Servants of the Gospel
...we are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do. (Luke 17:10)
Go ye unto all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. (Mark 16:15)
I have been thinking about these two verses a lot lately, wrestling with them to determine what this means in my life. It is interesting to me that God has given us all the same scripture to read, the same instructions to follow, and yet through the divine gifts of free will and creative thought you and I can each take scripture, preaching, exhortation, or answer to prayer and implement them differently in our own lives. My dad mentioned last night that in marriage if both husband and wife were exactly the same it would be a boring marriage. In our marriage with Christ if we were all exactly the same we would not be able to have an effective church. With that in mind, I’ll share my thoughts on these scriptures and you determine what they mean to you.
I believe that these two scriptures complement each other. In each of them Jesus is giving instruction to the disciples (and to us) what our mission is as Christians. As Christians we must DO something, it is not a passive walk but it is one of action.
In the reference above to Luke it is the culmination of the verses 7-10 discussing the actions of a servant. The servant is indebted to the master and takes care of the needs of the master’s household, working the field and preparing the supper to insure that he has done the things which are right in the master’s sight. And at the end of this the servant isn’t looking for some high honor or praise for this work… he just receives his meal after he has finished his work. Then Christ says that we should be like this servant.
What has God called on me to do today, and did I listen? Did I perform it to the best of my ability? These are questions that I ask myself, and want the answer to be yes at all times. I’m afraid that sometimes I can grow complacent in the love, mercy, peace, and grace that God affords and forget that there is action in salvation. Not just an action of worship, but an action of service as well. This service may take sacrifice… I may have to work in the fields and after a full day of that come in and prepare the meal before I rest.
I think we must also consider the positions available and our capabilities to perform them. Not all of us are preachers, not all of us teachers…. What can I do in the service of Jesus that is beneficial? And am I using the skills that I possess?
When we worked on the new Bible School Chapel I remember there was a lot of work to be done. In that work they needed one more person the roof to help and they hollered for me to come up. I’ve been on a roof, it isn’t my thing, and I’m definitely not skilled at it. I was willing to go up there, but Brother Garth told them they’d be better to find someone that was comfortable on a roof.
I think our work with Christ is similar. There are times that we jump in and work on things with which we are not comfortable, but we excel if we do those things that we have some skill at. That isn’t to say we shouldn’t stretch ourselves or help others when needed, but what am I good at? What has God given me to do? I should focus on that. That doesn’t mean that what I do will be easy, but it can be effective.
Looking at the second verse we see that Jesus gave a charge to us to bring the Gospel to others. In Matthew 28 it is written as well and is called “The Great Commission”. The wonderful thing about telling others about Christ is it actually blesses me to tell someone else about something that can bless them. I’m wrestling with how to do that myself. At one time it was tents and travel and boats. Now what is it? We use YouTube and FaceBook and websites and newsletters. But how do I fit in, and how do I tell someone I meet that “I Have Good News to Bring, that’s why I shout and sing”? This is the struggle for me. Lynn and I have found some ways through small group and volunteering. But that way may not be your way. Your path may be different.
I mentioned above that the differences in a husband and wife make the marriage successful. Expand that to our marriage to Christ. We are all married to Christ and our differences make that marriage successful. We must embrace the skills, the experiences, and the knowledge that we each have to spread the Gospel. My efforts may not be the same as yours. We must support each other in our endeavors, but we may approach things differently. We may have different fields to harvest, and use different tools to plant, to grow, and to harvest those fields. But let us each embrace the field God has given us and work so that at the end of the day when we sit to eat we can say we are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.
-Bro. Drew Norman
