Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus.
1 Timothy 3:13 NIV
When I first moved to the area I live in now I started to attend a church a friend of mine was attending. I got involved right away and started serving. I met people and began to develop some friendships with some of them. After about three or four months my friend said, "How is it that you have only been going here for a few months and you already know so many people and I hardly know anyone even though I have been coming for a few years?"
If you want to get connected you have to get involved. It is very difficult to get to know people at your church if all you do is show up for church on Sunday and maybe a mid-week study. The larger the church the more so this holds true. Serving breaks the solitude. Being part of the church is different than just going to church. It is a matter of involvement and connection.
The other "advantage" to serving is that your faith gets tested. If you start to serve, you will encounter trials you may not experience if you just go to church. Some of these trials can be a bit shocking if you are not prepared for it. Remember, God's plan is to strengthen you through the test and the enemy's desire is to destroy your faith by any means necessary. Maybe you will learn that God provides what you need. Perhaps you will see that God is faithful, even when you aren't as faithful as you think you should be. Or you may just learn that God chooses the weak and foolish to confound the wise. Whatever it is, the grace of serving results in great assurance for those who serve.
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