Look to the interests of others on Sunday morning

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:3-8)

In Philippians 2, Paul exhorts the Philippian church to strive for loving unity by putting the interests of others above their own and following Jesus’ example of sacrificial service. While this mindset translates to every possible situation in which we might find ourselves, let me share eight practical ways that you can put your neighbor’s interests above your own on Sunday morning at NewLife, or at whatever church you attend:

1) Leave the closest parking spots for guests, the elderly, and parents of young children – If your legs work well, why not park further away and leave the closer spots for visitors, or for those who might find the longer walk more difficult?

2) Sit with someone who is new or you don’t recognize – Ask God to give you His eyes as you enter the sanctuary, and then choose to sit with someone new, someone you don’t know well, or maybe even someone who looks like they could use some company.

3) Ask someone to tell you about themself – Whether it’s during the mid-service dismissal of the kids, or after the service ends, try to get beyond the surface level with someone and hear how they are really doing, or just hear more of their story.

4) Give someone a hug (or a handshake, or a friendly wave) and tell them you are glad to see them – Not everyone is a hugger, of course, but most people appreciate knowing that someone is happy to see them.

5) Pay attention to who is not there and reach out to someone to see how they are – The flip side, of course, is that most people also appreciate knowing that they are missed. At some point during the service, pay attention to who is not there, and make a point to give that person a call or drop them an email to see how they are doing.

6) Serve somewhere once a month – A good expectation is that if you consider NewLife your home, then serve somewhere on a Sunday morning on average once every month. Whether that is in the nursery, teaching Children’s Church, serving as a greeter, with the coffee ministry, on the worship or audio/visual team, or as a prayer minister up front, there are always opportunities to put the needs of others above your own.

7) Give financially – If your heart is to see our church become all that God desires our church to be, and to see God transform lives through our church, then give regularly and sacrificially to the work of God at NewLife.

8) Show up on time – Show up early, so that you can prepare your heart for worship and to hear the Word. Your brothers and sisters in Christ need your prayers and holiness, and the Lord honors those who diligently seek Him.

Jesus said that the world would know that we are His disciples by how we love one another. As important as powerful sermons, moving worship, and delicious snacks and coffee are, God is honored when His people love each other as Christ has loved us, with a sacrificial love that elevates the needs of others above our own. I pray that this loving unity would be the hallmark of NewLife.