Love in Action : Experiencing the Joy of Serving

by Bill Hybels with Kevin and Sherry Harney

• ISBN13: 9780310266075
• ISBN10: 0310266076
• Edition: Revised
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-08-01
• Publisher: Zondervan

Summary

Discover the joy of serving others.How can you identify full devoted followers of Christ? Their servant lifestyle gives them away! In our "me-first" culture, servanthood is the earmark of men and women who have discovered the joy of giving. But the secret to servanthood isn't running yourself ragged trying to be everything to everyone-it's pouring freely out of a full cup the things you were designed to give.Love in Action shows how you can break the back of self-centeredness and experience the satisfaction of serving others wisely and effectively. You'll discover how sharing your unique personal resources and spiritual gifts can become a source of strength to others, worship and praise to God, and a personal delight that nothing else can match!Interactions-a powerful and challenging tool for building deep relationships between you and your group members, and you and God. Interactions is far more than another group Bible study. It's a cutting-edge series designed to help small group participants develop into fully devoted followers of Christ.

Author Biography

Bill Hybels is the founding and senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois Kevin and Sherry Harney serve together at Corinth Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where Kevin is teaching pastor

Table of Contents

Interactions	p. 7
Introduction: Experiencing the Joy of Serving	p. 9
Exposing the "Me-First" Mind-Set	p. 11
Breaking the Back of Self-Centeredness	p. 17
Gifted to Serve	p. 25
The Servant's Survival Kit	p. 33
Serving Through Sharing	p. 43
My Life, a Living Sacrifice	p. 51
Leader's Notes	p. 59
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

Love in Action
Copyright © 1998 by Willow Creek Association
Previously published as Serving Lessons
Requests for information should be addressed to:
Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530
ISBN-10: 0-310-26607-6
ISBN-13: 978-0-310-26607-5
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible: New International
Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of
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Interior design by Rick Devon and Michelle Espinoza
Printed in the United States of America
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T H E B I G P I C T U R E
What is the message of our culture today? What is the common
thread of thought that weaves its way through almost
everything we do? What is the core value that drives and
guides the lives of most people? All we have to do is walk
around in our society and we will begin to develop this particular
mind-set almost by osmosis.
It is a “me-first” mind-set. This mind-set says indulge yourself,
fulfill your desires, satiate your appetites, pursue pleasure,
take off all restraints. As much as we might want to pretend
that this value system died in the eighties, let’s be
honest: it is alive and still thriving.
With this mind-set comes an elusive promise: If you seek first
your own good and satisfy your own desires, then you will be
happy. In print, on television, and in the movies, over and
over we hear the lie. The road to contentment, satisfaction,
fulfillment, and true joy is marked with a street sign flashing
“Me First.”
The truth is, this perverted and backward view of life is leading
to modern day madness. Our society is on the verge of
internal collapse. Escapism is running rampant. Perversion of
sexuality has become almost common fare. Unwanted pregnancies
by the thousands are being terminated every day.
Men and women walk away from their commitment to
spouse, children, job, and many other life responsibilities
with growing ease. People are pathologically self-centered
and ignore the needs of others. The “me-first” mind-set is controlling
many lives, even the lives of those who call themselves
followers of Christ.
SESSION 1
LOVE IN ACTION
EXPOSING THE
“ME-FIRST”
MIND-SET
A W I D E A N G L E V I E W
1. What are some signs that the “me-first” mind-set is
alive and thriving in one of these areas:
• In the marketplace
• In the church
• In families
• In your country
• In the media
A B I B L I C A L P O R T R A I T
Read Mark 8:31–38 2. What do you learn about Jesus’ view of Himself in this
passage?
What do you learn about Jesus’ view of His followers?
3. Jesus was clear about His commitment to suffer and
die for His followers. Why do you think Peter tried to
stand in the way of Jesus’ plan?
Why was Jesus’ response to Peter’s resistance so severe?
S H A R P E N I N G T H E F O C U S
Read Snapshot “Grappling with Greatness”
4. What are some of the warning signs and symptoms
you see in your life when you are striving for a “position
of greatness”?
GRAPPLING WITH GREATNESS
Jesus tried again and again to expose and attack self-centeredness in His disciples. He wanted them
to have a “Father-first” mind-set but often saw their “me-first” mind-set prevailing. Once, while walking
down a road toward a city called Capernaum, some of Jesus’ followers were debating among
themselves which of them was the greatest. In the gospel of Mark we read these words: “They came
to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, ‘What were you arguing about on the
road?’ But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest” (Mark 9:33–34).
Jesus had just preached a powerful sermon on servanthood, yet the disciples still did not get the point. In an effort
to drive the point home even more clearly, Jesus added: “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last,
and the servant of all” (Mark 9:35). While the disciples wanted a position of greatness, Jesus called them to have
a passion for service.
What would your life look like if you developed a greater passion
for service?
Read Snapshot “Indiscriminate Service”
5. What might our service look like when we approach it
with one of the following attitudes:
• I will serve those who have influence, power, or
who can repay my kindness.
• I will serve those who are like me . . . those whom I
understand and around whom I feel comfortable.
• I will serve those with needs, regardless of their status,
age, or position in life.
6. Who were some of the people Jesus served when He
walked on this earth?
INDISCRIMINATE SERVICE
Jesus calls us to serve indiscriminately. In Mark 10:13 people began bringing little children to Jesus
so He would touch them. The disciples got angry and rebuked the crowds. In their minds, these little
children were not important enough to waste Jesus’ time. After all, children weren’t powerful people,
and they had no influence or authority, so Jesus shouldn’t give them the time of day.
When Jesus realized what was going on, He became angry. He insisted that the disciples permit the
little ones to come to Him. He did not want them to hinder or get in the way of the children. He wanted His disciples,
and the whole world, to know that the kingdom of God belonged to such as these.
In receiving the little children, Jesus was calling His followers to turn from arrogance to humility, to stop serving only
those who could return the favor and to begin serving indiscriminately. Jesus was saying, “Change your mind-set. Get
off the ‘me-first’ bandwagon and adopt a ‘Father-first’ look at life.”
How does His example influence your view of whom you
should serve?
Read Snapshot “I Want to Be First”
7. How does our culture encourage and praise those who
strive for positions of power and prominence?
How does our society treat those who don’t compete for first
place?
What implications does this have for the Christian who is
committed to following Christ’s example?
I WANT TO BE FIRST
Again and again Jesus drove the message home: Don’t be consumed with a “me-first” mind-set. You
might think that after all of Jesus’ clear teaching on the topic the disciples would have gotten the
point. But it had still not soaked in. In Mark 10:35–37, James and John approached Jesus and made
a “little” request. They said, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask.” When Jesus asked
them what they wanted, James and John replied, “

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Excerpted from Love in Action: Experiencing the Joy of Serving by Bill Hybels, Hybels
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.