We serve God, not merely to claim we are Christians or because we attend church. We serve God because our heartfelt desire is to attain the Kingdom of Heaven through Christ Jesus!
What Does It Mean to Serve God?
What does it mean to serve? According to the dictionary, to serve means to work for the benefit of someone else.
When we serve God, we make ourselves available for the growth of His kingdom, establishing the Lord’s will on earth and bringing His purposes into existence.
Serving God means being willing to fulfill His desires and will, dying to self, and living according to His plan.
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)
Serving God involves renouncing our own desires, mortifying our worldly passions, so that God’s will may be fully realized in our lives. God gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. Jesus Christ fully surrendered to the Father’s purpose, setting the ultimate example of a faithful, obedient, and God-fearing servant.
Jesus: The Way, the Truth, and the Life
When discussing the path to salvation, we see that Jesus Christ Himself declares He is the only way to attain it.
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)
Jesus presents Himself as three essential pillars for attaining the Kingdom of Heaven. Below, we explore each pillar and how they enable us to achieve salvation through Christ Jesus.
Jesus is the Way
The way refers to the means of achieving a goal or the direction to follow.
We understand that Jesus Christ is the only direction we must take to attain salvation. Only Jesus can lead the church to its ultimate goal: salvation.
Jesus is the Truth
Truth refers to facts, reality, or undeniable circumstances.
There is no other truth beyond what Jesus has recorded in the Scriptures. Jesus Christ is, and always will be, the only truth. Everything He declared in the Scriptures is being fulfilled in our time.
You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. (Matthew 24:6-7)
The father will be divided against the son and the son against the father, the mother against the daughter and the daughter against the mother, the mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. (Luke 12:53)
These verses are being fulfilled in our days. When we believe in this truth, which is the Word of God, we are walking the right path toward salvation.
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. (John 8:32)
While many human theories and knowledge are indeed true, only one truth can free people from sin, destruction, and evil dominion: the truth found in Jesus Christ and the Word of God.
The Scriptures testify to the only truth capable of freeing humanity from sin, the world, and demonic power. No additional “revelations” are needed to complete Christ’s Gospel, as it is the perfect solution.
When we recognize Jesus as the only truth, we gain freedom from evil dominion, opposition, and anything that could separate us from God.
Jesus is the Life
Jesus Christ conquered death! Sin separates us from God, bringing death, but through Jesus, we can be resurrected and attain eternal life.
When someone raises their hands and accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior, they begin to live a new, complete, and peaceful life.
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26)
We understand that physical death is not a tragic end but a passport to eternal, abundant life in communion with God. “Will live” refers to resurrection; “will never die” means the believer will receive a new, immortal, and incorruptible body.
The Call to Follow Christ
Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me. (John 12:26)
Faith in Jesus requires personal commitment: following His teachings and being where He is. Following Christ demands denying oneself and taking up the cross.
Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” (Mark 8:34)
The cross symbolizes suffering, death, shame, mockery, rejection, and personal renunciation. Every Christian who denies themselves commits to fighting sin, Satan, and the powers of darkness to expand God’s kingdom.
Christians must be prepared to face hostility from the adversary, evil forces, and persecution for resisting false teachers who distort the Gospel’s truths.
To attain the Kingdom of Heaven, we must cease living for our own desires and live for God’s will.
The Word of God as a Seed
To attain the Kingdom of Heaven, we must allow the Word of God, like a seed planted in our hearts, to germinate, grow, and bear fruit.
But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. (Luke 8:15)
When the Word of God finds a place in our hearts, we begin to understand God’s purposes for our lives. Step by step, we produce fruits worthy of repentance, impacting others through God’s power. We become His instruments, as the seed planted has fallen on fertile ground.
Perseverance to Conquer the Kingdom
Attaining the Kingdom of Heaven requires determination and perseverance.
From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence, and violent people have been raiding it. (Matthew 11:12)
Only those who strive will seize the Kingdom of Heaven. Belonging to God’s kingdom and enjoying its blessings demands sincere and constant effort—a fight of faith, coupled with an unwavering resolve to resist Satan, sin, and the perverse society we live in.
Those who live according to the world’s desires, neglect God’s Word, have little spiritual hunger, or pray infrequently will never know the Kingdom of Heaven. The kingdom is for those bold in faith.
Examples of Those Called to the Kingdom
God calls to His kingdom individuals who, with boldness and faith, renounce themselves to live His will. Here are some examples:
Joseph
No one in this house is greater than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God? (Genesis 39:9)
Nathan
Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul.’” (2 Samuel 12:7)
Elijah
Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.” But the people said nothing. (1 Kings 18:21)
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” (Daniel 3:16-18)
Mordecai
Day after day they spoke to him but he refused to comply. Therefore they told Haman about it to see whether Mordecai’s behavior would be tolerated, for he had told them he was a Jew. When Haman saw that Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor, he was enraged. (Esther 3:4-5)
Peter and John
But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:19-20)
Stephen
Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people. (Acts 6:8)
Paul
Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13-14)
Deborah
“Certainly I will go with you,” said Deborah. “But because of the course you are taking, the honor will not be yours, for the Lord will deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman.” So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh. (Judges 4:9)
Ruth
But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.” When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her. (Ruth 1:16-18)
Esther
“Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.” (Esther 4:16)
Mary
The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” […] But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” (Luke 1:28, 30-33)
Anna
There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. (Luke 2:36-38)
Lydia
One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us. (Acts 16:14-15)
Conclusion: The Call to the Kingdom
If you desire to attain the Kingdom of Heaven, draw inspiration from figures like Joseph, Nathan, Elijah, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, Mordecai, Peter, John, Stephen, Paul, Deborah, Ruth, Esther, Mary, Anna, and Lydia. Each of them was bold in God’s presence, denying the flesh, renouncing their own desires, mortifying personal passions, and surrendering their lives to live according to God’s will.
We conclude that we are called to populate the Kingdom of Heaven. We are not on this earth by chance; we have come with a purpose and a divine calling. God desires that we fulfill His calling and, through our lives, reach others for His kingdom.
May we, from this day forward, reach as many people as possible, proclaiming that Jesus Christ heals, saves, delivers, and leads to the heavens, for this word is faithful and true!
