Philippians 1:1 says, "Paul and Timothy, servants of Jesus Christ"
Since Jesus is not here but seated above in heaven, how do his people get a sense or assurance of really serving him?
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2He left instructions.– NarnianCommented Nov 12, 2013 at 13:47
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2 Answers
In Jesus' own words, we serve Him by serving our fellow man as He commanded. This is, perhaps, clearest in the following passage:
Matthew 25:31-46 King James Version (KJV)
31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
We also serve Him by keeping His commandments, and by fulfilling the Great Commission.
His physical, visible presence isn't required for us to serve Him. That's true in many cases outside the realm of Christianity. Do we not serve our soldiers by ensuring their families' needs are met while they are overseas? Do they not serve us, and our country though they can't see us? I could list many other examples, but you can see the point.
answered Nov 12, 2013 at 13:37
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You're exactly right. I believe there's something in Meta where a question isn't a good question when it is mostly a single quote. Maybe you could break it up and explain it a little bit more to improve your answer? Commented Nov 12, 2013 at 15:37
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@David Stratton Your last paragraph was spot on, about serving our fellow man though we can't see them. Not sure about the passage from Matthew. Many people do good deeds for people without serving God.– SteveCommented Nov 13, 2013 at 3:02
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@Steve - perhaps they are serving God without realizing it. The concept isn't without Scriptural support. ;-) Commented Nov 13, 2013 at 3:24
I have posted on other questions that where close to this, but I'll post here also :).
Even though we can't see god, we can and do serve him. Jesus when he was alive set the perfect example as both a teacher and preacher of gods word. He talked to crowds both small and large to tell them about gods will for the earth and those on it. The people he talked to where anywhere from ordinary unlettered men like fishermen to the jewish leaders of the day.
He spent a lot of time especially teaching the apostles. Jesus knew he didn't have much time left on earth. He was setting the platform for a christian congregation that could function much the same way in the manner of preaching gods word and teaching its meaning.
Fast-forward to today. We to continue Jesus' preaching work on earth. We teach gods intention for the earth Isaiah 45:18. We teach about Jehovah's qualities and commandments thus making disciples of all the nations Matthew 28:19-20. Jesus also assigned the apostles or leaders of the christian congregation at the time to care for the spiritual needs of the congregation Matthew 24:45.
We can't see god, but we can follow his laws and commandments. We can also learn a lot about gods qualities through his action in the past and what he has promised for the future.
