The True Path To Greatness - September 8, 2025

The true path to greatness.

Turn in your Bible to Mark chapter number 10.

Mark chapter number 10.

I want to welcome our first-time guest to Victory Baptist Church.

My name is Pastor Jason, and I'm glad to be your minister today.

And for all of our members and regular attenders, it's good to be here, isn't it?

Just back in the Bible, back singing, another fresh week to grow in the Lord.

Today we're going to talk about serving.

We're going to talk about how really the greatest among us is the servant of all.

And serving can be quite challenging at times, can't it?

Especially if people treat you like you're their slave.

And they punk you and diss you and give you problems.

It's kind of hard to keep the flesh in check and not to want to give them a little elbow, you know?

And uh, but yet we see how Christ deals with things with courage and humility and grace.

And uh I'm thankful we've got the Bible to be able to see how he handles stuff.

Uh Mark chapter 10, look it up in verse number 32.

Mark 10 · chapter mention

Let's begin there.

The Bible says with courage and humility and grace.

And uh I'm thankful we've got the Bible.

Uh Mark chapter 10, look it up in verse number 32.

Mark 10 · chapter mention

And they were for them.

He's a great leader.

He's going before them, he's leading the charge, and they were amazed, and as they followed, they were afraid.

Remember, like, people don't like Jesus.

A lot of people like him, but other people don't like him, and and he knows the Pharisees are after him, and people don't like him, and so the disciples are like, whoa, he's leading to the place that they don't like him.

I mean, he's hot in pursuit with courage, going in a direction that the disciples know that people are not going to be friendly there.

And yet Jesus is going before them.

And the Bible says, uh, as they followed, they were afraid.

You ever been afraid following Jesus before?

Yeah, like, man, he's going in a direction.

I don't know if I like this direction, man.

He's going to the hospital, he's going over here, he's going into the valley.

I don't know if I like these things.

But Jesus with courage is going there, and the disciples are, yes, they're following, but they're following with some fear.

And he took, he took again the twelve and began to tell them what things should happen unto him, saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man shall be delivered unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death and shall deliver him to the Gentiles.

And they shall mock him and shall scourge him and shall spit upon him and shall kill him, and the third day he shall rise again.

Jesus knows what he's going into.

You know, it's like a firefighter going into a burning building.

He knows he's going into the burning building.

It's like a police officer knowing he's going into a riotous, tumultuous situation.

Except for Jesus knows he's gonna die.

And he's still with courage saying, Let's go.

And that's why the disciples are like, whoa.

They're afraid, they're they're they're they're not understanding, they're thinking one thing, and he's thinking another.

And it says in verse 35, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto him, saying, Okay, Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire.

So they're like, hey, hook us up, give us what we want.

He's talking about death and suffering, and they're gonna talk about success and significance and position.

Isn't it interesting how our ways are not God's ways and our thoughts are not God's thoughts?

And they and Jesus says, Okay, boys, um, what would ye that I should do for you?

What do you want?

And they say in verse 37, grant unto us that we may sit one on thy right hand and the other on thy left hand in thy glory.

So they're thinking political power.

They're thinking, hey, make me the VP, he could be the chief of staff, hook us up.

We want to be high up, real close, you know.

We want notoriety, success, position.

We're pretty close to you.

And Jesus says to them in verse 38, Ye know not what ye ask, can ye drink of the cup that I drink of?

That's a cup of suffering, a cup of wrath, a cup of, if you, if you would, immersion of pain, if you would, and be baptized with the baptism that I'm baptized with?

And they said unto him, We can.

And Jesus said unto them, Well, ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of, and with the baptism that I am baptized with, with all ye shall be baptized.

But to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give, but it shall be given him, given to them for whom it is prepared.

And they're thinking, Yeah, okay, well, we'll we'll we'll go through it.

We'll go through the suffering, we'll go through the pain, we'll go through the ridicule, the mockery, all this stuff.

But just make sure you hook us up.

And Jesus says, Okay, yeah, you're gonna go through it.

And by the way, James was one of the first martyrs as you read the book of Acts.

John, they tried to martyr, they put him, as the story goes, they tried to boil him and they didn't kill him, and they exiled him on the Isle of Patmos, and many people believe he died of just old age.

And so certainly they're gonna go through persecution and pain.

Uh, and Jesus says, Yeah, it's gonna, you're gonna go through it, okay.

But it's not my, I can't just give that to you.

It's gonna be given to whom it's prepared.

Now, you can imagine this.

Can you imagine your kids coming to you and be like, hey, I want this.

I want to be, you know, number one, I want the best room, I want the best seat, I want uh, you know, the all the stuff that I want.

Can you imagine your other siblings going, well, who do you think you are?

You know, uh-uh, what about me?

So the other ten disciples hear James and John jockeying for position in the kingdom.

And it says in verse 41, and when they the ten heard it, they began to be much displeased with James and John.

You can imagine pulling them aside.

What's up?

Who do you think you are?

I you don't get the shotgun.

I get to ride in the front seat.

You don't get to have the best spot.

You don't get to have, no, uh-uh.

You can imagine Thomas and Bartholomew and Judas and the others going, uh-uh.

I don't like how you tried to jockey for position there, buddy.

Uh-uh.

And so you can see what their mindset is.

And I just love Jesus.

You know, he just lets them kind of have their talking and communications.

He knows our frame.

He knows we're but dust.

He knows what we're after.

Listen, you can't hide your heart from God.

You guys know that, right?

That's why when you're praying, don't try to flower up your prayer and think it's just gonna be all so, just be real.

Amen.

Just be honest.

Like he knows our frame, he knows our heart.

And so Jesus, he takes this opportunity to try to shift their mind, to help them to understand what the true path of greatness is.

In verse 42, it says, Jesus says to them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and their great ones exercise authority upon them.

He says, You understand in the world, it's all about being the top dog, the president, the CEO, the person on top, and have as many minions and slaves and people working for you as possible, so that way everybody knows you're the best, you're number one.

That's how worldly leadership works.

It's taskmaster leadership, it's top-down leadership.

But Jesus leadership, shepherd leadership, is not that way.

It's the opposite of the world.

Jesus says this in verse 43, but so shall it not be among you.

So, whatever you're seeing in the world, I don't want you to be like that.

But whosoever will be great among you shall be your minister, your servant.

And whosoever you will be chiefest, top dog, biggest, head honcho, shall be the servant of all.

Why?

Well, for even the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many.

So he says, listen, boys, listen, it's it's not about being up in the limelight, having the position and having a bunch of people serving you.

It's about you learning to take the lower seat.

It's about you learning how to serve other people.

It's about you saying, hey, why don't you take shotgun?

Why don't you take the front row?

Hey, why don't you take the first uh in the food line?

Let me be your minister.

Can I get you a cup?

Can I get you some food?

Can I open the door for you?

What can I do for you?

That's greatness in God's kingdom.

And it's the opposite of our flesh.

And so in today's message, we're gonna see that in God's kingdom, it's not found in climbing up and climbing higher on some ladder of success and wealth, but it's about bowing low and being a servant and realizing in God's economy the way up is down.

And the way forward is back.

It's a paradox.

It's the key to growing as a Christian.

And so, if you want to take notes, number one, we see the road to the cross.

Jesus walked ahead of them, leading with courage and obedience to the Father's will, realizing that glory, his glory, finishing his race, this glory would go through Golgotha, and that there is no crown without a cross.

Greatness begins when we follow the leader who kneels and serves and washes the disciples' feet.

Becoming a servant so others can be saved.

That's how you grow from success to significance.

It's the road to the cross.

Hey, how are you doing with embracing your cross?

How are you doing at accepting the shame?

How are you doing with realizing you're gonna have to go into tough conversations and tough situations and deal with people that don't like you, that spit upon you, that curse you out and don't like you?

And will you go in, listen to this, with humility?

That's the hardest for me is to stay humble, to stay kind when people are reviling me, when people are disrespecting me, when people are punking me, when people are thinking bad things about me, when all I'm trying to do is be a help and a blessing and an encouragement, and you get all this riff-raff and junk coming at you.

Come on, mamas and daddies out there, how many of y'all know what I'm talking about?

Grandmas and papas, people at the workplace, you know, it's like, man, I'm just trying to be a help and a blessing.

I'm just trying to get you your food.

I'm just trying to close your deal.

I'm just trying to uh be a help to you, and and you're making it very challenging for me.

Christianity would be super easy if it just wasn't for all the people.

Right?

And that's the excuse people make when they don't go to church.

I'm not gonna go to church, there's a bunch of hypocrites there.

Well, then you're not gonna be a Christian because Christians are in church.

Amen?

And that's how you grow to be like Christ.

Listen, cowards run away from church.

Cowards run away from God.

Cowards do the opposite of the will of God.

Courageous people follow Christ and they're inconvenienced and they accept their cross, and when they're cursed and mocked and ridiculed and spit on, they don't call fire down from heaven to consume the people that they're called to seek and to save.

Come on now.

How many of y'all know what I'm talking about?

I mean, I straight betwixt two.

I've got this flesh nature and this spirit nature.

You say, which one wins?

Whichever one I feed.

Whichever one I feed.

So if I feed the spirit and I walk in the spirit and I'm filled with the spirit and I read the word of God, then I'm I'll be, I won't be like James and John when they're on that road going uh to Jerusalem when those people try to stop uh Jesus in Luke chapter 9 and they say, Jesus, you want us to call fire down?

Luke 9 · chapter mention

Let's consume these suckers, they're in our way.

He's like, You don't know what spirit you're of, boys.

Nah, let's just go another way.

Sometimes I get all caught up in my own self and what I want, and I just think that the people that I'm called to love and to serve are the problem, and I just want to take them out.

Just a quick little chop to the throat.

That's right, zip it.

But the Holy Spirit says, no, no, no, Jason.

Let's just, let's be sweet, let's be kind, let's not be like them.

Let's we're gonna go another way.

We're gonna we're we're gonna get to where we're going, but we're gonna do it in a in a way that's godly.

And you're gonna keep your testimony, and you're gonna stay a servant because this is how I make you a servant of me.

And so we see this true path to greatness.

It goes through the road to the cross, but number two, we see in this passage the request for glory.

These boys, they these disciples, they want glory.

How many of y'all want glory?

Hook me up, man.

Health, wealth, success, happiness.

I want it all.

Diamond rings, nice cars, all of it, right?

Houses, woo! That's our flesh nature.

Right?

I'm not saying that it's all bad.

It just has to be, the ambition has to be reframed, sifted, and brought into captivity to Christ.

This me first reflex must take a back seat to the Christ way.

Their request for glory, we can see all of us have.

I want to be noticed, I want to be recognized, I want to sit where I want to sit.

I want this.

We all have this.

And I noticed, did you notice in the passage how Jesus didn't go, you punks?

What's wrong with you?

He didn't do that.

You know, he's like, okay.

Um almost like he's kind of gently leading in, like, you know, this grab for glory comes with a grind.

You know that this desire for success comes with a great measure of sacrifice.

And I don't know about you guys, but a lot of times in the vision of our success, we never factor in the suffering.

We never factor in the pain, we never factor in the cross, we never factor in all the valleys and the hardships and the sufferings.

And so it's very important that we understand as we're desiring glory and we're desiring with ambition all these wonderful things, we must realize that our drive and our ambition needs to be redeemed.

It needs to be reframed.

It's not wrong to want positions and it's not wrong to want greatness.

It's just a little bit shallow.

It's missing this eternal view.

It's a bit short-sighted.

And we'd all do well to understand the goal in life is not more money.

The goal in life is not more position and notoriety and have as many people following you and liking you and singing your praises.

If that was the case, Jesus would have set up shop right away and be like, that's right, we're not going anywhere.

The king is here, let's do this.

Come down and everybody worship.

He didn't.

Every time he'd preach and teach, they would want to come and take him, and he'd be like, Okay, peace.

And he'd move to another place.

Well, why would he do that?

Because he knew what was in man, according to John chapter number two.

They just wanted to use him for their will, like us.

I'll go to church, I'll I'll give, I'll sing, as long as it benefits me and my life.

But the moment this Christianity thing comes with a cross, the moment this Christianity thing comes with some repentance, with some stepping onto my toes, I'm peace out, I'm gone.

But that's the opposite of Christ.

Christ, we see, he's like, I'm gonna be baptized, immersed with this suffering, with this pain.

And this is what it's gonna cost you as well.

And so we see this request for glory for glory comes with some understanding.

Like, how many of you guys ever pulled your kids aside, or new church members aside, or new Christians aside, and said, okay, let me just break it down to you.

This is gonna suck.

This is gonna be painful.

You know, all these people that are singing your prayer, oh, you sang so good.

Oh, you know that wife or that husband that you got, oh, I love you, you're so dreamy.

Guess what?

Give it some time.

You're gonna find out their poop stinks too.

You're gonna find out they leave their clothes everywhere, they don't clean up after themselves, those little kids that you pray, oh, I just want me a little baby.

Just wait until they punk you.

I want this, and then all that fantasy, that bubble is busted, bursted, and then you're left with the reality of what life is, and that you need Christ, and that you need to understand how to suffer in the responsibility and to endure the pain and the hardship, and to get up late at night to be a help to your siblings and uh be a help to your spouse and and to go the extra mile and to be a servant.

And everybody wants to have success in marriage, but nobody wants to say, Yes, my Lord, I'll serve you.

Yes, let me get you that food.

Let me let me go over there.

Yeah, I'll I'll turn around and I'll go do that for you again.

Absolutely.

It would be my privilege.

See, this request for glory, it it needs to understand that the true path to greatness is about serving.

See, God didn't give you a marriage and children to complete you, He gave you a marriage or children or a church to refine you and to make you more like Him.

And anytime you're confronted with your own flesh, that's an opportunity, not an obstacle.

It's an opportunity for you to grow as a believer, as a humble servant, and say, Yes, Lord, yes, show me how to navigate through this.

And then we see number three, the rule of the kingdom.

The rule of the kingdom.

In God's economy, greatness is servitude.

It's not how many you lord over.

Well, how many people are in your business?

How many businesses do you have?

How much money do you have?

You must be so successful.

That's not greatness.

A lot of people gain the whole world, they end up dying and going to hell.

A lot of people go after, chase the money, chase the all the stuff out there only to find out the end of their life, it was worthless, it's empty.

So, true success is not how many you lord over, but but really it's how many you add value to and who you serve.

The world wants power over people.

I just want to call the shots.

I just want to tell people what to do.

But the Jesus way is power under people.

It's power to lift up others and love others and serve others and care for others.

The Gentile way lords over, but the Jesus way serves under.

The Jesus way is down, is the way up.

The greatest is the servant of all.

And so I asked you a question.

Did you come today as a consumer, as somebody that says, feed me, feed me, feed me?

Or did you come today as a servant?

Because if you're gonna be a real Christian, you gotta learn how to be a servant.

You gotta learn how to show up early and stay late, you have to learn how to be inconvenienced, you have to learn how to how to be rejected and other people forget about you.

You have to learn how to do all these things.

And if you're only into this thing because of how it benefits you, you're gonna go from church to church to church, from marriage to marriage to marriage, from business to business to business because it's all about you.

Woo!

How are we doing, guys?

Are we okay?

Oh.

Jesus anchors us in the rule of the kingdom.

The Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister.

Think about this.

He's God.

He deserves service, he deserves worship, he deserves adoration.

But yet he says, Hey, I'm gonna come down, let me wash your feet.

Let me spend some time with you.

Let me let me come and visit you.

Let me come down, let me condescend to men of low estate.

Let me call you up, let me visit you, let me learn you, let me wash your feet, let me care about you, let me go the extra mile.

Are y'all following?

And so I asked you the question: how are you doing as being a Christian?

How are you doing as being a servant?

Somebody that says, Hey, here am I, Lord, send me.

You got a hard job?

You need the toilets clean, you need the buses run, you need the nursery uh taken care of.

Lord, here am I, send me.

I'll be the servant.

And by the way, there's no expiration date on being a servant.

Well, I did my time, preacher.

I've been in that nursery for 40 years.

I've been driving the bus for 25 years, I've been preaching for 50 years.

There is no expiration date on being a Christian.

Because the truth is, the moment you stop being a servant, you stop being Christ-like.

And that's why all of us today should be asking the question not what can my church do for me, but what can I do for my church?

Not what can my community do for me, but what can I do for my community?

Not what can my country do for me, but what can I do for my country?

Not what can my family do for me, but what can I do for my family?

See, a lot of people are going from church to church to church and seeking, oh, I want this little church, I want a church that's gonna take care of me and feed me.

No, no, you you got it wrong.

You got it wrong.

If you're gonna be Christ-like, you have to say, I'm looking for some people to love, I'm looking for some people to serve, I'm looking for some people who can do nothing for me, but I can serve them and love them and bless them and take care of them.

You get a church of people that have that mindset, I promise you this.

People will be magnetized to it.

Because it's a certain spirit and it's the spirit of Christ.

And so at our church, here's what I recommend.

I recommend you sit in one service a week, sit at Jesus' feet, worship, pray like here at 10 a.m., and enjoy the service.

Yes, get filled.

Then I recommend that you serve in a ministry.

You find a ministry.

Find out can I serve in the bus ministry?

Can I serve in the nursery ministry?

Can I serve as the in the greeters ministry?

Can I serve in the young adults ministry?

Where can I serve?

Well, you say, well, I don't really like, there's not really that many people exactly.

That's why you're here.

That's why you're here.

You're here to add value so that when one customer comes, you can serve them.

Or five customers or ten customers.

You be a servant.

You mean I gotta do the work?

Yes.

Now you're getting it.

Why?

Because if all you do is take, take, take, you're gonna become a really spiritually fat, glutton Christian.

That's just like a blob going around like feed me, feed me.

No, you gotta take and give.

You gotta you gotta flow with it.

Be served and then serve.

And so I recommend you sit in one service, you serve in a ministry, and then I recommend that you share in a small group.

You know, the Bible says iron sharpens iron.

I recommend you join a small group.

And so here's what I want to do.

If you're in a ministry here at Victory Baptist Church, if you serve in a small group or you serve in a ministry team, I want you to make your way up.

Come on up.

Come on up, yeah.

This is gonna be interactive.

You say, did you tell them?

Nope, I didn't tell anybody nothing.

If if you're the leader of a ministry, if you're the leader of a ministry, come on up, come on to the stage.

Yeah.

All right, all right, come on.

This is a lot more people than I thought.

Just spread it out and look left, look right, make yourself look like you're balanced, okay?

Come on this way, guys.

Come on to the stage in the middle, in the middle, in the middle.

Come on this way.

Slide on over.

Pam, don't go falling down the stairs on me.

Hey, that's a perfect example of being a Christian.

You know?

Good job saving her.

Almost cost you your life.

All right.

Um, you guys come on over here to the center.

Come on over to the center.

Come on, over to the middle.

Um, taller teeth people in the back, shorter people like me up front.

Come on over, come on over.

Hey, don't be bashful or shy.

Come on.

Come on, come on, come on, come on.

Don't hide behind the drums either.

Come on over.

All right.

I need one one helper.

One helper.

Brother Dave, will you help me grab?

Grab that mic right there, that blue one, yeah.

Okay.

So that means all of you need a spot to surf.

Amen?

Now it's fine for a little while.

I was watching the show last night on uh uh Discovery about birds and the mama birds and feeding them, and eventually the eagles kind of get after that little while they learn how to flat their wings and they gotta jump out the nest and they gotta feed themselves.

There's there's a time for being fed, right?

But after a while, you gotta be like, okay, I gotta do something.

I gotta add some value and make a difference.

You've got to use your own power.

So here's what I want to do.

Um, David, give me about 20 seconds and tell me what you do with Iwana.

Um turn that on it, would you, Daniel?

Or whoever's in the back back there?

It's okay, they can hear you out here.

My wife and I, we lead Iwana, uh, which is uh children's ministry here at the church.

And um and how can they jump in?

What can they do?

Oh we can always use help uh with people that want to listen to verses, uh people that want to help with games.

Um will you hand it to um one more thing?

It's the kids from uh third no fifth grade.

Uh from nursery age all the way up to fifth grade.

So Amen.

So serving the kids.

Yep.

Amen.

Okay, will you hand it to Carlo?

Okay, so check this out.

You don't have to know everything, you just gotta show up and be a blessing, right?

Anybody can do that.

Um Carlo, tell us what you do with your small group.

What group is it?

Just to be honest, um I wanted to sit out this uh this season, but I'm grateful that I didn't.

Amen.

Because serving is is definitely a blessing.

But I'm teaching first and second Peter, we're going verse by verse, and uh you can definitely uh join our group and get we share dialogue back and forth.

Uh we just open up the Bible and study it together.

Amen.

So you can get in a group and sharpen each other on Wednesday nights at 6 30.

Well, uh, where's Rochelle at?

Rochelle, where are you at?

Right here.

Uh the one hiding behind the drums.

Okay.

Uh will you take that to Rochelle?

Okay.

Um you serve in the nursery.

Can you how can people help in the nursery?

Um you can sign up to come and work.

Um I have spots in baby nursery and toddler nursery.

We have services at 8 a.m., 10 a.m.

Uh, we need people on Wednesdays.

I even just need monitors to sit outside of the classroom door.

You don't even have to change a diaper.

Just sit there and make sure the kid doesn't escape.

It's very simple.

We don't want the children escaping.

Okay?

So extra bodies, extra eyes needed everywhere.

Uh so any anybody that wants to jump in, we do background check all of our workers, so I just need paperwork first, and once your paperwork's complete, and then we can put you in there.

So that's an easy opportunity.

You can serve once a month, once a week.

There's three services in the week.

Anybody can do it, right?

You can jump in and serve.

Okay, where's a security person?

Who who helps with security?

Okay, Ryan, come on up here.

Give that to Ryan.

Thank you, Michelle.

Uh what does security do and how can people connect in and why is it important?

I think let's be honest, we live in a wicked world.

And there's not everybody is of the same mindset, and we need extra eyes to help keep an eye and to protect our church family so that everybody can be in here focusing on preaching, and we have a crew that is keeping everybody safe, being eyes, and and uh we need help.

We need help with that.

So think about this.

You can come and serve in security at 8 a.m.

service and still go to a worship service at 10 a.m.

You say, I gotta get up earlier for that?

Yeah.

It's called family business, right?

That's what a family does.

You're helping each other.

This is not above and beyond.

This is just normal stuff where you go from being a toddler to somebody who contributes to the household blessing.

Thank you, Brother Ryan.

Will you give this.

We'll get to the bus next, Joe.

We'll get to the bus.

All right.

Let's give this to um let's see here.

Uh Caleb, will you come over here and tell us about the the teenagers?

Tell us about the teen ministry and why it's important.

Yeah, uh, it's the best ministry, first of all.

So uh yeah, we have a great time.

We meet on Wednesdays uh from sixth grade all the way to 12th grade.

We have a great team that we serve and be a part of, and a way that uh you can probably get involved is teens like to eat.

I don't know if you have a teenager, they'd love to eat, and we feed them every single Wednesday.

So I think bringing a meal, maybe signing up, that would be a help.

And we also do multiple Bible clubs throughout the week in our public schools here in East County.

So if you'd like to jump in, maybe uh give a give a five, ten-minute lesson, maybe show up, help distribute some pizza, uh, that meets uh when Monday, Tuesday, Friday, and then we're working on getting the fourth one as well.

So that's another way to get involved.

So with these Bible clubs, this is costing us a couple hundred bucks each time, right?

So even if you can't go, you can you can give and say, Hey, I want to help towards this the reaching these public school kids.

Um, you can make sandwiches for Wednesday nights or bring desserts or something for the kids here at Wednesday night.

There's a lot you can do uh to add value to uh the high school ministry.

So thank you for that.

Uh brother Mark, would you come on over?

Tell us about how if what what you do with the Ushers and how what can people do if they want to help in the Usher's ministry?

With the Usher Ministry, we uh partners of hospitality bringing uh most of you as everybody's coming in, uh not just members, but uh all first-time guests and stuff like that.

So it's it's it's important to be like a good thing to uh the church and be uh be homely, be friendly.

Uh we help everybody find seats and start filling up and you know, bring extra seats in the back.

Um we also help uh with security.

Uh believe it or not, we're the eyes in the back in case something's happening.

Um if somebody's getting a little too uh rambunctious, you know, try to help with that.

So they're watching you.

If you get rambunctious and you're talking too much and being a distraction, they're gonna be like the person in the third row over there.

Thank you, Mark.

And so you can help out with the ushers.

That would be a great help.

I want to have David Poacher come and tell us about the bus ministry and how people could connect in and why that's important.

All right, good morning.

First of all, I just want to ask forgiveness for Halo.

He said that the team ministry is the best ministry, but the bus ministry is.

And what we do is simple, we pick up uh people to bring them to the church.

We use both the bus, the church van, and sometimes we use the personal vehicles as well.

So if anybody's interested in helping help that, let us know.

Amen.

And and by the way, we do need more bus drivers.

We have three bus drivers, but these are all full-time people that are working other jobs, and we're constantly sending soul winners out in the community, taking trips and loading up the buses.

So we need people who've got uh a license to drive a bus or are willing to get one and connect in and be a help and a and a and a blessing to the ministry.

Um, okay, who is I looking for next?

I wanted to ask about the cleaning ministry.

Rafael, will you tell us like if somebody wants to come in and help clean the church?

Why is that important and how do people connect in?

Uh good morning.

Um it's very important when you come to church.

Do you like to see a dirty church or do you like to see a clean church?

Do you like to see the chairs all over the place or just every all the road nice and straight?

So um, there's a lot of things you can do here in the church, like cleaning the toilets, uh coming in, vacuuming, blowing the front of the church.

And we have there's a lot of uh areas that that need help.

And if you you you have a hard servant, you want to help us, you can help the church, yeah, just talk to me or I'll talk to Brother Amos and he'll let me know, and then we can assign you an area where you can help.

Yeah, and and you could come in throughout the week.

You just coordinate.

If you got an hour, you can come in and clean a bathroom or vacuum or or help set up a service.

So there's a lot you can do behind the scenes that can lift the load and make it easier and better.

And by the way, when we're preaching on serving, it's gonna be a lot easier for you to be in church where you're like, okay, I'm not just a taker here, I'm actually like like contributing.

You know, it's one thing if somebody comes to your house and they're staying for you know a week, you got a guest over, you're like, okay, great, the guests are here.

Well, after like a like three weeks, a month, two months, three months, you're like, you better start helping out around here, buddy, you know.

Everything starts changing, right?

And and rightfully so, it should adjust.

Um, where's uh I want to do a small group.

Is Jane up here?

She does the mama's group.

Oh, she's a monitor, okay.

So she she does a small group and she's uh monitoring.

Um who who does a mama's group?

Who does a mom's group?

Tanya.

Tanya, where's Tanya at?

Tanya, come on over here and tell us about uh your small group and what what you guys are doing.

So we meet Monday mornings at 10 a.m.

And this is for moms that it's hard to go out by yourself, so we're all gonna get together and have different trips like to Bubble Park, to um maybe see World and Zoo things like that, and we'll be together and we'll help each other.

Amen.

So her small group is a way you can make friends and connect in and bring the bring the the children, and and it'll be a blessing.

And a lot of times people are like, Why that church isn't friendly?

If you want to have friends, you gotta go out and make friends, right?

And so what happens a lot of times is people complain, oh, that church isn't friendly.

No, it's you, you gotta connect in, right?

You gotta build out those relationships and it makes a difference.

Um, all right, let me do where's Abraham.

Abraham, um come on over and tell us a little bit about um your small group.

So we're doing a men's, what we call a men's conquer group.

And uh basically the title is the battle plan for purity.

And we live in an age where the devil wants to handicap men from accomplishing the will of God.

And uh sometimes you can't serve because you feel like I got all this stuff going on in my brain and my heart.

I can't serve.

And so our management comes together on Saturday at 5 p.m.

and it really just goes over a video series, which is really dynamic.

Um I've taken about 75 men through it, and it's very powerful and impactful, and it's changed lives and it's changed marriages.

And so love to have you join us, man, if you'd like to be a part.

Amen.

Thank you, Abe.

Uh, greeters.

Uh where's uh which greeter leader wants to come?

Sister Amy, or do you want to have Michelle?

Amy?

All right, come on.

So greeters are the smiling faces you see.

Go ahead, tell us about you.

Yeah, whether you like to smile and say hi to somebody, or you don't know how to, we can teach you how to do that, okay?

And some of you, you might need some help, okay?

We're the first face that you see out there.

We help um new guests that come on in and they're looking for child care.

They're looking how do I get into the sanctuary, where's the restroom?

So we're that directory for them, and we have a great time out there.

It's a lot of fun.

So please, if you're a couple and you want to serve together as a couple, we would welcome that as well, too.

So come and join the dot best.

Amen.

Uh we have a young adults ministry that's growing.

I want to ask uh Amos to make his way up.

Amos, if you would.

Tell us about the young adults ministry.

Yeah, for a long time uh it was considered in just church at large as sort of the forgotten uh ministry or forgotten group.

After teen uh group, they would leave, and then it was I think the statistic is uh young people right now in church who are in a teen group, about 90% will leave the church.

And then about 34% of them will come back at some point in their lifetime.

So we meet every Tuesday night at 6 30 p.m.

We want to encourage them, love on them.

They're adults, so we're not like trying to micromanage their life, 18 to 29 year olds, but we just want to be there for them, have a place for them, and we're studying the Bible together.

So if you want to serve on that, or if you're a young adult, you're welcome to come.

And uh, I believe all the church ministries are the best ministries.

Amen.

See how he did that?

He just served them all.

What a blessing.

So everyone you see up here is is serving in some capacity, in music, in ushering, in some way.

And I gotta tell you, um you will grow as a Christian by sitting in one service, serving on a ministry.

And I'll tell you why it's so important to serve on a ministry team.

You need responsibility.

Responsibility is what helps hold you in place when life starts going crazy.

You need to have a spot on the wall so that you're accountable and people can know where you're at and pour into you.

Because you're gonna have days where it's good and then days when it's bad.

And you need somebody to, almost like when Sister Pam was coming up the stairs, you need somebody to lean on, right?

And they'll help you come up a little bit more.

And so serving on a ministry team does that.

And then you heard some of them, we can go on and on here with many other small groups, uh, but you need you need not only to serve in a ministry, but you need to be able to share.

You need to sit in a small group and share what you're learning and what other people are learning and sharpen one another.

And so, as Christians, we do that on a weekly basis.

And it's it's not a big ask, it's a small ask, and it's simple and it's consistent, and it makes a huge difference in your life.

And so, if you're looking to grow as a Christian, the best way to do that is to be a servant.

Amen.

Can we give all of them a round of applause?

Amen.

Thank you guys.

You can head back down.

Thank you so much.

I know we could be here all day hearing from all of them, but uh uh we all are gonna be our stomachs are gonna be growling soon for some uh food.

And so help help people down the stairs, please.

Pretty close, yeah.

As they're going down, I'm I I put some notes on the church app.

And on the church app uh for the sermon, I put down there's 25 ways you can serve.

And and let me let me just do a little interactive uh communication with you.

In the church, um, here's five ways to serve in the church.

Pray regularly for your pastor, leaders, fellow believers, volunteer in unnoticed areas, greet newcomers and make them feel welcome.

Use your gifts to edify others instead of seeking the spotlight.

Be quick to encourage, forgive, and lift up the body.

Let me let me throw the next one to you.

At home, this is your opportunity, okay?

At home.

What can people do at your house to help be a servant at your house?

Just raise your hand.

Raise your hand if you got an idea.

What can they do to add more value at the house?

Yes.

Yeah, do the dishes.

All right, what else?

Take out the trash.

Uh let me call on you, okay?

Yes.

Take out the trash.

Yeah.

So instead of waiting for dad or mom or sister or brother, you go take out the trash.

All right, who else?

Yes.

Sweep and mop.

Okay, sweep the floor, mop.

Add some value.

Who else?

Okay, right there.

Just simply pick up after themselves.

That's a big one.

Like, just simply pick up after yourself.

Yes.

Yeah.

Make a meal for the family or for for whoever, right?

Who else?

Yeah.

Watch the kids.

Yeah, watch the kids.

Be like, hey, I got them.

Who else?

Ask what they can do to help you.

Yeah, just simply, hey, how can I help lift the load at the house?

What can I do?

Yes.

Wash the cars.

Yeah, wash the cars.

I saw that, Valley.

Hold that hand.

No, lift it up.

Yes.

Be encouraging.

Yeah, be encouraging.

Be a positive person.

All right, now I'm going to give you at work, okay?

At work, here's what you can do if you want to add value at work and be a servant.

Go the extra mile without complaining or expecting credit.

Help co-workers succeed instead of competing selfishly.

Be honest, dependable, and consistent even in small tasks.

Mentor someone with less experience.

Stay humble when you succeed and share the credit.

Alright, now let me let me uh throw this one out to you.

How can you help financially?

What are some ideas that you can help uh uh financially?

Throw it out to you.

Raise your hand, I'll call on you.

Yes.

Buy a grocery.

Yeah, buy groceries.

Be a blessing in buying groceries.

What else, financially?

Yes.

Yeah.

Pick up a side a side job.

A little extra job, add some value financially.

What else?

Yes.

Pay the rent for a month or a year.

Yeah, pay okay.

I love what you're saying.

Hey, pay the rent rent for a month or a year.

I'll tell you, every month the rent here is$24,000.

So pray for me on the first.

Don't ask me for anything on the first, okay?

Because I'm like stressing just to get the rent paid.

Pay it for a year.

That'd be a great blessing for me.

I will jump and sing and do all kinds of things.

All right, what else?

What else can we do financially to try to be a helper blessing?

Yeah.

Save on utilities.

Yeah, save on utilities.

How many of you guys go around your house and you turn the lights off?

And then you have kids or you have coworkers, they're not even thinking about the bills.

And they're like, you know, everything's free.

It's not.

You're like, turn the lights off.

All right, what else can you do to add value financially?

Yes.

Don't be wasteful.

Don't be wasteful, right?

Don't waste all the stuff.

Like, be thoughtful with it.

What else can you do financially?

Yes.

Okay, yeah.

Help with the laundry.

Do the laundry.

Yes.

Yes, yeah.

If you get blessed and and you see somebody, go be a blessing to them, right?

Add some value to them and and and be an encouragement to you.

So, you know, there's there's different ways that you can add value financially.

Now, personally, here's some things personally you can do.

Put others first in a conversation.

You ever been with somebody and all they're doing is talking about themselves all the time?

You're just like, zip it, you know?

Ask a question.

Let them talk, right?

Find out what's going on, listen more than you speak.

Show kindness to strangers, offer your time to visit the sick, elderly, and lonely.

Extend grace when you're wronged instead of retaliating, and have a servant's mindset.

Um, I'll throw it out generally.

Is it what else can you do, or is on your heart and mind, that you think this is what a servant does?

This would be a great value add.

And I'll call on you, raise your hand.

Yes.

Ask how you could pray for them.

Yeah, hey, how can I pray for you?

Ask, how can I pray for you?

What else?

Yes.

That's a good one.

Just simply being available.

Yes.

Yeah, take somebody out for coffee and fellowship with them and connect with them.

Joe, yes.

Yeah, I just want to say thank you because a lot of people help me and they give me water and they leave me around and help me out on the bus, and I really do appreciate it.

Amen.

Amen.

Yeah, that's a big one.

Just saying thank you to people who are serving you, right?

And saying, hey, I appreciate you.

I'm grateful for all that you're doing.

Anyone else?

An idea?

Yes?

Just smile, say good morning, good afternoon.

Yes.

Yes.

A smile and and a warm welcome or warm wish.

That can go a long way, right?

That warm connection.

Who else?

Another idea.

We're talking about being a servant, yeah.

Check on somebody you know who's going through something.

Yeah.

Check on somebody you know who's going through something.

Send them a little text or a call and say, hey, I was just thinking about you.

How's it going in your life?

That gets you out of your own world and into somebody else and what's going on with them so you can be a blessing to them.

So you can see there's a lot of things that we can do to be a servant in the kingdom.

And if we'll do a great job thinking, how can I how can I help?

How can I be a blessing?

I'm telling you, it makes the atmosphere at home, at church, at work way better when you're around people who actually care and actually expressing gratitude.

So the greatest among us, is it the person who's at the top, or is it the person who's the servant of all?

It's the servant of all.

And by the way, you don't need a position or a title to be a servant.

All of us can be servants because that's what Jesus has called us to.