What are ways I could serve / be serving in the church?

Let me apply it in a simple way. You want to be like that brother with great gifts, like the five talents, and preach the gospel in the meeting-room. You have little gifts, like the one talent, and can invite friends and neighbours in to listen, can visit them and read and talk to them with profit. You continue to do so, and you glorify God by so doing, and cheer the gifted preacher as you bring in your neighbours under the sound of the gospel. All are thankful for the way in which you act, and you fill a niche that is both glorifying and useful.

In connection with service it is, of course, true that not every Christian has a gift according to 1 Corinthians 12, or is an evangelist, pastor, or teacher according to Ephesians 4. Yet every Christian can serve according to Romans 12. If he cannot prophesy or teach, he can show hospitality, or mercy; he can bless his persecutors, or weep in sympathy with a weeping saint, and thus be "serving the Lord."

How many ways there are of serving the Lord — by personal conversations, anywhere and at all times, by tract distributing, by sick visiting, by teaching the young in Sunday School, besides the public preaching of the Gospel, and ministry of the Word to believers. Ask the Lord what you are to do, and, having found out, DO IT. Do it in obedience to the principles laid down in the Word of God. Do it prayerfully, and Do it in concert with your fellow Christians, but I repeat, DO IT.

There are a multitude of diversified things which can be done in service for the Lord everywhere. There is something for every believer to do as unto his Lord, something for which he or she is especially fitted as a distinct member of the Body of Christ. Be in commun ion with Him and He will show you what your work is and what you can do, and He will strengthen you for it and use you in blessing to precious souls and for His glory.

The affection that takes charge of the babes is a thing that ought to mark the Assembly of God, and I fear is somewhat lacking now-a-days. When a babe is born a nurse is needed. Three-quarters of the babes in this city that die, are badly nursed, or not well fed. There is some folly on the part of the nurse. And many that are born into the family of God are not well cared for. Who is to care for them? They ought to find a nurse among His saints. If you are seeking to serve Christ, you should take care of them and help them. If God's saints were more occupied in this way, there would be less time for profitless conversation. If we were busy helping each other, nurturing the newborn, and nourishing souls generally, we should find the body growing and the saints being perfected, and that is the way things are presented here, in Ephesians 4. It is a body, and it grows by the mutual activity of its various members, who play into each others' hands, so to speak, and the result is there is "the edifying of itself in love" (ver. 16).

They were also all together, unified in care for each other. Here is this matter of shepherding that we have already spoken of. They were ready to bestow what they had for the benefit of those who were in need. In this affluent, materialistic society that we live in today there is not so much need as there used to be, people are better off than ever they were, and so there are not the same opportunities for this kind of service. I suppose, the Lord will lead us to cases where there is need and we should be alive to any opportunity to show kindness, and it certainly would be one of the marks of the Holy Spirit to show care and concern for the saints. There may not be financial need, but there are always other needs. There are lonely saints who need a visit, a card, a letter, and when the opportunity arises, a kind word. There is plenty of spiritual need, plenty of weakness and depression and physical need amongst the saints of God, and amongst the unconverted too. This is the evidence of the Holy Spirit, He is the Spirit of grace, He is the One who empowers us to go with the right kind of influence, not with a patronising air, but in the same compassionate way that the Lord went and visited people and helped and encouraged them.

Thus, whether at home or abroad, in the closet or in the household, in the prison or in the assembly, believers found a sphere of service suited to their capacity, and occupied it. Speaking a word to a prisoner for Christ’s sake, giving a bed to a saint, helping labouring servants on their way, throwing open their houses for the accommodation of the assembly, or on their knees in their chamber alone on behalf of others; in these, and in various other ways, doubtless, service for the Lord’s sake was carried on. Nothing was too small to be noticed; even the washing of the saint’s feet, so grateful to travellers in hot countries, the Spirit of God can mention. Grace had made them prodigal of what they had, and they freely gave of it for the glory of the Lord and the comfort and sustainment of His people.

We find that the service which would commend widows to the bounty of the church were these: "If she have brought up children, if she have lodged strangers, if she have washed the saints' feet, if she have relieved the afflicted, if she have diligently followed every good work." (1 Tim. 5:10) All are not qualified for teachers or church office; but all are qualified to minister to the Lord, in ministering one to another. There may be those whose ministry will be, in being given to hospitality, and distributing to the necessities of the saints: there may be others whose ministry will be in being "obedient to them that are their masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of heart, as unto Christ; not with eye service, as men-pleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; with good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men." (Eph. 6:5-8.)

The first thing to be ascertained is the character of our gift, and secondly its measure. And he who serves diligently according to its nature and measure, will be recognised and esteemed by his brethren, and owned of God for help and blessing in His assembly: but on the other hand, if a brother is vain of his gift, mistakes its nature, or pushes it beyond its measure, he is not led of the Spirit, he is acting in the flesh, and when this is felt, his ministry must be unacceptable. And what follows? He complains that his gift is not appreciated — for he has a real gift — whereas, it was the forwardness of nature that was rejected, not the godly exercise of his gift, "according to the proportion of faith." This is one of the bitter roots which sometimes spring up and trouble the assembly of God. The Lord give us all to watch against this with a godly jealousy, so that there may be no ungracious criticisms, unworthy partialities, hard judging, on the one hand, or vain assumption on the other. Lord, give us to be only too happy to serve Thee however small our gift, if it be only to hand a hymn-book to a stranger, or conduct him to a seat. The thought, oh! the wondrous thought — Jesus died for me! is enough to gird thee for the humblest work. Never forget this, my soul, and it will always keep thee humble and always girded to serve.

Service is mentioned next. This is to be rendered in humility and according to the measure of faith as God has dealt to every man, who is a believer. Here the body, that is, the church, is touched upon. In first Corinthians and Ephesians the truth concerning the church and the different gifts is more fully revealed. All believers are members of that body, and as in the human body not all members have the same office, so in the one body there are different gifts bestowed by grace. Each must take his place given to him in that body and render the service unto which he is called and thus demonstrate the divine truth, that we are one body in Christ, and individually members one of the other. Ministry in the Word stands first and there is also ministry in other ways. The latter are, giving, ruling (or leading) and showing mercy. Giving is to be in simplicity (or liberality); ruling is to be in diligence and showing mercy in cheerfulness. The emphasis here is not so much upon the different gifts as it is upon the faithful exercise of the gift.