Servanthood: A Kingdom Culture
#thejoyinservingseries
Written by Brigitta Tedja
Click here to watch the video
Pastor Dion prefaced the sermon with the following. First, the pandemic taught us to believe in something that we cannot see. There are spiritual things that we cannot see. We changed our habits due to the pandemic that did not exist before, like in establishing protocols during food preparations, increasing hand-washing, utilizing hand sanitizers. Things that we are now made aware of should cause us to want to change.
Secondly, spiritual and natural things are interconnected and inseparable. For example, you may think you are just working or just studying, but we are spiritual beings living in natural bodies and because of that, we live in these two dimensions that are together.
Ex: Moses lifted the stick and the Red Sea parted.
Battle with the Amalekites, Moses lifted up his hands, and they won the victory.
Gehazi received leprosy because of Elijah’s words.
How can a natural action of lifting up the hands produce something spiritual? How did a word cause a curse? It is because the natural and the spiritual are interconnected. There are natural things that we release that will affect the spiritual things that will in turn affect the natural again. Therefore, do not belittle the things that are seemingly natural in your life.
As we look at the world right now, so many “crazy” things are happening; derailments, disasters, spillages, etc. In this hour, there is a big spiritual warfare that is affecting the natural, but we can do a push-back towards the enemy.
Ephesians 6:14-18 NLT “Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.”
These things are for warfare. God provided us with the tools to fight back the enemy. What we say naturally can produce great results. The only offensive weapon is the sword—it is used to block, to parry, and to finish the battle. The sword is the Word of God. If we are talking about warfare, why is prayer mentioned? If you have a sword and do not use it, it is no good. Prayer is how we appropriate the weapon which is the Word of God. Jesus used and released the Word of God when He was tempted. One way to release the Word is to use your mouth and pray. If you cannot use it properly at the moment you need it, it is useless, so do not be lazy in spending time with the Word of God. Your life and destiny in God depend on it.
There is something happening spiritually that will affect us, but God has already given us the tools to obtain victory. It is not surprising that we face interruptions, harassments, delays, as the building of the Ministry Center is underway. We are building for the next generation as God instructed. Let us fast and pray and utilize the tools God has given us.
Pastor Dion began a new series for April, #thejoyinservingseries, with a sermon entitled, “Servanthood: A Kingdom Culture”.
Exodus 12:1-7 NIV “The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, ‘This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year. Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household. The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs.’”
This prophetic act occurred 14 days before they were delivered from Egypt and continued for +1300 years until Jesus became the Lamb of God.
Mark 10:45 “For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
SERVANTHOOD IS A KINGDOM CULTURE.
“Culture” is a way of life that develops and belongs to a group of people. Kingdom Culture stays the same. Culture is best explained by the people who live there. Jesus came down from Heaven to teach us what the Kingdom Culture is. Servanthood is part of the Kingdom Culture.
John 13:1-5 NIV “The evening meal was in progress … Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so, he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.”
SERVANTHOOD IS A CULTURE. IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD, EVERYONE SERVES REGARDLESS OF STATUS.
Jesus, the King of kings, and Lord of lord, with all authority, humbled Himself and began to serve his disciples. Kingdom Culture is different from the world. You would not see kings or dignitaries today do so because it would compromise their status and they would be seen as demeaning. Jesus serves us without ever losing His identity as the Son of God and King of kings. Service in the Kingdom is a culture, not a position.
John 3:12-17 NIV “When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. ‘Do you understand what I have done for you?’ he asked them. ‘You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”
SERVING EXPANDS AND INCREASES YOU!
The word, “blessed’ comes from the Greek word, “makarios”, which means to make bigger, lengthen, longer. Serving expands and increases you from the inside. So, as we serve and follow Jesus’ example, we will internally increase our capacity. If you want to be blessed, learn to serve more.
Matthew 20:20-28 NLT “Then the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus with her sons. She knelt respectfully to ask a favor. ‘What is your request?’ he asked. She replied, ‘In your Kingdom, please let my two sons sit in places of honor next to you, one on your right and the other on your left.’ When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. But Jesus called them together and said, ‘You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. 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.”
Jesus did not shut down the woman, but responded that to be great, one must serve. Greatness and a place of honor in the Kingdom of God can only come through service. To be great—serve!
SERVE FROM A PLACE OF SONSHIP
Luke 15:11-32 TB “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So, he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So, his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends.”
The prodigal son’s brother seemingly was a good son, yet his servanthood did not come from a place of sonship, in fact, his servanthood destroyed him. This brother is lost in his own home. It is important that when we serve, we understand that we are first His sons and daughters because it is a culture, not a position.
“If we embrace the reality of servanthood without the revelation of sonship, we take on a ‘slave mentality.’
If we embrace the reality of sonship without the revelation of servanthood, we take on a ‘spoiled mentality.’”
--Jack Keil
We are not slaves; we are sons and daughters. This is our identity. It is the Kingdom Culture to serve. Fasting, giving, praying, serving is part of this culture.
The brother served to obtain favor. According to Jewish culture, the firstborn son obtains double portion of the inheritance. This brother did not understand that inheritance is already his to begin with. His father stated in Luke 15:31, “My son, you are always with me. Everything I have is yours.”
Galatians 3:26 NKJV “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.”
Galatians 4:5-7 NLT “God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” Now, you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you, his heir.”
As servants, no matter how good you are, you will never be part of the family. To be part of the Royal Family, you must be born into royalty, not marry into it. We are all born into the kingdom, we are the sons and daughter of God. We serve not to obtain status, it is the opposite, we serve out of our intimacy in God.
SERVING GOD IS FUELED BY LOVE, IT STARTS THROUGH OBEDIENCE.
Obedience will cost you, but it is worth it. Obedience to the Lord is always worth it.
John 5:19 NLT “So Jesus explained, ‘I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.’”
John 14:31a NLT “. . . but I will do what the Father requires of me, so that the world will know that I love the Father.”
Obedience cannot be separate from your love for God. You will only obey as you are willing to love. You cannot obey God beyond your willingness to love Him and you cannot love Him without spending enough time to get to know the goodness of God in your life.
SERVING OTHERS START WITH COMPASSION.
Mark 6:30-44 NKJV “And He said to them, ‘Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.’ For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. But the multitudes saw them departing, and many knew Him and ran there on foot from all the cities. They arrived before them and came together to Him. And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd.”
Prayer Points:
Pray that the Holy Spirit will sustain us as we fast and pray corporately this week
Expectations of breakthroughs, miracles, signs, wonders
Harvest of souls
Harvest of resources
Harvest of answered prayers
Pray to increase your time in reading the Word
Pray to increase skill by using the sword of the Word of God through prayer
Pray to understand Kingdom Culture and your place in that culture
Pray to serve as Jesus served, not for a position or status
Pray that we know our identity as His sons and daughters
Pray to break the “slave mentality” and the “spoiled mentality”
Pray for the obedience to serve God
Pray to increase your love for God by spending more time in His presence
Pray to have compassion for others as we serve
Pray that as we serve more, we become more blessed
Pray to increase and expand our capacity