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Becoming “Great” by Serving? – A Topical Bible Study

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Christ’s Example of Service

Mark 10:35-37 – And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” And he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.”

Mark 10:45 — “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

James and John made a big request of Jesus. They first said, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask you.” While they were misguided, they certainly didn’t lack confidence! Jesus didn’t make the mistake of agreeing without hearing first the specific favor they were asking. They were asking Jesus for the places of honor sitting on “little thrones” on each side of Him.

Application — If someone comes up and says, “Will you do a favor for me?” ask what it is before agreeing. Get the facts. Do not agree to favors for people without knowing clearly what is involved.

Worldly leadership is about commanding others what to do. The one who gives instructions the loudest and fastest is the best. Jesus said, “It is not this way among you.” This model of top-down, “I’m in charge, you WILL listen to me” is completely wrong. God wants His people who are leaders to lead by example, to lead by serving, to put others first, and to do it with no desire for personal credit. Greatness is not making others feel small to build ourselves up. Greatness is building up and helping others.

Reflect — Do you want to be great? What does Jesus tell us is the secret to greatness?

This seems to be the recipe for a bestseller. Write a book titled, “Become Great in One Simple Step.” Inside simply write “Serve.” That is all there is to it. It’s a simple step, but it is not easy. It is counter-intuitive. It is completely the opposite of our human nature.

Jesus’ words were not empty ones. Jesus is God. In fact, He had the right to demand that others serve Him. He had the right to make others feel inferior because they were. He had the right to say “I am more important than you. Stop wasting my time.” He had the right to stay in heaven forever and leave our sin problem to us. But He didn’t do that. He gave His life to serve us. He served us in life. And He served us in death.

Application — What specifically will you do to apply what we have learned today?

— From our Bible study on Mark 10:28-45

Philippians 2:3-4 — “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

Imagine what the world would be like if everybody followed this verse, doing “nothing from selfish ambition,” but looking after the interests of others. Selfishness is the root of almost all sin. Greed, envy, murder, adultery, lying, stealing, and gluttony are just a few of the sins that stem from selfishness.

The problem is that we all love ourselves. While it is difficult to eradicate all selfishness from our lives immediately, how can we start to achieve this goal? Firstly, we can make it a habit to examine our actions. Stop to think about why we are doing what we are doing. Secondly, we can think of specific areas where we tend to be selfish.

Application — What is one area you tend to struggle with selfishness? What can you do this week to put others first in this area?

Thirdly, we can come to the Word to see ourselves as we really are and pray to the Lord for strength to be more like Him.

Fourthly, we can actively look for ways to serve others. Serving others does not usually happen naturally. We need to keep our eyes open and be observant to watch for opportunities to serve. This is precisely the opposite of human tendency, which is to try to remain ignorant about what we can do to help others out.

While riding public transport, on many occasions, I have seen young men notice the elderly out of the corner of their eyes and then close their eyes and pretend to sleep, so they don’t have to give up their seats.

Application — How about in your home? Do you ever notice a full trash can or a sink full of dishes and then walk along, hoping that your spouse will see and take care of it first? Write out five specific ways you can look out for others’ interests in the coming week.

Looking out for number one will not give you joy. The word JOY can be taken as an acronym.

• J – Jesus
• O – Others
• Y – Yourself

To have true joy, you should put Jesus first, others second, and yourself last. Jesus is our ultimate example. Of all people who ever lived, He gave up the most in service of others. He genuinely had inherent rights and privileges, whereas we only think we have rights. Yet of all people, He was the one who was truly humble. Considering others more important than Himself, He gave up His own divine rights in order to serve others.

Jesus did not come the first time to rule or demand people to serve Him. He did not come to be served, but to serve (Mark 10:45). Jesus gave us the ultimate example of service when He stooped down to wash the disciple’s feet. If Jesus can lower Himself to serve others, how much more should we.

Application — What is one way you enjoy other people serving you? What is one way you can serve others in the coming week?

— From our Bible study on Philippians 2:1-11

Isaiah 42:1 — “Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.”

There is one job that I have never heard a single child mention. Being a servant. No one says, “I want to grow up and become a servant.” Yet one person did. One person’s entire life mission was to be a servant.

Jesus could have taken any title. He could have come as a king or a conqueror. But He chose to come as a servant. He lowered himself to become a man. Then He lowered Himself even further to become a servant of men.

• Jesus came to do His Father’s will.
• He did not come to be served but to serve
• Teaching
• Healing
• Busy to the point of not eating. His family thought he was crazy because he was ministering instead of eating.
• Lowering himself. Washing the disciples’ feet.
• He did all these things with a good attitude and without complaining.
• He served by giving His life.

Jesus is the Creator. Before coming to earth, He was in heaven on the throne with thousands of angels at His service. He deserved to be served. That is His right.

Application — If Jesus, who deserved to be served, lowered himself to become a servant, how much more should we? It is not our right to be served.

The last emperor of China was named Pu Yi. He grew up with servants all around him. He was so lazy that it is said he never tied his own shoe. Eventually, he was imprisoned for a while by the new government. Life was very difficult for him there. Before, he had his servants brush his teeth, but now he had to do these tasks on his own. Jesus did not call us to a life of ease like Pu Yi.

Do you identify as a servant? Jesus’ core identity was a servant. We do not need to chase titles. We are called to serve. Let us take on the mentality of the one we follow and become a servant. A servant puts others’ needs above his own. A servant takes initiative to do what needs to be done instead of waiting for others to do it. A servant lowers himself to take on the tasks others don’t want to do. Serve your spouse. Serve your children. Serve your classmates. Serve your neighbors. Serve in church.

— From our Bible study on The Lord’s Chosen Servant

Serving the Lord with a Humble Heart

Mark 9:35 — “And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, ‘If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.'”

God has designed things so that those who humble themselves will be exalted while those who exalt themselves will be humbled. Jesus is the greatest example of this. He humbled Himself to a greater extent than anyone else in all of history and He is also exalted higher than everyone else (Philippians 2). It is more blessed to give than to receive and it is more blessed to serve than to be served. This is completely contrary to how the world thinks.

But as we serve others, God notices. Serving others can give us joy on earth because we know we are doing what is right. Joy is not found in being stingy and selfish like Scrooge. That is the path to misery. We probably all know selfish people like that who only care for themselves. Odds are, they are some of the most unhappy people you will ever meet.

Another added benefit of serving others is that our relationship with them will also generally improve. For example, a husband who lovingly serves his wife and puts her first will likely find that her love and service for him grows in response.

Application — What are some practical ways you can be a better servant? Is there any area where you tend to put yourself first?

Jesus is teaching us that a true servant does not do things to get noticed or rewarded. Children normally cannot “return the favor” when we do something for them. They don’t have money to give to us. They don’t have the power with which they can help us. Helping kids is a “dead-end” avenue if you are doing it as a way to further your own ambitions. Service offered to those who can give nothing back is true service.

Application — What are some ways in which you can serve those who can give nothing in return? How could you get involved in serving children?

— From our Bible study on Mark 9:33-50

James 2:17 — “So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”

James gives an illustration to prove his main point, that faith without works is dead. A person in need comes to you for help. With smooth words, you bless the person and wish them well, sending them on their way. Judging only by your words, it would appear that you have great love, compassion, and mercy for this person. However, you do nothing tangible to help this person. They go away exactly the same as they came, in need. Your beautiful words did nothing to satisfy their need.

Thus, the rhetorical question: what use is that? The obvious answer — it is none. It is hypocritical, and it would be even better to just truthfully say, “I won’t help you. I don’t want to help you.” The implication is that words are not as important as actions. Empty words are useless. Just as words without action do not help people, neither does professed faith in God by itself show that someone is truly saved.

Application — What is our reaction when people need help? Do we truly help them out or just cop-out by saying, “I will pray for you”? If we say we will pray for them, do we really pray for them? Actions are more important than words. Never say, “I will pray for you,” unless you actually will pray for that person.

— From our Bible study on James 2:14-26

1 John 3:16-18 — “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”

Jesus showed us the prime example. He gave His life for us. That is love. It was something that wasn’t deserved. It was freely given with no strings attached. It was unconditional. It was an act. It was a choice. It was costly. It required a sacrifice.

Verse 16 says we should lay down our life for the brethren. I don’t think this means only give your physical life and die for someone. Most of us will not have this opportunity or need. But we need to die to self every day. We need to give ourselves as a living sacrifice. We need to treat others better than we treat ourselves. We need to put others first.

Verse 17 gives a practical way to love others. We can use our material possessions to help them. If we see people in need and refuse to help, then it is unloving.

Verse 18 expands on this. We are not to love in word or tongue. It is not just words. Words are easy to say. But telling someone you love them doesn’t make it true. True love is expressed through actions. Jesus gave His life for us.

Application — What do you do to show your love to others? Stop and consider for a moment if your closest relatives and friends feel your love. Can they feel your care? Or are your kind words just empty ones? Think of something practical and doable in the short term.

— From our Bible study on 1 John 3:11-24

Serving in the Church

Acts 6:3 — “Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty.”

The complaint was that the Hellenist widows were being ignored in the daily distribution. The church was not immune to the sin of partiality. The issue was brought to the attention of the apostles. They wisely solve it.

Acts 6:2, 4 — “And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, ‘It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.'”

A healthy church has a plurality of leaders. However, the leaders are not all doing the same thing. The role of elders and deacons is different. A healthy church needs deacons and volunteers to help with many practical day-to-day issues so that the elders can focus on spiritually taking care of the sheep.

Just because the deacons were not in charge of preaching and praying does not mean that the qualifications for deacons were low. They were to be men of “good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom.” Therefore, those serving in physical ways in the church should not consider that their role is not important.

There is a lovely family from India serving in our local church. Every Sunday, they arrive early. The husband makes sure the seats are ready, materials are put out for distribution, and all the offering bags and ushering name tags are ready. On communion Sunday, he helps prepare those. While he is doing that, his wife is taking all of the Sunday School materials to their respective rooms. Their twelve-year-old son helps with those tasks.

While many people attending church never see their service, God sees. It is a vital service to the body that helps ensure everything is well-prepared and running smoothly.

Hebrews 6:10 — “For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do.”

A healthy church leadership team is a lot like a basketball team. Every member of the team has the same goal: score more points than the opposition. Though they are working toward the same goal, each team member is not doing the same thing. Some are better defenders. Some are better passers. Some are tasked to shoot three-point shots. On a good team, each player knows his role. He knows his strengths and weaknesses. One player’s strengths cover another’s weaknesses. By working together in harmony, they can achieve far more than five lone rangers on the court trying to do their own thing and maximize their own glory.

Application — Are you on a team, perhaps at church, the office, or the home? Are you supporting your team members? Are you practicing good communication? How can you better support the others on the team and make them more successful at what they do?

— From our Bible study on Acts 6:1-7

Philippians 2:22 — “But you know Timothy’s proven worth, how as a son with a father he has served with me in the gospel.”

Timothy was a faithful disciple and close partner of Paul. Here, Paul gives him a big compliment: “I have no one like him who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare.” Many people, even ministers of the gospel, have served with layers of their own motivations. Perhaps they sought popularity, financial return, or had other ulterior motives. Timothy was not like that. He selflessly cared for those whom he ministered to, proving that he was in it for them and not for himself.

Application — From Timothy, we learn the importance of servant leadership. A leader should lovingly and humbly serve the flock. A minister of the gospel should not serve for money or recognition or any other motives but purely to help God’s people.

Epaphroditus was evidently a member of the Philippian church who had come from them as a messenger to Paul in order to minister to him in prison. He was a “fellow worker” and a “fellow soldier.” Paul says that he “risked his life” to come and minister to him. While visiting Paul, Epaphroditus came down with a sickness. His illness was severe, and he almost died.

Epaphroditus’ story reminds us that there are many kinds of workers serving in God’s kingdom. Not everyone is a Paul. Not all are called to be up front or famous. In the body of Christ, there are many types of people with many gifts and many callings. Paul’s ministry would not have been nearly as effective without faithful people like Epaphroditus, who helped and encouraged him along the way. For every effective pastor, there is a group of other believers serving behind the scenes. Some teach Sunday School. Some business-people give offerings and share in their communities. Prayer warriors give their time to fight spiritual battles on their knees. Those with the gift of hospitality invite others to their home or make meals for the sick. There is a need for every type of gifting in building God’s church.

Application — Are you actively serving the body of Christ and building God’s kingdom? Share one way you can support or encourage others who are serving God (like Epaphroditus did) this week.

Churches should not “over-exalt” pastors. They should not be raised up on a pedestal above others. The hand is not exalted over the foot, right? Every believer’s role is important. Men like Epaphroditus who serve in a more complimentary role should be respected as well.

— From our Bible study on Philippians 2:12-30

Serving Sacrificially No Matter Who You Are

Nehemiah 3:8 — “Next to them Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, goldsmiths, repaired. Next to him Hananiah, one of the perfumers, repaired, and they restored Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall.”

Eliashib, the high priest, arose together with his brothers and began the work. Notice that even the high priest joined the task. He is the first one mentioned, and I think that is significant. It shows that Nehemiah thought his example was important. Imagine how difficult it would be for Nehemiah to rally the people to build the wall if the high priest did not support it. The high priest set a good example. He also did not consider that he was too important to help or too high and mighty to get his hands dirty. Rather than sending servants as proxies, he dug in himself. This was hard work. It’s not glamorous. Eliashib was willing to dirty his hands because it needed to be done.

Application — Neither should we consider a God-given job to be beneath us. Whether the job is washing dishes, taking out the trash, or changing a diaper, we should humbly do our part with a good attitude.

Notice in this verse that both goldsmiths and perfumers worked on the wall. Perhaps goldsmiths had some talent in the area of building, but perfumers? Let’s face it. Building a wall was probably not their strength or gifting. Perfumers are something like the modern-day health and beauty sector. They designed sweet-smelling perfumes for weddings, rich people, or religious ceremonies. It is likely their hands were soft and they were used to gentle work. But here they are, way outside of their comfort zone, building a wall.

Application — We should not refuse to do work for the Lord with the excuse that “It is not my gifting.” There are certain things that God wants every believer to do. Sharing the gospel, discipling other believers, worshiping God, praying, memorizing Scripture, serving in the church, etc. are a few examples of things every believer should do. You may not be as good at it as others, but you still need to do it. God may want you to do something way outside of your comfort zone, but you still need to do it.

Do you notice anything special about Baruch? Whereas Nehemiah lists each person and says that they repaired their section of the wall, he says that Baruch “zealously” repaired his assigned section. Clearly, Baruch’s diligence made an impression upon him. Everyone was working, but Baruch stood out.

Application — He is an example we can aspire to. Whatever task God gives to us, we should do it zealously. It’s hard to imagine zealously repairing a broken-down wall, but Baruch did it. He likely had a smile on his face. Maybe he whistled or sang. He likely took fewer breaks than others and worked harder than average.

If a book were written about your work for the Lord, what would it say? Would it say you rested all the time? Would it say you cared more for your comfort and convenience than for finishing the job? Would it say you were a worker who did just enough to pass by? Would it say you were a good worker? Or would it say you zealously worked for the Lord? Which kind do you want to be? Then arise up and build for God!

— From our Bible study on Nehemiah 3

Nehemiah 5:18 — “Now what was prepared at my expense for each day was one ox and six choice sheep and birds, and every ten days all kinds of wine in abundance. Yet for all this I did not demand the food allowance of the governor, because the service was too heavy on this people.”

Nehemiah feared God. Because he feared God, he sacrificed his personal rights. Unlike the other governors, he did not get the governor’s allowance from the people, even though he was allowed to do so. This was normal and customary, but Nehemiah did not do it.

Because he feared God, he sacrificed his time and energy. He worked on the wall together with his servants. A good leader jumps right in to serve. He doesn’t ask other people to do what he himself is not willing to do.

Because he feared God, he sacrificed his own money. Instead of demanding the governor’s food allowance, he served one hundred and fifty Jewish officials every day at his own cost. That is not cheap! He was not looking after his own interests but the interests of others.

Nehemiah was not pursuing earthly rewards or treasures but heavenly ones.

— From our Bible study on Nehemiah 5

We hope you enjoyed this Bible study on service. May God use His Word to speak into your life and give you strength to follow it. Please take some time to reflect on the questions below and consider leaving a comment with your key takeaway or insight.

Reflection Questions

• What is one way you enjoy other people serving you? What is one way you can serve others in the coming week?
• What are some practical ways you can be a better servant? Is there any area where you tend to put yourself first?
• What is our reaction when people need help? Do we truly help them out or just cop-out by saying, “I will pray for you”?
• What do you do to show your love to others?
• How can you better support the others on the team and make them more successful at what they do?
• Are you actively serving the body of Christ and building God’s kingdom?
• If a book were written about your work for the Lord, what would it say?