The conclusion of Grace

Dying can be scary. I’m not talking about the death of our physical body, or even of a spiritual death. I’m referring to the essential principle Jesus emphasized -- the denial of self, i.e., dying to yourself. To live for others at a personal cost, it’s more than noble, it’s at the heart of the Gospel.

This important christian practice could be perhaps the pinnacle of discipleship and the goal of Spiritual maturity. The ability to deny one’s self and to willingly serve others, it doesn’t come naturally, and sadly neither our culture nor our churches make it easy.

Culture, overtly, sends the message, “It’s all about you!” From advertisements to the unwritten “right” that you deserve “more & better” from this life. We are persistently being manipulated from several fronts to feed our wants & desires. The church isn’t innocent here either.

Churches foster a consumer-mentality, or we feed it, by catering to the idea that any church can/should meet everyone’s needs. When we idly sit by while self-centeredness increases in our masses, and we make promises to be a “one stop” spiritual shop, we are contributing to the decline of an authentic Christ-centered existence.

For example, leaders will snap to attention whenever anyone complains about a church service with phrases like, “I didn’t get anything out of...” you fill in the blank. Whether is was the music or the message or what have you, if it “didn’t move me” on a Sunday morning, then someone else dropped the ball, but it wasn’t my responsibility to participate. It’s as if the burden of pleasing everyone is the purpose of the church. But, then we see leaders go lax while members languish in an arrested development for decades, lapping up all kinds of energy from the church, asking what more can the church do for me? without ever considering that’s not the point.

Who knows? Was it out of fear, self-preservation, or savvy marketing? Somehow we’ve trained a generation to ask “What can I get out of church” instead of asking “how do I serve more?” Think JFK's, "Ask not..." and you'll get the gist.

Maybe this is why, nationally, “church” attendance seems to have atrophied. Church, shocking as this may seem, was never meant to meet all of your needs. Church, assembling as a body of believers, is meant to usher in God’s Kingdom presence in our lives as it transforms us into servants. Somewhere along the way, we’ve lost sight of our purpose.

As Jesus washed the feet of the Twelve, He said, “Here’s your example!” Stinky. Demeaning. Bottom of the totem pole type work -- quite the opposite of glamorous, and Jesus just leaves it there for us, an object lesson in our true objective. No bells & whistles. Nothing too attractive for anyone with the wrong motives. Nothing that’ll impress the folks back home. No programs required either, just a, “Roll up your sleeves and do like I did.”

Ah, you got me, I must be selling you a salvation that we can work to earn? No. I’m not saying working harder or doing more is the way to heaven. An active faith won’t get you into the Kingdom, but when the Kingdom is is in you -- you’ll naturally imitate the Servant who washed the feet of His disciples.

Servanthood isn’t about earning your free salvation, or working harder to earn God’s unconditional love, and it certainly isn’t the opposite of Grace. You see, servanthood has nothing to do with the works of the Law.

Servanthood has nothing to do with religion or rituals, or doing religious acts or making sacrifices to appease an angry god. The works which the Bible condemn which contradict Grace and which violate trusting God’s sufficiency are the old works of the Law of Moses like circumcision and certain offerings for achieving atonement. You might want to re-read this paragraph before you move on.

I could say servanthood is a response to Grace, but from Eph 2:8-10, “8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” from this passage, I’d say a servanthood-lifestyle is the conclusion of Grace.