In the name of Christ Jesus, dear fellow redeemed people of God,

When one congregation was just beginning, the pastor participated in every single task. He helped to set up and take down the facilities for the services. He stored the church equipment in his garage. He typed and printed the bulletins. He cleaned the bathrooms. He made coffee. He did it all. As the congregation grew, so did his workload, but he kept participating in every task. When the church numbered 200 members, he started to burn out: mentally, physically, and emotionally. He realized that he was burning the candle on both ends. If he kept participating in every task, the members let him. Finally, he felt like he was going to have a nervous breakdown. One Sunday, he told the congregation that he could not continue to be involved in every task. But, he did not believe that God had called him to participate in every task. He offered the members a deal. If they would take care of these extra tasks, he would lead and feed them as pastor by preaching and teaching God's Word." Today, let us consider which attitude is God-pleasing for congregations and pastors, members and ministers? Should it be:

1. WHAT DOES GOD CALL HIS MINISTERS TO DO? As we search the Scriptures to find the answer, we come to Ephesians 4:11-12,which says that Jesus, our risen and ascended Savior "gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up..." Jesus is the Lord of the church. He gives and calls pastors and teachers to "prepare God's people for works of service" by preaching and teaching God's Word. The apostle Paul said to the pastors of Ephesus, "Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood" (Acts 20:28). God calls pastors to "keep watch" over themselves and Christ's flock as shepherds. The word pastor means shepherd. Pastors are called to feed Christ's blood-bought people with Christ's saving Word.

The apostle Peter was inspired by God to write these instructions for pastors: (1 Pet 5:2) "Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers - not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve..." Note that last phrase. Pastors are to be "eager to serve" as overseers, eager to serve Christ's flock with Christ's saving Word. Pastors and teachers are to be "eager to serve" in the public ministry of the gospel. But they are not to say, "Christian, serve us." They are ministers of Christ.

But, if you search the Scriptures carefully, you will not find a passage that says, "Pastors, do all the work of changing light bulbs, mowing the lawn, and shoveling snow." You will not find a passage that says, "Pastors should participate in every single task." Pastors are to serve as overseers of Christ's flock, to serve as shepherds who care for souls. They prepare God's people for works of service by preaching and teaching God's Word. But what should be the attitude of church members? Should it be: "CHRISTIAN, SERVE US" OR CHRISTIAN SERVICE?

2. WHAT DOES GOD CALL HIS MEMBERS TO DO? It says here: {12b} "Try to excel in gifts that build up the church." Believers will want to use their gifts and abilities to help build up the church. We should not use our gifts to show off or make a name for ourselves. We should aim to help others. And the gifts that build up the church in particular are those involving the gospel of Jesus Christ. God has given to each one of us time, talents and treasures. We should aim to see that others benefit from these gifts. In other words, don't just sit there and say, "Christian, serve us while we just sit here." Instead, let us all be involved in Christian service, with the goal that the gospel of Jesus Christ will reach as many people as possible. In other words, don't be selfish in your attitude. Think about the good of others.

Ephesians 4:16 says, "From [Christ] the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work." The last phrase says, "each part does its work." Our congregation is like a body. Every member has a role to play. Every single part of this body has some area of service. It says that the body "grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work." "Each part does its work." That means you too.

What if certain parts of your body just decided that they weren't going to serve anymore? What if your hands refused to move and said, "We are just here to receive nourishment"? While hands do need nourishment, we would like our hands to move and serve! God made hands a certain way to serve. They have a role to play in our bodies. The same is true of each member here. Each one of you has some gift from God whether it is time, talents or treasures, or all of them. Use it to serve the Lord and others! Would you agree that in most congregations 20% of the members do 80% of the work? Let us encourage one another to serve in the station where God has placed us.

That pastor I was talking about was amazed at how the members took over the tasks he mentioned. They really did exercise their faith in serving the Lord. Perhaps you are active too, but we Lutherans have a reputation of not being all that active in serving the Lord. Some blame the fact that we proclaim the gospel of grace, but that's not the problem. Paul insisted on the gospel of grace yet wrote: (Gal 5:13-14) "You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" The apostle of grace did not say, "Do nothing." He said, "Serve one another in love." Are you serving others in love? Do you love your neighbor as yourself? Every member has some way to serve others, even shut ins. Shut ins can pray for others. If shut-ins have a role, don't you? But, are you willing? Are you willing to serve the Lord and others? Let us now consider:

3. WHAT MOVES CHRISTIANS TO SERVE? The simple answer is the gospel of Jesus Christ. "We love because he first loved us" (1 John 4:19). We serve because our Savior first served us. "The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45). Dear friends, Jesus saved you! He lived a perfect life of service for you. He died on the cross in your place, to pay for all of your sins. You are forgiven because Jesus paid your ransom! You are saved entirely by grace. There is nothing left to earn! Believe in the Lord Jesus as your Savior, and you will live in heaven forever!

And yet, 2 Corinthians 5:15 says, Jesus "died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again." Don't live a selfish life, thinking only about yourself. Live for Christ your Savior out of gratitude and love! The gospel works faith. Faith produces love. Love moves us to serve Christ and others. "We love because he first loved us" (1 John 4:19). We serve because our Savior first served us.

Just think of all the ways that there are for us to serve! Pray for others. Encourage someone who's down. Help somebody in need. Give a generous offering. Invite a friend to church. Help children learn. Serve with the Thursday crew, or with the sewing bee. Change light bulbs. Help to make sure that our property looks its best. This is God's house. This place should look better than our own homes! Let others see how much we care about our Lord, his Word and one another. But, this property and these buildings are not an end to themselves. We are not here to serve the buildings; these buildings are here to serve the church. This is the setting for worship, for Bible study, for meetings and Christian service. This is where God's people meet. This is where our Savior blesses us. Look at what those double doors say. This is none other than the house of God. This is the gate of heaven.

The pastor I was talking about couldn't do it all. The congregation became too large, the workload too much, the expectations too high, and his energy too short. He had become a bottleneck. After the members took over most of the work that the pastor had been doing, he was set free. He regained his energy to do the work of the ministry. The members served, and reached out to their friends. And many more people were reached with the gospel. Do you have any idea how much potential we have here? Do you have any idea what could happen if each member faithfully served? Every service would be packed to overflowing. We would reach many more friends and neighbors with the gospel. Outsiders would say, "Oh, how they love one another" because we'd leave no one behind. There would always be another hand to help. There would be plenty of encouragers, plenty of servants, plenty of evangelists.

It says here {12b} "Try to excel in gifts that build up the church." Remember the mission our Savior gave us when he said, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation." Remember the unselfish love of our Savior, who loved us and gave himself for us. May that move us to love him and others by the way that we serve. So, how many servants are there here today anyway? Lord, make us all servants of our Savior and his people. Amen.