Get Your Game On By Pastor Hal Gaudet
This sermon is from the second week of a two-week mini-series about volunteering, serving, and becoming active participants in the ministry at Cornerstone Family Church in Saint Cloud, FL.
Pastor Nathan gave the sermon the previous week, discussing different positions people can serve at the sanctuary. That is because, with only six pastors, the church has hundreds of members, meaning they execute most of the ministry.
According to pastor Hal Gaudet, it is essential to volunteer and participate in the ministry to help avoid participating in harmful practices. However, he insisted on the importance of having other people who can help you prevent burnout and encourage you to be part of the congregation.
To add to the previous week's sermon, Pastor Gaudet talked about the more intangible things that can impact your life positively. He started by highlighting some tangible things you can do, which are the positions you can take when volunteering, including the praise and worship team, the tech team, etc.
His three intangible things were having a sense of purpose in your life, finding real satisfaction and fulfillment in everything you do, and experiencing the security of healthy accountability.
Acts 6:1-7 talks about when the 12 apostles experienced challenges when Greek-speaking believers complained about discrimination in food distribution against the Hebrew-speaking believers. The apostles then decided to recruit seven more men to help them with food distribution, making their work spreading the word easier. That shows that serving and volunteering in ministry was essential even for first-generation Christians 2,000 years ago. Therefore, being called to help out in the ministry helps give you a sense of purpose because you have people looking at you to complete your responsibilities. It also discourages the devil's lies that God can't use you because of your shortcomings or background. Paul also encouraged leaders to teach other members how to do ministry work.
John 13:12-17 talks about how Jesus set an example for his disciples by washing their legs, saying that understanding the meaning of serving others brings God's blessing. Pastor Gaudet said that serving others brings blessings through an incredible sense of self-fulfillment. That is because the moments of selfless service reinforces in our hearts and minds that our faith in Jesus Christ is valid, real, and freeing.
According to Pastor Gaudet, accountability for Christians is about being safe and secure in your spiritual journey and having somebody speak graciously into your life when they notice something. Healthy accountability is not judgemental but driven by compassion and respect for the person with whom it is being shared. In Romans 12:3-13, Paul advises Christians not to think they are better than others but to evaluate themselves by their God-given faith. That is because everybody has a specific role, just like the body has different parts with distinct functions.