“I’m not giving more to the waitress than I give to God!”, at least that used to be my argument. Come on now, I know that surely I’m not alone in this great debate: What percentage is the appropriate amount to tip a waitress/waiter when eating out? 10%? 15%? 20%, I really didn’t know!
My wife used to get a little upset with me because I used to tip very meagerly. She would also give me grief if I tipped according to a waitress’ bad service. “How else are you supposed to do it?”, I’d ask her. “Well”, she would inform me (because she is a former waitress), “you don’t know what they are dealing with.”; “Ok, agreed.” Since she set me straight (i.e., “Yes dear”), I have become a pretty good tipper.
Now obviously the serving one another we are going to talk about here is not what you would find in a restaurant, but understanding what it is not helps us to better understand what it is. I believe that, although it may not take on the exact similarity to what I described above, the struggle to figure out what serving one another is supposed to look like in the church is real for a lot of believers.
EXPOSING THE ACTION TO SERVE ONE ANOTHER
What does it mean to serve one another?
As we begin to look at serving one another it is important to understand that the motivation for serving must be taken into consideration. Serving is an action that must come from the heart to be identified with that commanded to the church in Scripture. If the heart isn’t right, the objective for serving will not be right.
A lot of times people will serve others with the best of intentions, but with the wrong motivation. If serving someone is so the person feels better about themselves than they are not serving for the right reasons, nor for the purpose of Scripture. Serving one another is to be done for the one being served, not for the one serving.
Additionally, serving as described and defined in Scripture consists of performing a duty or duties for an individual, with no strings attached, all for the glory of God. Therefore, the motivation for serving one another is to give glory to God and display His glory to others through whatever service He has set before the individual.
What does the Bible say about serving one another?
The biblical precedence for serving one another stretches throughout the whole Bible and can especially be seen in the New Testament. When focusing on the New Testament commands given to the church concerning the topic, Paul’s words in Galatians 5:13-14 communicate the heart of the matter very clearly. “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”
As Paul writes these words to the church, he identifies 3 key aspects involved with serving one another biblically:
The first one is that serving is to be done freely and without compulsion if it is truly prompted by the Holy Spirit. It is the empowerment of the Spirit that gives us the ability to perform duties or services for others in the first place.
The second is that it should be done through the attitude and approach of love. Remembering that God is love, and true love comes from Him, Paul identifies our motivation is to be executed because of, and by the means of, the love for one another that only comes from Him.
The third aspect I see in this text is that serving one another should take on the characteristic of the Golden Rule, “as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them” (Luke 6:31). This does not promote selfish ambition in the action, rather it communicates a safeguard for the one serving. To elevate one’s neighbor above oneself is not the easiest task to accomplish, especially if your neighbor is being a jerk.
What is a clear model of serving one another?
The clearest model that we can look to when it comes to serving one another is the example that Jesus gives on the night He was betrayed. Jesus presents us with a crystal-clear model of what serving one another should look like when He washed the feet of the disciples.
12When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? 13You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. 14If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. 16Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. John 13:12–17
Why is serving one another important for impacting the culture of your church?
As with the other commands given under the umbrella of the Allēlōn Principle, serving one another also gives a visual representation of the transformative work that God does in and among His people. As we serve one another the words that we may say, and the doctrines that we hold, become a visual demonstration of what we truly believe. The old adage goes like this, “actions speak louder than words.” Serving one another is an action that can be well heard!
Serving one another also displays the desire to put others needs over one’s own. Just as the apostle Paul writes to the church in Philippi, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:3-5), we as believers are to display this truth.
Let’s make this easier and simplify our thinking on impacting the culture with this command. When we serve one another as described in Scripture, we (the server and the recipient of your serving) engage in the display of God’s glory for His church. This result is what impacts the culture, i.e. God’s glory being made visible through His people!
Conclusion
Although I was unable to help you determine the appropriate amount to tip your waitress next time you are out with your spouse, the message of serving one another communicated above is something even greater.
Serving one another is a beautiful expression of what Christ modeled for us throughout His life. As we exercise the understanding of what it means to serve one another we can expect to see a change in the culture we are wanting to impact.
In the days to come, pursue an enhanced understanding of the reciprocal action of serving one another as described by the Allēlōn Principle. Identify a couple key areas that you can work on to be better at serving others that will ultimately display a better representation of Christ in you to those around you.
Allelon Principle 