“The Form of a Servant”

11 herbs and spices. Flame-broiled burgers. 30 minutes or less. Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, and onion on a sesame seed bun. These are all formulas that drive the fast-food consumption of America. Kentucky-Fried Chicken, Burger King, Dominoes Pizza and Mc Donald’s all have a formula they depend on for sales and success.

Every function needs a form. What you are seeking to accomplish will need more than action it will need order. Success needs structure. Your methods are as important as your motives. This is why you need a formula for your future. All a ‘formula’ is is a form that has proven to be faithful.

Jesus had a form for ministry. He took on the form of a servant (Philippians 2:7). HIS MODEL FOR SUCCESS WAS SERVANTHOOD.  There is no other model worthy of kingdom living than servanthood. Jesus came into the world to serve, not be served. Jesus was the world’s greatest deacon!

He taught his followers to serve the Father, to serve one another and to serve their neighbors. Service was the form that fueled their function. Ministry is not about authority and celebrity, it’s about service. Ministry was not another way for Jesus to finance an ostentatious lifestyle, it was for service. Ministry was not for personal gain, it was sacrificing for others that may or may not care nor appreciate the effort.

What makes the “form of a servant” so powerful is that it was a conscious decision made at personal cost. Jesus emptied himself of divine privilege and did ministry. This is called the ‘kenosis’. It is the self-emptying of Christ.  He was God. He is as much God as God. Yet, he humbled Himself of title, prestige and rank. He gave up the reputation of omnipotence and took on the form of a human servant.  This is stunning, to say the least.

We live in the age of entitlement and enterprise. We live among a species of souls that wants the right to succeed without serving others. This is the spirit that the Church must be aware of and awake to. The world sponsors the likes of Bernie Madoff and a host of other corporate frauds whom live out a of a form of greed and selfishness. The Church now breeds its own brand of entitlement and enterprise.

We boast of our sonship and then deny our call to service. We refuse to be called “servants”. We will only be called “sons”.  We are quick to claim the rights of sonship and then shun the responsibilities of service. “We have the right to success just because we are saved” seems to be our attitude. We command God to honor us, bless us, release to us all He has promised us, having never once served.

Those whom suffer in service will reign in glory. This is God’s way. Honor comes after humility. Jesus took on the form of a servant and it resulted in honor, power and glory. Jesus served his way to success, His name above every name (Philippians 2:9-10). The exaltation of the name of Jesus above all names was God’s reward for His service. This is the form. Through humble-hearted service God releases honor.