Three Seasons Community Church– 3-25-07

"We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)

You were made to make a contribution, not just to consume. God made you to make a difference. And what matters is not how long you live, but how you live. What matters is not the duration of your life, but the donation of your life. On this planet nobody gets a free ride. We’re all meant to give something back.

"Your hands shaped me and made me." Job 10:8 (NIV)

SHAPE = Spiritual Gifts Heart Abilities Personality Experiences

God made you unique and your uniqueness is not for your benefit.

"Each one should use whatever gift he’s received to serve others." 1 Peter 4:10 (NIV)

MY 4th Purpose is to ___________________________________________ = Ministry

Ministry = our service to other believers

Jesus: "Your attitude must be like My Own, for I did not come to be served, but to serve..." Matthew. 20:28 (LB)

Your SHAPE (spiritual gifts, heart, abilities, personality, experiences) determines your ministry, but your attitude determines your maturity.

1. Serving like Jesus means being ________________________.

"Two blind men... shouted, ‘Lord, have mercy on us!’ ... Jesus stopped and called them. ‘What do you want Me to do for you?’ He asked." Matthew 20:30-32 (NIV)

If you want to be used by God, you must be willing to be interrupted. How do you handle interruptions?

"Never tell your neighbors to wait until tomorrow if you can help them now." Proverbs 3:28 (TEV)

Servant-hearted people don’t procrastinate. They’re spontaneous, they’re sensitive, and they say "OK, let’s do it!"

John Wesley’s motto: Do all the good you can by all the means you can by all the ways you can in all the places you can and at all the times you can to all the people you can as long as you ever can.

1st Barrier: ___________________________________________

"Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand." Philippians 2:4 (MSG)

Whenever you see a need right in front of you, guess what? God is giving you the opportunity to practice serving. The number one enemy of compassion is busyness.

2nd Barrier: ___________________________________________

"If you wait for perfect conditions, you’ll never get anything done." Ecclesiastes 11:4 (NLT)

3rd Barrier: ___________________________________________

"No servant can serve two masters... You cannot serve both God and money." Luke 16:13 (NIV)

What’s number one in priority in my life? God or _______________________?

You get so busy taking care of things; you don’t have time to take care of people. And that’s a problem. The most important decision you’re going to have to make in life once you become a believer is, "Am I going to be a kingdom-builder or am I going to be a wealth-builder?"

2. Serving like Jesus means being ________________________

"Jesus looked up and said, ‘Father, I thank you that you have heard Me. I knew that you always hear Me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here...’" John 11:41-42 (NIV)

"Serve the Lord with gladness." Psalm 100:2 (KJV)

Why do we serve God with gratefulness? We serve Him with gratefulness because He’s given life to us through Jesus Christ. He saved us! And if He never did anything else for us, that is enough to be grateful for the rest of our lives to serve Him.

"It is He who saved us and chose us for His holy work not because we deserved it but because that was His plan..." 2 Timothy 1:9 (LB)

1st Barrier: ___________________________________________

"Who are you to criticize someone else's servant? The Lord will determine whether His servant has been successful." Romans 14:4 (GW)

2nd Barrier: ___________________________________________

"When you do good deeds, don't try to show off. If you do, you won't get a reward from your Father in heaven." Matthew 6:1 (CEV)

3. Serving like Jesus means being ________________________

Self-promotion and servanthood don’t mix, but it’s easy to get them mixed up. A lot of our service, let’s just be honest, it can be self-serving at times. We serve to get others to like us. We serve to be admired. We serve to achieve our own goals. We serve as sort of a bargaining chip with God.

Faithful = You don’t give up. You keep on going. You don’t quit in the middle of your assignment.

"I have brought You glory on earth by completing the work You gave me to do." John 17:4 (NIV)

1 Corinthians 4:2 (TEV); 1 Corinthians 15:58 (MSG); Hebrews 6:10 (NLT); Matthew 25:21 (NIV)

Closing Prayer: Father I realize that I was shaped to serve You by serving others. Forgive me for the times I’ve put a "do not disturb" sign on my heart. Help me to see the interruptions as opportunities to serve. Help me to make time for what matters most. You’ve been so good to me. I want to give something back. I want to serve You freely and gratefully and faithfully, and I want to practice before I get to heaven so one day I can hear You say "Well done, good and faithful servant". In Jesus name I pray, Amen.