“And when they had come to him, he said to them, ‘You yourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which came upon me through the plots of the Jews;’” (Acts 20:18–19)
One
of the many facets of Paul’s ministry which has often challenged me in my own
ministry is that of his ministerial consistency. He didn’t blow hot and cold,
neither was he erratically up and down, nor off and then on again. Instead, Paul
was the model of consistency regardless of where he was or who he was with at
the time. His message always remained the same. In one of my favorite pastoral
passages in the New Testament, Acts 20:17-38, we get a glimpse of Paul’s
pastoral consistency.
There
are many reasons for Paul’s even-keel approach to ministry, but in verse 19, in
the first clause, we learn one of the primary reasons Paul was the model of such
consistency. For Paul reminds the Ephesian elders that while he was with them
for those 3 years of ministry, he was actively and consistently “serving the
Lord”. There is much to chew on in just that one sententious statement.
The
motivation for Paul’s consistent ministry, in large measure, stems from the
fact that he was consigned to serve. Paul wasn’t just a servant, but rather he
was a servant of God! His consistency is a direct result of the object of his
service — in this case, notably God. It highlights a very important, but not
often thought about truth: True service for God is first vertical before it is
ever horizontal. It follows the same pattern and sequence that we find in the two
greatest commandments as articulated by the Lord Himself (Matthew 22: 36-40):
Firstly, we are to demonstrate a comprehensive love for the Lord, which is most
certainly of a vertical nature; and then, secondly, we are to love our neighbor
as ourselves. Even in this, the horizontal aspect of loving our neighbor as
ourselves, takes its direct cue and direction from the vertical aspects of having
a circumscribing love for God. Remove the vertical prerequisite here and the
horizontal is secularized, leading to a love that it is at best elliptical,
serving as a very poor facsimile of the love intended in the verse.
Where
Christian service is concerned, the same basic thought applies — our horizontal
service for the Lord is in direct proportion to our vertical mandate of
“serving the Lord in all humility”. If the shepherd’s motivation to serve is
mired in horizontal concerns, then his ministerial consistency will take a
knock, because the object of such service is mere humanity, which is
capricious.
So
what is the big deal anyway? Why make so much of the issue here? What does it
matter in the long run? The answer is given most pointedly by Paul to the
Galatians, when he exhorted them in Galatians 1: 10: “For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of
God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I
would not be a bond-servant of Christ.” The issue is all important for
it determines whether or not I am going to please God, or man. If the priority
of one’s service is reduced to the human realm, then they should know that
fallen humanity is fickle and feckless, and, that out of necessity, one’s
man-centered service will at best reflect the human object served. The servant
will have to constantly change gears, shift focus, adopt new perspectives, and
trim the message in order to satisfy the ever-changing cravings of human whimsy.
After all, the customer is always right — right? It results in looking more
like a politician trying to please his constituency than a minister serving the
Most High God.
On
the other hand, if God is the object of my service, I know that He is ever
faithful, perfectly and absolutely reliable within Himself. A God-centered,
God-pleasing ministry will of divine necessity reflect the nature of the High
and Holy One being served. A God-centered service is non-negotiable and an indispensable
precursor to a biblically consistent ministry, like that of the Apostle Paul’s.
Does
this then mean I don’t serve man? On the contrary, the point here is one of
priority, motivation and sequence. It boils down to the catalyst for serving
those in the flock God gives. So I have to ask the question “Is my service to
the flock motivated by God, or man?” “Is it a service that flows from heaven,
or is it one driven solely by earthly concerns?” All this is the difference
between serving those whom I shepherd with delight, or drudgery. Motivation is
everything where my ministerial service concerned.
A
few years ago a young man excitedly told me he wished to pursue the ministry. I
asked him why he wanted to pursue vocational ministry. To this, he
enthusiastically replied, “Because I want help people.” I kindly looked at him
and suggested, “If you want to help people then join an aid agency, or become
social worker. But, if you want to serve God, and can do no other, then pursue
the ministry.” While my reply surprised him, it was not meant to discourage him
so much as to make him think about the real motivation for shepherding the
flock of God. While a love for humanity is commendable, a love for God is essential, and will necessarily lead to the former.
In
the end, every Christian needs to ask the penetrating question “Is my service
for God heaven driven, or earth bound?” The answer to this will directly
determine whether, like Paul, we are consistent or not.