I recently gave a talk to our Leicester campus team which I thought I’d share with you.
It’s really good to serve in the life of our church. In fact, having a heart to serve on one of our Junction Church teams is not just a good way to help out – it’s an incredibly honourable thing to do. Think about it, if serving was good enough for Jesus then it’s good enough for us. Someone once observed that we are never more like Jesus than when we are serving others. Matthew 20:28 says that Jesus “…did not come to be served but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many.”
However there is a huge difference between ‘turning up’ and being “on point”. Turning up is half-hearted – like we’re just there to get a job done. Being ‘on point’ means we serve wholeheartedly with real passion, conviction and love. It’s the latter that we’re looking for!
At the Junction Church Leicester and Loughborough, Sunday’s are really important for us. Of course we do lots of mid-week stuff too. But Sunday’s are opportunities for us to be together as a community. It’s a bit like the family get-together at Christmas! This is a day when we gather as a community to worship, learn, celebrate and be inspired. Serving when we’re together is an opportunity to give our best to God. Remember, by serving God’s people we are actually serving God himself. So if it’s worth doing this, then we think it’s worth doing it well. One of the reasons why we value excellence is because we believe God deserves our very best.
So here are 5 thoughts on how to be ‘on point’ as a team member in the life of the Junction Church:
1) Be ‘on point’ by being disciplined – not dozy.
One of the best gifts you can give your team is to be rested and refreshed before you show up. Rest is important. In the creation story, we’re told that God himself took time to rest (Gen 2:3). If God took time to rest, we need to make sure we are disciplined in our rest too. Being well rested is actually one of the best ways we can serve others. When we’re rested before we arrive, we tend to be ‘on point’ when we’re on the job. It means we can be fully present and alert – and be a blessing to other people. When we’re tired, we make mistakes, we’re grouchy, we’re not at our best. So it’s important to be well rested. This requires discipline.
2) Be ‘on point’ by being ready – not unprepared.
In 1 Corinthians 14:40, Paul encouraged the Corinthian church that “everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.” Order is good. Order is a reflection of God’s heart. It gives no glory to God for things to be done in a disorganised, hap-hazard way. We should always be prepared. If we’ve been asked to do something, it’s good to prepare as much as we possibly can to do it well. Yes, things will crop up that are unexpected. That’s just life. But preparing our hearts really helps us be ‘on point’ when those moments happen.
3) Be ‘on point’ by being confident but not complacent.
Colossians 3:23 says “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord not for human masters.” We should never be complacent in the presence of God. To be complacent simply means to take God’s grace for granted. Instead of being complacent, we need to have confidence in God’s grace – knowing that as we create an atmosphere where people can receive, God will do what only he can do. As we serve, we’re creating an environment for people to encounter God. What an incredible thought! So there’s another reason to be ‘on point’!
4) Be ‘on point’ by being on time!
It’s so important to honour God with our time. Turning up late is never good. It lets your team down. Hey, don’t get yourself the reputation as THAT person who is always late. I promise you, this is never a good reputation to earn. I’d encourage you to just make the decision never to be late, as much as is possible on your part. Build a reputation for reliability. Respect other people enough to be there on time. Better still, arrive earlier so you can be ready. Time is valuable. It’s worth even more than money. So invest it well. Be ‘on point’ with time.
5) Be ‘on point’ by spending time ‘in prayer’
One of the best ways to be ‘on point’ is to be ‘in prayer’. Philippians 4:6 says “…in every situation, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving present your requests to the Lord.” Before our Sunday services, it’s always good to pray into the life of our church. Hey, why not pray for our pastors too? They carry a load that few people ever really understand and we need to stand with them and believe for God’s wisdom as they lead. Then when we arrive on a Sunday, we will reap the harvest of the seeds we’ve planted in prayer.
