It has been quite a whirlwind of a start to my pastorate at Horsell. It doesn’t feel like I’ve had much time to catch my breath just yet, with all of the busyness and activity that is part of the modern pastoral ministry.
The work load even in the first 3 months, has been even more than I could have possibly imagined, but at the same time, has been very rewarding. Now that my dream of being able to work in full-time ministry has been realised, it still feels so very humbling and I am truly grateful for the Lord’s blessing.
A lot of prayer, hard work and commitment is vital if the church is to be involved in fulfilling, what has almost become the mission statement of the church, to “go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). The need for workers to be involved is also of great importance as with anything in life, there needs to be people who are willing to sacrifice for the cause.
Indeed, the Lord himself tells us in (Luke 10:2), “The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few.” This is probably a common complaint in many a church. That we hold together a good program of activities in the life of the church but it’s always the same people who volunteer to take up that work.
There is nothing wrong with this provided those people are not expected to run everything within the church. It must not be the case that the few ‘have to be involved’ in so many ministries, because others of the flock do not sense the need to get involved.
There may be good reasons why some of the flock can’t be involved in the life of the church greatly, but as Christians, we must be willing to serve God and not ourselves. So, it’s not a good place to be if we don’t do much within the life of the church and then spend the rest of the week in our own hobbies, enjoyments, or entertainments. After all, we were not saved to go to church on Sunday and then serve our own appetite for the rest of the week. We are saved first and foremost, to please our God, and to do so as part of the body of Christ. (1 Corinthians 12:12)
It’s an exciting time at the church, and we should pray for the leading of the Holy Spirit in 2014, as we seek to put God first in our lives and the church. It is only when we have those priorities in place, will we then experience the true blessings of God and the true joy that comes from serving Him.
Let’s be ready to serve Him and His church in this new year and may He be pleased to pour His blessing down upon the church wherever it meets to glorify Christ.
