A number of years ago, I was invited to speak at a Christian conference in Southern California. While I don’t recall much about my presentation (just that I was extremely nervous!), what I do remember is a message by a guy named John Wimber.

You might know him as one of the founders of the Vineyard Movement. Wimber taught on John 2—the account of Jesus attending a wedding and turning water into wine. He honed in on verse 9: “And the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew.”

The servants knew, Wimber emphasized. As they were obedient, they got to see God work. He summed up his teaching with this simple phrase: “Servants do servant stuff.”

That stuck with me. I loved that matter-of-fact, common sense conclusion. Of course, servants do servant stuff. That’s who they are. Service is their job. When the master gives them a directive, they attend to it, without question. That’s how it works.

It’s not difficult to understand and appreciate the role of a servant. We all have multiple opportunities each and every day to take on that role with others: our spouses, families, coworkers, friends... But it gets a little more tricky—or at least requires more prayerful intention—to serve the Church on God’s mission.

I think the wedding account in John helps us with that. Jesus asked the servants to perform mundane actions that ultimately benefited the guests: fill the jars, draw a sample, take it to the head of the banquet. The servants weren’t responsible for working a miracle or even meeting a need. They were simply asked to obey. When they did, they became part of an amazing event that was recorded in Scripture.

Today, Jesus is asking us to do something that will benefit the world: take the Good News to those who are waiting to hear it and make disciples of all nations. We aren’t expected to convince, coerce, or force people to repent and be saved. We’re just to function as servants delivering a terrifically urgent message.

How can we do that in support of the global Church, as well as our local church? Is it by traveling halfway around the world to partner with nationals who are laboring to share the Gospel in their village? Is it by investing our resources to send someone else or perhaps help fund a church planting movement? Or is it by signing up for children’s ministry and training the next generation of disciple makers?

Your service will probably look different than mine. But the starting place is the same: a willing and humble heart. Are we ready to serve God whenever and wherever He calls on us—even if the job doesn’t seem especially important or noteworthy?

Servants do servant stuff. And sometimes, as they do that stuff, they get to witness miracles.

“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)