What Does Christian Service Truly Look Like?

The Christian life does not really exist without sincere, loving relationships. It would be a loveless faith, which is no faith at all. If Yeshua’s love is in us, then it needs to be displayed not only in our relationship with Him but in the way we relate to—and enjoy and forgive and encourage and love—other people.

The enemy is the one who divides and isolates. God always unites and draws people together. In fact, the promises of God in the New Testament are usually given as corporate promises, not individual ones. They are given to a body of people. Paul never conceived of individual Christians pursuing their faith journeys alone. Rather, he spent a lot of time teaching local groups of Christians how to get along with one another. Take a look at just some of the things he wrote, encouraging unity and peace:

Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them. For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting. For the report of your obedience has reached to all; therefore I am rejoicing over you, but I want you to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. —Romans 16:17–20

Always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people.
   —1 Thessalonians 5:15

In other words, we all need to be connected to one another, though we differ significantly. None of us are islands unto ourselves. We are each called to be a part of Jesus’ body.

We are to imitate Yeshua, who came as a servant and in John 13 stooped down, girded Himself with a towel, and washed the disciples’ feet. This will always be His nature. If we want to experience His presence, we need to serve alongside Him. His Spirit flows in the direction of serving. Messiah Jesus said, “But the greatest among you shall be your servant” (Matt. 23:11).

Where do we pasture our “young goats”? He tells us to do it specifically “by the tents of the shepherds.” These represent God-instituted authorities. This means we must learn how to relate to the authorities and authority structures God has put in place on the earth.

Without authority there is chaos. God has anointed “shepherds” in various spheres of life—from families to churches to municipalities to nations. All authority is God’s authority, and Father God vests His authority in human beings on the earth. He expects us to relate to and respect this authority as unto Him. We are submitting to God when we submit to the authority He has delegated to other people.

We live in a society today where men and women are throwing off authority. Some of it is plain rebellion, but some of it is a reaction to the misuse of authority. Again, people cry, “Hypocrites!” And they remove themselves from the “tents of the shepherds.” But God never said He would only vest authority in perfect people—because there are no perfect people. Those in authority have flaws just like the rest of humanity. For instance, nobody on a police force is perfect, but if there were no police force, chaos and crime would reign.

There is no functioning kingdom without authority. Messiah Jesus came to institute the kingdom of God with all its authority. To walk closely with Yeshua, we must get back into fellowship with His people, serve in His “flock,” and remain under the authority of the shepherds who oversee His local churches. This does not mean giving them complete control over our lives but rather submitting to their decision-making in the context of that body of believers. Remember, no one in authority will be perfect, but we need to respect God’s authority by respecting His shepherds and leaders.

To read more from Rabbi Schneider’s ‘A Journey Into Divine Love,’ visit MyCharismaShop.com