Four Obstacles to Christian Service

There’s a saying that within a church, 10 percent of the people do 90 percent of the work. Does that sound true to you?

All too often, it is. And yet, despite the busyness and tendency to burnout, you will often find that the ten percent seem to have more joy in service than those with more time and less responsibilities. Why is that?

Because God designed us to serve. It is a natural outcome of our relationship with Him. In John 14:15 Jesus says,

“If ye love Me, keep My commandments.”

And again, later in the chapter, He says:

“If a man love Me, he will keep My words: and My Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth Me not keepeth not My sayings: and the word which ye hear is not Mine, but the Father’s which sent me.” (14:23-24)

In the next chapter of John, Jesus sums up what these commandments are which we will keep out of love for Him:

“This is My commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.” (15:12)

So much of serving fellow Christians is simply loving others as Christ loves us. And yet, that is the very thing that our flesh—our sin nature—hates most to do.

The following are four common obstacles our flesh often throws in the way of our serving others, along with some Scripture to help us gain a Christlike perspective:

“Me? Do that?”

Our pride often views loving service as beneath us.

Clean bathrooms? Wash someone else’s dishes after a potluck? —Yet, Jesus washed twelve sets of very ordinary dusty, dirty feet. (John 13) It was the job of the lowliest servant, and the King of Kings Himself still chose to do it out of love.

Change diapers in the nursery? Get to church early to prepare a lesson for Sunday school? Be patient with the church kids’ rambunctious capers after service? –Jesus said, “Suffer the little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.”(Mark 10:4)

“No one ever says thank you.”

It’s right for us to express appreciation for the ways in which our brothers and sisters in Christ put His love into action on our behalf, but service is not to be done for the purpose of garnering gratitude. When we begin using our hurt feelings over a lack of appreciation as an obstacle to showing God’s love to others, we are not living out the love of Christ. Look at 1 Peter 2:21-24 for an attitude check:

“For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth: Who, when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not; but committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously: Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by Whose stripes ye were healed.”

Is this your attitude when serving? If you are serving out of love for God, in obedience to the Holy Spirit’s leading, it will be.

“For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward His name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.” (Hebrews 6:10)

“And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.” (Colossians 3:23-24)

“I don’t have time”

We live in a busy society. With work and family and other responsibilities, it is easy for church to be overlooked or viewed as optional. But when we find ourselves inclined to say no to service because we are busy with our everyday lives, it is helpful to ask ourselves, what is my top priority?

 Colossians 3:1-3 is a good passage to read when struggling with priorities:

“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.”

Of course, I’m not at all saying it is always wrong to say no to an opportunity to serve. But what I am saying (and I think Scripture backs this up) is that when presented with an opportunity to love others by serving, we need to find out what God wants us to do, and then do that. Sometimes we will have to say no to one opportunity for service, in order to say yes to one God specifically wants us to do. But we need to make sure that it is God we are listening to, not our flesh.

“But I could never…”

There is another kind of pride that, instead of wanting to be noticed and applauded, shrinks from public service out of fear. It might be fear of failing, fear of humiliation, or fear of what people will think of us, but whenever we find ourselves shrinking from service because we are afraid, or because we don’t feel worthy or able to do it, we need to take a step back and get a proper view of how serving God really works.

As I was working on this post, I heard a sermon from Luke 17, where Jesus was teaching about forgiveness:

“Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.” (vv 3-4)

I was struck by the disciples’ response to this statement, and by Jesus’ answer:

“And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.

And the Lord said, If he had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the se; and it should obey you.

But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat? And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink? Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not. So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.” (Luke 17:5-10)

The disciples felt like forgiveness was just too hard—they needed more faith in order to obey. But Jesus pointed out the power available to those with even the smallest amount of faith, and then drew their attention to the fact that forgiveness—and really, any kind of obedience—isn’t about us.

One who exercises faith and obeys God is to view their obedience as simply what is expected. No medals, no gold stars, no applause.

Whatever God calls us to do for Him, He will enable. (Philippians 2:13) When we bump up against the obstacle of fear, we need to first of all discern if God is calling us to serve in that way. If He is, then we can rest in the truth of Philippians 4:13:

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

Maybe you don’t feel qualified to serve in the way God intends. But it’s not about your power, but His.

Perhaps a personal illustration will help here:

The first time I ever played the piano for a church service, it was last-minute. I had played piano for many years, and was at what was considered an advanced level, but I had only a very basic understanding of how to play for congregational songs. I got up and made lots of mistakes—the music director was very patient with me. And when it was over, my hands shook for much of the rest of the service.

But you know what? No one noticed my mistakes, no one noticed my nerves. The congregation had a pianist to sing along with, and I soon became the regular Wednesday pianist.

Although my hands shook after playing every Wednesday for over a year, and although I still made lots of mistakes, I did eventually grow into the skill of playing for the services, and now it is much easier. But I would never be able to be used by God to serve in that way if I had let my fear win. If God calls you to do it, He will give you the strength as you depend on Him in faith.

These are just four of the many obstacles we might find in our hearts when God calls us to serve in a particular way. My prayer, dear Reader, is that you will take this opportunity to do a little heart-check. Are these obstacles you have yielded to?

Is the Holy Spirit wanting to help you overcome your flesh and move forward in obedience in a certain area? Or do your priorities need to be realigned so that glorifying God is your most important thing? Whatever it is, go to God with it—He will help!

“For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man” 

Ephesians 3:14-16