By Laura Springer with Jeff Barnhart
Key Passages: Matthew 22:37-40; Romans 12:9-13
Key Idea: Training to worship and serve God in a way that honors him and respects others equips us to live like the one family of God that we already are, spread God's love by serving one another and our neighbors, and keep adapting to show his love more clearly through our diversity of giftings in the context of our unity.
Over the past fifteen years, the proportion of US adults describing themselves as “atheists, agnostics, or ...nothing in particular” (the Nones) has doubled. While the growth of the Nones may have slowed, the culture in which we minister as Christians has changed dramatically. How can we love deeply and proclaim winsomely in this context? How can we put our skills and knowledge to work in serving others and proclaiming God’s kingdom well in ways that our neighbors understand?
Training to worship and serve God equips us to live like the family of God that we already are. We are brothers and sisters, the children of our Father; learning to love each other well and without favoritism is essential. As we live like God's family, serving with our whole hearts, sharing our words, actions, and love, and knowing that Jesus is always with us, we display Christ's love and grace before one another and our neighbors. We live as his followers, serving and proclaiming with courage. By doing this, we share Jesus' grace and mercy, remembering that he is among us, helping us serve others even in tough times, and putting his honor first.
Training to worship and serve God equips us to spread his love by serving each other and our neighbors. Jesus commanded us to love one another and our neighbors, so we put love for God and each other at the heart of our church life and work together to spread that love to our neighbors. We learn together what excellence looks like and work toward it to form us as a family of worshiping servants who prioritize Christ's mission to make disciples and help each other grow as disciple-priests. Love helps us focus on Christ's mission. It helps us learn to see each other and our neighbors through Jesus' eyes, be present with others as he is, and boldly live and share his message respectfully.
Training to worship and serve God equips us to keep adapting to show his love more clearly through our diversity of giftings in the context of our unity. We are a diverse group of God's children, and our service should reflect his love through this diversity. We understand ourselves as family, our location as a community of neighbors, and our skills and knowledge as equipment God has given for his work. We learn to serve right now, right here, with what we have. We learn to see and be present with one another and our neighbors. We train to worship always and serve actively because Jesus has sent us on his mission here. We focus on serving in ways that fit our community, knowing that Jesus has placed us here to make a difference. We aim to reflect his glory through our diverse gifts and perspectives, centered on Jesus and dedicated to honoring his name.
Let us train so we can love one another deeply and share our faith winsomely. When things are tough, remember that the church is our forever family, and invite others to join us. When things get too theoretical, find practical ways to worship and serve better. When life gets complicated, remember that love for God and each other is our heart. When pulled in too many directions, refocus on being a church family that loves. When the new and shiny distract us, put our energy into the things that help us serve. When you think too little of yourself, remember that every believer is equipped to serve. Everything else flows from love--a God worshiping and others serving love that declares Jesus to our neighbors and the Nones in their midst.
Information on the Nones from: Has the rise of religious ‘nones’ come to an end in the U.S.?
Who writes Academy? Laura has an MDiv in Christian Education, a ThM in Systematic Theology, and a PhD in Educational Studies. She also serves TFB as a guitarist (primarily) and singer in TFB's worship band. Jeff has a Certificate in Biblical and Theological Studies and is currently working on an MA in Spiritual Formation and Soul Care. He also serves as kitchen lead for TFB's Family Dinner and as TFB’s bookkeeper.
