Jesus gave the mandate to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). By consistently showing up and serving in the church, we earn a high level of trust and influence in the lives of the people there. We get to walk together through difficult and fun times in their lives.

We get to become involved in the lives of other Christians in their lives and through our input they become disciples, seeking to know Him better. We become able to help them look at their lives and look at the Word and learn how to apply it. This kind of deep discipleship doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time and love to cultivate this kind of influence.

Jesus didn’t just serve the strangers and the masses. He served those closest to Him, He served His own community.

We would be wise to do likewise. After all, we have been given a gift for the purpose of building God’s house and our church community. I love how The Message paraphrases Romans 15:1: “Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status.” Not one of us—including the pastor—is supposed to do everything. We would be more effective as the Body of Christ and as a church community when we each use our gifts to serve faithfully. You know those things that you are good at? They’re not just for your benefit. God gave us those gifts so that we can bless other people too!

3. Serving exposes areas of our character that need refining
We get to practice “love your neighbour” on that person who rubs us up the wrong way. Christianity is easy behind a screen or when we hold people at a distance, but transformation really happens when we rub elbows with people who are hard to love.
Serving will mature us spiritually.

When the peoples tender hearts are crying out for love and wisdom we get to lean on the Holy Spirit to share the Father’s heart for their situation. In serving them we grow to see them through our Father’s eyes. Through this process of serving and discipleship they become our family. We find ourselves praying for them much like we pray for our own family. In serving them we will grow to love them with the God kind of love (Agape).

I know, it can sometimes be intimidating to raise our hands and say “Hey, I can help.” But it’s worth it! We mustn’t feel like we have to find a ministry or group of people that fits our skills or personality perfectly before we start serving. Sometimes we figure out what we’re passionate about by trying lots of things that we don’t end up liking. That’s okay! But try not to jump from one ministry to the next without giving it time.