The Purpose of The Church- Service Adapted from a Jeffery Anselmi sermon http://www.sermoncentral.com/print_friendly.asp?SermonID=60622

2. “Our purpose is to evangelize the lost,
to edify the saints,
and to equip God’s people for service.”
As we have looked at the question “What is
the Purpose of the Church, thus far we have
identified three areas of that should be
included in the purpose of the church,
worship, fellowship, discipleship.

3. Today I want to look at an area that a lot of
churches struggle with.
It is an area that if neglected it will make the
church and those who are a part of it
become self-centered.

4. One of the purposes of the church is to
serve, to minister.
We sometimes call specific areas of service
ministries.
The church is called to minister to people. It
is called to serve people.

5. When we neglect this purpose we will end up
just sitting and soaking.
We will learn a lot about what we are called
to do but spending little to no time doing it.
When we forget we are called to service, we
then change our focus from “What does God
want us to do in order to carry out His
mission”, to “I want what I want.”

6. This is an area that many times we excuse
ourselves because we think that someone
else will do it.
ESV
Today I want to look at the purpose of
service.
I want to look at what we are to do to fulfill
this purpose.

7. ESV
(minister)
(Minister)

8. What is a “minister”?
A minister is a servant.
The word translated “minister” is also the
same word that is translated “deacon”.
Jesus came to serve.

9. We are called to serve God in some way
because of what He has done for us.
ESV

10. ESV

11. The church leaders and teachers are the
ones who help prepare people for ministry.
This work of service can be translated work
of ministry.
ESV

12. What ways are you serving Jesus?
William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army,
was interviewed near the close of his life.
This is what he said: "God had all there was
of me. There have been others who had
greater plans, greater opportunities than I;
but from the day I got a vision of what God
could do, I made up my mind God would
have all there was of William Booth."

13. Ministry is using whatever God has given me
to serve Him and the needs of others.
ESV

14. ESV

17. The size of the ministry is not important.
What is the most important light in the
house?
The little night light that keeps you from
killing yourself in the middle of the night
when you head for the refrigerator.

18. ESV

20. Look again at verse 6!
This passage shows us that it is important for
each of us to use our gifts in service to
Jesus.

21. ESV

22. ESV

24. What if those who are gifted in evangelism
bring in a lot of people, but then we do not
have people who are gifted in teaching or
hospitality?
After a while, we will either lose the new
people or they will not grow in Christ.

25. ESV
When one part does not function, the rest of
the body is affected.

26. Do you wonder why God did not make us all
the same?
Why didn’t God give us all the same
abilities?

27. ESV

28. Of course God knows that each one of us is
unique.
He purposely created each of us.
There are many different jobs that need to be
done in order for the work of the kingdom to
get done.

29. One of the greatest frustrations a person can
have in trying to serve God is to be pushed
into an area of service we feel we cannot do.
Now I do not want people to use this for an
excuse for not reaching out to people or
trying to stretch themselves.
We are to all witness to people, although we
will all do it a little different.

30. As you look around us, you will notice that
each of us has a different shape.
Did you know that your ministry or area of
service should be determined by your
SHAPE.
Rick Warren uses the word SHAPE as an
acronym for.
Spiritual Gifts (How God has gifted me)
Heart (passion, What do I love to do?)
Abilities (What natural talents do I have?)
Personality (Where does my personality
best suit me to serve?)
Experience (What experiences have I had?)

31. Experience
1) Education
2) Vocational
3) Spiritual
4) Ministry. (how you have served in the
past)
5) Painful (What problems, hurts and trials
have you learned from)

32. ESV
We are all different because God made us
that way.
Your personality will affect how you use your
spiritual gifts; your passion will affect what
you place as important.

33. Too many times we go about things
backwards.
We feel since we do not know what we are
gifted in, we do nothing.
We think we can take a test to find out what
our SHAPE really is.
The best way to find out where your gifts,
talents and heart is, is to serve in many
different areas and from that you will settle
into what you are good at.

34. If the church is not a church that focuses on
serving others, then what will happen to us is
we will become friendly to ourselves, we will
take care of ourselves, and we will focus our
resources on ourselves.
If as a collective body of believers, we are
not each focused on serving or some area of
ministry, the whole body will be hurt.

35. If I have areas of ability I will not use for the
body of Christ that gathers here, then I am
hurting the body of Christ here.
For this body to function, we need each and
every part of it to be functioning.

36. God did not call us to sit on the bench, but
He called us to find a position on the field
and play the game.
What happens on a team when part of the
team decides not to do its job?
It is my prayer each and every member of
the Lindley Christian Church is an active part
of the body, & each one of us is serving the
body of Christ in some way.

37. Too many times we sit back and want to be
served and then we complain about the
service.
Too many times we feel sorry for ourselves.
The best way to get out of that is to serve
others.
Remember we are to be like Jesus, Jesus
came to serve, He came to seek and save
those who are lost.

38. At the end of World War I, Herbert Hoover,
later to become President of the United
States, led the allied relief efforts in Europe.
He kept hundreds of thousands from
starving, and a new word entered the Finnish
language.

39. In Finland, to “Hoover” means to be kind, to
help.
If someone coined a word from your name,
what would it be?
Would it signify character?
Helpfulness?
Cheerfulness?
Or would it be some mean and ugly word?