Serving Others
Story for the month by Nick Shelton
Jason Thompson was an 18 year-old kid who had recently graduated high school in America. Jason did not know what he wanted to do with the rest of his life, but he knew that he wanted to serve God. After hearing a missionary speak at his church, Jason decided that he wanted to become a missionary. He wanted to get a formal education in religion at a university, but he knew that this could wait, for he felt God was calling him to be a missionary first.
Jason went to Victory Outreach & Missionary Center in his hometown looking for a way to get into the mission field. Seeing two hands willing to work, the group allowed him to join a team going to central Africa. They sat Jason down and warned him that their missionary work was no week-long trip with a church youth group, but rather a dangerous six-month undertaking, where they would witness to people who had never seen a white man before. They also warned him that there could even be a chance of death from the natives, wild animals, or disease. Without hesitation, Jason said that this was exactly what he wanted to do.
Over in Africa, the first couple of weeks did not go as planned for Jason. Since he did not have a college degree, adequate missionary training, or knowledge of the native tongue, he was assigned the small tasks that did not involve ministry. Usually, these were the tasks that nobody liked to do – i.e. getting water from the well, cooking meals, and helping care for the sick and injured. However, Jason never got discouraged. He prayed that he would be of use, and he did everything with great effort, no matter how small the task.
But things did get better – Jason would meet friendly natives at the well and bring them back to camp where the other missionaries could share the Gospel with them. He was picking up on the language of the region while attending to the sick and was able to establish a great friendship with the children by playing games and interacting with them. The six months flew by, but Jason was not ready to leave. He figured that he had already missed a half-year of college, so what was another six months?
Upon returning back to Africa after a Christmas back in the States, Jason received a nice reception from all the children who were anxious to see him. He brought each one of them a little toy from home. They each thanked him with a hug and bright smile on their face. At that moment, Jason knew that this was his true calling. Even though, he was not the one preaching the Word or praying with the children to receive Christ, he was the one who had the biggest impact.
Jason Thompson is now 46 years of age and is still ministering in Central Africa. It took him a little over two and a half years to learn the language well enough to communicate with the people, but since then, he has not stopped telling the Good News to all in the region. He has led thousands to Christ — and it is not because of his own talents (for he had not received a college education, attended seminary, nor went through a missionary training course). Jason has been able to impact the world simply because he has been willing to serve.
Even though he preaches a good deal, he spends twice as much time doing what he did when he first got there – the small tasks. He has helped give treatment to thousands of AIDS patients, has built many homes for the homeless, and has ministered to a countless number of children who now love him like a father.
Jason Thompson and his ministry is an awesome example of servant hood. Our goals as Christians should be to have a servant’s heart just like Christ’s. When Jesus came down to earth, He did not act like the King of the universe that He is, but instead, He came to serve. (Mark 10:45)
The great thing about serving is that everybody can do it. All we need is a willing attitude and some effort.
What makes a great servant is how readily one is to serve. Very few people have this willingness to serve all the time. Personally, I struggle a good deal in this area. I find myself willing to serve, but I hesitate to do something that I am not comfortable with, or I am unwilling to take time out of my busy schedule. I think many of us find ourselves in this condition – we are willing to serve, but not to serve all the time. But we must remember that a small increase in our willingness to serve can change the world in dramatic ways.
So let us not be like the rest of the world who is interested in how the world can serve them, but let us follow the example of Christ and be a servant to the world.
Philippians 2:5 -7 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
Mark 9:35 Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.”
Mark 10:43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,
John 12:26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.
