Reaching Farther

In “Reaching Farther,” Pastor Tyler Lynde invites us to question what true greatness looks like in a world where status and recognition often take center stage. Instead of seeking power, Tyler explains how Jesus’ teaching in Luke 22:24-27 reveals a radically different approach—one where serving others defines authentic significance. Drawing on personal reflections, including a moment of self-discovery when caring for a newborn, Tyler shows that real growth happens when we prioritize compassion over convenience. Everyday acts of kindness, whether within our families or toward complete strangers, hold the key to transformation.

Tyler underscores that this mindset extends beyond our immediate circles. Echoing Deuteronomy 10:12 and Galatians 5:13, he reminds us we’re called to serve God wholeheartedly and use our freedom to love one another. That same spirit of service must also reach the broader world, aligning with Jesus’ commission in Matthew 28:18-20. Whether by going, sending, or praying, believers can engage in global missions that illustrate the love of Christ to those in need. Through these collective efforts, the church becomes a vibrant community of people stepping forward with their unique strengths, ensuring that no one shoulders the burden alone.

Central to Tyler’s message is the compelling example of Jesus’ own servanthood—particularly the moment He washed His disciples’ feet in John 13. This humble act encapsulates the essence of God’s “upside-down kingdom,” where ordinary tasks become opportunities to show empathy and build deeper connections. Embracing this perspective challenges conventional ideas of power, inviting us to examine whether we aim to be served or to serve. In a world hungry for genuine hope, following Jesus’ model can shift the focus from self-interest to sincere acts of care.

Tyler highlights how such a stance not only shapes our relationships but also carries spiritual weight. As we serve, we grow more Christlike, fulfilling our ultimate purpose as disciples. The joy and unity found in a culture of service can transform both the local church and its surrounding community. Even beyond our hometowns, a willingness to reach out—be it through short-term mission trips or long-term support—can change lives globally. For Tyler, this is a crucial part of “reaching farther,” extending the compassion of Christ to every corner of the world. Ultimately, this teaching calls us to trade the pursuit of self for the deeper reward of living each day by the motto, “I live to give.”

We are Trinity Community Church in Knoxville, Tennessee.
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Chapters

• 0:00 Learning to Serve in God's Kingdom
• 10:51 Serving in God's Upside-Down Kingdom
• 20:25 Embracing a Culture of Service
• 29:04 Ultimate Example of Humble Servanthood

Transcript

Tyler Lynde: 0:00

Good morning. I'm Tyler, I'm the lead pastor here at Trinity and I'm excited about sharing the Word of God with you this morning. Are you ready for that Just one day? I feel like I'm going to ask that and you're going to just say, in unison, no, and I'll just keep going because we're believing that God's going to make you ready right One way or another.

Tyler Lynde: 0:26

So this year we started out talking about what we felt like the Lord spoke to us as an elder team which is together, growing deeper, so we can reach farther. And two weeks ago we talked about being together and the fact that, because of the sacrifice of Jesus, god has made us one with him and with each other, and so we belong together. Right Last week we talked about growing deeper and the fact that we are not supposed to just get saved and that's the end of our journey, but there's this process of sanctification, where God desires for our roots to grow deep, and the reason that we can do this is because Christ is in us and we are in Christ and that's good news. And this week we're going to look at our final value, which is serve and sticking with the growth motif. It's great to have roots that grow deep, but the purpose for that is to give us the strength and stability that we need so that we can have a canopy that stretches out far and wide, and on that canopy, coming from that canopy, is a lot of fruit. And how many of you know, the fruit that is produced by our lives is not intended to be consumed by ourselves. It's intended to be given and used by others, and so we believe, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that God desires for us to be fruit producing Christians who live this life to honor him and to love him and to love each other, and that's what we're going to be talking about today.

Tyler Lynde: 1:57

As we entitle this message Reaching Farther, let's look in our Bibles at Luke, chapter 22, luke 22, and we're going to be reading verses 24 through 27. A dispute also arose among them as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. I love this. And he said to them the kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them and those in authority over them are called benefactors, but not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest and the leader, as the one who serves For who is the greater, one who reclines at the table or one who serves Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves.

Tyler Lynde: 2:54

Let's pray together today, and we're also going to be praying for the families of those who've lost loved ones in the plane crashes that have happened this last week, and just asking for mercy for them. So let's pray together. Father, we thank you for this day that you have made and, father, we thank you for the ability that we have to come together to celebrate you, to praise and worship you with our heart, soul, mind and strength for us to love each other and for us to learn from you, lord, god. And so, lord, I ask that the words that you give me and speak through me would be filled with might that comes from your Holy Spirit. I pray, lord, god, that you would break down any walls that keep us from being engaged in serving you and serving each other. And, father, I also pray now for those, the family members and the friends of those who lost loved ones over this last week. Father, we pray for mercy and kindness and compassion. We pray, lord, god, that this tragedy would somehow be used for your glory, that you would reveal yourself in powerful ways in this nation, and I pray that this would be, like Kelly said, a time when people's hearts would begin to turn towards you and Lord, when we hear of things like this, that we would not consider even just our own lives, but we would consider, lord, god, eternity, that we would think about the importance of serving you. And so, lord, we ask you for that. We pray these things in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.

Tyler Lynde: 4:25

Growing up, I never considered myself a selfish person. In fact, as a pastor's kid I don't know if you know this or not, but when you're a pastor's kid and your dad is pastoring a small church, the kids get to do what? Everything A little bit of everything, I mean you name any kind of ministry within the church and within my life. Growing up, I was involved in some part, in some way, in doing that thing. So, again, I considered myself a pretty selfless person. In fact, not just not selfish, but selfless. And that all changed one day when we had our firstborn child. So Amy had been laboring for three days yes, three days and then, as she was waiting to be able to deliver this baby, her body stopped progressing and she ended up having to have an emergency c-section Now coming home after that, amy's mom came and helped out for a little while and I was so grateful for that, but then she left and went home and I discovered something about our firstborn child Not naming names, although he's out of the country right now so I could actually say his name. If you know me, you know it's Jordan.

Tyler Lynde: 5:44

Okay, this isn't a bad story, it's just Jordan. He was a baby, right. I discovered something about Jordan. He could not do anything for himself. Well, there was a couple of things he could do for himself, but I'm not going to talk about that today. Everything else he couldn't do for himself. And Amy was bedridden, basically because she had been so exhausted by all that she had gone through. And so guess who got to help Jordan do everything that he needed to do this guy, and through that process, guess what I discovered? Tyler was a selfish man. Tyler was a very selfish man, and you know why I recognize that, because not only was I now taking care of every need, of well, most needs of this little baby, but also Amy wasn't able to take care of my needs, and up until that point in time, I could pretty much count on her to take care of my needs right. And so now I was actually having to help not only getting to help, getting to help, to use the right terminology my baby and my wife now as she's recovering. And in that moment I realized I desperately needed help. I desperately needed help.

Tyler Lynde: 7:03

So we'll get back to that story in a little while, but think about this passage today. The disciples had just finished the last supper we just took communion in commemoration and just had finished the last supper with Jesus before he would be crucified, and they're having a dispute amongst themselves about who's going to be the greatest in the kingdom of God. You can't make it up. It's too good. They wanted to know who was on the top of the best disciple list. Did they make the cut Right? Can you imagine that, three and a half years after walking and talking with Jesus every day, eating meals with him, watching him love on people and minister to the needs of everyone, being so wise in the way that he taught and the way that he dealt with those who were in opposition to him, the authority that he had over demonic spirits, all of the things that he did and accomplished while they were with him, and still, these disciples were miles away from understanding what greatness was all about. True greatness, authentic spirituality, was what? Genuine servanthood. Genuine servanthood Right in the shadow of the cross. These men are grasping for position.

Tyler Lynde: 8:27

Now it's easy for us to look back on that occasion and picture that story and put blame on them, and it's normal, natural. But how many of us think it would have been different if we had been one of the disciples? Would we have acted any differently? Would we have changed our tone? And not only that, would we have been, but are we any different now? Jesus begins, in his discussion with his disciples, to compare and contrast the difference between the kingdoms of this world and the kingdom of God as a way of illustrating the point that the disciples aren't viewing things from the proper perspective. One of the things that I want for each and every one of us is I want us to have the right kingdom mindset.

Tyler Lynde: 9:19

Jesus spent the majority of his ministry teaching and preaching about what the kingdom of God, and it's important for us to understand that from his perspective and not from our own. So let's dive into this. The first thing that this passage says to me is that this world wants to be served. This world wants to be served. Remember that first line. And he said to them how many of you would acknowledge this morning that the natural tendency of human beings is to desire what To be served. I want to be served. I'll give you a little proof. Bk, have it your way, I know, don't quit your day job. Okay, I'm not planning on it, but it's in the commercial. I mean, we want to be served. We want to be served our way. We want to get what we want in the way that we want, how we want it. It's all about me. How we want it, it's all about me. We could switch that song around. It's all about me. Jesus, no, no, I can hear him screaming no, please. But we've been trained by our culture to believe that life is all about us and therefore should be about others, taking care of our needs and our desires.

Tyler Lynde: 10:51

And those in authority that Jesus is speaking about here tend to try to make others subservient to them. They want power, they want absolute power, so that they can exercise that power over other human beings and, ultimately, that those other human beings would do what Would serve them. Would serve them, would serve them. Now, here's the problem. It doesn't matter in that kind of scenario who you have to harm or who you have to run over in order to accomplish that. As long as I'm being served, my needs are being met, then I've accomplished whatever I need to do, and it doesn't really matter how it affects anybody else on the planet, right? So this world wants to be served, but it not only wants to be served, but it not only wants to be served. This world wants to be seen as serving people. It goes on to say in the passage.

Tyler Lynde: 11:47

And those in authority over them are called benefactors. Benefactors the only thing better than being served for an ungodly leader is to be considered a servant by those who that they are making serve them. So if I can somehow make the people that are serving me feel like I'm serving them, then I'm going to feel really good about myself and they'll feel good about me. So you know how they used to do this. They'd give little token gifts to all the little people out there, and the little token gifts that were given to all the little people out there and the little token gifts that were given to all the little people out there were to change, to brighten up the attitude of the people towards their leaders, so that they would speak well of them, so that they would think well of them, so that they would call them their benefactors. These people are here and they're serving us, don't you see it? All the while, many times, these very leaders ended up being cruel tyrants, not caring at all about the people that they were supposedly serving. They were only interested in their own status and power.

Tyler Lynde: 12:58

Why do we do the things that we do? Are we looking for something in return? Are we looking for some kind of adoration or acclamation? Are we looking for somebody to look at us and say, wow, they really love me, they really care about me, they really serve me? Are we doing that with the right motivation and the right heart and the right attitude? That's what Jesus was trying to get to with his disciples. Let's make sure our heart is right.

Tyler Lynde: 13:28

Jesus goes on to say basically, in our terms, we are not of this world. We are not of this world. Everybody's wondering if there are aliens. Look around. This room is filled with them. This world. Everybody's wondering if there are aliens. Look around. This room is filled with them. We are not of this world. We belong to another kingdom. Peter actually called us aliens, right Strangers in this land. We are set apart. We are in this world, but we are not of this world, and so we live in this dichotomy between those two things.

Tyler Lynde: 13:58

The kingdom of God isn't like this world system at all. In fact, jesus said but not so with you. You're not going to be like the Gentile leaders and the Gentile lords that require service or serve a little bit, so that other people will look at them and say, wow, look at how great those people are. We're going to be different than that. Not so with you.

Tyler Lynde: 14:19

According to Jesus, greatness was the very opposite, in fact, of what the world says that it is. That's why some people have coined the kingdom of God as the upside down kingdom. Everything that we've been taught in our culture, everything that we believe to be true based on what we've experienced and seen and heard about and learned, many of those things are completely backwards of what they should be when we talk about the kingdom of God, and we have to continually remind ourselves of this, or else we could easily find ourselves slipping into the way that this world does things. So if we want to be great Jesus is talking to his disciples you're worried about being great. Here's how you're going to do it. If we want to be great, we must serve. We must serve. It goes on to say rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest and the leader, as one who serves.

Tyler Lynde: 15:18

Jesus redefines the meaning of greatness. Here. He reverses the values of the world. The greatness is measured in terms of services that are given without thought of any kind of reward. I'm serving because it's my heart's desire and I'm not looking for anything in return. It's amazing. That is the kingdom of God. This is the natural disposition of those who are a part of the kingdom of God. Don't give in to the temptation to come underneath the culture of this world. In this regard, let's make sure that we're standing strong and implementing, by God's grace and by the work of the Holy Spirit, the kingdom of God culture which says I live. I'm going to just give you the answer here to my dilemma.

Tyler Lynde: 16:12

When Jordan was born, not long after that, the Lord dropped something in my heart. I don't even know if I heard somebody else say it I don't. I honestly don't know where it came from, but it became kind of a defining phrase for my life, and it's just simply this I live to give, I live to give. My kids will tell you. They know this saying because I say it all the time. I live to give. It's a part, it's becoming a part more and more every day, of who I am.

Tyler Lynde: 16:44

The natural disposition of my life in Christ is that I live to give. It's my heart's desire, it's what God has placed in me and it's what I want to emulate around me and it's what I want to emulate around me. So the first service that we must offer is we must serve God. Deuteronomy 10, verse 12, says and now Israel, what does the Lord, your God require of you? But to fear the Lord, your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord, your God with all your heart and with all your soul, not just surface stuff, but from the depths of who you are. I'm serving because this God is worthy of my service.

Tyler Lynde: 17:32

Remember when Jesus was asked what's the greatest commandment? What was his answer? You shall love the Lord, your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. And then the second is, like unto it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. Serve God and serve each other. That's the next point. We must serve each other.

Tyler Lynde: 17:53

Galatians 5.13,. For you were called to freedom, brothers, only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh. How many of you know it's easy to serve him and love him Because he never does anything wrong? How many of you know it's easy to serve him and love him because he never does anything wrong? He never says anything wrong, although we disagree with him at times, if we're honest, right, he doesn't do anything that's wrong. Although we sometimes have question marks there, his motives are all pure. Everything about serving God is fairly easy in some ways because of the character and nature of who he is.

Tyler Lynde: 18:44

But when we talk about loving and serving each other as a part of the body of Christ, how many of you know we're still in process. We're not quite there yet. We haven't yet arrived where we will one day arrive, when we see Jesus and we will be transformed and changed and we will be like him. We, as the body of Christ, need each other and the gifts that God's given to each one of us. It matters which local church you're a part of, and it matters that you choose to serve the other people that you're connected with within that body, because each one of us provides a different aspect of the life of Jesus that is needed within that body. Each one of you have tremendous gifts and things that God's put in your heart, and strengths and things that are unique to you as a person and this body. If you're a part of Trinity Community Church, I'm telling you right now this body needs you. We desperately need you, and we need you not just in attendance. We need you not just you know, in a peripheral way. We need you as a part of the lifeblood of this body. And one of the ways that we can interact in that way, one of the ways that we can engage in that way, is to think about how can I serve one another, how can we serve one another, how can we serve each other? I want to say to you that this church is unique.

Tyler Lynde: 20:25

Most churches and most leaders that I talk to talk about the 20-80 rule. Do you know what that rule is? That is a rule that 20% of the people do 80% of the work. 20% of the people do 80% of the work. How many of you know if you're trying to do anything much, that's not going to work for long. Because what happens to the 20% of the people. They get burnt out, they get weary, they grow tired. It's just too much. In this church, 80% of the people do 80% of the work and I want to say to you thank you very, very much. It is an unusual situation that we find ourselves in. It is rare beyond belief.

Tyler Lynde: 21:12

And so, as I speak these things to you today, I'm not speaking them to you in some kind of tone that comes from frustration or like I wish that you would serve. It's more like can we make sure that our serving is aligned with where the areas of need are? Can we connect the gifts and strengths and character and personality that God has placed in each one of us with the areas of need? Now, if there's an 80-80 rule here, guess what's left. Now, if there's an 80-80 rule here, guess what's left. Some of the mathematicians in the room can help me with this. There's no trick questions here. What's left? 20%, to be honest with you, that's where we're lacking.

Tyler Lynde: 22:01

We have a 20% need within our church when it comes to the ministry teams here, and so what we'd ask if you are not currently serving in a ministry team, or if you are serving in a ministry team but you feel like you have more time that you could dedicate or donate. If you're serving, maybe, say, once a quarter, and you'd be willing to serve once a month, or there's all kinds of scenarios that Derek can talk to you about in a few minutes. I won't get into all the details, but we're just asking you to prayerfully consider stepping up and being a part of the solution to our 20% need. Does that make sense? Appreciate that very much. You guys like I said before, you guys are amazing. I'll just give two or three examples.

Tyler Lynde: 22:46

There are some of you who visit people that are shut-ins. Did you know we took communion together today? There are people in our church that take communion elements to the shut-ins that can't come to church and they sit with them and they pray with them and they take communion together. That's amazing to me that people would have the heart to do something like that. There are other people who take in other people's kids that they barely know into their home to take care of them, to watch over them, to help them, so that the family can focus on one child that is in need of medical help for an extended period of time. That's happening right here in this church, not a program that we started, not anything that we, you know, begged or asked for anybody to be involved with. This is just in your hearts to do this.

Tyler Lynde: 23:42

I got an email this week from somebody that was we were praying for them and they were just thanking us for the support. They had an injury, a physical injury that's kept them out of church for a certain period of time, but they really want to get back with us. And what I didn't know was that some of you have been preparing meals for them and taking them to them. Some of you have went and sat with them as they were trying to recover and trying to get through the physical therapy and all of that stuff that goes on with trying to get better from something physical, you know, something difficult physically. The other thing that I'll just nail this as the over the top thing I guess they have poodles. Somebody's been taking care of the poodles and they mentioned that in the email and I'm like talk about going above and beyond. I mean, you care, some of you care even about the dogs in the house. That's amazing to me. That's amazing to me.

Tyler Lynde: 24:43

Keep it up, let's keep going. Let's engage all of us in this kind of thought, in this kind of imagination, lord? How can you use me today to be a blessing to somebody else? Amen, let's finish up here. There are several teams within the church that are here to serve you the elder team we are servants of the Lord and we are here to serve you. And I mean that. The deacon ministry, same thing, the staff, our oversight team, the ministry teams within this church. I could go on and on and on. And then, finally, we must serve the world.

Tyler Lynde: 25:26

Matthew 28,. We know, as Jesus is speaking to his disciples before he gets ready to ascend, he says all authority in heaven, on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you, and behold, I'm with you always, to the end of the age. God's kingdom plan is for us to partner with him in reaching the world for Jesus. God doesn't just want us to serve within the confines of this church. He wants us to reach out with his love and his compassion and his kindness to a world that is in desperate need of Jesus.

Tyler Lynde: 26:10

Some of you young people over here. God is going to be calling you to a life of missions and serving him around the world, and I want you to know that you being in church and paying attention to what we're talking about is something that God's going to use in your life as a preparatory step. And wherever you go, whatever you do, your life is on mission, whether you're in Zimbabwe or whether you're in Knoxville, tennessee. So I just want to encourage you with that Don't resent this time in your life. This is some of the best times that you have to be able to focus in on what's really important. So we can serve the world by going. We have trips scheduled to go to Cuba as an exploratory trip to see if God might make a connection point there for us to take more short-term trips to Cuba. We also have a potential trip to Poland. Rob and Chris obviously have a Buffalo trip that they'll be doing in the summer and other things to be involved with. We can go.

Tyler Lynde: 27:13

We can also serve the world by sending, by equipping people, by discipling, by working with people to make sure that they're ready to go, and also by giving to the work. Again, this is a giving church. Thank you so much. And we can serve the world by praying. There's no distance in the spirit. There's the same reward. Mark is on mission right now and Yuri's getting ready to join him in just a short while, and we prayed for them last week and I ask you that you would continue to pray for them, lord. We just pray for Mark right now and for Yuri, lord, as he goes to meet him. They're going into areas that there's a lot of darkness but, lord, we know that the light of Jesus is upon them and shines in them and through them, and we just ask that you would do the good work that only you can do Protect them and keep them safe, fill them with your spirit, help them to have maximum impact in Jesus' name. Thank you, lord.

Tyler Lynde: 28:07

Finally, jesus is the greatest servant of all, it says. For who is the greater? One who reclines at the table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? That's the way the world thinks. Who's greatest? The one who's being served. Jesus says but I am among you as the one who serves To drive the point home. Jesus is making this illustration. Jesus came as a servant of men. This is the character of his own life and his own ministry, and all who would follow him must imitate him in this. How did Jesus serve? He came into this world, gave up everything, humbled himself, lived a perfect life, and he humbled himself to the point of death on the cross. He served God and he served the world by doing these things. He's our example.

Tyler Lynde: 29:04

And as the story continues on in the book of John, it says Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments and, taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him Lord, do you wash my feet? Jesus answered him what I'm doing now doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand. Peter said to him you shall never wash my feet. There must have been some bad feet right. And Jesus answered him if I don't wash your feet, if I don't wash you, you have no share with me. And Simon Peter said to him Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head, all of me. And Jesus said to him the one who is bathed does.

Tyler Lynde: 30:12

Did you ever think about the fact that Judas was here? For he knew who was to betray him. That was why he said not all of you are clean. When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and returned, resumed his place, he said to them do you understand what I've done for you? You call me teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I, then your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet, for I have given you an example that you also should do just as I've done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.