Servolution | Part 3 | Love Deep. Serve Well.

My name is William Miller, I am the Director of Discipleship and Outreach in this church, so just in case you see me around, I was like, this is what I do, this is my job title, just in case you see me like lurking in the corners or something like that, I'm just watching, you know. But I just want to give honor to God for just having the opportunity to communicate the gospel on this stage, man, it's always a privilege to do so, and it's an honor secondly, man, let's give it up for our pastors Ryan and Andrea, man, for their leadership and their vision for this church, man, it's such an honor for them to choose Mary and I to be a part of this church and help navigate through small groups in different areas that we are over, and we're excited to be a part of this place, we're excited to be at Transformation Church. We come from a small church called Redland Hills Church in Wetumpka, Alabama, this is where we moved from, and if you don't know where Wetumpka, Alabama is, if I said Montgomery, Alabama, it might seem more familiar to you guys, it's just literally right up the street, so meanwhile we came from Alabama, so when we come, when you move, we have boxes, and we have a ton of boxes, and we needed somewhere to place our boxes, like I said before, I thank you guys for loving us and loving on us and everything, but maybe if, you know, maybe we can calm down on the garbage security a little bit, I know you guys have loved me very much, but what I do know is I'm hoping that the police does not get called on me again. I did say again because when we are putting our boxes inside the cardboard container, let me tell you something, we were surrounded almost immediately, not by the Holy Spirit, I know Abide was happening during that time, we were surrounded by Tallahassee's finest and Transformation Church's finest security that came around, and I was just like, wow, this is wild out here, because you guys are really strict on that garbage security, but I was blessed to have Pastor Ryan come and save me, he had to verify that I worked, he was like, yes, we do know him, which I am super thankful for, so but yeah, like I said, I'm from Alabama, and you don't have to ask, I am an Alabama fan, Roll Tide, there we go, there we go, hey, hey, it's okay, FSU, you had your time, you had your time, and but we appreciate that win, and man, we're looking forward to seeing you guys on Tuscaloosa, man, let me move on before this is my last, my last Sunday here, because, you know, and so today, I want to close this series out on Servolution, and Pastor Jeff, man, give it for Pastor Jeff, he has preached two incredible sermons on Servolution, giving us the insight

of what it means to serve, what it means to pick up a towel, just like Jesus did, and today, I want to preach on a principle, most revolutions start with a principle, and so I want to preach on this principle, and that principle is love deep, serve well, love deep, serve well, we're going to be out of 1 Peter 4 chapter 8 through 11 verse, and we're going to unpack that scripture a little bit more on what it means to love deep and serve well. Peter reminds believers that faith was never meant to be lived selfishly or privately. Instead, it shows itself through love, hospitality, and the faithful use of the gifts God has given each and every one of us. These verses challenge us, and they're going to challenge us to look beyond ourselves and recognize that everything we have, our abilities, our resources, and even our opportunities, has been entrusted to us for the benefit of others. When we serve people with genuine love and steward our gifts well, we reflect God's grace, and ultimately, we bring glory to God. Amen. Peter's message is simple but powerful today. A life that honors God is a life that that loves people deeply and actively uses our gifts to serve others. Well, man, let's pray before we jump into this word. Father, we love you. We thank you. Lord, I pray that today will be the day that you open our hearts and open our mind. and open our hands to receive the message that we will have here today. Lord, pray that it'll be your words and not my words, God. Pray that it's your scripture that jumps out and is planted inside their heart so that they may live it out outside these walls. Father, thank you so much for this day, knowing that my bracket was busted, but God, Lord, you haven't busted up my life, and I thank you so much for that in Jesus' name, amen. Look, if you're not praying for your brackets, it's already over, guys. March Madness is over. We already hit the madness already. So if you have your Bibles today, please turn, scroll, swipe,

whatever you like to do with your Bible, and if you have your handy-dandy notebook, yes, I am a Blue's Clues fan. If you have your notebook out, go ahead and jot down some notes today because it's gonna be that type of message that I would love for you to retain and definitely teach to other people this morning. We're gonna be in Peter 1, chapter four, 1 Peter, fourth chapter, and we're gonna start with the eighth verse because that's where the first point is going to come from, and we're gonna camp out here for a little bit. So Peter is talking to Christians. He's talking to church folks just like you and me, just like the people inside this house today, and he's talking to them, talking to them about living for God. So if you read verses one through seven, which I would love for you to read on your own time, but if you read verse one through seven, he's talking about living for God, and one of the ways that we can live for God is serving people, and so he jumps into eighth verse with this first point, but the verse sounds like this. Above all, love each other deeply because love covers over a multitude of sins. To be a part of a true servilution, to be a part of a servilution

that's in this church currently, number one is your love should be deep and active. Your love should be deep and active. See, Peter ain't talking about polite church smiles and handshakes at the door. He's talking about fervent, stretched, intentional love, that kind that forgives, overlooks offenses, and keeps choosing people when they're messy. The tension that we live in sometimes when it comes to serving others is trying to qualify the person for your service. Could you imagine being a door holder this morning and you kept the door shut because that person didn't meet the standard of your service this morning? That's wild. What if you're a greeter? Everybody gets a smile and a handshake and a hug. They're doing their best job out there, but for some reason, they make this face like, I don't know, camera zoom in real quick because I don't think you guys understand what it's like. You know that face like that, what are you doing here face? Like, you ever make that? Like, here's my face. We make that face. Why do we do this? Why do we make that face? Why do we think these thoughts?

We do this because of this. Mentally, we are either recalling their sins and wrongdoings or because we designate them as a stranger who hasn't earned our service. Church family, this is the tension that we're going to live in, and this is the tension that's going to be on us unless we look at the scriptures to massage those tensions out of us. And here's three scriptures that can help us really massage that tension from loving people well. Proverbs chapter 10, it says, hatred stirs up conflict, but everybody stay with me, love covers all offenses. First Corinthians 13 chapter, love is patient, kind, and keeps no records of wrongs. Kind and keeps no records of wrongs. Colossians third chapter, 13th verse, bear with one another and forgive, and over all these virtues, put on what? Love. In the gospel of John, 13th chapter, 34th verse, Jesus says, people will know you belong to him by your what? Love for one another. Man, these are great scriptures that need to be in our hearts and in our minds when we see people walk through the door, even in our own home. We need to remember that love is going to come first,

and it's difficult to serve someone when you don't love someone, because then you have options not to, and Jesus doesn't give us the option not to. And so how do we become better servants in the house and outside this house? Because at some point today, you're going to go to Publix Walmart, and it's going to be really busy in there, and your love may not be in Fullman right then. So, but here's how we do it in house and outside the house. Forgive instead of holding grudges. Forgive people instead of holding grudges. You might be in a moment right now where you're harboring some unforgiveness for someone, but you know that person needs help, whether it's physically, financially, emotionally. But because of your unforgiveness, man, they are going to spiral into a pit that they can't get out of. Protect relationships instead of exposing faults. We got to protect our relationships. Listen, man, there's marriages that need to be protected. There's mother-daughter relationships that need to be protected. There's father-son relationships that need to be protected. And so we have to protect relationship instead of exposing the faults. And last one is choose unity over petty drama. Choose unity over petty drama. This is one of those things where, man, if you guys wore the same dress in the same place, there's a petty drama. And it really is petty. If someone else today had on the same shoes I had on right now, I'd be like, I'll take these off today.

I'm just kidding. No, I won't. Anyway, moving along. Basically, if believers actually lived this verse, half the church conflicts in America would pack their bags and just disappear. If we follow those steps, and we look at this, and when we forgive, and when we protect, and when we choose unity, even in this church today, we would pack up and leave because now we have been forward-focused to thinking love above everything else. Man, point number two comes from verse nine in 1 Peter 4 chapter. It says, offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Number two says this hospitality should be generous and without complaining. If you want to be a part of a real servilution, a servilution that changes lives like Pastor Jeff preached last week, it includes hospitality. And when we learn to love deeply, our hospitality changes in the house as well. How many of you guys remember when you were growing up back in the day? I was fortunate enough to eat dinner with my family. We would sit around the table. But one thing I did notice was we would eat off of paper plates, and we'd have plastic forks and knives, and we would have plastic cups, and it was a joyous time to me because I believe that is all we had until company comes over. And then all of a sudden, you know, your parent or grandmother or grandfather is reaching into the China cabinet. And you're like, I did not know plates existed in these China cabinets, but they break out the good plates, the good knives, the good forks. I feel like I'm eating in a fancy restaurant, man. It is exciting. I'm just like, wow, we cutting with real knives? That's ridiculous. Why would you even trust me with such a responsibility? And so even then, when company comes over, she's excited,

and she's smiling, and my mom is super just impressed with what she has. Man, she rolls out the red carpet for the guests that comes over. No matter what it be, I'm excited too because I'm just like, wow, real plates. This is ridiculous. And then my mother would tell me, hey, make sure you put that napkin over your lap, put over your lap just in case if the crumbs drop. I was like, napkin? Mama, we got paper towels. When do we get napkins? Where do they even come from? But I digress. Let me move on. All right. Memory lane is a crazy train. When I look at this scripture, Peter knew people well. He's talking to Christians. He's talking to church folk just like us. And this is what Peter noticed. Because if you read your Bible a lot, or even if you just read it a little bit, Peter loves eating at people's houses. And what Peter noticed about eating at people's houses was people will open up their doors. They would prepare the food. but they would complain the whole time when they do it. And what Peter is saying is, that is not the point. That isn't the point. It defeats the whole point of why we even serve and why they even serve dinner and people. And Peter is telling believers to practice hospitality without complaining because it is a big deal in the church back then. Well, guess what church is a big deal right now? It's a big deal because when you look at the situation that we're currently in in the world as a whole, here at Transformation Church, you guys, I hope you understand this, that salvation and healing depends on the hospitality that we share with other people.

They're dependent on it. It's like, well, how does that make sense? It's something so small, it's something so insignificant. Well, that insignificant thing could be the smiling face that they need for when they walk in the door because somebody who is hurting and somebody who's financially in need and somebody who wants to know who Jesus is is really looking for a smiling face. But when they come to a face that is not smiling, man, they are prohibited to even come into place because maybe if they don't love me, then the rest of the church won't. You're the representative. The one person that you are are the representative for the whole church. It's like, no, that's not true. It's very true because if we are the church, anytime we come to someone in the parking lot, man, we represent Jesus Christ. And how we act in public determines if they're gonna say yes or no. I don't know if that's why, it seems like a stretch, but it really isn't a stretch because churches around America have parking teams and greeting teams and prayer teams and children's department. If that wasn't the case, we wouldn't need that. But it is a case where somebody needs to be loved right before they come into this building. Here at Transylvania Church,

salvation and healing depends on people serving well. And the biblical hospitality means this, welcoming people into your space and life. It means serving others with joy and not obligation. It means treating strangers like family. Treating strangers like family. And we're on Old Bainbridge Road. We see, to me, everybody's a stranger. I've just only been here for a month. But if I'm not welcoming, then they will not know that they could come in this place and feel loved. And so in the early church, this meant opening homes and sharing meals and caring for people in need. The same principle is like that today. Being a volunteer in church is more than just opening a door, it's inviting people into your life. And when you invite them into your life, you're inviting them to know who Jesus is. And one of the best ways to do your hospitality, it's not just me saying it, it's the Bible saying it. Romans chapter 12 says this, share with the Lord's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Hebrews chapter 13 says, do not neglect hospitality because some have entertained angels without knowing it. Hospitality is practical love in action. It turns faith into something people can actually experience.

When faith is something that you can't see, but when you offer your hospitality and you offer your love on a Sunday morning or a Monday afternoon, man, it becomes a faith that people can experience. And it's a faith that people can experience in real time and in real life. Man, last point, verse 10. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms. Point three is this, everyone has a gift to serve others. Everyone has a gift to serve others. A simple translation of the scripture is this, nobody gets to sit on the bench. If you're in the building today, nobody gets to sit on the bench. This is what that scripture is saying. And I love sitting on the bench, it was great. I did not want to get into the game. But when it comes to church, man, I'm trying to get in the game as much as possible. I want to use whatever I have to be a part of whatever God is doing in this place. And I love how Peter is direct with the verse because he wants to make sure that no Christians slip through the cracks. cracks inside the church. So this is why he uses great penmanship and uses phrases like each of you and whatever. Each of you and whatever gifts that you might have today.

Why? Because he's more than likely talking to the people who haven't hit the tap dot on the armrest or the seat back in front of you, who's been sitting here for two months and hasn't decided if they wanted to join a group to use their gifts and talents to serve on the team. This isn't showing shade or guilt, but please hear me. This is to encourage you that when someone who needs healing and someone who needs a savior to come and save their life, man, they're dependent on you to be at the front door to shake their hand. They're dependent on you. Come on, you can give God glory for that. They're dependent on you. And it's a hard pill to swallow, but I know I get it. Man, it's difficult to serve sometimes because you don't know where you're supposed to be or you don't know based off of whatever situation you're in that you can serve in this place. But let me go to 1 Corinthians 12 chapter real quick because you belong here and you have a gift and your gift matters here. But this is what 1 Corinthians says. Now if the foot should say, because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body, it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body, it would not for that reason stop being part of the body.

If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact, God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. And if they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but what one body? Serving others has no physical criteria other than being alive. Breathing, drawing breath that God has breathed inside you. And to be a part of a solution is to be a part of a serving church that looks multicultural, multiethnic, and multigenerational. So it doesn't matter if you're seven or 77, you can serve in the church. It doesn't matter. You have a gift. If you don't know what your gift is, may I ask you to pray and see God, let him show you. But honestly, where you work at is the gift that you're good in. Use the clues. I was a server for a long, long time. I realized this. I smile a lot and I shake people's hands. How does that translate to the church? Man, I can greet at the door because I smile a lot and I shake people's hands. I love being a good host to people.

But I understand through the work that I do currently outside of this place, I understand what my gift is inside this place. And so, bonus verse, my bad. 11, verse 11, I was gonna add this in there. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen. Peter talks about two types of gifts in this situation. He's talking about talking gifts and he's talking about serving gifts. And everybody wants to elevate the serving gift. Everybody wants to elevate the platform and what they do on stage and communicating the word of God. But can I tell you this? Serving has just as a big of an impact as you're speaking. You being in place at a door or inside this room, showing someone to their seat has just as big of an impact just as speaking does. And we always try to elevate that gift because we feel like the speaking gift is the elevation. This is the pinnacle of serving.

When I get to the stage, this is it, but that's not true. The goal isn't personal recognition. The goal is so that God gets the glory through Christ. That's the goal. That's the goal. We want God to get all the glory. And maybe you feel some type of way today. Maybe you felt so-so. Sometimes I don't feel filled with glee every morning. morning and sometimes I feel like I can't do a good job sometimes but I always point back to the part in the scripture where it says and this scripture might be just for me it might not be for you but I'm gonna say amen after and if anyone serves they should do so with the strength God provides amen to that because sometimes you may not be willing to serve in the house today but it's not about what your strength is and it's not about your will it's about God's what we're gonna let his will be done in the place and if there's an opportunity for me to be used by God God choose me choose me to be a part of the house today choose me to be a part of that person's life that's going to take them from death to eternal life with you God I want to be a part of your kingdom out what can I do how can I pick up the towel this morning Servolution wasn't to get hype about serving in Transformation Church it wasn't a ploy to get you to sign up for a next event but it was and it is right now currently my hope to encourage you to to go from the sideline and march yourself to the front line in the kingdom of God this morning I want to encourage you to do that this Sunday morning because each one of you in the body has a job because you're God's creation and God's creation was blessed has blessed you with a gift and the gift that and the gifts that were given has a purpose and that purpose is to serve others for the glory of God you've been given a gift God has blessed you and he wants to use you so here's the ask this morning I want everybody to take out their phone go ahead it's it's the one

time where it's just like it's cool go ahead take out your phone I want you to go to the camera setting on your phone this is what I would love to see today man in the seat back in front of you an armrest next to you there is a tap dot man hit that tap right now it's not this isn't this is the beginning to this in the beginning of the service this is right now so everything we're doing now is practical and in motion and on time hit the tap dot on the armrest next to you and we're going to follow the prompts and that next one is going to be next steps once you hit next steps you will go to join a team when you hit join a team there is going to be a list of serving opportunities that exist inside this church now here's the deal you can hit one right now be great or you can take time in our next moment of worship and pray and seek God about it but let me tell you this maybe God has already been stirring in your heart a place that you can serve in and maybe God has already showed some people in your perivial that that understand that hey maybe if I would have did this job they they want they might have been to a better place but guess what today is the day that you can check guests to whatever serving opportunity that you have this morning don't miss out I'm gonna take a couple moments do it right now look at it you when a church actually loves people deeply shows generous hospitality and uses their gifts church stops being an event people attend and starts looking like the body of Christ Peter had in mind you might be here today for the first time and maybe you're trying to figure out this whole love thing maybe your next step isn't serving maybe your next step is saying yes to Jesus because it's hard to serve people when you don't love people it's hard to serve people when you don't know who you're doing it for and with and besides you which is Jesus so as we go into worship this morning I want to be eat me to go ahead and stand up with me this morning go ahead stand up man if you want to know more about who Christ is or you want prayer are you harboring some unforgiveness and that's making it hard for you to serve that person is there

some things that you need to let off your chest we have our prayer corners that are going to be in the back of the sanctuary on on my left and on my right man there's gonna be people there waiting to pray for you this morning don't miss out on this opportunity for prayer don't miss out on this opportunity for salvation salvation is here it's now you don't have to wait You don't have to think about it. God wants you back. So in the next couple moments of worship, man, make your way to those prayer corners.