"I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ." (Philippians 2:20-21)
This is what the apostle Paul said in his letter to the church in Philippi. Even in the early church, while the apostles were still alive, very few of their fellow workers served as faithfully as them, despite the many believers in churches at that time.
Is it not the same today? Perhaps it stands to reason that in this environment, there should be more faithful and dedicated people to serve the Lord, as the current number of church members, staff workers, and service environment are unmatched by the apostle Paul’s era. Yet still, those who faithfully serve the Lord are even fewer. Most of these fellow workers ask for their own affairs, not for Christ's affairs.
Although relatively sparse, such people do exist. Here is a servant who dedicates himself entirely to God.
Born in Lu'an City, Anhui Province, and having received a high school education, a man was assigned to work in a rural coal mine in western Anhui. Under the leadership of his workmates, he believed in Jesus. Then, he led his family to believe in the Lord one by one.
After believing in Jesus, he was more enthusiastic than most people, especially in the pursuit of the Lord's word. He longed to be an outlet for the preaching of God's word so that he could help and bless more people. Therefore, besides attending the training organized by surrounding churches, he applied for a correspondence course in Nanjing Union Theological Seminary in his spare time. It is said that he was among the first group of people to participate in correspondence education after the implementation of the religious policy in 1978.
In this way, with his spiritual growth, he became the core staff worker of the church when it came time to elect new fellow workers. After that, he was elected as the head of the church with the highest number of votes in a meeting of believers.
In order to better serve, he chose an early retreat from the unit. That had a great impact on his family, as he was the family’s only force. His daughter was still in high school, soon to enter college, so the meager "retirement" benefit was not enough to cover their family's expenses; even so, he did not hesitate.
After his retirement, he did not look for another job but devoted almost all of his thoughts, energy, and time to the service of the church. Most of the time, just as other people involved in their work, he went home to eat at mealtime and immediately returned to the church to do various services. So far, he has been doing this service for nearly twenty years without interruption.
In the beginning, others all thought that he turned to work in the church to get a salary. But in fact, he has never received a penny of the church's wages; not only that, but he also regularly contributes one-tenth of his and his wife's retirement salary every month. As such, under his faithful service and quiet (but strong) drive, the church's various ministries were also carried out with great success, which became a model among local churches.
In recent years, the number of believers in his church has not significantly reduced in the wake of population migration to cities; moreover, he had the foresight and set up youth fellowships, which is relatively rare in rural churches. Over the past ten years, their church has trained and recommended several young people to study theology.
Two years ago, they began the construction of the church. At present, the main body has been completed and is in the renovation stage.
(The article is originally published in the Gospel Times and the author is a pastor in Jiangsu.)
- Translated by Abigail Wu
