The greatest among you must be a servant. ... Give your gifts in secret, and your Father, who knows all secrets, will reward you. (Matthew 23:11; 6:4)

    So often, folks that no one really knows or rarely ever sees do the most crucial jobs in everyday events. These folks are rarely given the credit they deserve. Their jobs are called “support roles” because they are not the star, featured personality, or out-of-town “expert” brought in to wow the crowd, company, or church. Yet without their help, the lights wouldn’t come on, the place wouldn’t be clean, the sound levels would never be set, the equipment would remain in unloaded trucks, and the myriad of details necessary for a great experience would be left un-addressed.

    Jesus repeatedly taught his disciples that his Kingdom wasn’t about status, power, or position, but about service. In fact, Jesus taught that the greatest in his Kingdom is a servant — notice that he didn’t say that someday God would recognize them as the greatest, but that they are the greatest NOW! That perspective changes everything.

    In an environment where servants are regarded as the greatest, our perspective about importance must also change. The people that work the sound, record the messages, prepare the communion, duplicate the tapes and CDs, care for children in the nursery, greet the visitors, set up the rooms, arrange the chairs, sit with the sick, unlock the doors, work the computers, set out the bulletins, and greet/usher the attendees are actually greater in Jesus’ mind than the highly paid superstar flown in to stand behind the microphone and wow the crowd.

    I am profoundly aware of the importance of these people most of the time, even when I do not acknowledge their value publicly. Unfortunately, these folks often only get noticed when they have done something wrong or the system they run or the service they provide goes wacko. When they do their work flawlessly, the praise goes to the “up front folks,” who all too frequently forget to thank and praise them. This not only saddens me; it also convicts me deeply — I apologize Ken, Richard, and the gang for not being more affirming for all your hard and selfless work done week in and week out. These “behind the scene folks” are servants ... they are the greatest!

You guys are servants ... you are the greatest!

    I speak several times each Sunday morning and these folks in the sound room have “a million” jobs to do flawlessly to “make me look good” and to help me bless our congregation. No one notices them unless they “goober up” something. Yet without them, crucial things would go undone and important things would not happen — no slides, videos, lights, sound, and much more. You guys are servants ... you are the greatest!

    With Heartlight, we reach somewhere over half-a-million unique users per month (13-15 million hits per month). Many of these folks are touched by one of our daily devotionals. Without the help of Ray and Ed, those devotionals would lose a lot of punch and carry a lot more gibberish. They tirelessly proofread and make recommendations every day to help improve the quality and accuracy of the devotionals. Neither of these two godly college professors wants recognition or payment; they are serving the hundreds of thousands touched by articles and devotionals and yet no one really knows them or sees their efforts. They are servants ... they are the greatest!

    While all of us like to be affirmed in our work, many of us will never be appreciated to the full extent of our efforts and sacrifices. That is just life in the competitive and self-serving world in which we live. Yet as we offer our services to others — whether at work, in the community, at home, or with our church — we need to know that we are offering them first to God. We work for him. He is the one we are trying to please and bless. Jesus reminds us that he sees each of those efforts — especially those done behind the scenes — and will reward them. Jesus is adamant that those acts of kindness and service that no one seems to notice or to appreciate are the very ones that God will most joyously reward. Until then, let me stop and say thanks to you for your service to the Kingdom. Your Lord wants you to know that you’re the greatest! Don’t let the missing applause or the overlooked notoriety discourage you. Your Father sees. Your Father is blessed. Your Father has a message for you: Well done, my good and faithful servant. ... Let’s celebrate together!” (Matthew 25:21)

 

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Title: "And the Greatest Is..."
Author: Phil Ware
Publication Date: September 1, 2003