Want to serve the Lord?
First, learn the will of God. You cannot serve the Lord if you do not know what he is doing. This is greatly helped by dispensational Bible study.
Second, you must first partake yourself (2 Tim 2:6). You cannot do the work of the Lord, until you have first seen God’s work in you.
Are you saved? Have you come to a knowledge of the truth? Have you learned to give thanks in every thing, discern good works, walk worthy, rejoice in the Lord, or possess your vessel in honour? (1 Tim 2:4; 1 Thess 5:18; 1 Thess 4:3-4)
Third, be faithful to what you have received of the Lord through tribulation, afflictions, distresses, and suffering. This prepares you to minister to others. (1 Cor 4:2; 2 Cor 6:4-5)
Fourth, communicate to others the truth, hope, comfort, correction, grace, strength, and forgiveness that you have received of the Lord (i.e., preach, or make all men see). How can you give others what you have not first received?
In their zeal to serve the Lord, sometimes people skip steps 1 through 3 and immediately start preaching. They think that service of the Lord is confined to spreading a message to other people.
They forget that serving the Lord includes many other things.
Learning the will of God is serving the Lord.
Being fruitful in every good work is serving the Lord.
Glorying in tribulations is serving the Lord.
Faithfulness and prayer is serving the Lord.
In fact, most of our service to the Lord is the time spent in study, walking, patience, and preparation. In other words, it is service upon our inner man, our thoughts, responses, and choices.
While preaching and evangelism is also serving the Lord, without proper preparation these can be done in vain.
Want to serve the Lord? Start by listening and learning to walk as a servant before opening your mouth to speak.
For your edification,
Justin “self-service” Johnson