Before I get into the sermon for today, I want to give you a recap of our board retreat. I want to thank those of you who were praying for us. We certainly felt God’s hand upon us as we made plans for the transition to our new polity in the belief that the new by-laws will be passed on March 3. We spend time in prayer and discussion over the best way to move forward in this process. I am sure there may be some tweaks as we go along, but here is the sketch that we came away with.

Our main goal, if the new by-laws pass, is to have the new polity take effect on Sept 8. So a 6 month transition period from the vote, to the installation of elders and deacons and the dissolution of the board of stewards. By that time we have set a goal to have a two new elders and at least 5 deacons identified, affirmed and trained. 

The timeline for this is planned to go as follows: 

• At the march 3 meeting, we will have nomination forms ready to hand out.
  These forms will have the description of elders roles and the biblical qualifications on them. There will also be a space to share comments about the person being nominated for the role. It is important that you do two things, Spend time praying and asking the Lord to show you who He has qualified and equipped to serve this body as an elder or deacon, and that you yourself pray and ask God if he is calling you to a role in leadership.
  Also, it is important that everyone nominate someone for a role. The number of nominations for a person, will help us to know how many people are affirming a person’s call to ministry. Also, you may nominate more than one person for roles.
  Those nomination forms will be due back by April 7. 
• April 9, the board will meet to discuss the nominations and determine who will be approached and asked to consider being a candidate for the roles they have been nominated for. 
• Between the 9th and the 27 of April, the candidates will be approached, and interviewed and asked if they would be willing to take on the responsibilities of the position they have been nominated for. 
• April 28 the candidates will be presented to the congregation for consideration. That is a time when you can meet with them and give feedback to the board if you have any concerns about any of the candidates. 
• June 2 We will hold a congregational meeting to vote to affirm the candidates. They will then become elders or deacons in training. 
• the training process will consist of: Attending Board meetings, as well as other meetings for the purpose of establishing relationships and gaining an understanding of roles. We will be reading some books together and bringing in outside people to help the process of training. 
• September 8 we will have a commissioning service to mark the end of the old polity and the beginning of the new. 

Luke 17:7-10 “Unworthy Servants”

Open your bibles please to Luke 17. We are looking today at verses 7-10.

Do you consider yourself a servant of Christ? Why?

What does it mean to you that you are a servant of Christ?

Well, to be a Christian means to be a bondservant to Christ, and we need to view ourselves as such and live accordingly.

A bondservant is a slave. In some Bibles the word bondservant is the translation of the Greek word doulos, which means “one who is subservient to, and entirely at the disposal of, his master; a slave.” Other translations use the word slave or servant.

In Roman times, the term bondservant or slave could refer to someone who voluntarily served others. But it usually referred to one who was held in a permanent position of servitude. Under Roman law, a bondservant was considered the owner’s personal property. Slaves essentially had no rights and could even be killed with impunity by their owners.

Paul, Timothy, James, Peter, and Jude all describe themselves as “bondservants of Christ” (Romans 1:1; Philippians 1:1; James 1:1; 2 Peter 1:1; Jude 1:1, NKJV).

1. To be a Christian is to be a servant. v. 10. Bought with a price, saved by Grace, given a task. Ephesians 2:1-10, Romans 6:15-23
2. To be a servant is to be at work for your master. Hear his commands, obey them. John 14:15-24
3. To be a servant is to live a life without entitlement. 1 Corinthians 15:3-11
   Daily: “ive had a hard day, now I need to be served”
   Retirement: “I’ve put in my work, its time to relax.” 

To live as a servant of Christ is to recognize that all you have is because of Him and not you, that you were bought with a price and paid for by the Blood of the lamb. You are saved from the works that serve the flesh, to works that build the Kingdom and bring you true joy. What we need to understand fundamentally, is that in Christ, we are set free to no longer serve idols that lead to death and hopelessness, but rather to serve the one who saved us and made us in such a way that to serve Him, is to seek our greatest happiness. When we obey him, we are killing the selfishness that lies within us and showing the world that there is something greater to be served that ourselves. You will serve what you treasure, and by serving Christ with your whole heart, you don’t make Him a treasure, you reveal Him to be the true treasure that He is.