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When have you received stellar service?

Q U E S T I O N 1 #BSFLservice

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THE BIBLE MEETS LIFEWe’ve all had experiences with customer service we’d like to forget. But I tend to remember the ones that make me smile rather than frown.

For example, a man booked a last-minute trip on a well-known airline to see his dying grandson one last time. Traffic and long lines at the Los Angeles airport caused him to arrive at the gate 12 minutes after the plane’s scheduled departure, but the airline had been informed of this man’s tragic situation. Imagine the man’s surprise when the pilot himself was standing there waiting for him. The pilot said, “They can’t go anywhere without me, and I wasn’t going anywhere without you. Now relax. We’ll get you there. And again, I’m so sorry.”

Good customer service is not about making a sale or even keeping a customer. It’s about doing what’s right and helping the other person.

But we’re not talking about customers and business; we’re talking about relationships. The principle still applies though: we strengthen our relationships when we help and serve the other person. Serving is a tangible way to love others.

THE POINT

Seize the opportunity to serve.

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WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

The flesh (5:13)—This term can refer to the human body, but most often in Paul’s writings it denotes the sin nature. The person who lives according to the flesh is living a life which is contrary to and opposed to God.

The law of Christ (6:2)—This phrase references Jesus’ teaching that the whole law could be summed up in the commandments to love God and love your neighbor as yourself.

Galatians 5:13-15; 6:1-5, 10 (HCSB)

5:13 For you were called to be free, brothers; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love.

14 For the entire law is fulfilled in one statement: Love your neighbor as yourself.

15 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out, or you will be consumed by one another.

6:1 Brothers, if someone is caught in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual should restore such a person with a gentle spirit, watching out for yourselves so you also won’t be tempted.

2 Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

3 For if anyone considers himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

4 But each person should examine his own work, and then he will have a reason for boasting in himself alone, and not in respect to someone else.

5 For each person will have to carry his own load.

6:10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, we must work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith.

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THE POINT

Galatians 5:13-15

Freedom is a natural human hunger. Who doesn’t love the feeling of independence? Unfortunately, we often get entangled in sin (see Hebrews 12:1) and freedom is the last thing we experience. Galatians 5:13 says that we’ve been “called to be free.” The apostle Paul reminded us that a revolution has come through Jesus Christ. Because of Jesus’ perfect sacrifice, the power of sin has been broken and we can be free from it’s constraints. In Christ, we’re free! But free to do what?

Our freedom in Christ is not a license to go back to our old lifestyles—to live like we did before we were saved. Notice the word “flesh” in verse 13. This refers to our sinful nature that continues to live inside us, even after the moment of salvation. The flesh is the self-absorbed side of us that can grow like a cancer when let off its leash. It no longer owns us, but it likes to think it does. Paul knew firsthand about the continual pull of the old sin nature (Romans 7:14-24).

The inward focus of the sin nature not only harms us; it affects our relationships. If I am focused on myself and you are focused on yourself, how can we ever have a strong relationship? When we focus inwardly, sins like selfishness, greed, and uncaring attitudes quickly follow and will sour our relationships. Paul warned: “But if you bite and devour one another, watch out, or you will be consumed by one another.”

Paul knew that the only remedy for the flesh was found in an ongoing relationship with Christ (see Romans 7:25). We maximize our liberty in Christ by loving people through service. “… Serve one another through love. For the entire law is fulfilled in one statement: Love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus blazed a trail back to the beauty of community. Christ’s death and resurrection made it possible for us to have forgiveness of sin and a relationship with God. In the process, we’re also called to extend forgiveness. We’re called to love people as Christ does and express that love through serving them.

What is the connection between freedom in Christ and the command to serve?

Q U E S T I O N 2

Seize the opportunity to serve.

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Galatians 6:1-5

One of the most important roles you play in others’ lives is to help them see their blind spots. Anyone who drives a car can likely relate. I’ve been saved at the last second by my loving wife shouting: “Honey, there’s a car beside you!” In a panic, I yanked the wheel and returned to my lane unscathed. As my heart rate slowly returned to normal, I offered thanks to my wife. Thanks to her, I dodged a bullet.

Paul challenged the church to gently, lovingly, and sensitively serve others by helping them see the way they wound themselves or others. This process requires much prayer, but it’s a vital part of healthy relationships.

Paul drove home the need for tangible forms of service: “Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Strong relationships call for us to help carry loads. It’s a lot easier to move a heavy piece of furniture when someone is there to help you carry it. It’s still my load to carry, but by coming alongside and helping me carry it, you ease my strain. In a sense, my burden becomes your burden as we carry it together. Notice it goes both ways. You help carry my burdens and I help carry your burdens. This, of course, requires appropriate self-disclosure and soul-bearing. After all, people cannot help you lift something they know nothing about.

How can we help others see blind spots in a way that strengthens relationships?

Q U E S T I O N 3

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THE POINT

Galatians 6:10

In this verse, Paul mentioned the need to demonstrate love to all, but he stressed the importance of Christians investing in other Christians. Paul stressed that relationships inside the church were to be held at the highest level. “Therefore, as we have opportunity, we must work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith.”

This certainly doesn’t mean we ignore the needs of those outside the body of Christ. Sowing seeds in the lives of lost people is important as well. But just as a person cares for his immediate family before he takes care of the neighbors, believers must be sure to take care of their brothers and sisters in Christ. This serves as a visible demonstration of what it means to be the church. Jesus said, “Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35).

Do not wait for the invitation to serve, but search for opportunities to work for the good in others’ lives. In one case, God may call you to give money to meet a need. In another situation, He may call you to write a note of encouragement. For yet another, God may require you to take the time to become a frequent phone-caller, checking in regularly to let a person know he is not alone in his battle. The opportunities to serve are endless.

While Christians should stand ready to serve in any way, the wisest way to serve others is by opening up your unique package of spiritual gifts. In his rich Letter to the Romans, Paul made it evident that serving others is a huge part of offering our lives as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1-8). Consider how the Holy Spirit has hardwired you for ministry and use those gifts and abilities to serve and meet the needs that lie before you. All that remains for us to do is to open our hearts and eyes to see the needs and opportunities, and go for it!

Q U E S T I O N 4

What actions and attitudes enable us to carry one another’s burdens?

Seize the opportunity to serve.

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"Carry one another‘s burdens;

in this way you will fulfill

the law of Christ."

— G A L A T I A N S 6 : 2

TWO ARE BETTER THAN ONE

What are some common burdens that young adults in your community carry?

Identify two of the concerns listed above. What are two or three ways your group can help carry those burdens?

Q U E S T I O N 5

What opportunities does our group have to work for the good of others in our church?

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THE POINT

Where is God leading you to serve?

] Take inventory. Do you share your burdens with others? Are you carrying someone else’s burden with them? If not, be aware of opportunities to do both of these in coming days.

] Ask someone you work with or someone you run into on a regular basis how you can pray for them. Pray for them for two weeks, then make a point to ask them about the need they shared with you.

] Don’t wait for the invitation to serve—search for opportunities. Look at your life and find small ways to serve every day.

Let’s live in such a manner that when people think of great experiences with service, they don’t think of customer service; they think of Christian  service. When we do this, we fulfill Christ’s command to serve and experience the freedom He’s called us to.

Summer In Beantown

On a typical summer day at The Boston Project Ministries, a lot happens: 25 local teenagers edit their job resumés and then head out to clean a local park; 60 kids eat lunch in the children’s park and get ready for games and a Bible story; 18 local junior high kids plant vegetables in a raised bed, and teams of suburban teenagers meet elderly residents to help them with home projects while gaining life wisdom.

LIVE IT OUT

To continue reading ”Summer in Beantown” from HomeLife magazine, visit BibleStudiesforLife.com/articles.

Seize the opportunity to serve.

A wife and mother serves Boston with her four handsome partners in ministry.

Summer in

by Sarah Riddle

Beantown n a typical summer day at

The Boston Project Ministries, a lot happens: 25 local teenagers are editing their job resumés and then heading out to clean a local park; 60

kids are eating lunch in the children’s park and getting ready for games and

a Bible story; 18 local junior high kids are planting vegetables in a raised bed, and teams of suburban teenagers are meeting elderly residents to help them with home projects while gaining life wisdom. All of this is planned and supervised by our staff — smiling, leading, teaching, and showing God’s love all week long in the heat of the city.

But on Wednesday night, they all come home for dinner — at my house.

Staff dinners on Wednesday nights are a time of rest, a time to put a stake in the ground, a time to pause and reflect on what God is doing. The more than 30 young adults on summer staff, plus our year-round staff families come together to regroup, eat, relax, play, and be encouraged.

Summers are demanding. Staff members sustain not just the physical exhaustion of running a program, but also emotional fatigue. It’s a significant time of refuel-ing for everyone, and it’s one of the key times in which our family has the opportunity to do ministry together.

My husband, Keith, and I and our three boys, ages 4-9, have a range of personalities, but God has given us a common gift of hospitality; we value personal engage-ment and desire that everyone feels at home.

O

48 HOMELIFE JULY 2014

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