Paul said, "If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing."(1 Corinthians 13:1-3)
His words showed the importance of love in church ministries.
The longer we serve God and feed the flock of God, the more we will realize the value of love in ministry. A pastor without any gift, eloquence, or sufficient knowledge is always acceptable to the congregation, but a pastor without love is not.
The reason why Jesus attracted men to live and die for him is that everyone who became close to Jesus got His love and is willing to devote themselves out of love for Him.
A good shepherd doesn't run away in the face of difficult things and danger.
Everyone has difficulties, especially those who serve God. Each ministry worker also has a reason to give up his ministry but remains because of God's calling and mission.
Why are so many believers fainthearted and weak in the church? Why do Christians fail to receive help in their struggles? Because their shepherds run away.
Jesus said, "Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds."(John 12:24) If a pastor refuses to crucify himself for love, then how can his ministry be effective?
One of the crises the church faces today is that pastors show little concern for their congregations. However, a good pastor pays attention to his congregation and knows their circumstances.
Actually, a problem occurring in one's life results from something. A pastor needs to discover the causes of believers' weakness before providing more effective help to them.
Paul wrote a letter to Philemon for the sake of Onesimus, a new convert. He cared about the need of every believer and remembered to help them even during his imprisonment in Rome. "Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches."(2 Corinthians 11:28) This verse demonstrates the right attitude of God's servants.
Maybe we are unable to give concrete and effective help to believers. When the father of my classmate from high school died, I felt that I couldn't do anything. I just sat quietly beside him and said nothing. That might be a comfort to him.
I gradually found that helping others is not just through preaching from the pulpit but also shown in daily life. Only when people see love from our lives can we be called qualified pastors. People unwittingly receive help from God's servants who have love in their hearts because love itself is powerful.
- Translated by Karen Luo
