If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.
–Phil 1:22-24
Maybe it’s common to us all, but I find that when I get jostled out of my typical day-in, day-out routine I get introspective. My travel this week brought me to a conference in Santa Fe entailing a fair number of hours alone on planes and in airports, walking to and from my hotel, or waking early in the morning on the wrong timezone. As part of this break from routine I have enjoyed some time in meditation on Paul’s words (featured recently from our pulpit) in Phil.1:22-24, quoted above. In considering my personal application of this text, I have given prayers of thanks for my privileged role as an elder at Berean and how encouraging so many of you are to your leaders.
In my relatively short tenure so far as an elder, one of the most common phrases I have heard from you has been akin to “I know what you all do is so hard” or “I can’t imagine what you have to deal with” and similar. I always take these comments as statements of encouragement and empathy for the effort and heart that go into shepherding the Berean flock. For this support, I am truly thankful. However, there is something about these statements that has always caused me a bit of inner conflict. Paul’s words helped me this week to clarify this conflict. It is this: The burden we bear as Christians in service to Christ is soul-uplifting, not soul-crushing. Our burden of love is continual and energy-consuming and, yes, sometimes very hard, but it is also “light” (Matt. 11:30). Paul evidences a deep internalization of both the value of the reward he would obtain upon death and the difficulty of what he would continue to endure, should he live. However, the two options had equal weight to him. Go to heaven? 10 out of 10. Stay here and suffer in service? 10 out of 10. Paul truly believed in the highest value of his daily suffering because it was for the “sake of Christ” (Phil. 1:29) and the glory of Christ (1:26) and resulted directly from his ministry to the body and the side-by-side unity and joy in striving together for the gospel (1:25,27).
Yes, elders have hard service. We grieve when we see deep personal and spiritual struggles of the body. We persevere in discussions of, and confrontations with, our own sin and the sin of others—confrontations that are rarely comfortable. And we wrestle with navigating the unclear “best” path that requires difficult wisdom decisions and negotiating and executing a unified shepherding effort in spite of our various theological views and passions. Yet, your elders also have highly privileged front-row seats to witnessing first-hand testimonies of God’s regenerative work through his Word and the Spirit. We get repeated and refreshing glimpses of the many hidden works of sacrificial “one another” love within our body, and we are often uniquely invited by you into your most intimate life moments to watch God, through his Word and prayer, do his deep convicting, comforting, and healing work. These are the light burdens of hard work, our “fruitful labor” of love for Christ and for you.
I encourage you, then, to also bear this light burden of hard labor in your daily walk, striving in unity as a family of God. How? Be humble and eager to reach out to a brother or sister to actively seek or give support in times of temptation, sadness, loneliness, or discouragement. Do the hard things of our faith—confront your idols, confess your sins, endure persecution and insult with grace and forgiveness, address and resolve conflict and disunity humbly but with determination. And, yes, keep calling on your pastors and deacons in your hard moments. Continue to help your pastors be your shepherds. Of course, in all of these efforts, continue to boldly approach the throne in prayer, honor Christ, and grow in the Word. This is how, together, we walk out lives of worship, how we strive side by side in unity, and how we manifest our love for God and for others to the praise of his glorious grace! This is God’s will done on earth as it is in heaven, and this is the greatest encouragement any of us (your elders included) could ever have. So, how has your day been? Mine? 10 out of 10.
Pastor Aaron
