The heart of a servant

We've been thinking about ministry.
And the fact that we all have one.
We just need to be open to the nudges of the Holy Spirit in order to determine what it our ministry is!
We noted in the Bible that we are told each of us is given spiritual gifts that will help us minister to others.
Are there other requirements?
Do we need to go to seminary?
Nope.
Do we need to stay up in the wee hours, poring over books of theology?
Nope.
Oh, I guess we need to learn Hebrew and Greek, right?
Nope.
Those thing may be helpful in some ministries. But they are not The Main Thing.
The main requirement for being involved in ministry is that our hearts are right before God. I hope that you have re-read the two chapters in Nehemiah that we are studying. We are going to focus on two passages this week: Nehemiah 12:27-43 and then 12:44-47.

Now, one thing that we didn't do last week was to look at the word minister. You know, the way I usually post what the dictionary says, or the etymology of the word?
OK, let's do it!
A minister is a servant - that is what the word means in Greek.  "Diakonov" (the scholars tell us) probably came from an obsolete word "diako" which means to run errands. So diakonov is one who executes the commands of another, especially used of a servant, attendant, or minister.

And more importantly than the words of the scholars, let's look at the words of our Savior:

Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant," (Mark 10:42-43)

And again in Matthew:

 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:25-28)

Isn't Jesus telling us that the heart of a minister (which we have said we ALL are) is the heart of a servant? I believe so! Well, how do we achieve this? How do we have the heart of a servant?

The first step is to have a pure heart. Let's check out our chapter:

When the priests and Levites had purified themselves ceremonially, they purified the people, the gates and the wall. (v. 30)

This came before the dedication of the wall.
Before the worship.
Before the celebration.
Before the party.
The rituals of cleansing and purification in the Old Testament symbolize the fact that our hearts are sinful -- and our God is absolutely holy. If we are going to serve Him (and others) we must first be cleansed form all known sins in thought, word, and deed.  Our hearts and our hands must be clean:

Watch over your heart with all diligence,For from it flow the springs of life. (Proverbs 4:23)

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. (James 4:8)

Create in me a clean heart, O God,And renew a steadfast spirit within me. (Psalm 51:10)

The intricate rituals of the Old Testament were put away once the sacrifice had been made of the Lamb of God. He rose from the dead and the Spirit now lives in us. This is what the prophets spoke of:

Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.  (Ezekiel 36:26-27)

“But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people." (Jeremiah 31:33)

Way too often, we see scandals and hear of them -- involving people who are supposed to be examples of believers. Elders, pastors, deacons and more are charged with crimes that make a mockery of their testimonies. Even if they are not guilty of chargeable offenses, they often show the sins of arrogance, impatience, intolerance, and hatred. When this kind of hypocrisy is exposed, the whole unbelieving world mocks the name of Christ.

All of us struggle against temptations. We are all vulnerable to fall when tempted. We need to daily guard against temptation in order to walk in victory and not walk in sin.

But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. (James 1:14)

How can a young man keep his way pure?By keeping it according to Your word. With all my heart I have sought You;Do not let me wander from Your commandments. Your word I have treasured in my heart,That I may not sin against You. (Psalm 119:9-11)

Do we claim to be Christians? Then we must humble ourselves before our Father God. We must repent of our sins, and make strategies to protect ourselves from falling again.

 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (II Chronicles 7:14)

Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. (I Corinthians 10:12-13)

To be servants, let's first make certain that we have pure hearts.