Why should I serve others?
What the Bible says about serving others:
Old Testament
There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land. -Deuteronomy 15:11
The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed. -Proverbs 11:25
Jesus
“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” -Mark 10:45
And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. -John 13:14
New Testament
For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. -Galatians 5:13
And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. -Hebrews 13:16
How to grow in compassion for other people
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us all in our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. ( 2 Corinthians 1:3-4)
What is compassion? Compassion is the ability to recognize the suffering of others followed by taking action to help. In other words, compassion is empathy in action. In the Kingdom of Heaven, compassion is a core value, and each of us was created with unique gifts and abilities to serve and love with compassion well. Watch this Bible Project video on compassion to better understand this concept.
Despite being made for it, it can still be challenging if you aren’t used to showing compassion for others. If you want to start or continue practicing growing in compassion for others, here are a few ideas to help you get started.
Seek a deeper understanding of the heart of Jesus. There are many awe inspiring stories of encounters of compassion that Jesus had with others. The more you engage with the heart of Jesus and meditate on your personal relationship with Him, the more you open yourself up to being formed more like Jesus.
Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. (John 13:14-15)
Confidently ask God to give you more compassion. Because God is a good father, He delights in giving His children, Christians, good gifts. In fact, the Bible says that if we abide in Jesus and we are meditating on His Word, then we can ask for anything and it will be done for us (John 15:7). Having more compassion for others is in alignment with God’s will, so have faith that He will grow your compassion.
Be prepared to embrace opportunities. God created us with the ability to develop skills through practice; the more opportunities to show compassion you say yes to, the more comfortable you will feel with that emotion. The next time you see an opportunity to show compassion to someone, consider acting on it right then and there. The Holy Spirit grows us through experiences like these.
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the father will send in my name, He will teach you all things and remind you of all that I have said to you. (John 14:26)
How to discover your gifts / figure out where to serve
God has given all of us gifts for us to use to serve him and people we come in contact with. “God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.” (1 Peter 4:10)
There can be a few ways on how you can discover the gifts that God has given you. Take some time for self-reflection, and think about these points;
What do you enjoy doing? What do you do that brings you joy?
Do you have a hobby or activity that can help show you a skill/gift that you’re good at? How could this skill help you serve others?
Have a conversation with a mentor or leader. Someone who is close to you may be able to help you identify the gifts they see in you.
Spend time in prayer. Take some time to be alone with God and ask him where it would be best for you to serve. Spending quiet time with God is so important!
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” (Phillipians 4:6)Take a spiritual gift assessment! These are created to help individuals identify their unique gifts that God has given them. These tests can help provide useful insight and ideas for you to pray about. A great spiritual gift assessment is Spiritual Gifts Assessment
5 Places, inside and outside the church, to serve others.
Places inside the church to serve
Discovery Village! DV is Ada Bible’s kids ministry on Sunday mornings. They are always looking for volunteers to come and serve these kids. Discovery Village is for children who are newborn - 5th grade! Sometimes they are looking for tech help too! Apply to Serve at DV here!
Lifeline Worship! We love having students help lead us in worship at lifeline. Are you musically gifted? We would love to see you on stage! Talk with your campus staff if you are interested!
Other Lifeline serving opportunities. Are you interested in teaching at lifeline? Are you in High School and want to help out with student leadership at middle school lifeline? Do you have interest in helping out with tech stuff? These options could be a great place for you to start serving in our church community! Talk with your campus staff if you are interested!
Places outside the church to serve
Local serving opportunities! Ada Bible loves to partner with local organizations in GR and help serve alongside them! There are always upcoming events to help serve at. Find the upcoming serving opportunities here!
Hand2Hand! This is a great organization in Grand Rapids that helps provide food to students who don’t have a constant source of food over the weekend. They are always in need of donations, and they also are always looking for people to come and help pack the meals before they are distributed. This is great to sign up with by yourself OR this could be a great opportunity for you and your small group to do it together. Sign up to pack meals here!