II Corinthians 9:8:
And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.
God, in His immeasurable love and grace, has freely given born-again believers all sufficiency in all things so that we may abound. Abound to what? To storing up our abundance? To sitting back and admiring it? Not so. It’s given so that we can abound to every good work. One good work we can do out of the love and thankfulness in our hearts to God is to serve.
Ephesians 2:10:
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works. His plan is that we utilize our abilities, our power and authority in the new birth, to carry out the works of service set before us. Where do we begin? Well, first we must have something to serve. If we went to a lovely restaurant with the nicest and most competent waiters on earth, they still couldn’t serve us our meal unless there was a meal to serve, right?
As God’s children, we definitely do have something to serve, the greatest “something”—God’s Word. God has committed His Word to us so that we can serve it to others.
II Corinthians 5:19,20:
To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.
The Way Ministry has a storehouse of resources to help people learn and apply God’s Word. Home Fellowships, The Way of Abundance and Power Class Series, The Way Magazine, www.theway.org articles, and reference materials from The Way International Bookstore—these are just some of the resources that help build an understanding of truth that is something truly powerful to serve to others. We have the Word of Truth to serve, and it is the truth that makes people free (John 8:32). What a joy we have to serve the Word to others!
Another necessary element in serving God’s Word is the love of God. And God has also supplied this to born-again believers.
Romans 5:5:
And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost [holy spirit] which is given unto us.
Since we have that love of God spiritually, we can put it on in our thoughts and in our actions to help us serve God’s Word to others.
Ephesians 5:1,2:
Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;
And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.
God has given us everything we need to serve His Word in love, so we take action.
Galatians 5:13:
…by love serve one another.
Paul, Silas, and Timothy were wonderful examples of service as they ministered the Word to others in Thessalonica.
I Thessalonians 2:4,7,8:
But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts.
But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children:
So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us.
Another group who faithfully served others was the household of Stephanas in Corinth.
I Corinthians 16:15:
I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted [devoted] themselves to the ministry [service] of the saints.)
This household freely arranged their lives, committed and devoted themselves, to be of service to the believers. No one required this of them. It was a loving response from the overflowing thankfulness in their hearts for what God had done for them.
As born-again believers, we have been given by God all sufficiency in all things so that we can abound to every good work. So here’s one good work we can do out of the love and thankfulness in our hearts to God—serve God’s Word to others.