Pictured above: Chancellor Jonathan Falwell (middle) joins over 1,000 students in packing meals for families in Haiti during a campus event in February.
Jesus gave us everything needed to live the model Christian life within His Word and His own example. One of the great lessons He taught and modeled was the importance of serving others. In Matthew 20:26-28 (CSB), Jesus tells us, “It must not be like that among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
There are many influences and pressures on all of us today to seek out “things” for ourselves. To look out for self over others. This is not a foreign concept as it is an innate part of our sinful, human condition. But Jesus makes it clear this fleshly desire to elevate self is counter to God’s plan for us. We must fight the natural proclivity to focus on ourselves and seek out opportunities to help those around us. This is what Jesus stated in Matthew 20:26-28. Not only did He tell us to do this, but He also modeled it.
In John 13:13–17 (CSB) we read, “You call me Teacher and Lord — and you are speaking rightly, since that is what I am. So if I, 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 have done for you. Truly I tell you, a servant is not greater than his master, and a messenger is not greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.”
Jesus had just done the unexpected as He washed His own followers’ feet after they had shared a meal. He did so to teach a valuable lesson. It is incumbent upon us all to find ways to serve others to share the love of Christ with the world. At Liberty University, this concept has always been baked into the academic experience for every student.
Liberty founder Dr. Jerry Falwell visits with children on a missions trip to El Salvador in 1983.
From our earliest days at LU, students are expected to discover service opportunities within the local Lynchburg community. It is part of that academic journey for every student and is a requirement for graduation. This is not done for purely “checking the box” for a degree completion plan. It is done to instill lifelong habits of serving others for the purpose of reaching people with the Gospel. My dad made this a foundational element of every student’s experience from day one.
Last year, our LU students served over 450,000 hours through their CSER (Christian/Community Service) connections. These same students prepared and packed about 272,000 meals (in partnership with World Help) to be distributed in Haiti. On one day in April, over 2,000 students served in many different organizations throughout Lynchburg in our annual Serve Lynchburg event. We also had 582 students travel in 41 different short-term mission trips through LU Send. And, over 100 students served in disaster relief efforts in partnership with Samaritan’s Purse.
We take service seriously at LU. Why? Because Jesus taught it, modeled it, and commanded it. And as 1 Corinthians 4:2 teaches us, it is required that stewards be found faithful. We want to be faithful stewards of the gifts and opportunities afforded us by our Creator. He called us to make a difference, He called us to love others, He called us to reach them with the only message which can save them … the Gospel. Let us all be found faithful!
Jonathan Falwell has spent his lifetime associated with the ministries of Liberty University and Thomas Road Baptist Church. He has served as Liberty’s chancellor since March 2023 and as senior pastor at TRBC since 2007.
