September 22, 2013 AD, by Pastor Ben Willis

Paul’s Letter To the Galatians 6:1-10 [NLTse]

6 Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. 2 Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. 3 If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.

4 Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. 5 For we are each responsible for our own conduct.

6 Those who are taught the Word of God should provide for their teachers, sharing all good things with them.

7 Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. 8 Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. 9 So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. 10 Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.

Today we are going to be commissioning Mike Dickerson to serve First Presbyterian Church in the part-time position of Coordinator of Ministry Development. uuu (Here is a picture of Mike for those of you who might not yet know him.)

Mike’s been a part of our congregation for 14 years, I believe. He and his wife, Suzie, have grown children. He is a seminary graduate (among his other educational accomplishments), and is a retired bank president.

Mike has led and served among us in the offices of both elder and deacon over the years (a fairly rare thing since the two offices require such diverse abilities and temperaments). And he’s demonstrated his commitment to local and overseas missionaries, area youth, preaching, and church administration by his participation in these different areas of ministry.

As our congregation continues to grow I can no longer personally minister effectively to everyone who attends our church and effectively oversee our growing number of ministries. But we are not yet big enough to hire another pastor or full-time staff person. So the elders have created this part-time position we’re calling “Coordinator of Ministry Development”.

As I’ve shared in previous sermons, I believe the Bible makes absolutely clear that Jesus came to set us free from slavery-to-the-power-and-effects of sin, so that in such freedom we could love and serve Him and the people around us. I believe we do that by letting the Holy Spirit pour Himself into us (through Bible Studies, prayer meetings, and other discipleship groups) and us pouring ourselves out into others (through being a part of ministries that proclaim Christ and serve others in His name).

As we strive to establish more Small Groups for prayer, care, and study on the one hand, on the other hand it will be Mike’s job as the Coordinator of Ministry Development to help each of you live your lives to the fullest by finding ways to use the talents and abilities the Lord has given you in Christ’s service and to show the people of Milford, the Tri-States Area, and the world His steadfast love. In addition, Mike will be working to strengthen our existing ministries and establish new works as the Lord provides opportunities for us to serve Him and our neighbors in new ways.

Those of you who know Mike know that he is perfect for this position because of his knowledge of the Bible, his administrative experience, his direct, no-nonsense approach, and his love for Christ and for people. Mike will be sharing how he first met the Lord and gave his life to Him in a little bit, and how that’s led to him offering himself for Christ’s service among us today.

With that in mind, I hope that Mike’s joining our staff will serve as a challenge to each of us across the church, to get involved in Christ’s ministry here, as I’d like to share four reasons the Bible gives us as to the importance of serving others:

First, serving models the life of Jesus. uuu In Mark 10:45, we read that Jesus came not to be served but to serve and to give His life as ransom. We discover true greatness when we serve because we are becoming like Christ when we serve others.

Secondly, serving is the natural response to the gospel. uuu In Romans 12:1-2, Paul urges the Christians to present their bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God. The basis for this appeal is the magnificent mercies of God. The depth of the gospel message propels us into a life of all out service to Him. When we rightly understand what we’ve been saved from, we’ll desire to give our lives to Him in service, not to earn His favor or to repay Him but as a natural, loving response to what He’s already accomplished for us.

Third, serving utilizes the spiritual gifts God has given us. uuu In I Peter 4:10-11, we learn that each of us has been given a spiritual gift that is to be used to serve others. Each of us is on mission with God to build up the body of Christ so that all become mature in the Lord. As we use our gifts in the ministries of the church, not only are we helping others grow spiritually but we also are growing into maturity.

And lastly, serving combats our natural self-centeredness. uuu In Philippians 2:3-4, we learn that we are to look not only to our own interests but also to the interest of others, as a way of imitating what Christ has done for us. We are all naturally self-centered but serving in the church is a grace by which we combat those sinful tendencies and consider others more important than ourselves.

Let’s put ourselves to God’s work. Offer yourselves to be a part of Christ’s ministry here, and say “yes” when others approach you to serve in ways they believe you to be gifted and called.

For our good, for Milford and the Tri-State Area’s good. Because God is so good…