Not only do we mature individually when we serve others, we also grow as a body.

Corporate Renewal…Hands-on service enriches us as a church body because:

1. It helps us to think of the church as a community that lives out the gospel as opposed to an institution where programs are held.
2. It helps the church community begin to see and meet true need within the church community.
3. It forces us to face outwardly, seeing the needs of those outside the church community.
4. It drives the community to a deeper excitement and hunger for God’s Word as we see it lived out in community life.
5. It enlivens our worship gathered on Sunday mornings because Sunday morning worship is seen rightly as one expression of worship that should flow from our lives of worship throughout the week.

Are there other ways that you have experienced corporate growth as you have served together with God’s family, the church?

Ways Service Will Grow You

In God’s wisdom, serving others not only demonstrates God’s care and love for others, but we grow as a result of our obedience.  We grow as individuals and as a corporate community.

Individual Renewal…Hands-on service enriches us personally because:

1. It allows us to enter into God’s heart of mourning for sin and brokenness.
2. It confronts us with areas in our own lives where we need to repent and seek God’s transforming grace.
3. It yields new insights into Scripture, as we see it brought to life in the course of ministry.
4. It brings us closer to God’s passion for justice.
5. It strengthens our faith by giving us tangible evidence of God’s hand at work, while at the same time demanding a deeper level of trust.
6. It leads to greater dependence on God’s grace and wisdom.
7. It drives us to draw closer to Christ.
8. It helps us discover and develop spiritual gifts we might not otherwise have known about.
9. It expands our understanding of God’s providence.
10. It deepens our appreciation for our own salvation.
11. When we encounter Christians among those served, we learn important lessons from economically poor but spiritually rich fellow believers.

In what other ways has serving others grown you individually?

If you haven’t embraced your Servant Identity, then consider coming to Mercy Monday, where we serve and minister to the neighbors in the Germantown/Shelby Park neighborhoods.  Email Jesse Moss at jmoss@sojournchurch.com for more information.