Before the Hands, God Wants the Heart: A Call to Volunteers in the U.S.

Jesus never promised that following Him would be easy.

And yet, somehow, we’ve started talking about service as if it should be.

"Serve when it fits your schedule." "Flexibility is our top priority." "Give as much or as little as you want."

These are some of the ways we’ve described our U.S. volunteer opportunities. At first glance, these phrases sound inviting. They lower the barrier to entry. They welcome people who are unsure about how to start.

But when I sat with those words, something felt off.

Are we offering true Christian service—or just something that resembles it? Are we empowering people to serve boldly in Jesus’ name, or are we sanitizing sacrifice until it becomes convenient?

When Service Stops Costing Us Something

Jesus didn’t call people into comfort. He called them into commitment.

He asked the rich young ruler to sell all his possessions and follow Him. He told His disciples to take up their crosses daily. He didn’t hand out calendars with open time slots and say, "Pick whatever works for you."

Dr. Siegbert Becker, a contemporary theologian and former professor at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, once reflected on Revelation 2 and Jesus' message to the church in Ephesus:

"Even though we may be proud in a good Christian way about the fact that we have a church that is faithful to God's Word, we have a lot of things to be ashamed of, we have a lot of things we ought to repent for, all of us, and we aren't as devoted to the Lord as we ought to be..."

Jesus' words to the Ephesians are cutting:

“Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place.” (Revelation 2:5)

Repent. Remember. Return to the things you did at first.

This is not a call to comfort. It’s a call to costly obedience.

How We Talk About Service Shapes Our Hearts

It’s not just about the language we use—it’s what that language reflects.

When we emphasize flexibility and convenience above all else, we’re unintentionally shaping a view of service that is self-centered. We risk promoting a kind of volunteerism that asks, "How little can I give and still feel like I’ve done something?"

And that mindset isn’t just unhelpful—it’s unbiblical.

True Christian service is modeled after Christ Himself:

"The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Matthew 20:28)

He gave not out of convenience, but out of love. Not when it was easy, but when it was excruciating. Not when it fit His schedule, but when it would change the world.

So why do we think our service should be easy?

The Risk of Therapeutic Antinomianism

We live in a culture that values feeling good over doing good.

That same cultural mindset has crept into Christian preaching and practice. Some call it "therapeutic antinomianism"—a form of preaching that acknowledges sin but stops short of calling people to repentance and renewal. It comforts without convicting. It emphasizes Christ’s obedience in our place (a beautiful truth!) but never exhorts us to respond with obedience of our own.

The result? A Christianity that centers on forgiveness but forgets about transformation.

It is good and right to proclaim Christ crucified! But it is also good and right to call people to take up their cross.

What If Service Wasn't Easy—And That Was the Point?

What if we were honest about the cost of service?

What if we said to potential volunteers: “This will stretch you. It will take your time, your energy, and your heart. It will ask more of you than you think you can give. And it will be worth it.”

At Kingdom Workers, we know service isn’t always convenient. Especially here in the U.S., where the pace of life is relentless and comfort is king. But we also know that when Christians serve boldly, even when it's hard—especially when it’s hard—God shows up.

He shows up in the home of a foster family who feels overwhelmed. He shows up in the life of a teen who finally meets a mentor who won’t give up on them. He shows up in the stories of survivors, builders, parents, pastors, and people just like you.

Repent. Remember. Return.

Maybe the first step isn’t filling out a volunteer form. Maybe the first step is repentance.

Let’s be honest about where our hearts have grown cold. Let’s be honest about how easy it is to love the idea of service while avoiding the reality of it. Let’s remember the height from which we’ve fallen—and return to the joy, passion, and self-sacrifice that marked our faith at the start.

God doesn’t need us. But He invites us. And our neighbors need us.

When we step forward—not just with our hands, but with our hearts—He uses that willingness to change others’ hearts and minds.

Will you return? Will you give your best? Will you serve, not just when it’s easy—but especially when it’s not?

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