Rebekah, a servant of God, had other people’s interests at heart. So did Paul’s disciple, Timothy. The apostle speaks about Timothy as a son who serves.
I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus.
(Phil. 2:20-21)
Sadly, Paul’s words are true: I have no one who will sincerely care for you. Few people are enough interested in others that they will go out of their way to satisfy others’ needs. People we employ will mostly do just what they are employed to do. Beyond that, their own priorities are their primary pursuits. But when people’s work becomes their passion, the sacrifices serving demands are hardly noticed.
Selfishness is defined as “stinginess resulting from a concern for your own welfare and a disregard of others.”
If I expect professionals such as accountants and lawyers to do all the creative thinking regarding my business, I’ll be disappointed. What I do is tell them the result I want and ask them to tell me how to get there. I offer some of my own ideas as well. “Can’t we do this or that?” Even if I’m told I can’t, I’ll get another opinion from elsewhere.
If I tell the maitre d’ of a restaurant that my wife and I are celebrating our wedding anniversary, I’ll ask for a table near a window or near the fireplace or with the best view, not in the middle of the room or near the kitchen or the toilet doors.
If I don’t say exactly what I want and what I don’t want, too often we’ll end up being placed exactly where we didn’t want to be. It’s rare to find others thinking for you. We assume they are but mostly they’re not. This is where a Christian can shine—in thinking about other people’s wishes, in anticipating, and meeting their desires. This is practical love in action.
I’ve found that most architects are happy to use my money to build their building rather than try and build the one I want. This may sound cynical but it’s not. It is simply realizing that we are naive to imagine that people will generally be thinking of how they can best serve us and make our lives more pleasant. Most people are looking out for themselves.
Even when you do find a servant-hearted person, they still generally need to be told what is needed. This is the difference between a servant and a son. A son has the seed of the father, or the spirit of the father within. In that spirit, he takes the initiative to look after the needs of the father.
Paul says he has found in Timothy one young man who is a son, who has Paul’s interests at heart. Because of that, Timothy also carries the care of the churches, just as Paul does (see 2 Cor. 11:28).
The most valuable people are those who serve. That’s why they receive the recognition and opportunities others would like but don’t receive because their selfishness overrides their usefulness.
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers
Phil and Chris Pringle came to Sydney in 1980 from New Zealand to start a church with a passion for Jesus and a desire to see this world won for Christ. Just 12 people attended the very first service on Easter Sunday at Dee Why Surf Club. With that service, C3 Church and the C3 Global movement as we now know was birthed.
Numbers grew as the venue changed while connect groups blossomed through fun dinner parties and hangouts. Phil had a vision of creating a contemporary church, which included creating modern, relevant worship music and recorded sermons that truly resonated with a crowd of people that hadn't felt connected to church prior. Week by week, the altar call would be filled with people wanting to meet and experience Christ. The vision was growing.
Expanding to a Brookvale warehouse, Phil and Chris sent much loved friends and fellow church builders overseas to plant C3 Churches abroad, fighting for years to see a patch of paddocks transformed into the state-of-the-art venue that now exists at Oxford Falls. Today, C3 Oxford Falls has grown to a congregation of thousands and C3 Sydney has expanded to C3 Silverwater, C3 Rozelle and C3 Penrith, with further extension services at Avalon, Bankstown, Manly, Merrylands, Mosman and Wahroonga all continuing to move towards a local vision: Sydney, A City For Christ.
Phil is the President of C3 College, a ministry training college developing leaders and ministers for the church today with over 5000 graduates. Each week, C3TV broadcasts church services to thousands throughout the world, under Phil's leadership.
In his meetings, Phil has seen powerful moves of God, with the glory of God filling the atmosphere. As a result, many have been saved and lives totally changed. Chris is known for her responsiveness to the Holy Spirit, cheeky demeanor and life-giving messages.
Phil and Chris are parents to Rebekah (married to Matt), Dan (married to Leah) and Joe (married to Christine), and grandparents to Sonny, Finn, Rooney Bea and Goldie Jean.