← The Wake-Up Call
The Wake-Up Call
Jesus Served Others; We Can Too
00:18:07
In this episode, Dan Wilt explores the theme of servanthood, emphasizing the importance of embodying the spirit of Jesus in our daily lives. He reflects on the teachings of Jesus, highlighting how faith is an act of risk and love. Dan discusses the significance of being apprentices of Jesus, learning not only what Jesus did but also understanding the motivations behind his actions. He shares insights on how Jesus led with love, humility, and gentleness, encouraging listeners to partner with the Father in serving others. The episode delves into the concept of the kingdom of God, where serving others is a central tenet, and how this approach subverts the cultural norms of power and fame. Dan shares personal stories and experiences to illustrate the power of humility and service. He recounts a memorable event where his church hosted a national conference, highlighting the humility of leaders who served selflessly. This episode encourages listeners to adopt a servant's mindset, inspire...
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Good morning Sower Nation. Today is Monday, June 15th in the year of our Lord 2026. I'm Dan Wilt and this is your wake up call. Let's just locate ourselves as we begin this week, Monday. And we step into what has been a normal Monday for us for years and for decades. Except this time we're an extra orientation of attention to the fact that the Spirit of Jesus is in us. That what the resurrection and the Ascension and Pentecost were all pointing to is that you and I would be people of Pentecost today. That we would be the apprentices of Jesus the Talmy Dean, learning his ways and not just loving what Jesus does, but loving why Jesus does it. We lead from love. We lead with humility and gentleness. We reach into the lives of others, watching what the Father is doing and then partnering with him. And that's how Jesus did his ministry and wants to continue to do it through you and through me. So just a quick review to locate us in our series as we get into today's entry. We've looked at from the beginning all the things that Jesus did. We're looking at all the things Jesus taught and we're beginning to see how does this relate to us. I'm not going to be able to be completely comprehensive in all these things. As the scripture says, if all the things were documented that Jesus did and taught, there wouldn't be enough books in the world to cover it all. So we're just highlighting particular themes that will help us to be apprentices of Jesus, followers of the Way Today we've looked at what the Kingdom of God is all about. That faith is spelled R I S K. Then we've been exploring what Jesus actually did and how he did it, why he did it, and what it means for us to be motivated by the love of God, to have the motivations, the why of the Father moving in us by the Spirit and then to move in power from that greater power, that great and maybe only power that is love. And so we're now in a season of looking at all the kinds of things that Jesus did and we enter into today and we're going to be talking about serving others, the God who serves the God who humbles himself and steps into the lives of others and raises them up. Philippians 2 so wake up sleeper. Rise from the dead and Christ will shine on you. Let's pray our prayer of consecration as we begin our meeting with Jesus. Jesus, I belong to you. I lift up my heart to you. I set my mind on you I fix my eyes on you. I offer my body to you as a living sacrifice. Jesus, we belong to you and we're praying in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Well, today's entry is titled Jesus Served Others and we can too. Our passage is from Matthew 20:28. Hear the word of the Lord. The Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. And then we're also going to read Philippians 2, 5, 8. In your relationships with one another have the same mindset as Christ Jesus, who, being in very nature God did not consider equality with God something to be used, used to his own advantage. Rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness and being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. The word of the Lord. Consider this. Now I've shared with you as we launch into this entry, I've shared with you that many of the stories and all the things are my own stories. There are thousands of other stories I could choose from, even your own. These beautiful Holy Spirit stories coming in where you're praying for people, you're encouraging people, you are where Jesus is and moving, and you're partnering with the Father. I share, as I've said, so many of my own stories in this series because I want to get under the hood of some of the feelings behind these moments where God is doing special things and we're partnering with him. And I'm most in touch with those in my own life, of course. So today I want to tell a story from many years ago. Our church was selected to host our national conference in Canada, and our building was too small for the thousands attending. So my friend, the pastor of the local assembly of God church, invited us to use their building. I invited him and his amazing leaders to attend, to enjoy the worship and teaching, and to receive prayer ministry. After one particularly moving session with one of our most humble theologians, my pastor friend came running out to me in the parking lot after everyone had left. Dan, I need to talk to you, he said with tears welling in his eyes. I have never in my life seen such humility in leaders. That teacher and so many of those leaders felt like they were truly here to serve everyone. We embraced right there in the parking lot, knowing that this was the way of Jesus, but also knowing as pastors and leaders, how hard it is for gifted people to recognize their gifts which is all of us are to be placed in the service of of others. Being an apprentice of Jesus means that we are here to serve, not to be served. Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve. Matthew 20, verse 28. I often wondered what must have gone on inside the heads of the disciples as Jesus did. Miracles performed, signs and wonders, had words of knowledge, aligned himself with the weak and lowly, and then served everyone in the midst of it all. The world of Jesus Day was not like this. The wealthy and the powerful were served. Their needs were met. They were the focal point of fame and attention. Does that sound familiar in any way? But with Jesus, we see an entire cultural worldview held especially by the Romans, utterly subverted by this servant posture. I have spent time around many of those I would call spiritually gifted people or a very demonstrative visible gift. Some could prophesy with uncanny accuracy, speaking words of revelation into people's lives that left everyone astounded. I have sat in green rooms with people known for operating in particular spiritual gifts at a high and even, quite honestly, extraordinary level. People through whom Jesus healed the sick and who claim to have been used by him even to raise the dead. I've been in those rooms. But here is the honest truth. In only a few did I see a humility that said without words, I am here to serve you and everyone gathered. I am not here to be served or elevated above anyone else. Those few in whom I saw such humility guiding their giftedness, I chose to become my mentors. I said, talk to me. I want to hear your heart. Not just, I don't want to just learn what you're doing. I want to hear and understand and you have the heart behind it that you bring. I wanted their life with Jesus. I wanted to do all the things that Jesus did. But with this posture of service leading the way, Jesus was of no reputation. According to Isaiah. He wasn't out to impress anyone with his spiritual giftedness. Everything, everything Jesus did was to serve his Father and then by extension, to serve those around Him. Every act of self care of time away was to grow in love and to gain strength, to then turn and give and give again. In this way. Kingdom ministry is the learned art of giving ourselves away, always replenishing and renewing, but being available for the Father to invest us, to spend us in any way he pleases, to see souls set free to worship Him. So here's our prayer for this Monday. Lord Jesus, the way of the servant can be hard for me, particularly when I want others to see my giftedness or to be impressed with my strengths. Teach me to love the lowest way of service, the unseen ways of giving myself away, but knowing that it will be replenished because you are in me. Giving yourself away to allow others to rise around me as I sow into the soil of their growth. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen. And here are our journal prompts. Write down three ways those you admire in the faith have served others. What if, for your journal, what if serving well was the only metric for success in the Kingdom of God? Not how well you spoke or sang or did this thing that others could see or led this ministry? Or what if our identity was in none of that and our only identity was in being in Christ and Christ being in us? And then the metric for all of it determining success was simply how we served others. Wow, that would feel like a Jesus kind of life, wouldn't it? That would feel like what the Father wants to do through you and through me. In our local churches, there's often comparison and, gosh, if they could see me this way. And this is really my ministry. And I've talked about this before. John Wimber used to always say, you and I don't have a ministry. We all have the ministry of Jesus. So let's get these things off our business cords. Let's get away from our platform and microphone thinking. Our special person kind of peacock thinking. And let's get into, as my wife calls it. She says, the ordinary birds are at the feeder today. Just the everyday ordinary birds that we are are there. And we step into these moments and God does something extraordinary because we're saying yes and because we're postured like Jesus to serve the person right in front of us. So second question is, how could you model your life thinking about those mentors, those you admire in the faith, who carry that humility. Personally, I could get in trouble for saying this, but that's okay. J.D. carries that way. Mark Benjamin. There are others I get to work with, Anna Grace. I have so many around me in our staff at Seedbed and in my relationship network, who I look and I say, I want that kind of humility. I want that kind of willingness to take the lowest place so that others can be lifted up, because that's where Jesus goes. Like water, we run to the lowest place. So your second question is thinking about those in your life who you feel model this kind of humility. Ask yourself, how could you model your life after their way of service? How could you do that? And then our Activation for today is this today. Look for an opportunity to serve someone without them knowing it's happening. That's a good exercise. Make it a completely hidden act. That's for today or this week. A completely hidden act. So there is no one to impress. And your ministry to the person is unknown to anyone but you and Jesus. It is a powerful exercise. It is just you and Jesus knowing about it. Do something that serves someone without them knowing about it, and you might need to do it through someone else. But even then, if you can just do it in a way that blesses them without them knowing where that blessing came from, then that's the activation for today. When you're finished, review how it makes you feel in your spirit to serve without anyone but Jesus seeing what you've done. Wow. So Jesus took on the nature of a servant. Philippians 2. And though being in very nature, God did not consider that something to be grasped at, but took on the nature of a servant kingdom. Ministry is the learned art of giving ourselves away, being available for the Father to spend us, to invest us in any way he pleases, to set souls free to come into union with him, to come into communion with him, to come into worship. Amen. All right, well, we have our activation and we're going to sing our Monday song together, which is the Doxology. It's what we worship with together every Monday. I'd like to invite you to it. It is hymn number 682 in our great Redeemer's Praise. Of course, I use the large print edition because I like that hymn. 682 doxology. And today we'll sing Three Amens together. Just for fun. We'll sing Three Amens together in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. And let's just savor that moment of offering ourself to Jesus as we sing those, let's worship.
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Praise God from Whom all blessings flow. Praise him, O creatures here below. Praise him above, ye heavenly host. Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
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Today you and I step out into the world. If you're listening to this here in the morning, step out into our day as servants. Let's see with the eyes of a servant, hear the needs around us with the ears of someone who is saying quietly to themselves, come, Holy Spirit, Father, show me what it is that you're doing so I can join you in it. Lord, show me how I can be the love of God to this person. Show me, Jesus, how you would want to serve them right now. Right. Let's get those seeds together, and I will see you on the field for the awakening. I'm Dan.