“Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God” (I Cor. 4:1).
In Greek, the word “minister” is the same as “servant.” What comes to your mind when I say the word servant? Is it the person who waits on you at the café? Is it the nurse who wheels you into the doctor’s office? The sad thing is, many of God’s children have this mindset of serving God, doing so, and expecting something in return. This is being rewarded for what one does for another. But the Biblical definition of the word servant is somewhat different. “Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing” (Luke 12:43).
The word servant in Greek is doulos (δοῦλος), which means a slave, bondman, a man very obedient and trying hard to please, devoted to another to the disregard of one’s own interests.
Wow, very little of this definition matches the one in the dictionary. Paul said, “I am crucified with Christ.” When God calls us to be His children, He is calling us to a lifetime of faithful servitude. This servitude is an attitude exemplified by Christ, who, “though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant” (Phil. 2:6-7). If you look at Matt. 28:18-20, you will see that all believers are called to ministry. And therefore, we are called to be servants for the glory of God. The Bible does not mince words when it comes to pleasing God: “But whoever will be great among you, let him be your minister” (Matt. 20:26). Paul said, “For though I be free from all men, yet I have made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more” (I Cor. 9:19). “And Jesus said unto him, no man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the Kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62).
From Our Missionaries
Ebenezer, West Little Rock: Ruben Isturiz writes, “God has been shaping Ebenezer to transform our mission into an established church, and a key area of this growth has been our Sunday worship. Sister Joselyne Rico is doing an extraordinary job in this area. Before she and her husband became involved in Ebenezer, our worship was based on music tracks. Now, for the first time, we have someone who plays the piano, and we enjoy live music, which has been an immense blessing.
“At Ebenezer, we have always wanted to avoid what happens in some congregations where only the worship team sings. We want a congregation that expresses its love for God through singing and testimonies, which is why we call our Sunday meeting a ‘Celebration Service.’ Sister Joselyne has also been giving singing lessons every Saturday, which has helped us learn the songs and participate better on Sundays.
“Finally, I want to thank God for answering my prayers. I now have a new part-time job that allows me to fulfill most of my responsibilities at Ebenezer. Although I no longer have as much time as I did before to prepare new material or workshops, this new schedule allows me to continue with other areas of the ministry. Thank you all for your support and prayers. We are a team in Christ. Glory to God!”
Faith Chapel, Flippin: Johnny Shew writes, “What a great week we had at Faith Chapel! We had a really good number for Sunday School, but then several had to leave. Then, more came, and we had a great time of worship!
“Praise God, I am finally able to report that the sheetrock is hung, and they are supposed to start finishing it Monday morning! It looks like a building now instead of a skeleton, and it will be so wonderful to be in there and use those classrooms to make disciples for our Lord! The kids (and adults) were picking out the classrooms that they wanted. Praise God again, we are all excited! And if any of you are ever in our area, we hope that you will stop by and visit us. We love visitors! We want to thank you all again for your generous support in helping us to do this. But we especially want to thank you for your prayers! The Lord is answering in mighty ways!”
Faith Journey, Benton: Bryan Clay writes, “We had an eventful and spirit-filled week at Faith Journey! On Wednesday night, we were honored to take part in the Fields of Faith event hosted by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes at a local high school. There were over 400 students and adults who attended the event, where a message was presented, testimonies were given and a time of worship with praise music and prayer took place. Faith Journey served with the response team during the invitation, and we witnessed many students give their lives to Christ, along with several rededications of faith. It was truly a powerful night of worship and transformation.
“On Friday, we visited a local middle school to meet with the Mountain Movers — a group of sixth graders who gather for fellowship and worship. We had a wonderful time of sharing God’s Word and encouraging these young students in their faith.
“Sunday brought more blessings in both our morning and evening services. The Holy Spirit was present in our mission, and it was clear that our folks were feeling blessed to be there. Even with a few folks out due to various reasons, we had a strong turnout, including several first-time guests. Our hearts are full of gratitude for all He is doing in our Faith Journey family.”
Misión Gracia Soberana (Sovereign Grace), NWA:Roberto Marcelletti writes, “Greetings sisters and brothers in Christ. We started the week with the Grace women’s ministry meeting. My wife taught them how to do a Bible study. Now, every week, a sister leads the study. The sisters are very happy with what God is doing in their lives and in the group. In addition, the sisters are planning two celebrations that we will have in the month.
“We will celebrate the Hispanic Day event for which we are praying, since we will invite the community to enjoy the event and listen to the gospel. That day, we will show the different nationalities, customs, foods and the state of the gospel in each country, then we will pray for each nation represented.
“The other event is the day of pastoral appreciation. Sister Mayerlin is in charge of organizing that day. Pray that the Lord will give us grace and favor for the community, and the immigration issue that has complicated our evangelistic work.”
Epic Life, Pea Ridge: Jake McCandless writes, “This week, both our Connection Groups met and had strong turnouts.
“Our Woodbridge Group made plans to expand its work. Our meeting was like a mini version of a church’s long-range planning meeting. We were struggling to manage the large number of children and youth. There had also been an interest in doing some men’s and women’s only events. We made plans to try the next six weeks, splitting our meeting with a youth group and an adult group on Wednesday. Couples will rotate in and out to lead the youth. We are also installing cameras for accountability. Our men and women of that group will meet once separately once a month on separate nights.
“Our Garfield Group had their monthly fellowship meal and had a great night. Both groups start new studies next week. Our Bella Vista group is still on track to start soon.
“We gathered on Sunday for a Collective Gathering in Room 161. Our turnout struggles on those nights. We often hear that people prefer the connection and depth of ongoing Connection Groups. But it was still a powerful night of worship, and I shared a message from Zechariah. The night was extended as we prayed over our leaders and upcoming outreach opportunities.”
