“I would believe only in a God that knows how to dance.”
Nietzsche.

“I will believe in the Redeemer when the Christian looks a little more redeemed.” Nietzsche.

“Faith without works is dead.”
James.

The first two quotes above came from Friedrich Nietzsche, an early Existentialist/atheist, who is worth reading even though he got progressively more surly the older he got. The third quote is from the Bible and is saying basically the same thing. You might know Nietzsche from his hits “God is Dead”, or “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” He had some good ones. But he definitely had a ‘tude when it came to Christians. Not a big fan. He bitterly criticized what he saw as the doom and gloom, hyper-religious, “so heavenly minded they’re no earthly good” mindset among the Christians of his day, and even though he really didn’t know enough about the real Gospel to take shots at it, he does give us a glimpse of how other people sometimes see us. We can learn a lot from our critics, even if they have an agenda. They let us know how we are coming across…and sometimes the truth hurts.

The beef that Nietzsche had with Christians was that they said they believed something, but it didn’t show up in real life. Their faith didn’t seem to affect the way they lived. They said they were “happy” but they forgot to inform their face! If that was the case (and I do think Nietzsche was pushing it a little) it exposes a very real issue in Christianity…what part does outward service play in the Christian life?

We know that we are saved by God’s unmerited favor for us, not by working for it or earning it. However, if you are really, honestly following Jesus, then you should act like it. Period. “Acting like it” doesn’t save you, it just shows that you are saved. That’s what James meant when he said “Faith without works is dead.” He went on, “Dear friends, do you think you'll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, "Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!" and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn't it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?

I can already hear one of you agreeing by saying, "Sounds good. You take care of the faith department, I'll handle the works department."

Not so fast. You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than I can show you my faith apart from my works. Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove.” (James 2:14-18)

It doesn’t get much clearer, serving is one of the easiest ways to “live out” our faith, and arguably one of the most useful.

At Existence, we are encouraging each other to get more involved by serving in some way in one of the ministry opportunities once a month.

There are the “Official” ministries: Children’s Ministry, Serve the City, Reach the City, please check out the website. But there are others… hospitality, coffee house, cleaning and maintaining the facilities, prayer, Life Groups, Mexico outreach, and more. The best part of this is that by serving we are working together for God’s kingdom, combining our collective gifts, and doing something tangible to affect people’s lives.

Again, Shawn Kennedy is the clearinghouse for this, he is waiting for your call. Keep him busy.

Two more thoughts:

1) Jesus is our model. “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."(Mark 10:45) It’s in serving that we are most like Jesus.

2) You can make a difference in someone’s life. I still remember my 3rd grade Sunday School teacher (which is saying quite a bit about my long-term memory!). She helped me come to Jesus. You have the opportunity to leave a legacy, something that will last, by giving of your time and energy in serving others. In God’s economy bigger isn’t always better, flashy is unimportant, and true, honest, humble service is the ticket.

Remember:

• No service is too small, we all work together.
• You are important, you have much to offer.
• In spite of the benefit we derive from serving in terms of feeling good about ourselves, the Bible says God even keeps track of our good deeds and somehow has some version of a “bonus plan” someday in heaven. So we got that going for us, which is nice. (ref: Caddyshack).

Ask yourself some Questions:

1) Has God led you to Existence? Think about it. If God brought you here, he has a place for you to serve.

2) Where do I serve? Anywhere. Be creative. Maybe ask where there is a need, and see if you can fill it. We’re not talking major, specialized skill sets here. Most any of us can pass out fliers, push a broom, change a diaper (okay, gotcha!), paint, dig, clean, smile, go to the store, carry stuff, listen, play with kids, you get the idea.

Final thought, really. I am collecting some pretty cool memories after being at Existence for a year now. The fondest ones have nothing to do with anything I have done by myself. When I think about the best times, the most fun, the truly satisfying ministry moments, the laugh so hard you almost embarrass yourself times… they are all connected with SERVING with others. That’s the truth, but not really that surprising, that’s how God made us…to find ourselves by giving ourselves away.

Let’s keep finding ourselves.

Blessings,
Gerry Limpic

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