Matthew 20:28 says the Son of Man came not to be ministered
unto, but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many. Another
translation would be: the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and
give his life as a ransom for many.
As we look at this verse along with verses 26-27, you find
that the focus is not about reaching the top and exert your power and/or
authority, but instead to give your life in the service of others, especially
for the spiritual good of all people. As you can see, Jesus is advocating the
phrase, “it’s not about us!” It’s about others.
Now, let’s look at serving others. Sometimes we want to
serve others expecting something in return, or compensation, or to be looked
upon as “all that”). That should not be part of our repertoire. The question
might be asked, “How do we serve others if Jesus is advocating this?” That’s a
legitimate question. And this is what we’re going to talk about for the
remainder of this post.
If we’re in Christ and all about doing His will, then His
Spirit should be manifested in us. 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 talks about gifts that
are a manifestation of the Holy Spirit through individual believers: Word of
Wisdom (an utterance from the Holy Spirit applying God’s Word or wisdom to a
specific situation), Word of Knowledge (an utterance from the Holy Spirit
revealing knowledge about people, circumstances, or Biblical truth), Faith (supernatural
faith imparted by the Holy Spirit, enabling a Christian to believe God for the
miraculous), Healing (restoring someone to physical health by divinely
supernatural means), Miracles (divine supernatural power to alter the course of
nature, including casting out demons), Prophecy (a special temporary ability to
bring a word, warning, exhortation, or revelation from God under the impulse of
the Holy Spirit), Discerning of Spirits (special ability to judge whether
prophecies and utterances are from the Holy Spirit), Speaking in Tongues
(expressing oneself at the level of one’s spirit under the direct influence of
the Holy Spirit in a language he or she has not learned and does not know) and
Interpretation of Tongues (special ability to interpret what is spoken in
tongues – personally: I haven’t met too many people with this gift and sure
would love to, because I believe this is needed in the body of Christ). Now,
some will have more than one and some will only have one. There’s nothing wrong
with that; just don’t sit on that gift. We can express the gifts given to us in
multiple ways in the service of others, some can express it behind a pulpit,
through the creative arts, and the list can go on. I have concerns when it
comes to gifts: 1-when we belittle others when they don’t have the gift that we
have, 2-copying what another person does because of the gift that’s in them
(not really using your gift) and 3-using a true gift with the wrong motive (not
serving others, but to itch ears for the sake of $).
Serving others is for the glory of God, not for our sole
benefit. Yes, we will benefit whether on earth or in life eternal, but it’s all
about Him and His glory!
Additional scriptures to view if you want to: John 13:34; 1
Corinthians 13; Colossians 3:14; 1 John 3:14 and 4:8.
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