Practical Ministry

Jesus made it perfectly clear that the servant of God has been called to live by different rules than the children of the world. That is why some have deemed the church, 'the upside-down kingdom.' Jesus said that, "Whosoever would be first among you, shall be servant of all." (Mark 10:44) Servanthood is not a dirty word. Rather, in it, is reflected the heart of God, and the mission of heaven. To serve others, is to serve God. To give up the best part of yourself, for the betterment of your neighbor, is truly to have Christ revealed through you.One of the most potent, and life-changing images of Christ, in the entire Bible, is a picture of Jesus, with towel wrapped around his waste, washing the feet of his disciples. Contrast that with the attitude of the James and John's mother, concerning the proper placement of her sons, "Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Jesus with her sons. She bowed down in front of him to ask him for a favor. He asked her, "What do you want?" She said to him, "Promise that these two sons of mine will sit, one at your right and one at your left, in your kingdom." Nobody likes that kind of attitude in fellow laborers, do they? Somehow, it is grating to us. The reason it irritates us so badly, is probably because it is so diametrically opposite to the role Jesus models for us. In these verses, we find Jesus' own attitude toward Servanthood revealed. Not only does He appreciate hard working people, who are not afraid to mix-it-up with work, and get a little dirty, but although it is a hard concept to grasp, if you lack a servant's heart - but the truth of the matter is, that our Lord - the God of heaven - actually embraces Servanthood in a real and personal way: so much so, in fact, that He forever links Himself, and His purpose for coming to earth, with it. In all that we do, as servant-leaders for Christ, we are called to serve well. Practical Ministry will give you a clear, easy-to-follow roadmap for successful leadership.