service1

1 Cor 3:5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?
1 Cor 3:6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.

This is the first level of service. Working For God. This is where we all began our Christian work. We see something in the word and start doing it. Maybe we read “Ye shall be witnesses unto me.” In response we start passing out tracts and sometime telling someone about Jesus. This level of service is not at all bad. Through this level we learn obedience and “obedience is better than sacrifice.” We have a need to be busy and this is a great place to start.

Working for God has two major weaknesses. First it usually is need oriented. We see a need and try to meet the need. We move from the need to the Word and back to the need. In doing this it's easy to become motivated by needs rather than by the word of God.

Jesus was not need controlled, He got His orders from The Father, not the people. He delighted “To do Thy will, O my God.” Had Jesus been need motivated He would not have healed one man at the pool of Bethesda and walked away. He didn't feed every group. To some He did miracles to some He didn't. Jesus came for one purpose, to reveal the Father and to do His will.

Christ didn't commission us to beat ourselves to death trying to meet all the needs we see. When any of us are controlled by the needs of others, we are out of control. We get on a treadmill rushing from one need to another. This is where “burn out” comes from.

Another weakness of working for God is that it becomes legalistic and harsh. We tend to think all should be doing what we are doing. These have a street ministry and think all should be doing the same. Whatever these are doing they think all should do the same. After all they have scripture to back up what they do! These would make everybody a waterier or a plowman, etc.

Many times those who began working for God get sidetracked into working for people in God's name. Their works are worthy, the needs are honorable, and their dedication is evident.

This level of service is very popular because it doesn't require an abiding relationship with our Lord. This is something being done for God, not with Him. It is people centered and need motivated and gets the attention on us and makes us the one who people look to. Is that what we want?

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