Saved to Serve
You were not saved by your service, and you were saved for it. Paul follows Not of works, lest any man should boast with these words: For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works (Ephesians 2:9–10). God had something in mind for you before you ever walked into a church.
Some people treat church like a restaurant. They come for what it offers, they rate the service, and they leave if a better one opens down the street. Others treat it like an investment. They give themselves to it and want to see it grow. Many people want the benefits of the church without the commitment. God's design is that every member has a job to do.
“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”MATTHEW 28:19–20 · KJV
That job has a name: the Great Commission. It comes down to four words: Go. Win. Baptize. Teach. This is the reason the church exists, and it looks in two directions. The church reaches out by sharing the Gospel and bringing people to Jesus. It reaches in by teaching and maturing Christians in the faith. This study takes up both: your place in the body, and your witness to the world.
You hold a message that saves people from eternal punishment. What are you doing with it?
Loading the rest of this article
For Deeper Study
- The Soul WinnerAmazon Charles H. SpurgeonA Baptist classic on winning the lost, full of warmth and urgency. Spurgeon was Calvinistic, where we differ.
- The Master Plan of EvangelismAmazon Robert E. ColemanA short classic on how Jesus trained a few men to reach the world. Coleman comes from the Wesleyan tradition.
- Out of the Saltshaker and Into the World: Evangelism as a Way of LifeAmazon Rebecca Manley PippertA warm, practical book on talking about Jesus with friends in everyday life. Broadly evangelical.
- Improving Your Serve: The Art of Unselfish LivingAmazon Charles R. SwindollA pastor's plain and encouraging book on what it means to live as a servant.
- Spiritual Gifts: What They Are and Why They MatterAmazon Thomas R. SchreinerA clear, short study of the gifts with a cessationist conclusion. Schreiner is a Reformed Baptist.
- Foxe's Book of MartyrsAmazon John FoxeThe classic Protestant record of those who died for the faith, from the early church to the English Reformation.
As an Amazon Associate, Theologica earns from qualifying purchases.
Spiritual Gifts and the Sign Gifts
Every believer is gifted by the Spirit to serve Christ's body in love, while the apostolic sign gifts that confirmed new revelation ceased with the apostolic era.
Open Doctrine