Why We Serve

A few days ago, Arrowhead Greeneville had our annual FOR Day. It’s a day when we spread throughout our community to serve others in practical ways. We help local organizations and schools with cleaning, organizing, and landscaping. We assist individuals with projects at their homes. It’s always a great day.

So…why do we serve? Why as believers should we serve? Why does Arrowhead plan FOR Days and youth service weeks? Why should you and I make an effort in our day-to-day life to serve those around us?

Scripture commands us to serve. Galatians 5:13 says, “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.” So, the overarching reason that we serve those around us is to obey Scripture and to glorify our God. Glorifying the Lord and lifting up His name is our purpose and should be at the heart of why we serve others, those in the church and those outside of it.

A second reason that we serve, under the umbrella of glorifying our God, is to bear His image. In Mark 10:45 we see why Jesus came to earth, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Just as Jesus served we also should serve. We serve others to imitate our Savior. The Lord created us in His image and desires us to reflect Him. As the Lord sanctifies us, He has a desire to see Himself in us. So one of the ways we can glorify our God is by reflecting His image in our service.

Service for the believer is not something we simply do out of duty alone, but out of a love for our God and a thankfulness for how He has served us. Our God serves us in so many ways; He left perfection and entered a world of sin and suffering for us. He laid down His life as a sacrifice for our sins. He defeated sin and death for us in His resurrection. He gave the Truth to His disciples and continues to do so for us through His Word. He has shown us how to live. The list could go on and on of how our God has served us and continues to serve us.

1 John 4:19 tells us “We love because he first loved us.” The Lord loved us first, and out of that love He serves us. We, in turn, should serve as Jesus did out of thankfulness to the Lord and a love for Him and others.

Another very important reason that we serve, that goes hand in hand with bearing the Lord’s image, is to make God’s name known. Service opens the doors for the power of salvation, the Gospel, to be spread. If we are bearing the Lord’s image in serving, others can see Christ in us and be pointed to Him.

Many people who serve seem to believe that serving is all we are called to do and that simply serving others without sharing His word is enough to lead someone to Christ. While our service does and should point others to Christ, the Scripture is very clear that the Gospel must be spoken (Romans 10:14-17). Unbelievers will not place their faith in Christ solely by witnessing the service of believers. Service is commanded and good, and it’s a part of the Christian life, but if it is not accompanied by the proclamation of God’s Word and His gospel, then it is lacking.

When we serve, we must meet the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of others. We cannot forget to give people the Word of God. When we serve both the believer and especially the unbeliever, we must use that service as an opportunity to give God’s Word and make his name known through both our actions and our words.

So…why do we serve? We serve in response to the Lord’s love for us and His service toward us. We serve to glorify our God, lifting Him up above all else. We serve to bear His image, and we serve to make His name known so that others will be drawn to Him. I pray we will reflect our Savior, seek to glorify Him, and make Him known, through serving those around us!

You can sign up to volunteer with one of our ministry teams at Arrowhead Church by clicking the “Volunteer” button here.