Week 5 | The Joy of Serving | Dan

"Give God whatever you have." This quote left a big impression on me right from the beginning. When you put to use whatever God gave you, no matter how small it may seem, God will take it and use it. I need to practice this in faith. "Culture, not a program." I love the language he uses here because culture is so much more deeply rooted. Programs on the other hand have a start time and an end time. Culture can also be a pretty scary concept because it's kind of like habits; They're almost impossible to change. That's why the pastor says you better make sure your culture is intentional and not something that just happened. When you're actively involved in a culture, you can't help but share in the fruit and blessings that come. In God's kingdom, only the great can be servants, great in love, patience, grace, endurance, and perseverance. Jesus himself said he will be found among those who serve. Don't forget who you are; You are a servant, no matter what you do. "You're never more like Jesus than when you serve." We should start looking at serving as something you aspire to, as a great achievement. 50% of what we need to know as Christians is learned through sermons and teachings (50% is still failing). The other 50% is learned when you get your hands dirty and start serving. This is good to know because we have to know the value of application and working out our faith. It's interesting that the original word for "gifts" has meanings such as "gifts of grace" and "joy." Serving with our gifts = joy = max effectiveness and minimum weariness. What the world needs to see is this joy. This is what'll draw them to Jesus and the church. All the fancy things we do won't count for anything if we're working on the wrong assignment. Let's realize that Ekko is a team, and everything that happens at church is a culmination of all of our efforts as various members of the body. There isn't just one presentation of the gospel during service by the pastor. There are many different presentations, from the setup crew, welcoming team, parking attendants, etc.