Spiritual Contemplations for those who serve the Lord |
Last month, we discussed few aspects of what is a Spiritual Ministry. Through the grace of God, this month we will continue and conclude this topic with few more aspects of the Spiritual Ministry... The ministry is payment of debt The Church has brought us up, taught us, guided us to God and granted us the spirit of service, so we are indebted to God who loved us so much, gave us everything and taught us His ways. We should love Him exactly as He loved us, declaring this love towards His children whom He placed in our care. The ministry is an obligation It is a spiritual obligation, whoever loves God and loves people should serve. He/she can’t just stand by, watching others going away from the way of the Lord. Since the servants experience God’s love, they will be keen to help God’s children and guide them to God. When the Samaritan woman knew Christ, she went immediately to tell everyone, calling, “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did” (John 4: 29). She was turned from a sinner, into a repentant, then to a preacher, who loves Christ and talks to people about Him. This happened with so many other people whom Jesus had healed, and they went all around talking about Him. Every person can serve according to their talents! People can serve in so many areas: caring for the sick, solving problems, tutoring, being a good example, etc. As for people who do not serve at all, they are neglecting their obligation towards their brothers and sisters. This is a sin and should be confessed to their spiritual Father, because this means that their love for God, His kingdom and His children is incomplete. The ministry is a scale, a talent and a responsibility We will have to stand before the Lord and give an account on how honestly we served our children. What did we do to build them up spiritually? The ministry then is a critical responsibility before God and the Church. This is because the servant might be the only source of religious education at this stage of the child’s life. Maybe there is no one at home or at school to nourish them spiritually, and the Church has depended on you for this responsibility. If they cannot find the spiritual nourishment through the servants, they might lose their souls!! Servants should fill their hearts with the love of God and His knowledge, otherwise, their children will be empty from inside and lose their spiritual way. God shall ask the servant "Give an account of your stewardship” (Luke 16:2). Let us always remember that service is not an activity, but a responsibility and a talent which we should offer to God with profit. The ministry is about being a good example The Christian ministry is more than teaching, it is caring for the lives of others; nourishing the divine image, through their good example. So, the teacher is important in the ministry - not the lesson. The teacher who tasted the sweetness of the Lord, wants others to taste it too “Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” (Psalm 34:8). It is the life of a person filled with the Holy Spirit, which overflow into the hearts of others. The children do not need a teacher to fill their minds with different information, they need a clean heart, close to God; to guide them in the way of God and intercede for them. They need a good example to follow, in which they can see Christianity in practice. There might be some Sunday School teachers who are not so eloquent or rich in knowledge, but they have a great influence on the children. Just the look of them implants the love of God in the children’s’ hearts; the way they talk or deal with others, their spiritual behavior, their quiet, smiling features, all this can teach them more than a lesson given inside the class. They see the image of God in their servants, so they love God who works in their lives. Children like to imitate , so let us be a good example for them to follow. They are high in spirituality, with clean hearts and noble principles. They are white pages during their childhood, and the Lord Jesus says "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3). Lord Jesus did not mean us to be as young as children, but to grow in spirituality and innocence like children. If you cannot be a good example, at least don’t be a stumbling block because they are so simple, they accept and believe whatever you say or do. Let your words be the truth and righteousness, because the Lord says "But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” (Matthew 18:6) Preaching by example is called the Silent Ministry. This is where a person teaches without speaking. People learn just from their behavior, their lives are sermons - not their speech. The ministry is fullness It is life, not just words, the words should be turned into living behavior, giving a good example to others, as our Lord Jesus says “The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” (John 6:63). Do your words give life to others? Listen to what the Lord says: “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). Does your ministry change the life of others? You should first have a life with Christ as well as communion with Him, so that you can give life to others. There is a well known saying among the servants “You can never overflow before you are filled.” The disciples spent three years with Lord Jesus learning from their Good Teacher, the Greatest Teacher, learning from His pure sermons and practical experiences. They observed Him in His ministry and the lessons He taught through miracles and wonders. In spite of all this, He said to them; “But tarry in the city of Jerusalem, until you are endued with power from on high.” (Luke 24:49), and also "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." (Acts 1:8). When the Holy Spirit descended on them on Pentecost Day, they were filled with the Holy Spirit. Only after this, did they start their ministry, preaching to the whole world The ministry is a way of life, transferring from one person to another This is not only done through being a good example and caring. We have an excellent example in the Holy Bible talking about the service of the seventy elders who helped Moses the prophet in his ministry. “So the LORD said to Moses: "Gather to Me seventy men of the elders of Israel;... bring them to the tabernacle of meeting. ...Then I will come down and talk with you there. I will take of the Spirit that is upon you and will put the same upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you....” (Num 11:16-17). The ministry is a working power It is the power of the Holy Spirit working in the servant and those whom he serves, it is the power of the word of God that never returns void. It is exactly like the power of life found in a seed, you plant it in the soil and it never stops working and growing, until it gives you fruits: a hundredfold, sixty and thirty (Matthew 13:8). The ministry is a spiritual, not a formal work Some people might think that the Ministry is just the surface appearance: the preparation book the attendance records and visitations. This is not all that the service involves - The ministry is spiritual before anything else. It is the spirit of the servant delivered to their children, the spirit with which he teaches and deals with them, it is his heart before his tongue, the warmth of his heart before his spoken message. The ministry is a way towards spiritual growth Not only for children, but also for the servant. If the servants do not make use of the lesson themselves, this lesson can never affect the children. The lesson must be a spiritual means for the servant’s and the children’s growth. A servant who thinks that the lesson is just for the children is not a true servant. *Adapted from HH Pope Shenouda III's The Spiritual Ministry - Chapter 1
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