SANCTIFIED SERVICE
"Most people would like to serve God, but in an advisory capacity only." ~Unknown
There is perhaps nothing more beautiful in the Christian life, than seeing someone who has come to genuine faith in Jesus Christ, begin to serve Him out of the purest motivation of love and thanksgiving. Few things are more natural and uplifting in the Body of Christ than this. On the other hand however, there is something very unnatural and awkward about seeing an unbeliever serving within the church. It just doesn't seem to fit; its like a square peg being forced into a round hole!
It's true that we should refrain from making snap judgments concerning someone's salvation, saying, 'Oh, they're not saved!' or 'Yes, they are saved!', based on their own profession of faith. We just don't have the ability to determine that truth with any degree of accuracy. True, we are called to examine the fruit of someone who claims that they are a follower of Christ, but we should concentrate more on discipling them rather than judging them, and try to win them to Christ if they haven't accepted Him yet. Apart from this though, comes a question often asked in modern churches, and perhaps more traditional ones as well; and that is, "Should someone who openly confesses that they have not made a decision to follow Christ yet, and have no visible interest in doing so, be given the opportunity to serve, in any capacity, within the church?"
Surprisingly, the number of people who are just as passionate about saying, "Well of course they should be allowed to serve!", are rivaling those who would say, "Absolutely not, they need to make a profession of faith first!" Having said that, I'm going to have to disagree with the former, and side with the latter. The biblical pattern for serving the Lord, regardless of the type of service; be it, singing or playing drums on the worship team, teaching Sunday school, feeding the poor, changing diapers in the nursery, pulling the weeds in the parking lot, or preaching from the pulpit, is always that we serve because we are saved. We serve, as unto the Lord! As Paul said, "...whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. (Col 3:23-24)"
Serving is not a valid evangelism tool, because there is no other valid basis for serving other than it being a response of thanksgiving toward God for what Jesus has done for us on the cross, and an obedience to His word as a follower. We serve as a living sacrifice for Christ, allowing Him to live in and through us, in the manner that He directs. All other service is filthy rags righteousness; wood hay, and stubble that is not going to help that unbeliever, in fact it will probably end up hurting them in the long run, because they may believe that it is somehow sanctifying them, or giving them bonus points with God, when it is not.
Beyond that, we also have an obligation to protect and preserve the Body of Christ first and foremost. We are not in the business of fulfilling the carnally motivated desires of unbelievers who are just casually checking out, "this Christianity stuff". The most pressing need in their lives is that they repent of their sins and be reconciled to God through Christ. Making people feel good about themselves in their sinful state, by enabling them to partake in acts Christian service, only reinforces the notion, within their minds already, that they can still be a good person and get to heaven without becoming a Christian. Additionally, this backward approach to conversion does not exist anywhere in the New Testament!
Early on in my pastoral ministry experience, despite the cautions in the word to, "...not lay hands on anyone hastily, nor share in other people's sins..." (1Tim 5:22), I decided to let a man "serve" up on stage, reading the announcements because he had a great voice, and I thought this would encourage him to grow in his faith. He was a really nice guy in his mid 50's, and I personally enjoyed his friendship, but I always felt that his salvation was questionable at best. After several months of "serving" in this position, he announced to me one day that, he had fallen in love with my then 15 year old daughter (who was completely unaware of this attraction, thank God), and wanted to know if he could begin dating her. Long story short, I asked him to step down from "serving" and he left the church angrily. The last time I spoke to him, he informed me that he had been "worshiping god" in the forest, and didn't believe in organized religion anymore. Lesson learned!
By Pastor Glen Mustian
Works Cited:
New King James Version
