Peter Tan-Chi - Volunteer, Serve God Joyfully
We continue our series on our core values. The first one is Love God, Love one another. What is our core value? Love. Love God, Love one another. If you love God, love one another, what will happen? You will obey. So the second one is if you love God, you will obey God’s Word and you will obey authorities. And today, what will we discuss? Volunteer. What enters your mind when you think of the word «volunteer»? Volunteer, everybody read, «To offer one’s time, skills, or services willingly without payment, driven by personal commitment or desire to contribute». You hear the word «service». What is the opposite of «volunteer»? To be compelled or required to perform a task, often with compensation or under obligation.
The topic today, which I believe God wants all of us to develop as CCFers, as believers, is Volunteer, Serve God joyfully. Let me share with you why it is important to be joyful. Deuteronomy 28 tells us, everybody read together, «Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joy and a glad heart, for the abundance of all things; therefore, you shall serve your enemies whom the LORD will send against you, in hunger, thirst, in nakedness, and in the lack of all things;…» (Deuteronomy 28:47–48)
Do you realize God expects us to serve Him? How? Joyfully. Just to give you some ideas. Secular volunteerism — you seek recognition, Biblical volunteerism — you seek God’s glory, Secular volunteerism — you pick and choose. Certain things you like to volunteer, certain things you do not like. Biblical volunteerism — you respond. You respond to needs. When you see a need, you do something about it. Secular volunteerism — commitment with conditions. Biblical volunteerism — this is a servant heart. No precondition. As God calls you, you surrender. You submit. Many times. I am not saying Secular volunteerism is bad. I am not saying it is bad. But I like you to go beyond Secular volunteerism. I praise God for Secular volunteerism but I dare you to go beyond.
Do not just volunteer because the work is glamorous or you would be noticed. Biblical volunteerism — big or small, if there is a need, we volunteer. Look at the model of Jesus in Matthew 20, let us read this. Jesus wants you to have eternal perspective. Let us read this together. «It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant…» (Matthew 20:26)
Nothing wrong with wanting greatness. But what kind of greatness? Real greatness. What is real greatness? To be great in the eyes of God. Eternal. According to Jesus, if you want to be great, what do you do? You shall be a servant. «…and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave;.». (Matthew 20:27) It is very counterintuitive. «…just as the Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many». (Matthew 20:28)
What is the message today, ladies and gentlemen? Serve God joyfully. Notice, volunteer means you serve God. Meaning, serve His agenda. Serve His purpose through good works. Serve Him joyfully. Why do people not volunteer? Number one, for most people, a lack of what? Time. Ladies and gentlemen, is this a real reason why most people do not volunteer? Lack of time? Yes or no? How many of you have this problem? You do not volunteer because you lack time. Raise your hand. I forgive you. No problem. My friend, listen to me. Lack of time is a myth. Let me repeat. When the husband tells his family, tells his wife, «I do not have time for you». It is a myth.
You know why it is a myth? You have time. The only problem is it is not your priority. The only problem is it is not important. You have time for something important. If God is important, you will have time. Attending small group, you will have time. Attending Sunday service, you will have time. But if you do not think it is important, you will not have time. Honestly, I do not have time for what is not important to me. But I will have time for what is important to me. Amen? Another reason, lack of what? Talent. Some people say, «I will not make any difference». We can all serve God. Serving God does not require talent. It requires willingness.
Next, lack of what? Opportunity. My friend, to be a servant, you have opportunities left and right all the time. Another excuse — Disappointed with leadership. This is a big problem for many people. They stop volunteering. The reason is this — they are not serving God. They are serving people. They are serving organization. And if you are disappointed with your leaders, you will stop volunteering. My friend, do not do that. You volunteer to serve God, not to serve people. What else? Ignorance. The truth is this — many of us do not know that God wants you to volunteer.
Many of us do not see needs because you are isolated. Have this mindset. Because by nature, I am selfish. By nature, I think of myself. And that is how you become miserable. Selfish people are miserable people. They only think of their own needs. No shortcut. You want to be a joyful person? Based on research, be a blessing to others. Think of others. This is something you need to learn. Friend, you want to learn to be emotionally healthy? To be joyful? Listen to this message. Volunteer. By serving God, you will serve people. Are you serving people today? Romans 12.
Let us begin with verse one. Foundation of service. Together, let us read. «Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship». (Romans 12:1) Ladies and gentlemen. notice the word, «Therefore». Therefore — every time you hear the word, what does it mean? You look at the previous verses. Therefore. What is the Apostle Paul talking about? He is talking about in view of God’s mercies, in view of God’s grace, «…therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God…» (Romans 12:1)
You will understand the mercies of God, you will understand the grace of God, if you understand what is therefore, before. Romans chapter one to chapter eleven is all about the grace of God. The most doctrinally written in a systematic order is the book of Romans. You want to know theology? You look at the Romans Chapters 1 to 16. Chapter one to chapter twelve talk about the grace of God. For example, let us look at how it is written. In Romans chapter one to three, it talks about the sinfulness of man. The sinfulness of man is the root problem of humanity. Our problem is not poverty. Poverty is a byproduct of sinfulness. Our problem is lack of education. You can have the most educated people and they are still a mess. Our problem is sin.
What is sin? Sin is self-centeredness. Sin is self will against God’s will. Sin is saying, «I want to do it my way and not God’s way». «I am not recognizing God as my Lord». «I am my own boss». And that, my friend, is the root problem of humanity. We do not follow God, and because we do not follow God, we are a mess. So how do you solve that problem? The Bible tells us in Romans chapter three, four, or five, it tells us what Jesus did for us. How He died on the cross to pay for your sins. My friend, you will not appreciate the book of Romans until you understand, «I am a sinner. I need help».
So Romans three, four, and five tells us, if you read the Bible, how Jesus died on the cross to pay for your sins. How you are forgiven. But that is not enough. God’s gift, God’s grace deals with not just salvation. Sanctification. Romans 6,7,8. Now that you are forgiven, how do you live holy life? It is important. It is not enough to know you are forgiven. You need to learn how to overcome sin. So chapters six, seven, and eight introduces the Holy Spirit, how you have power to overcome selfishness. And then chapters nine, ten and 11 deals with the sovereignty of God. How grace is given sovereignly. Meaning, you cannot impose on God. Grace. It is all about God’s sovereignty.
God is in control of everything. And then after showing all of you, all of us, the grace of God, chapter twelve, now tells you what is your responsibility. What must you do. «Therefore I urge you, brethren…» Talking to believers. Ladies and gentlemen, until you experience the grace of God, you will not want to volunteer. You will not appreciate what I am talking about. Let me repeat, if you have not experienced the grace of God in your heart, you will not have a heart to volunteer. Notice what it says, everybody. «Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, (By the grace of God. By the love of God.) to present your bodies living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship». (Romans 12:1)
In other words, there are three words I like you to learn today when it comes to volunteer. The first word is the «Grace of God». Say that with me. The «Grace of God». The second word is the «Gratitude to God». Say that with me, «Gratitude to God». And the last word I want you to learn today is the «Gift of God'». In Romans 12:1, up to around four, seven, eight. it deals with the grace of God — how should you respond. The gratitude to God. And lastly, the gift of God. The gift of God is not only salvation. It gives you power, ability to serve. So let us begin with the grace of God. What does it mean? Let me define for you the grace of God. Okay?
So that you will volunteer joyfully. The grace of God simply means (How do you spell grace?) G-R-A-C-E. God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense. Grace is not free. Christ paid for it but it is free for me. It is free for you. But somebody paid. Who paid for it? Jesus. So what is Grace? Before I show you all of this, I want you to read one verse for me. Ephesians 2:8-10. Let us read that together Everybody, «For by grace, you have been saved through faith; and not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one can boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we would walk in them». (Ephesians 2:8-10)
Notice, «For by grace (Something you do not deserve.) you had been saved». Notice the grammar. You are saying, past perfect tense. Not «You may be saved». Not «You shall be saved». «You have been saved». Salvation is a certainty to those who have put their faith in Jesus by grace. So, «For by grace you have been saved through faith». For you to understand grace, the Bible repeats, it is «…not of yourselves, it is the gift of God». You do not earn this. It is a gift. «…not as a result of works». Many times you try to earn salvation. It cannot be earned. It is a gift. It is too expensive. The price is too high. You can never earn your salvation because you cannot afford it. But good works come in. «…we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works».
So God wants you to serve, but serving will not save you. So what is grace? Let us go back to the chart. Grace means what? Number one, undeserved. Number two, unmerited. You cannot merit it. Unconditional. Do you know God saved you unconditionally? Uncoerced. Did you know nobody ever forced God to save us? God is never forced to do anything. Grace cannot be imposed upon God. God freely gives it. Paid by Jesus. Now, once you and I understand grace, my friend, will it not give you a sense of gratitude? Yes or no? Once I understood the grace of God, how He saved me, how He forgave me, how I do not deserve forgiveness because I know I am a sinner. I said, «Lord, I thank You». And because of that, you know what I want to do? I want to show my gratitude. You know why? What is gratitude?
Look at what John Stott said about good works, «Good works are indispensable to salvation». Wow! Is not that confusing? «Not as its grounds or means, however, but as its consequence and evidence». Meaning, to serve Christ, to do good works is the evidence of salvation. It is not the means. Are we clear? Serving is a byproduct of the grace of God. It is not the means to attain the grace of God. You see the difference? Salvation is by grace. You do not earn it. You do not deserve it. But once you experience the grace of God, it will change your heart. It will now make you want to serve. It will now help you change your life. Therefore, if you have not evidence of transformation from your heart, you have no evidence, any desire to serve God, my friend, perhaps you have not understood grace.
Perhaps you have not experienced salvation. If you have been living in sin, even after coming to Christ, you will still continue to live in sin. There is no transformation. Perhaps you had never been touched by the grace of God. Because the grace of God is never alone. It will transform you. The fact that you are struggling with sin tells me you have grace. Because a person does does not struggle with sin. You do not struggle with immorality. You do not struggle with pornography If you are not struggling, something is wrong with you. But the fact that you are struggling tells me something. You have experienced the grace of God and you love God.
So let us look at that verse one more time. Romans 12:1. Everybody, read. «Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, (What must you do out of gratitude? What must you do now?) to present your bodies as living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship». (Romans 12:1) The word «spiritual service of worship», you know what that means? Literally in the Greek language, it is from the word, «logizomai». Logizomai means what? Logical. Reasonable. So to translate this verse. Let me translate it for you. «I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your (What?) logical, reasonable thing to do». And that is called worship.
Out of gratitude, God is saying, «If you want to serve Me, the first thing you should do is to offer your body as a living and holy sacrifice». You see many of us are so preoccupied with doing. We want to do this for God. We are full of activities, God is saying, «Hey, before you focus on activities, you focus on your relationship with Me. Give Me your body». Do you realize God cares about your body? We spiritualize things too much. «God wants my soul». «God wants my spirit». Yes. But God wants your body, your human body as a holy sacrifice. God is saying, «Do not use your body for immorality. Do not use your body to do bad things. Give Me your body as a living and holy sacrifice».
You know what that means? Today, God is saying, «You want to volunteer? First step — experience My grace, what I have done for you». Out of gratitude, what must you do now? Offer Him your body. Offer Him your life. Have you offered your life? I want you to read Galatians 2:20. Please read Galatians 2:20. «I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me». (Galatians 2:20) Do you notice? «I have been crucified with Christ».
What does that mean? No longer I, but Christ. The problem with many of us, we have not died to self. We have not surrendered. You are full of self. I can be committed to something, but I am still committed to myself. I am still in control. I wanted to change that. Surrender. What does it mean when you surrender to God? Everything we do, it is for Him. Let me give you an example. If you are in the ministry and somebody does something against you, you get hurt. Why do you get hurt? In all honesty, you get hurt ecause somebody did something against you. Yes or no? But if you are surrendered to God, if you have died to yourself and somebody did something against you, you may be hurt, but it will not bother you too much. You know why? Because you say, «No longer I». «If you attack me, it is okay. No longer I, but Christ».
You see, easier said than done. My wife and I, we have been married for 51 years. But did you know we just celebrated our 51st anniversary last year? The reason why we can stay happily married is because my wife and I have committed not just to the marriage. not just to the marriage. not just to the marriage. We have learned, «No longer I, but Christ». If you live your life daily, wake up in the morning and you say, «Lord, it no longer I, but you,» my friend, your life would be different. And that is how you volunteer. People ask me, «How do you volunteer»? You begin with experiencing the grace of God. What God has done for you. What is the next important word? Gratitude. That is what will make you give your life to Him. Gratitude.
Everybody read this. «The attitude of appreciation and thankfulness for the good and the benefits we have received. Gratitude leads to action». I am grateful for what God has done for me, and because I am grateful for what He has done for me, what do I do in chapter 12, verse one? I offer my body as a living sacrifice and I also offer my mind. You see, your whole body involves the mind. Look at Romans 12:2, everybody, read this together. «Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect». (Romans 12:2) To give your bodies to the Lord.
The Bible says, number one, «Do not be conformed to this world». What does that mean? Grammatically, it is in the passive voice. «Do not be conformed». It is in the present tense. So literally, let me translate for you. «Stop copying the world». Stop copying the world what does it mean «Do not copy the world»? Do not copy the values of the world. For example, «Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him». (1 John 2:15) We are commanded to not love the world. What is in the world? Well, the Bible explains. «For that is in the world, the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and then boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world». (1 John 2:16)
So it is dealing with values. So what do I mean do not love the world? «The lust of the flesh». Notice something. It has to do with sex. The ways of the world when it comes to sex is different. Many people are copying the ways of the world. Nothing wrong with sex. God invented sex. Sex is wonderful but Satan has corrupted sex. So we are now copying the way the world thinks of sex. Why do you think there are so many unwanted pregnancy? Why do you think premarital sex is so rampant? Why do you think adultery is so rampant? Why sexual confusion so rampant today? It is very simple. The ways of the world, Satan corrupts whatever God made. God made sex beautiful. We corrupted it. So do not copy the ways of the world when it comes to sex. And what is the next word? «Lust of the eyes».
What is the lust of the eyes? It is greed. Do you know many people really believe in advertising. They feel the secret to happiness is more and more and more. What is the truth? Money will not make you happy. A nice pair of bags, imagine you have that expensive bag «I will go now. I will be protecting it». My friend, think about this. Do not copy the ways of the world. If you are being deceived into buying expensive stuff, you need to think through. Ask yourself, «Why am I buying this»? You see, you are copying the world without knowing it. Now, let me repeat. I am not against nice stuff, but you better ask the Lord, «Is that how you want to spend your money»?
My friend, what am I saying? If you experience the grace of God, you have gratitude. And when you have gratitude, you will give your body. You will give your life and your mind. Your mind has to be transformed. You know why? Until the mind is renewed, you cannot be transformed. And how can you renew your mind? Ladies and gentlemen, what am I holding? The Bible. If you do not know the Bible, you do not know truth, how can you be renewed? Now, how many of you read the Bible regularly? Every day? Raise your hands. Higher, higher, higher. I have xray vision. Why do I keep asking you? I want you to know how you have been deceived. In your heart, do you believe the Bible is the Word of God? Yes or no?
Now, my friend, look at me. If the Bible is the Word of God, it has promises. Why not read it? Starts with your mind. You have got to renew your mind so you need to know truth «Be renewed by your mind» that is why you need to study the Bible. Next, the Bible is not enough. You need the Spirit of God to make the Word of God real in your life. Let me repeat. The Word of God plus the Spirit of God over time will conform you. Many of you may be studying the Bible, but you do not have the Holy Spirit. I do not know. Some of you, you have the Holy Spirit, but you do not read the Bible. How can you grow? So you need both. Are we clear? All right, let us read that verse one more time.
«Do not be conformed to this world (Do not copy the values of this world. Stop copying them.), but be transformed (Be changed. Be metamorphosized.) by the renewing of your mind (It all begins with the mind. For what purpose?), so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect». (Romans 12:2) Notice the word, «prove». So that you will experience the will of God, ladies and gentlemen, God wants you to experience His best. What is the will of God? Good, acceptable, and perfect. But how do you experience this? Surrender. The Bible says, Romans 12:1, «Surrender your bodies to God. Living and holy sacrifice». To surrender means what? You give your all. No longer I, But Christ. «Lord, you take over my life».
Have you come to a point in your life where you have surrendered everything? My friend. God loves you. What is preventing you from surrendering your all to Him? What is stopping you? You need to know who God is. And then the Bible tells us, if you give your all to Him, you need to know the gift of God. What is the gift of God? You know the gift of God is very simple. Let us read the next verse, God has given us not just salvation. He has given you abilities to serve Him and to love Him. Look at this verse. God has given us grace. «For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think…» It has to do with the mind. Do not think you are no good, do not think you are over good. Do not be proud. Everything is from God but do not underestimate yourself also.
Think properly. Everything is from God. «…but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith». (Romans 12:3) Even faith is a gift from God. So God has given you faith. He has given you grace. What else? Read the next verse. God has given us, «For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another». (Romans 12:4-5) God has given us one another. The gift of God includes a community. God has gifted you community. Abilities. «Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly…» We have different gifts, different abilities. «As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God». (1 Peter 4:10)
Each one of us has a special gift. Then 1 Peter mentioned, what are some of those gifts? Example, if you are good in speaking, you speak. If you are good in teaching, you teach. This is the reality of life. Only one life will soon be gone. Only what is done for Jesus will last. Let me repeat. We have only one life. You might as well use it that will outlast you. Now, what will you offer to God? You know, many times we think of time. You can give your time to the Lord, your talent, your treasure, your influence. I praise God for many of you, all of you are serving the Lord. But can I add something that most of you do not think of? Your trials.
Many of us do not realize you can offer your problems, your disappointments, even your failures to the Lord. God can make something bad into something good. If you respond properly, you see, the quality of your life is not determined by what happens to you. Good or bad. The quality of your life is determined by how you respond to what happens to you. And one of my favorite hero is this girl who was a champion in surfing. But a shark got her arm. She lost her arm. Bethany Hamilton is a Hawaiian surfing champion years ago when she was a teenager. But, you know, instead of feeling sorry for herself, instead of blaming God, «Why did you allow a shark to attack me»? «Why? Why? Why»? You know what was her attitude? «Lord, I am going to use this tragedy to glorify Your name, to do something good».
In fact, she told her father, «If I can no longer be competitive in surfing because I lost an arm, can I try soccer»? Because soccer, you do not need a hand. Look at her attitude. She wants to do something to make a contribution. Instead of feeling sorry for what she does not have, she looks at what she have to be a blessing. You know what you have? You. You have experiences, you have heartaches, you have problems. Whatever it is, God can use it. Amen? Now, to inspire you. You can serve God in any capacity. One of my inspiration is that. But you know what happened to Bethany? She is happily married today with three wonderful children. God is amazing! She is an inspirational speaker. She never felt sorry for herself.
Now, one of my one of our favorite hero in this Olympis game in Paris. Her name is Sydney McLaughlin-Levron. She is the one who broke the world record for the 400 meters hurdles. She is a committed follower of Jesus. She is using her platform to glorify God. You see, you can do whatever you have to serve God, problems or success. Look at what she said about Jesus. Let us read this together. «I no longer run for self recognition, but to reflect His perfect will that is already set in stone. I do not deserve anything. But by grace, through faith, Jesus has given me everything. Records come and go. The glory of God is (What?) eternal». Amen? Praise God!
That is why I want you to pray this prayer. This is the prayer. «Make me a servant. Humble and meek». And that is what we will sing today at the end of the service. We are going to make this our prayer. Everybody, what is this prayer? «Make me a servant. Humble and meek». I want you to read this together as we close together. Okay? One of the most, I would say, effective missionary of all time, John Wesley. «Do all the good you can. by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can. as long as ever you can». Amen? Praise God!
So as we sing the last song, the choir would be coming up. Would you like to serve people? I know all of you do because God made us to serve but you do not know how to begin. Join a small group and do things that most people cannot do. For example, there are so many organizations all over the world to help the poor, to help people physically. I want you to go beyond that. Let us help people not just physically. Do something to help them spiritually. And that is the uniqueness of CCF. Whatever we do, we can help the poor, but we connect them to Jesus. Amen? You do something that most organizations cannot do. Introduce them to Jesus. Are you ready to sing the last song? Are you ready to make that your prayer? If God has spoken to you, you have to surrender your life to Jesus. You want to experience His grace as we bow our heads, I want you to pray with me.
Let’s bow our heads. And you want to make a commitment to the Lord. You want God to change your heart. You want to experience His grace, His forgiveness, will quietly raise your hand whenever you are? Praise God! Higher. I want to pray for you. God has spoken to you. Raise your hands. Keep your hands up there. And then you pray this prayer with me. This a prayer of humility. It is asking God to change your heart. Pray this with me, wherever you are.
Lord Jesus, I admit I been selfish. I admit I need You. Today, I invite You to be my master, to be my Lord. I surrender to You my all. Because of Your grace, out of my gratitude. I give You my life. Take it. Use it for Your glory. Change my heart, in Jesus' name we all pray, Amen and amen!