On Mission to Serve

Psalm 145:1-12; Isaiah 52:3-12; Mark 10:35-45

Central Baptist Church, Lowesville, VA

22 October 2006

What do I get out of it? We have all heard the question time and time again. It is a dominant theme of my generation and the driving force behind the entertainment industry. While my generation is very focused on that question, it is not remotely the central question of the gospel. The gospel challenges us beyond issues of self and comfort. It calls us to be more than we would settle for. How would God have me look beyond my own issues?

Psalm 145 reminds us that we are not the center of the universe. Our lives belong in God’s hands. Worship is, after all, about God and not us. Calling Jesus Lord of our lives means placing our lives at God’s disposal. We are good at telling our fish stories, hunting exploits, shopping expeditions, and tales of children and grandchildren. Are we engaged in sharing God with a dying world? When did I last share my faith with a non-believer? Can God count on my participation in this mission?

I formally accepted Christ on my father’s knee at age five or six. I remember the moment, sitting in the family room at our furlough home in Pensacola, when Dad asked if I wanted to accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior. It was not much of a decision. It was a simple step of confirming what I had already done but never formalized. It was the most natural step possible in my journey of being nurtured in faith. It was not until years later that I would make perhaps what was a more important decision—the decision to make the Lordship of Christ Jesus a distinctive characteristic of my life.

Isaiah’s words reminded the people that they belonged wholesale to Yahweh. God had redeemed them from Egypt. God gave them away in exile. God would again redeem them, reclaiming the people as a rightful possession. That is not the way we like to think of ourselves—God’s chattel. Oh, we know that we belong to God, having accepted Christ Jesus as Lord. We just don’t do so well thinking of ourselves as not being in charge of our lives.

Carrie Underwood’s 2005 hit is perhaps a needed declaration for us as well. “Jesus, take the wheel, take it from my hands, ‘cause I can’t do this on my own! I’m a-letting go, so give me one more chance. Save me from this road I’m on, from this road I’m on. Jesus, take the wheel!” You see, we are comfortable with the idea that salvation requires asking Jesus Christ to be our Savior and stating that He is Lord. We are not quite as comfortable with actually allowing Jesus to exercise the position of Lord in our daily lives. How does faith make my life distinctive as a disciple of Jesus Christ? Do I live as though on a mission to make Jesus Lord of every aspect of my life?

During junior high school I recognized that my faith held no real commitment. My life was little more than that of any other kid reared in a Christian home and didn’t get into trouble. Sure, I was a good kid, but there were other good kids around me who did not profess faith in Christ Jesus. I had to ask how my professed faith made any difference. What tangible ways had I given action to my faith?

I realized that God’s claim on my life meant more than I had accepted. God had a mission to accomplish in the world, and God wanted those who professed faith in Christ Jesus to take up that mission. I saw my parents serving as missionaries, but I knew that the commitment I needed to make was not simply to accept the profession God had for me. I needed a commitment that went deeper than the externals of profession. God was concerned about the character of my life and discipleship.

James and John were Jesus’ disciples. Of all professions of the day, that was probably the one to be in, as far as being the most spiritual, wasn’t it? The problem was that James and John still had not grasped the point in being Jesus’ disciples. From their words in the passage of Mark we read, they were in the business for personal advancement and profit.

These disciples were not mean-spirited or exceptionally selfish. They simply rated their position in life by worldly, non-gospel criteria. Like any other of their time, they thought in terms of position, status, and power as personal benefits to be enjoyed at the expense of those below them. That did not mean they were intent of oppressing others. They probably did not even recognize that their mindset was inherently oppressive. It was simply the way of the world, and they had not yet allowed Jesus to replace their concept of greatness with the hallmark of humble service.

These disciples were still being shaped by Christ Jesus. There were still a host of rough edges to smooth out and invalid concepts to redirect. Their character was still under transformation and would be throughout their lives. This just happens to be a specific moment when one glaring imperfect aspect of their lives found voice in their words. Jesus took the moment to redirect them to a higher attitude. Perhaps he would do the same with us, as well.

James and John were not the only disciples aspiring to prominence in Jesus’ reign. They just happened to be the ones bold enough to ask about status. The others became angry, for they wanted the very same prominence for themselves. They all wanted advancement in Jesus’ new order of God’s reign in their lives. They just did not understand the character of that reign. They used known human models as the framework for Jesus’ gospel of God’s reign. The problem was that the framework did not fit the new reality. God’s reign is about mission and service, not about prominence and control over others. Can God count on our adoption of this mission?

When it finally dawned on me that faith required more than I had been giving, I had some serious decisions to make. What would I do with this awareness that the gospel required me to be far more than another non-committed believer, absent-mindedly professing a faith he did not live? Would I make room for God to interfere with my plans for my life? Would I give my life over to the full character of Jesus’ gospel, regardless of the cost? Would I become the servant God required?

Shortly afterward, I participated as an interpreter for a partnership missions team, making home evangelistic visits. God awakened in me the joy of being useful for a purpose beyond my own selfish interests, comfort, and desires. I learned that serving others meaningfully has a richness of reward that no attempts of self-advancement could convey. As I understood that God wanted to use my life to impact others for their true benefit, I recognized there was no other fulfilling purpose to which I might give my life. Nothing else would measure up to serving God faithfully.

Before I settled the issue of a career, God wanted me to settle the issue of a mission in life. I could have worked in various careers. The important question, however, was what God wanted out of my life. Would I determine to allow God to use me in whatever context God would take me? Life’s greatest blessing, after all, is to fulfill the purpose for which we were created—to become faithful servants of God. Jesus defined this as true greatness—the only sufficient definition for the gospel. Do we have the courage to allow Christ to use us as servants of God’s Reign? That is true fulfillment.

—©2006 Christopher B. Harbin