I have a question about serving.
Does God need us to serve his people? Can God not raise up special people to serve his people such as robots who appear to be humans? if i choose not to serve his people will some go to hell? where is the justice in that.. and why is it that some got more benefits over others? as in they were given more attention and favorable circumstances.
Thankyou
God said pray the LORD of the harvest to send forth laborers into his field.
I feel serving is sometimes unhealthy because it ruins your focus on other important areas of life and robs you of the abundant life God plans for us
I think we may need to befriend many people no matter who they are.. so we be like Jesus. Unlike the pharisees who rejected some people or could that be harmful? we have to show who we follow.. God perhaps desires mercy and not sacrifice
Comments
I have a question about serving.
Does God need us to serve his people?
No. God doesn't need anything. Sure He can, but why in the world would He? Many people will go to hell regardless of whether or not you serve. What do you mean where is the justice in that? No one's salvation is dependent on you. Each person will be judged according to what was given him/her (Parable of the Talents). Stop being so self-centered. If the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve (Mark 10:45), shouldn't we who are but dust and ashes do the same?
based on that last quote.
Also I dont think people will be happy with the lack of servants.Perhaps priests wont be happy. Clearly God needs servants which is why he said pray the LORD of the harvest to send forth laborers into his harvest.
Perhaps he needs to send robots
Robots can be perfect.. deliver exacly the message god wants to send. Thats why perhaps he needs to send them.
Anyway thanks for your reply
maybe humans, despite their flaws, are better at relationships than robots.
God created us to have relationships, especially with Him.
:)
What if we don't want or have relationships ? is it a sin?
The robot must pretend to be a normal human being.. not the Angel of the LORD or a prophet
Is it self centered to think about your career? Im not sure a career is an idol as some would suggest
perhaps I should have said a fake human... so you can't tell it is a robot.. it can take logical questions because God will tell it what to say.. like a face to face encounter with God.. however they don't know it is not a regular human..
"do not forget to entertain strangers for some by so doing have unwittingly entertained angels"
why should I serve the church with my talents (if i have any) if they dont need me?
Regardless, yes yes yes!! We are INTENDED TO SERVE.
Each one of us has a mission on this Earth; we are meant to serve in our own unique way. How? God will only show us; but do understand that it is necessary for your salvation, and you shall indeed be judged upon it. God shows us that people of all types of personalities and identities have served him; cowards, murderers, all these people have spread the message of our God to others. God's service is the MOST important thing in your life;I do not know what you refer to that says it takes away your time to things more beneficial; there is nothing more beneficial.
Your idea of service is most likely twisted; you don't have to do anything drastic like drop out of school and start preaching in the streets. Each is called to his own measure; some are not meant to be this type of person; but all service is equally important to show God's children the way back home. Your service can be as easy as talking to your friends at work about God, putting a poster up at your workjob, wearing a cross, doing Sunday school, missionary trips; all for your benefit.
Trust God my dude!
BTW i recommend u read "THe Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren
Pray for me
"When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal." Matthew 25: 31-46
Permit me to offer but a few words following these eternal words spoken by the Word to us. Firstly, I will say that if one is to serve, they must do so wholeheartedly. Surely, there are several people within the Church that may not do so to the fullest of their abilities, my weak self included, but this is a topic that I will address in the latter portion of this message. One must always keep in mind that God does not need us, but God makes use of us for our own benefit as well as the benefit of those around us. God, in His infinite wisdom, has endowed upon us, in our fallen nature, the greatest gift, that of His Only-Begotten Son, who was made flesh and dwelt among us. He not only came for the sake of conquering death by death and bestowing life upon us by the power of His Resurrection, but also gave us the blessing of seeing what we as human beings should strive to be like; we are to emulate Christ in His actions. Christ did not simply perform actions and speak words that they may be done and spoken, but that He may teach us through His actions and words how we should act and speak, not simply in outward form, but from the depths of our heart.
We have been given the opportunity through serving not only to bring others to Christ, but to strengthen our own bond with God, indeed, to perchance begin on embarking through the path that is to continue after we have fallen asleep in this world. St. Jerome writes: " It were indeed free to us to understand that it is Christ in every poor man whom we feed when he is hungry, or give drink to when he is thirsty, and so of other things; but when He says, “In that ye have done it to one of the least of these my brethren,” He seems to me not to speak of the poor generally, but of the poor in spirit, those to whom He pointed and said, “Whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother.”" My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, if we have been given the gift through which we may serve our fellow brethren, we must do so; this does not only mean to serve them in terms of bringing them food or providing shelter for them or visiting the sick, but in fact, it is doing so that we might, perchance, bring those others to the knowledge of God. This is service in its most basic yet genuine form. We must desire to serve Christ, and in doing so, desire to serve the Body of Christ, and indeed, serve those who are not in the Body of Christ that they may be brought to the Body of the Christ through the works of the Holy Spirit. If we serve others in spirit and truth, then we worship God in Spirit and in Truth.
We must also recognize that the service has an effect on us as well. It will strengthen our own bonds to Christ. If we so desire to dwell in the Kingdom of God, then we will quickly recognize that the above verses hold more meaning than we may imagine them to. The one who desires to be with Christ, who desires to be Christ-like, will be no less than a servant to all of those who surround him or her. As some people may be initiated into the service without whole-heartedly feeling that they wish to serve, or if they find themselves in a period of time after years of service where their desire to serve weakens, one would imagine that these may need to step away from the service, but this is truly not the case.
The servant is not simply one who teaches a weekly Sunday School lesson, or helps the children study, or provides aid to the elderly, or any of the other number of services that we so regularly provide one another in the congregation. Nor is it only ministering to those who are outside of the Church, outside of the Body of Christ. It is not simply an act or a word. A true servant is a true Orthodox Christian, and a true Orthodox Christian is a true servant.
God does not create beings without a will simply to do His will. God is Love, and as He is Love, so too does He wish all of His creation to participate in the grace of this Love, not in essence but in energy, by grace. The true Orthodox Christian will desire nothing but to serve God, and to do so in serving His creation. The desire to do so can only be cultivated by having a true relationship with Christ, which will continue to develop through service. "For 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 10:45
The desire to be in the Kingdom of Heaven is most certainly strengthened if we discover more what it is that we truly know about the Kingdom of Heaven, which most assuredly, is not simply a place as we have all very much been conditioned to think in our every day lives, but that's a topic for a different post.
May we all truly serve God and His people, that we may grow closer to Him and worship Him in Spirit and in Truth,
childoforthodoxy
[quote author=liftmyheart link=topic=12402.msg145296#msg145296 date=1317171817]
BTW i recommend u read "THe Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren
Sorry, I saw this and had to comment.
Worst. Book. Ever.
Something better:
What is Service?
by Andrew Helmy Source
So will some people go to hell if I do not serve? and ive almost got into many car crashes.. because I can not stop thinking about other people... I think I need to concentrate on my study.
Another thing I want to say to you people is this. Do not follow Metropolitan Bishoys spirit that the heterodox christians who believe in the nice creed cannot be saved.. even if that is true.. I think you should hope for the salvation of all christians and non christians who follow christs commandments (because most do not follow his commandments).. don't be like the muslims who exclude everyone else from salvation... If our God is really powerful he will not let others perish without giving them a good chance.. trust in God's judgement and fairness.. he will give them a chance equivalent to what he gave the samaritan woman. If you judge people you will be far from prosperous when st paul said to be in peace with all men... to those heterodox God lovers christian and non christian you shall assume that they are your brothers and treat them as if they will be saved...because even if you don't preach will God not continue to seek their salvation unto the last breath? otherwise don't allow non orthodox into the church and don't allow atheists into the church for our meetings and don't pretend to be at peace with them when you are not. Also for those who joined the orthodox faith you shall treat them well and be friendly with them.. otherwise tell them they are not welcome and let them go to another church
If you don't do as I say I shall assume you are non christian
Also know this that the son shall never die for the sin of the father.. so if a person was born non christian they will be given the same chance to go to heaven as a christian... even a muslim or a jew who follows Gods law but does not change religions because he loves his parents and does not want to offend them in my opinion will most likely go to heaven.. even if they attend a mosque or a synagogue.. They will call on the LORD Jesus when they die and they will be saved. God will never let someone perish just for having love towards his parents. Even if that person did evil all his life (only if that could be justified at all) and at the last moment asked God for forgiveness that person might be saved but im not sure..Its probably never justified for obvious reasons, it would contradict fairness. You don't need to believe in Christ to be saved (unless you are completely able to believe but you choose not to)..if for some reason you can not believe in Jesus (if that is possible) you are not outside of the realm of God's salvation.
For Jesus said "If any do not believe in Me I do not judge Him for I come not to judge the world but to save the world.. he who purposely refuses me my words will judge him on the last day" For the purpose of Jesus coming was to make reconciliation for the iniquities of the whole world..He made it possible for all to obtain salvation by repenting
But what will some people do knowing this? some christians will have sex with unbelievers.. sorry to sound retarded.. one or the other party will do the seducing..
This is another message I want to say to the world which is that it is written God will bring every work into judgement whether good or evil. That means that bad attitude you gave to someone or that small offense... dont think when you die you will repent of this sin.. for most likely your repentance will not be sincere.. every small evil thing we do if not really repented of before we die.. I guess God will punish greatly for and consume with eternal seperation for it
[quote author=user157 link=topic=12402.msg145323#msg145323 date=1317186808]
so now you are saying unworthy is wrong.. he said God doesn't need me to serve.. why is God's will not clear at all from this time..
Not sure where you're getting this from. The article says what you need to do if you want to serve. It says nothing about you having to serve.
but do understand that it is necessary for your salvation, and you shall indeed be judged upon it. Trust God my dude!
BTW i recommend u read "THe Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren
Pray for me
From LiftMyHeart
If I don't need to serve why should I? to get a higher place in heaven? I think I would have to focus on other responsibilies of life first
If noone served when would people actually repent? it could be that God has got special people in this world making sure His purposes are achieved
So without me the body of christ will not grow? so God needs me?
Also im not too sure our salvation depends on if we have served.. for it is written let everything that has breath praise the LORD.. anyone who sincerly wants to be a good person and desires a relationship with God can be saved.. provided they have made full confession of their evil and hate the evil in them and hate that they hurt Gods heart and not just fear the punishment.. if you know you must serve and you dont then yes.. and you should try to find out if you should but you only need to when it makes sense.. I don't know if many people are actually honest in their repentance ..do they really wish they never lived that sinful life?
"Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field; let us lodge in the villages. Let us get up early to the vineyards; let us see if the vine has flourished, whether the tender grapes appear, and the pomegranates bud forth: there will I give you my love" -Song of Solomon 7:11-12
this verse is basically speaking of service as something you share with God. it's not something that should be separated from God, but rather the Beloved is saying "There i will give you my love" ...
service, if it can be summed up, is loving your neighbor as yourself. love of neighbor is an expression of love of God. therefore, if you love God, you'll love your neighbor, and you will therefore have served.
so does God need me to serve or can I focus on other important responsibiliteis like driving well, study and other things?
Do you understand arabic? Here is a short clip on service from H.H.
I kind of understand that perhaps God needs me to serve for my own salvation and not for others.. God knows others may not listen to me or follow my example but yet he wants to show people that some are following Him anyway..
it doesn't seem like I am progressing.. I am still confused.. I thought I almost got it.. sure God can however send his own special people in the world..
I can't believe you're having difficulty with this concept. It's very simple.
Q: Do you want to serve?
A: Then serve.
Q: Do you not want to serve?
A: Then don't serve.
Q: Does God need you to serve?
A: No.
Q: Would God like you to serve?
A: Sure. But only if you want to.
Q: Will you go to Hell if you don't serve?
A: Not likely.
Q: Will you go to Heaven if you do serve?
A: No guarantee.
Q: Does the salvation of others depend on whether you serve or not?
A: Of course not. God would not rely on someone as fickle as you clearly seem to be.
Q: What does God want from you?
A: To work out your own salvation in fear and trembling (cf. St. Paul's Epistle to the Philippians) and to 'love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind' and to 'love your neighbor as yourself' (cf. the Gospel of Luke).
So if God doesn't need us how will he govern the world.. surely he can guide us with his spirit.. but people seem to only fear other peoples disapproval.....people want others to tell them why they should not do wrong.. they want others to convince and enlighten them.. well some do.
even st paul said not to forsake the assembling of yourselves together lest others be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.. and in the apostles time people needed the apostles.. who do we have now that the apostles are gone? are the priests as perfect as them? do people need the priests? so many times the priests have nothing new to say..or maybe they do sometimes..yet there is a lack of peace and security of our salvation.. st paul said I fill up christs suffering for the body of christ.. also the article you sent me said we have gifts that are needed for the uplifting of the body of christ..
did not H.H say a church without a youth is a church without a future?
Serving is much bigger.
If you have a good character like respect for the elderly, respect for the authorities, nice manners, peace within yourself, a humble spirit, gentleness, .... people will enjoy your company and will see Christ in you.
After baptism, we bear Christ image .. so let us show people Christ through our behavior and see our good works and glorify our Father Who is in heaven.
thanks imikhail. But some people say serving in sunday school is neccessary and some people say it is not
With all due respect, Sunday School is not essential to serving.
Deacons were chosen to serve tables, as the book of Acts tells us. Now imagine this, full deacons were ordained to wait on tables like any waiter you see in a restaurant.
Serving within the Church is much bigger than standing delivering a sermon, whether to a bunch of kids or a bunch of adults. Take St Luke for example, what does the bible tell us of him. Nothing, except accompanying St Paul and attending to his service. He wrote two books that gave us details found nowhere else.
You do not have to teach to serve "My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment" James 3:1