a glimpse towards Sunday 2.28.14

I heard Gary Oliver recently say, “Without mission there will never be submission.”

That little bomb has application all over the place. Work. Family. Marriage. Church.

I also recently heard someone say, “I’ll never serve in kids ministry. It’s just not my thing.” Hmmm.
I understand the whole spiritual giftedness, intentionality push. The question is, does God ever push us to just serve no matter our bends, gifts, passions, or energy (or lack thereof)?

I’m certain the high calling to serve my wife and kids is regardless of feelings, talents, or wiring. I’m confident a servant-like submission takes Biblical precedence over any of my savvy, selfish cost-benefit analysis. There is absolutely no wiggle room for a husband or wife to say, “I’ll never serve within my marriage. It’s just not my thing.”

How does any spouse do the submission thing regardless of self? The answer lies within mission. Marriage is all about mission. The Bible is clear. Marriage is a dramatic, metaphoric portrayal of Jesus and the gospel. Jesus, in his very nature, submitted and served. His submission was void of any selfish bends, wirings, or giftedness. To the point of death and even against his own will, Jesus submitted. Why? He was on mission to serve and save.

Without mission there will never be submission.

Do you see how this can work within your marriage — regardless of how smokin’ or smolderin’ your marriage is?

But submission, Biblically, is applied not only to our marriages but also to our parenting, families, jobs, and churches. Do you see the possibilities within our kid’s ministry? Because kids and young families need to hear the good news of Jesus, perhaps we should submit and serve. Do we want passionate, gifted, kid-loving adults serving? Of course! Do we also need simple service from sacrificial, submitting servants who are on mission? Absolutely.

I’m told our kid’s ministry currently loves on over 250 kids each Sunday. That’s over twice the size of average American churches. At a bare minimum, it takes over 50 adult servants to serve our kids each service. Our March kid’s volunteer schedule needs to be beefed up by 20+ volunteers. Would you take this personally and consider the mission? Would you consider submission? If so, let Jen or Lauren know (laurenscott@cumberlandchurch.org). They’re willing to train, equip, and help anyone who’s gripped by the mission and ready for submission. BTW… it’s also a lot of fun!!

On Sunday… we’ll be diving into the whole submission idea, especially related to marriage. Will you consider the mission? Will you consider submission? BTW… it can also be a lot of fun! I’m anxious to teach. I’m trusting God to do a great work within this Ephesians 5 Marriage series. See you at 9 or 11 a.m.!!

Blessings,

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