Serving to Impact Our Communities 

By Pastor Patrick Kasongo

One of the most impactful and yet fundamental teachings Christ left the church was one of servanthood.  His demonstration of a God who was not only willing to live among men, but serve the same, gives us a clear picture of his tremendous love towards his creation.  It was equally clear that humanity perceived leadership or rulership differently than God as we see depicted in the passage of Mark 10:41-45: 

“And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.””

‭‭Mark‬ ‭10:41-45‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Christ reset the standard for humanity’s perception and gave us the model for what we would ultimately use to recreate his image.  The impact of his message left a lasting impression on every generation that followed thereafter.  Its fundamental basis and approach is what we will later find to be one of the core foundational elements for the establishment of the "church".  Without a spirit of servanthood, we simply cannot replicate the full image of Christ. 

Today, we find it a most challenging task for churches to replicate true servanthood.  Yet, because it is a core message of the reproduction the Christ character, we must endeavor in ensuring that our churches build a culture of servanthood.  This, not only within the confines of the four walls of our establishments, but within our communities. Communities are where people share common attitudes, interests, and goals.  If we ignore these, we will have a hard time connecting with what matters most. Because our churches are made of people within our communities, we must work to fill the current existing gaps.  Until our churches understand the importance of this notion, we will have a hard time connecting, growing, and impacting the world we are called to change. 

We are living a momentous time in the history of the creation.  There is a world that is crying out for help, communities that are in disarray.  We have the answer in the Gospel we received from Christ and it must be shared in our communities to heal a wounded world.  We know that gospel was not just given as an answer to spiritual issues, but social ones as well.  Even more importantly, the anointing God pours on us is for our service to his people. 

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.””

‭‭Luke‬ ‭4:18-19‬ ‭ESV‬‬

With an ever evolving world, we must continue to find innovative ways to be most effective in our mission to reach the world through our communities.  We must be intentional in building relationships within key and strategic areas of our communities in order to “serve to impact” the world.  As we move forward, our goal should be to shift our focus from the habitual desire to simply fill our pews with people to a true desire to be servants of His people.  Our churches can work in partnership to create powerful dynamics and strategies to achieve this goal.  By sharing these ideas and strategies, we will evoke the transformative power of Christ through servanthood.