In the big picture, the hallmark of the Christian life is not about how well-organized or structured (or, for that matter, how spontaneous) the church is. Rather, it is whether we have built our faith, our church, and our ministries on the foundation of the gospel. A passion for the local church should stem not from our work in the church, but from Christ’s passion, plans for, and work in the local church. When this is the taproot from which we draw nourishment, we can serve and love one another motivated by God’s grace, propelled by his love, and enabled by his Spirit. As we begin to understand and live this, we develop a stronger desire to minister, and our serving metamorphoses into a passionate drive to see God glorified and the gospel magnified in people’s lives.
Nate Palmer, Servanthood as Worship: The Privilege of Life in a Local Church, (Cruciform Press, 2010), 34
