Attitude of Service

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

ATTITUDE OF SERVICE

Acts 21:26-29

26 The next day Paul took the men and purified himself along with them. Then he went to the temple to give notice of the date when the days of purification would end and the offering would be made for each of them. 27 When the seven days were nearly over, some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul at the temple. They stirred up the whole crowd and seized him, 28 shouting, "Men of Israel, help us! This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against our people and our law and this place. And besides, he has brought Greeks into the temple area and defiled this holy place." 29(They had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with Paul and assumed that Paul had brought him into the temple area.)

NIV

There is nothing about the gospel in this narrative, but it does point out that the Jews wanted to live under the law, and if anyone, such as Paul, spoke out about Jesus and how he fulfilled the law, and established a new covenant, they would stamp on them. When those who are referred to as the Jews must have been the Pharisees, the chief priests, and the teachers of the law. Interestingly, they lived by the peoples tithes and offerings. Some may have generated income by providing legal counsel or charging fees for their services. Some could have been landowners, receiving income from renters. The point is, they may not have been so much concerned about the law as about their income being affected if the message Paul was spreading about Jesus became more popular and people stopped seeking out their services, or if their influence over the people diminished. Paul did not want to influence people to follow him, but to follow Jesus. How do we bring this into our lives, especially among the people of God? There is a difference between wanting influence over others and wanting to serve others. There are pastors, if we can use that term, who are silver-tongued purveyors of deception, seeking influence over people to receive a substantial income and live in luxury. But are they serving the people? Most pastors do receive an income from the church where they serve, but that is up to the people. Considering that Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers are gifts of the Spirit to the church, those who serve in any of those positions should serve as such. Of course, the guidance and influence come from the Holy Spirit, who is poured out on all who receive him. If we are going to influence anyone, it should always be in the direction of Jesus; however, rather than influence, encouragement, building up, and exhorting others to live as followers of Jesus, which would not be for personal gain or power, as it was for those Pharisees and teachers of the law. Those who have been called to serve God's people should have learned from Jesus to be gentle and humble of heart. Jesus said that he did not come to be served, but to serve. Let us all serve one another, having the attitude of service.