Servant
Servant is the second identity of the spiritual journey as described as the [3] Seeker-Servant-Heir framework. It represents the person committed and growing in what it means to know God through service to him through service to others. Understanding this identity is useful for one’s own spiritual journey, but is also helpful in the Disciple-Making process where it proceeds the Heir identity.
Once knowledge gives birth to action — which means that commitment has been made — we begin to move into the identity of the Servant. We hear the call to “come follow me” and we begin to obediently walk in the footsteps of the Master. The Servant has seen God and knows him on some level and is ready the respond in grateful obedience. This doesn’t mean we never need a “why” in order to act. But it does mean that the faith that sprouted while we were Seekers is beginning to grow into a stronger plant and even produce some fruit.
This doesn’t mean that we ever stop being Seekers in some things. Jesus’ command to “seek first the Kingdom” was a life-time injunction. It never stops. What would the spiritual life be like if all curiosity was answered and all mysteries solved? We first meet every new call and every new horizon as Seekers, knowing first — before we move forward. What changes is our main identity in relation to God. When we see ourselves as Servants our response is obedience in gratitude rather than reserved curiosity. Practically speaking, as we move into Servant-hood, we should move sooner into action because of our commitment, without requiring the convincing once necessary when we first discovered God.
The Servant views their response to God as described in the Parable of the Talents [Matthew 25:14-30]. A wealthy man was going on a trip, so he divided a fortune between three servants. He gave each one money to invest according to his ability: to the first: ten talents (which is a lot of money), the second: five, and the third: one. When the master returned from the trip, he asked his servants to return the money and what their investments had earned. The first two had doubled their money, and the rich man told them, “Well done my good and faithful servants. You have proven yourselves faithful in small things, so I will put you in charge of large things. Let’s celebrate together.” But the last servant simply returned the money he was given. The rich man was furious and took the money from him. He fired the servant and threw him off the estate and gave his money to the one who began with ten talents.
Like the story, a Servant defines their response to God by what they are doing. They are committed to God in more than just some mental assertions. They are committed to him in obedience, which comes from their wonder and gratitude generated by getting to know God in the Seeker role. Faithfulness, for the Servant, is based on what they do with what God has given them. How do they use their healed lives? In what way will they put their new found freedom in Christ to work? Could they find ways to employ their spiritual gifts in the service of God and others? If they answer these questions well, they expect to hear the “well done good and faithful servant” when they check in with their master.
Meta
Much of the text related to these different identities was taken from Revolutionary, Book 1, a discipleship series that follows the life of Christ in twelve steps.