CHRISTIAN SERVICE TO:

(a) Neighbours

(Luke 10:27)

• Jesus tells us a neighbour is anyone who needs our help.
• Luke 10:27 tells us that we should love our neighbours as we love ourselves.
• The Bible tells us of a man who was beaten by robbers on his way to Jerusalem.
• Two people, a priest and a Levite, came and passed him instead of helping him. 
• A good Samaritan who was passing by came and assisted the man.
• As Christians we are told that we should help those in need. We don’t have to know the person to offer help.

• In John 2:1-11, Jesus had attended a wedding in Cana of Galilee. The bridegroom had run out of wine Jesus helped him by turning water into the best wine. 
• There are many ways that we can help our neighbours. We can help by: sharing with them what we have like food, water and clothes, telling them the word of God and serving them whenever they are in need.
• By doing this we are showing God’s love to them, which makes God happy with us.

(b). The employer

(Ephesians 6:6 - 8 )

• An employer is a person or a company that offers jobs to people. Employers usually pay their employees for the work done.
• Employees are expected to

1. Follow the instructions given.

2. Respect their employers.

3. Work diligently without complaining.

• In turn the employer should
• Treat his/her employees well by paying them well and on time.
• Give them the conditions and terms of service.
• In Ephesians 6:6-8, we are told to work diligently, not for our masters but for our own satisfaction and to do so “not only when they are watching you”.
• We are to obey our employers and to love our work. When we respect our employers we are obeying God.

(c)  The Church

(Romans 12:9 - 21, Mark 11:15 - 18) 

• The church is a place of worship from which we offer prayers to God.
• The church is also the body of all believers in Jesus Christ.
• We do God’s activities in the church.
• In Mark 11:15-18, we see how Jesus threw out traders from the temple. He knew that it was meant to be a house of prayer for all people, yet these traders had turned it into a hideout for thieves.
• God wants us to be good and sincere in our actions.
• He also wants us to respect His house of prayer. Through the church we are able to preach and reach out to others.

How do Christians offer service to the Church? 

• By loving others in all sincerity, as brothers and sisters.
• Christians should shun evil.
• Having respect for one another.
• Sharing what we have with those in need.
• Welcoming strangers and assisting them. 

(d) The nation

(Titus 3:8, Romans 13:6-8 )

Christians can serve their nation in many ways.

•  In our country, more people need to work in order to make our nation prosper. Christians can create employment opportunities.
• Christians obey laws and therefore maintain order in the country. They serve our country by helping the needy.

• They also pay taxes to the nation from the salaries they earn. These taxes are used to sustain different departments like security, health and education. In our country the government has provided free primary education, which can be sustained by the taxes paid by the people.
•  Christians serve the country by taking care of the environment. We are not to litter or pollute the country.
• Christians also offer service by praying for the country. They pray for peace in times of war or for rain when there is famine.
• They serve their nation by voting. This helps them choose new leaders whom they think will govern the country in a godly way.

Self-denial in serving others

(Mark 8:34 - 35 )

• Self-denial is a Christian virtue that is part of good character.
• Self-denial means being selfless and committed to serving others.
• It involves somebody sacrificing pleasure to do a very involving or risky act that would help another.
• One may give money to a person whose property is being auctioned without being guaranteed that he or she will be paid back. This is sacrifice or self-denial.

Self-denial is:

a) Considering or giving attention to other people’s problems first.

b) Denying ourselves comfort and prestige in favour of others.

c) Accepting to suffer with Jesus.

d) Carrying other people’s burdens willingly for the sake of honouring God.

e) Showing total commitment to doing God’s work.

Dignity in manual work

(2 Thessalonians 3:7 - 8) 

• There are some forms of work that require mental energy and others physical energy.
• Manual work involves more of physical energy and patience.
• Examples of physical work are digging, washing clothes, sweeping, slashing grass, unloading vehicles and so on.
• Clerical, administrative or secretarial work involve a lot of mental ability.
• Some people think that manual work is bad and they try to avoid it. Like any other work, manual work is equally important to the individual, the community and the nation.
• Manual work is important because those who do it earn their living. Our nation is also sustained by this kind of work.
• Jesus’ father did manual work; he was a carpenter. Jesus too did manual work by helping His father.

• Adam’s two sons did manual work. Cain tilled the land while Abel looked after the animals.
• Jesus’ disciples did manual work before they were called to the ministry. Some were fishermen others were tax collectors.
• So all work should be considered important.
• Any work that earns one a living, helps sustain our people or builds our nation is honourable.

Attitude towards work

(Luke 18:9 - 14)

• All workers are important because they complement one another. For example, a farmer needs a doctor to treat him while the doctor will have nothing to eat if there is no farmer.
• All jobs are equally important. A garbage collector is as important as an administrator because without the garbage collector we would live in a very dirty environment.
• We should humble ourselves; we should not be like the Pharisee who despised the tax collector.

Working for God

1. Commitment 

 (Luke 9:23 - 26, Romans 16:1 -26, Colossians 3:23) 

• Commitment is doing work selflessly and with all our energy.
• Workers are expected to do their work whether or not others assist them.
• In our churches, we have pastors, priests and evangelists; these should do God’s work with commitment.
• In ( Luke 9:23-26, )we are told that anyone who wants to follow Jesus should forget oneself, take up his/her cross and follow Christ.
• God wants Christians to dedicate themselves to His work.
• He tells us that we should not fear losing our lives for His sake, for He will save us.
• If we work with commitment, we shall live abundant lives.

2. Creativity

(1 Corinthians 12:4 - 7 )

• This is being able to do something out of the ordinary, to be innovative.
• Amongst us we have people who are very creative.
• Some people can compose songs, others can act, recite poems or decorate the church using their own innovativeness.
• Although we have different talents, we can use them creatively to serve our Lord God.

Developing self-esteem in ourselves and others

(Matthew 6:26, 2 Timothy 4:12) 

• God created each person differently.
• We should not think that some are not as important as others; instead, we should encourage each other to excel.

Developing a sense of responsibility

(1 Peter 4:10 -11 )

• It is our responsibility to do our work well.
• In school, we should show a sense of responsibility by doing our homework, going to school on time and assisting teachers maintain order in class.
• As children of God we need not wait to be given instructions.
• (1 Peter 4:10-11 ) says each person is a manager of God’s different gifts.
• We have different responsibilities given to us by God. We should strive to do them well.