Paul talks about in Romans 7. You can't do it, but if you trust in Jesus he will do it in you, and you automatically become the person that is represented by the Be attitudes, because its no longer you working but Jesus in you.
This is a very short answer that is leaving a lot of things hanging, but I wil say that the commands in the bible do give us a way to know wether we are living by the flesh or by the spirit and that there is no excuse for not obeying.
I'm sorry, I missed this line. This question requires a long answer but I can't spend any more time on it now.
If someone sets out to do the things, and be the person Jesus gives us in the bible, then that someone is going to find themselves in the same situation Paul talks about in Romans 7. You can't do it, but if you trust in Jesus he will do it in you, and you automatically become the person that is represented by the Be attitudes, because its no longer you working but Jesus in you.
This is a very short answer that is leaving a lot of things hanging, but I wil say that the commands in the bible do give us a way to know wether we are living by the flesh or by the spirit and that there is no excuse for not obeying.
Re: Ways to Serve
Thanks for taking the time to answer, Jacob.
-
nancyer
Re: Ways to Serve
I believe service can include a multitude of sinerios from holding a door for someone to smiling at the others in line. Be friendly to the clerk who's obvisouly not having a great day. Compliment a complete stranger. Say thank you as you leave Burger King. When you can, give that man on the corner a few dollars. Offer to take the neighbor kids out for burgers (this is nice for them and gives mom and dad a break). Bring in your neighbors trash cans while they're at work, or toss their newspaper on the porch. Offer a ride to someone taking the bus home from work call a neighbor who may like a ridge to the grocery store.
Don't think that because you can't (or be honest, don't want to) work at a homeless shelter, make a big donation, or clean up after a tornado, that you can't do anything that matters. The compliment you give the lady in line may be the only one she gets all day. God's love is not to be saved for the really big disasters. It's to be spread daily and often. Your smile could spread to hundreds of smiles.
God loves you loving others....
Don't think that because you can't (or be honest, don't want to) work at a homeless shelter, make a big donation, or clean up after a tornado, that you can't do anything that matters. The compliment you give the lady in line may be the only one she gets all day. God's love is not to be saved for the really big disasters. It's to be spread daily and often. Your smile could spread to hundreds of smiles.
God loves you loving others....
Re: Ways to Serve
Thanks Nancyer! What an insightful list of ways to go about daily life... I really appreciate the time you took to respond.
Thank you again!
James
Thank you again!
James