This New Year, Resolve to Serve Your Local Church

Let the new year commence, and with it the many flimsy resolutions that’ll last until mid-January.

But before you finalize that list, here’s one resolution to consider adding above “nix sweet treats” and setting your mind to wholeheartedly: serve your local church.

Why?

Not because 20 percent of our church is doing 80 percent of the work. Or that we want to pad Cedar Crest’s growth metrics.

Our reasoning is grounded in much simpler and biblical terms. Take a look.

OUR SAVIOR SERVED

We worship a God who is all about serving. Yes, Christ’s incarnation takes service and sacrifice to the highest degree. One doesn’t even need to dig deep into Christology to discern this truth. Our Savior tells us directly with his own lips.

“Even as the Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom to many.”

Matthew 20:28

What else need be said? Jesus didn’t spend his life and ministry catering to his own needs and desires but rather serving the least of these. If Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords, humbled himself to a lowly servant, how much more is it incumbent of us as subservient vessels to do likewise?

Christ loved the church to the point of death on a cross. With a servant’s heart, let us strive to cherish and care for his bride like he did.

CALLED TO SERVE

In addition to Christ’s perfect example, we find other commands throughout Scripture calling Christians to not neglect the purpose of spiritual gifts.

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace,”

1 Peter 4:10

In other words, serving isn’t optional.

According to Peter, each and every one of us possesses unique gifts, and thereby a calling to steward them well in service to our Lord. Writing to a scattered and suffering body of believers, Peter’s words further emphasize the importance of building up the church by exercising the talents and abilities God has equipped us with.

We have all been given gifts apportioned to us by God’s sovereign grace (Romans 12:6). Our Lord hasn’t left it up for us to decide if or how we should use them.

He’s told us through his inspired word.

CREATED TO SERVE

Not only are we called to follow in Christ’s footsteps by taking the form of a servant (Philippians 2:7), it’s what we are created to do.

No matter what, the human heart will ultimately serve something: either idols or God. It’s in our DNA. But our heart cannot serve two masters (Matthew 6:24).

We who are in Christ have spurned the idols vying for our devotion and found freedom in his blood. Therefore, we can proceed boldly into the services—good works—he has prepared in advance for us (Ephesians 2:10).

“For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”

Galatians 5:13

Paul warns that this newfound freedom should not lead to licentiousness, for we are now governed by the Spirit and walk in love. He adds a key instruction to avoid falling to the flesh: assign your energies and passions to serving your Christian brethren.

NEXT STEPS

So, this new year, I challenge you to make a rewarding resolution—serve your local church.

The fruit of your labor might not be as obvious as weight loss or more money in your savings, but in time you’ll catch a glimpse of its eternal value. The rest will be revealed on the other side of eternity.

---

Find your place of service within the Cedar Crest family.

We also recommend you take this spiritual gifts survey to gain a better idea of your strengths. Coupled with prayer, this will help you decide what ministry you might best fit in.

*Some opportunities may require additional qualifications.