Volunteering to serve God is a vital aspect of our Christian walk, essential for spiritual growth and success in all areas of life. Servanthood, though less frequently discussed than prayer or Bible study, remains a key to fulfilling God's will. With Christ's perfect example as our guide, we can trust that if God opens a door for us to serve, we will succeed, as the Holy Spirit will supply what we lack. Our role is to maintain an attitude of availability and to recognize the call to serve when it comes, trusting God to work through us rather than relying on our own abilities. As we practice serving, we grow accustomed to God working through us, gaining confidence and learning to set aside our human nature. We must humbly direct all praise and credit to Him, understanding that we cannot choose the areas in which we serve. No task God calls us to is beyond our ability to do well, even if it does not meet our expectations. If done to the best of our abilities, we will not displease our Creator. A fundamental principle is that, regardless of who benefits from our service or how they respond, it is ultimately God whom we serve. Seeking approval from others indicates wrong motives, often centered on ourselves, and can lead to emotional instability. Our service must be rooted in commitment, not emotions or a need for recognition, mirroring the steadfast decision to tithe. As part of God's process of shaping us into His Son's image, we should serve whenever the opportunity arises, doing the will of God from the heart, as to the Lord, and not to men.

Many individuals sincerely volunteer their services to God, driven by their human will, yet they remain spiritually ill-equipped due to their inborn carnality that opposes God and His law. This volunteering bypasses the essential adjustments that God provides to those He specifically calls into His service. Such benefits are vital, as revealed clearly in scripture, for true service to Him. God does not accept those who attempt to force themselves into His family or kingdom based on their own standards. A person born with a carnal mind lacks true free will to serve God, as their mind is not subject to His law and cannot be unless God deliberately adjusts it through His calling, granting understanding and willingness to submit. Scripture affirms that only those honestly called by God receive the right, authority, and privilege to be part of His family and kingdom, not through the will of the flesh, but by His divine will. The Father personally calls individuals to be drawn to the Son, and the Son chooses their placement within the church, as seen when He appointed the apostles, declaring that they did not choose Him, but He appointed them.

God, in His sovereignty, calls and summons some to eternal life, separating them from others, as a parent might call a child from a group for a specific purpose. He reveals Himself and His way to those He chooses, not because of any inherent quality or virtue in them, but solely by His own will and initiative. As seen in Acts 13:48, only those appointed to eternal life believed, showing that belief is a result of God's action, not the cause of it. He gives the desire and the power to accomplish His will, enabling us to respond and yield to Him through the gifts of His Spirit. This calling is not based on human merit or effort, for God chooses the foolish, the base, and the despised, not the wise or mighty, to fulfill His purpose. Our love for Him is a response to His prior love for us, and our faith is a gift from Him, empowering us to overcome.

Amid a culture where newcomers shop for churches the way they shop for plumbers or schools—seeking preferred programs, preaching styles, or service times—this message challenges that consumer mindset by returning to Scripture to answer a deeper question: What is the Church? Drawing from Jesus' first use of the term in Gospel of Matthew 16:18, it presents the Church not as a building or denomination, but as the "ekklesia"—a called-out assembly of believers built upon and led by Jesus Christ Himself, the true Rock and Head. From the congregation in the wilderness to the Spirit-empowered believers of Acts of the Apostles 2, the Church is shown to be God's divinely initiated work: individuals drawn by the Father, brought to repentance and baptism, receiving the Holy Spirit, and gathered into a covenant community that worships in spirit and truth. This assembly is not formed by human preference but by divine calling; its members are chosen, transformed, and trained to live by God's Word rather than cultural trends, putting off the old self and putting on the new. Ultimately, the Church exists as God's spiritual training ground—His teachers' college—preparing a royal priesthood to reflect His image, proclaim His truth, and participate in His unfolding plan, growing into the likeness of Christ as they await His Kingdom.