SERVING GOD
IN THE LOCAL CHURCH
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
THE “DOULOS” SERVANT
The Lord is therefore looking for faithful servants in order to transcribe His will and not theirs. This requires man to develop humility.
Nowadays, we see a certain tendency in our Christian circles, to desire at all costs, to occupy high ecclesiastical functions. Some people believe that becoming a Pastor, an Apostle, more commonly known as a "servant of God," allows them to acquire a high social status. They hope to be respected and to gain different kinds of honors. This reasoning is dangerous and unbiblical. And this will push man not only to destroy his fellow man, but also the work of God.
Acquiring positions in the church should not be seen as a promotion, but as a great responsibility. Because, the more the Lord continues to assign tasks, the more you must listen to Him in order to do His will and not yours. The more responsibilities you get, the more you must learn to be humble, to sacrifice yourself, to lose, to give up, to suffer, to put to death your fleshly nature.
The notion of “servant of God” according to the world is carnal. It greatly differs from the "servant of God" according to God. The word servant in the Bible is “doulos” in ancient Greek. This is the type of servant that the Lord is looking for.
1. We are all “doulos” for God. But what is a “doulos?”
The Ancient Greek has several variations, but the root of this word remains the same and means servant, slave. “Doulos” is therefore this servant who is dependent on the master, the one who is at the service of a superior. But beware, this is not a slave forced to be a slave! A doulos servant is a person who, without being forced or pressured to do so, voluntarily puts himself at the service of a superior.
We find this idea of "doulos" in Exodus 21:5-6, “But if the servant plainly says, 'I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,' 6 then his master shall bring him to the judges. He shall also bring him to the door, or to the doorpost, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl, and he shall serve him forever.”
This verse shows us the notion of the decision of a man's free will to become someone's servant, to be devoted to him.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
God did not create man to live alone. For the born again believer, the church of God is, and always will be the family established by God to ensure our spiritual growth to the fullest. Despite the abuses that may have occurred, it remains indispensable. Therefore, every Christian should belong to a local church, a unit of the universal Church, and be traceable by God and men.
Yet still, questions like, “is serving God in a local church still necessary? Can I not serve God from the isolation of my home?” are been asked or have asked either innocently or in the face of several factors that have tainted the image of the church. This book propagates not only the importance and significance of serving in our local church, but also how, as plainly as it can be understood based on the word of God.
For we are saved to serve! Read and be blessedly inspired to serve God in the family of God.
About the Author
Pastor Taty Okuan is the founder and head pastor of the Centre Evangelique de la Restauration (Evangelical Center of Restoration) in Belgium.
Preacher, trainer, speaker, counselor, he defines himself as a motivator having received from the Lord a powerful message of soul restoration.