Thursday, January 18, 2018

MUTUAL ENCOURAGEMENT BY FAITH


For God is my witness…that without ceasing I mention you always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God’s will I may now at last succeed in coming to you.  For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you—that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.”   Romans 1:9-12

Paul calls upon God to bear witness to his promise to the believers in Rome that he is faithfully praying for them.  He does not only think of them occasionally in his prayer; he prays for them unceasingly!  They are always on his heart and in his mind.  As a pastor, this really strikes at my heart.  Do I understand that prayer for the people who are part of our fellowship is not just part of the work of ministry but a central aspect of pastoral work?  These are the people Jesus died to save and these are the people God has called me to love and serve.  Can I really call myself faithful if I am not bringing them before the Lord in prayer “without ceasing?”  Do I hope that they will grow in their faith simply because I am doing the visible work of a pastor?  Do I hope the church will be strong and healthy because I study and teach and preach regularly?  Do I hope the people will find spiritual strength because I spend time with them and try to encourage them?  That is a very human way of approaching ministry!  If I think that what I do is enough to build a strong church then I don’t understand the church at all!  The very heart of the pastor’s work is unceasing prayer for the people in the church!

One of the things the apostle prayed for was an opportunity to finally get to Rome to be with the people for whom he had been praying so faithfully.  He “longed” to see them and spend time with them.  Why does he want to be with the Roman Christians?  To “impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you…”  He says that he wants to be able to minister to them.  He wants to be able to share spiritual truth with them and strengthen them in their faith.  This is the kind of work most pastors understand and with which they identify.

But Paul goes on…”that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.”  Here is a simple truth that seems to be beyond the understanding of most American pastors and congregations.  God designed the body of Christ, the church, to edify and encourage one another.  In other words, the people in the church serve and minister to each other by sharing life experiences and encouraging faith.  Pastors are part of the body.  They not only give but they are meant to receive encouragement and edification from the rest of the body. 

This is something I have understood for a long time.  I love to spend time with the people of the church.  Time without an agenda.  Time without a scheduled start and finish.  Just time.  Why?  Because as they share their lives with me I am encouraged in my faith.  I grow in faith!  I learn from them.  I trust that it works both ways but it will not work unless there is time allowed for it to happen.  Neither will it work unless the pastor is willing to come out of his study and the church members see him as a brother who wants to share life with them.  If the people think they have nothing to offer their pastor he will be left without spiritual encouragement and will find himself drifting away and drying up!

Pastors…there is much important work to be done.  We cannot neglect study.  But that is not all we are to do.  We have to be praying without ceasing for our people.  We have to get out of the study and spend time with the folks.  We should have a right perspective of ourselves, ready to hear and learn from people who share in our fellowship.

Church people…your pastor is a sinner saved by grace just like you.  He needs time with you, not to evaluate you or judge you, but to be encouraged by you, your life, and your faith.  This is the way God designed the body of Christ to function.

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