Christ’s example: came to serve

Of course, since we all have egos, the temptation is to misuse the gifts to promote ourselves or our own image. It is the temptation to misuse the gifts that Christ has given and entrusted to us to use for him, and to promote ourselves so that we may be noticed, admired, praised, so that we may be the focus of attention, take centre stage, and lord it over others. Sadly, that is how some teaching in the Holy Spirit appears to me.

The Spirit and his gifts in some books are presented as the pathway to spiritual power and great success. That is not the pattern when we look at the Lord Jesus. He shows us the path to greatness. Matthew 20:26 and Matthew 20:28 reads, Whoever would be great among you must be your servant [ . . . ] as even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve.

The symbols of the true use of the gifts are the towel and the basin of John 13:1–38. Jesus the Master. What is he doing? He is kneeling on the floor, dressed like a slave, washing the sweaty, dirty feet of his disciples. He says, I have given you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. Here is the pattern. Was he gifted? To ask the question is to answer it. Gifted more than any human being who has ever lived. What is this supremely gifted human being doing? He is washing dirty feet. You should do as I have done. The pattern then is humble service of other people at the cost of ourselves. Doing what is boring, unpleasant, and menial and what is not regarded—there are no medals, no applause, and no award ceremony on earth—that is very Christ‑like.

Therefore, a Sunday school teacher teaching little children the very ABC’s of the Bible is following Christ. He or she may be brilliant, they might be capable of delving into the depths of theology, but teaching a little child the basics. The person who comes each Sunday and puts up the flowers receives no applause, and no spotlight is shone on them. To my shame, there are many Sundays when I do not really even notice them. It is a very Christ‑like thing to do. Another example is the visit, or the act of practical kindness. Or just going into your room and praying for somebody in the congregation, without saying anything about it, so nobody knows. Or all the work from week to week that keeps your congregation running that we tend to take for granted. We would soon notice it if it was not being done. It is Christ‑like. I often think, we would be very surprised if you saw who in your church ranks the highest in the esteem of the Saviour.

I have given you an example that you should do as I have done for you. In other words, dear readers, as we are thinking about the gifts in this series, let us take our stand at Calvary. We can safely exercise our gifts only in the shadow of the cross. Someone once put it beautifully: The gifts of the Spirit are not steps on the way up to a higher position; they are the doorway to the servant’s quarters. The doorway to the servant’s quarters.

Christ is the pattern. He gives the gifts. We render account to him for how we have used the gifts. And we have to use our gifts as he used his gifts—not to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom.¹

Edward Donnelly