One of the Apostles who understood the concept of servanthood in Christianity can be said to be Apostle Paul. In several of his letters, which are part of the New Testament, we see that he always referred to himself as either “servant” or “bondservant” of Christ (Romans 1:1, Galatians 1:10, Philippians 1:1, Colossians 1:7, Titus 1:1).
He was totally committed to the course of Christ because of this understanding. This is definitely one major reason why he did much for the course of the gospel, for he was totally sold out to the course of his Master, Christ.
Apostle Peter (2 Peter 1:1), James (James 1:1), Jude (Jude 1:1) and even John (Revelation 1:1) also reflect this concept in their letters. This shows that the concept of being a “servant of Christ” was not foreign to the early Church or fathers of faith. Rather, it was one of the fabrics of humility that the Church was founded upon.
There is a level of commitment to the course of the Kingdom of God that you will never attain until you grasp this revelation of becoming a servant of Jesus Christ. There will be limitation to your walk with God if you don’t understand and accept this concept. Your personal motives (will) will keep interfering with the will of God if you don’t appreciate this. Ignorant of this concept will make you to misbehave and misuse the gifts and endowment of God upon your life (Matthew 24:45-51) for personal gain or intention.
Yes, we should never forget that we are friends of God, we are sons and daughters of God and that we are joint heirs with Christ. All these are fundamental truths which are biblical. But if we don’t balance it with the truth that we are “servants of Christ” we will slip into spiritual apostate by becoming spiritually proud and self-righteous. It is the concept of servanthood that brings the balance of humility to your life. It helps you to see yourself for who you really are, as one saved by the grace of God.
The moment you start seeing yourself as God’s servants, your perspective about ministry, worldly possession and life will change drastically. You will begin to understand and accept the fact that you are only a tool in God’s hand whom He can use to fulfill his purpose. And you will be ready to answer yes, whenever He calls. As Christ your Master wishes, He should do with your lives the way He pleases. You should be rest assured that all He does with your life is for your benefit.
"So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.'" Luke 17:10.
