“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace.”
1 Peter 4:10
Use your gift
Every person who is called to follow Jesus is also equipped with a spiritual gift to serve other people. That means if you’re a Christian who attends Bridgeway, God has given you a gift that he intends to use in the local church to build up our body. God has promised to not only give you a supernatural ability to contribute to this family in a way that only you can, but also to provide you all the strength you need to do so. But to experience that, you have to serve.
Fuel your joy
When we ask you to serve at Bridgeway, it’s not because “We’re a family and everyone does the chores.” At Bridgeway, we serve because we truly believe that serving others in light of the gospel is fuel for your joy.
Don’t believe the lie that if you enjoy what you’re doing, if it’s energizing, and if you feel better afterwards, it doesn’t count as serving. That idea is totally opposed to gospel-centered service. When you serve others out of the love, acceptance, and the promise of reward you've received from Christ, you may not feel like you're sacrificing anything—instead, you actually gain joy in meeting the needs of others.
Become like Jesus
We also ask you to serve because you simply cannot reach spiritual maturity without using your gifts to serve others. You cannot become like Jesus unless you learn to be a servant. For us, it’s not about finding warm bodies to fill volunteer spots. It’s about developing you as a follower of Jesus.
Do you want to feel more emotion when we sing together? Do you wish you could experience the power of the Holy Spirit working in you? Do you feel stuck in your spiritual life? If you’re not serving, you’re not growing. This is why the book of Ephesians calls the pastors at Bridgeway to “equip you for the work of ministry.” We’re not asking because we need you to serve, but because you need to serve.