TALKING POINTS / WALKING POINTS
Dig deeper into the message during the sermon, in your personal Bible study, or with your family or Community Group in application-driven discussion.
COMMUNITY GROUP LEADER’S GUIDE
SERMON SUMMARY
As an entertainer, Elvis Presley was an enormous success—but as a man, he was unfulfilled and unhappy. When he died of obesity and drug dependency at 42, his wife, Priscilla, said this about her late husband: “Elvis never came to terms with who he was meant to be or what his purpose in life was… That agonizing desire was always with him and he knew he wasn’t fulfilling it. So he’d go on stage and he wouldn’t have to think about it.” So sad. God wants every Christian to know and fulfill his purpose in life (Ephesians 2:10). Christians are shaped to serve others (1 Peter 4:10), and any time you use your talents, your abilities, your experiences to help someone else, you’re ministering—and that makes you a minister. At TCC, we believe every member is a minister. You were created for that purpose.
God has given us the perfect model of a servant in the person of his Son Jesus Christ (Matthew 20:26- 28). God has uniquely shaped each one of us. Our “shape” is a unique combination of our Spiritual gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, and our Experiences. Today we’re going to learn how to serve like Jesus. And to serve like Jesus, we must share Jesus’ attitude toward service. Three things are required to serve like Jesus: We need to [1] be available. Most of Jesus’ ministry and most of the miracles performed occurred as a result of interruptions (Matthew 20:30-32). The same is true for us (Proverbs 3:28). John Wesley said: “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, by all the ways you can, in all the places you can, and at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you can.” That is a recipe for greatness! But to do that, you must be available.
What are some barriers to availability? The first is self-centeredness (Philippians 2:4). Perfectionism also keeps others from ministering (Ecclesiastes 11:4). Finally, materialism stops many of us (Luke 16:13). Jesus didn’t say, “You should not serve both God and money.” He said, “You cannot serve both God and money.” You’ve got to decide whether you want to be rich, or used and blessed of God. Are you going to be a kingdom-builder, or a wealth-builder?
If you are going to serve like Jesus, you also must [2] be grateful (Psalm 100:2) and [3] be faithful (John 17:4; 1 Corinthians 4:2). We should be grateful for all that God has done for us as well as for the rewards he promises for the future. What we do here on earth really matters (1 Corinthians 15:58; Mark 9:41). In God’s eyes, no faithful service is insignificant. Several years ago two teenage boys came to a church service much like this, but they couldn’t find a seat so they turned to leave when an usher said, “Hey boys, don’t leave, I’ll find you a seat.” That night both of those young men placed their faith in Jesus Christ. One of them was someone you have heard of. His name is Billy Graham.
There are always more needs to be met than there are people who are willing to come down out of the stands and get into the game. God didn’t bring you here just to sit in the stands and cheer. He brought you here to serve (Hebrews 6:10). If everyone who calls Triangle Community Church their home began to serve here, if we would all get in the game, what kind of enormous, spiritual, nuclear reaction would we see in the Triangle and beyond? I think it would be phenomenal!
APPLICATION / CHALLENGE
“As followers of Christ it is our privilege to serve others. God has given each of us different talents, skills, and experiences that can be used to serve God and others. And, God is glorified when we use the gifts that He’s given us to grow and bless others around us. Now is a great time to “Get in the Game” at TCC and make a difference by serving!” —Pastor Doug
Visit TCC.org/Ministry to learn about:
- Children’s Ministry
- Worship & Creative Arts…
- …and all of our other ministries!
TAKE ONE STEP
Each week, write down one doable concrete step of obedience, small or large, that you will put into practice this week. (James 1:22: “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.”)