Practices of a Faithful Servant
Practices of a Faithful Servant
by Jonathan Propes
As you enter our Family Recreation Center on a Sunday morning, you will notice our Vision posted above the entrance: To Be Found Faithful as God’s People. At Dawson, what does faithfulness look like?
The answer to this question is found in the five tenets of our Theological Vision:
God’s Word Is Our Authority. | Prayer Is Our Priority. | Worship Is Our Response. | Discipleship Is Our Focus. | Missions Is Our Passion.
Dawson’s Mission statement is, To become and help others become faithful servants of Jesus Christ. This should lead us to consider a very practical question: How do I become and help others become faithful servants of Jesus Christ? The answer to this question is found in Dawson's Practices of a Faithful Servant.
Dawson desires to equip every person who walks through our doors with the resources needed to become a faithful servant of Jesus Christ. For that reason, we invest in ministries for every person of every age and every walk of life. I am thrilled to share with you these five practices that guide our ministries and missions at Dawson. Each of the practices outlined below reflects an action step that a faithful servant takes to become more like Jesus Christ.
Believe
A faithful servant has turned from his or her sin and believed in Jesus for salvation.
Salvation is the first action step, but certainly not the only one. When a person comes to faith in Christ, the goal is to continue to take steps in his or her spiritual journey. God desires that every believer become a faithful servant of Jesus Christ who, in turn, will make other faithful servants. This process was first modeled by Jesus, who extended the invitation to those who would become his disciples to “come follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). After investing in them, He commissioned them to go and do likewise: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19–20).
Belong
A faithful servant discovers true belonging in worship and ministry together in our Family of Faith.
Recall the time when you first stepped onto Dawson’s campus. A large church can be very intimidating, but God designed you to be in relationship with Him and other believers. We need one another. No one person is an island, and ministry needs to include belonging. We are known as the Family of Faith and we want you to be a part of what God is doing here. The writer of Hebrews reminds us: And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near (Hebrews 10:24–25).
Grow
A faithful servant grows to love what God loves by cherishing God’s Word and applying it to every aspect of life.
On Sunday mornings during worship, Pastor David utters these words, “Take out your copy of God’s Word and turn with me to the book of ..." This is purposeful because as a church we believe that God’s Word is our authority. We also believe that it is essential for a faithful servant to spend time in God’s Word and learn how to apply it to every aspect of life.
The Apostle Paul writes: Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving (Colossians 2:6–7).
Serve
A faithful servant serves others in and through our Family of Faith by using his or her gifts and resources in obedience to God’s Word and the Spirit’s leadership.
As you grow in understanding God’s Word, you will recognize that every faithful servant has one or more gifts to edify the Church. Jesus set the example for us, and we should follow His example. He did not come to be served but to serve. In the words of the Apostle Peter, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves by the strength that God supplies in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen." (1 Peter 4:10–11)
Share
A faithful servant shares the Gospel with unbelievers, disciples other believers, and engages in the spread of the Gospel to all nations.
Previously when you read our mission statement, you noticed the phrase, “help others become faithful servants of Jesus Christ.” Under the Spirit’s leadership, we have the responsibility to share the good news of the Gospel with others.
Sharing the Good News may be done by discipling an individual one-on-one, or through small group interactions, or even through short-term mission projects. Actually, any time we see the Holy Spirit at work in another person’s life, we have the responsibility to come alongside that person and help them to become a faithful servant of Jesus Christ. And whatever avenue that may be, we are told to be ready. Peter writes: But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you (1 Peter 3:15).
What is your next step of growth toward becoming a faithful servant of Jesus Christ? Is it participating weekly in worship or joining a Life Group? Maybe it's stepping into a place of service and ministry at Dawson or going on a mission trip. Perhaps you need to ask yourself who are you helping become a faithful servant of Jesus Christ? Will you intentionally invest in someone’s life by inviting them to join you in growing spiritually? Whatever your answers may be to these questions, I encourage you to fully engage in the practices of a faithful servant.
Jonathan Propes serves as Dawson's Discipleship Pastor. He is married to Elaine and they have two children, Mary Beth and Ben.