Jesus' Defintion of Greatness
42Jesus called them (his disciples) together and said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 43Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Mark 10:42-45 (NIV)

12When he (Jesus) had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. 13"You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. John 13: 12-14 (NIV)

Four Results of Serving

1. G____ _____ to those in need!

Slaves, obey your earthly masters...6Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. 7Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, 8because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, Ephesians 6: 5-8 NIV

8Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 9Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. (I Peter 4:8-10 NIV)

2. R________ our God-given __________!

Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. Romans 12:4-6 (NIV)

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but they all come from the same Spirit. There are different ways to serve the same Lord, and we can each do different things. Yet the same God works in all of us and helps us in everything we do. The Spirit has given each of us a special way of serving others. I Corinthians 12:4-7 (Msg)

YOUR SHAPE DETERMINES ____________________________ YOU WILL DELIVER YOUR GIFT.

• S________________
• H________________
• A________________
• P________________
• E________________

___________ __________ IN A MINISTRY IS THE BEST WAY TO CONFIRM YOUR GIFTS.

3. O________ Christ's command to ___________!

When we serve...We begin to see people as a priority

22Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. I Peter 1:22

34"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:34

People are everywhere and they long to be _________and _________!

4. W_________ the power of God to __________ us!

Benefits of ministry involvement:
1. You receive valuable feedback about your gifts.
2. You're forced to adapt to people who are different from you.
3. You get some of the rough edges knocked off your personality.
4. You're exposed to positive models of love in action.

Three steps to Greatness
P______
P______ the options
P______a course of action