When a person accepts Jesus as his Saviour, our “old man” was “crucified with Him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin” (Romans 6:6). In other words, the “old man,” that is, “I” died with Jesus on the cross. Since this “old man” is already dead and its master “sin” has forever lost its slave called “I,” we Christians are no longer slaves to sin and the devil. Hence, we need not and should not serve “sin” this evil master but we are to serve “righteousness” our new master. The Bible says:
In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. (Romans 6:11-13)
Previously, you were slaves of the devil and sin. But since Jesus was crucified on the cross to save you from the devil and sin, it is only right that you serve your new Master. This Master is the kind and good Shepherd who loves you and did not care for Himself but wiling laid down His life for you: He is the Lord Jesus. Thus, serve the Lord faithfully. The word “serve” connotes a believer’s gratitude to the Lord. When you serve Jesus, it means that He is the Master of your life. When you do not serve the Lord faithfully, you are not grateful to the Lord. You openly declare that Jesus is not your Lord.
First, Christians must attend Sunday Worship Service. This is the most important area of service. The reason is that in worship, when you praise Him, you honour Him as the Lord of your life. When you listen to the sermon preached, you indicate that you have the responsibility to obey the Lord’s Word and instructions because He is Lord. This is why you must attend Sunday Worship Service. Such an act signifies that you regard Jesus as your Lord and you are serving Him. Therefore, you should not be late for Worship Service. If you are late for work, your employer will be displeased. He may not express it openly, but in his eyes, you are not a reliable worker. You can also expect that your employer will not give you good things. If you are afraid of your employer, how can you not take punctuality seriously? Thus, when you sing hymns or read the scriptures during Responsive Reading, do so with all your heart because you are doing it to the Lord.
Second, every Christians should serve in a church ministry. You could be leading a fellowship group, reading the scriptures or collecting offerings. You could give monetarily or use your giftedness to serve God. You could even help to clean up the church. Your “service” is not just a job. When you “do” a task, you express openly that Jesus is your Lord and is worthy of your service. Therefore, when it is your turn to serve, be faithful. Can you imagine that if your employer assigns you a task which has to be completed by a certain deadline, you forget? How will your employer regard you? We have shortcomings. Your boss may forgive you this time. But if you forget again, you can be certain that he will regard you as a bad worker and will not give you good things. When you serve the Almighty God, the Lord who saved you, how can you do it shoddily? We dare not because God is not to be mocked. He who holds the rod will chastise children who are unfaithful. Hence, before God chastises you, quickly change your mindset and serve God faithfully. Stop being sloppy. Furthermore, we do not want to do this to the Lord because He loves us so much that He sacrificed His own life to save us from hell, sin and the devil. How then can you be ungrateful?
Thus, when you come to worship and serve God, remember that you are worshipping and serving the Eternal and Almighty God, even the Lord who loves you sacrificially. Hence, honour God and give Him your best.