THANKSGIVING AND PRAYER - "Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God."
It has been said that people are the greatest blessing and curse of ministry. It has also been said that more pastors resign on Monday than any other day of the week due to the highs and lows they succumb to emotionally, physically, and mentally as a result of their jobs. Why? In large part, the assumptions, expectations and demands people place on pastors are collectively too burdensome to bear. Certainly there are research studies, statistical polls, and percentages available which delve into specifics further, but we can be confidant that the pressure pastors feel due to the influence of others' unrealistic expectations takes a toll on the psyche over time and can lead to complete abandonment of ministry altogether. Thankfully, Paul foresaw this impending epidemic within the church and prioritized prayer and thanksgiving at the beginning of his letters to not only express personal gratitude on his behalf because of his own circumstance, but to refocus his partners in ministry to keep their hearts centralized upon the Gospel despite the storms surrounding them. In other words, Paul exhorted his followers to focus their attention vertically toward heaven rather than horizontally at the world surrounding them to solidify confidence in their mission and assurance in their plight despite the persecution facing them. "If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth" (Colossians 3:1–2).
It is quite amazing to reflect upon Paul's state of mind as he wrote his letter to the Philippians under house arrest in Rome, facing possible execution for his faith. For it was Paul who said, "See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (1 Thessalonians 5:15–18). Determining the mind to be thankful in the face of adversity is an intentional effort to not be swayed or influenced by negative circumstances which wreak havoc on our emotions and psyche. "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed" (1 Peter 4:12–13). It takes practice and incredible spiritual maturity to do so because our selfish nature will always default toward self-preservation rather than selfless giving. It is an indelible character trait of a Christ-follower, to distinguish oneself from the world by not catering to fleshly propensities which are "ME" focused. Paul could have easily wallowed in the uncertainty of his future and life altogether. Rather, he chose to use the opportunity to set an example for his ministry supporters by encouraging them not to be overcome by fear, but empowered to spread the Gospel boldly. "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect" (Romans 12:2).
Paul also took time to acknowledge those who never abandoned, disassociated, or renounced him altogether despite the trials and storms of his ministry, because he knew the consequences his supporters would endure being associated with him and his cause. If we're honest with ourselves, many of us would probably shrink back from affiliating ourselves with anyone imprisoned because of the social stigma or cultural embarrassment incarceration might have on our personal reputation. We would likely separate ourselves from the aforementioned in order to eliminate any correlation with them, because our motivation would be to avoid being unfairly judged or persecuted. In other words, self-protection tends to trump selfless love when imprisonment draws a line in the sand and we must choose which side we're affiliating ourselves with, based on how strong a conviction and loyalty we hold to those who are serving time, whether justly or unjustly. For those who are persecuted because of the Gospel and imprisoned for their unwillingness to reject personal faith in Jesus Christ, Scripture exhorts, "Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body" (Hebrews 13:3). We are reminded that because individually we're all parts of one faith body, we experience the trials and tribulations our brothers and sisters endure on behalf of the Gospel as well—which is why ministries who highlight the persecution of Christians world-wide are so critical. For truthfully, we need a hard reality check at times regarding how interconnected we are to the suffering of our church family both domestic and abroad, because the majority of us have no recognition or experiential knowledge whatsoever concerning the affliction, persecution and torture members of our faith family endure for their faith in Christ, even unto death (martyrdom).
Jesus said, "And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God, but the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God" (Luke 12:8-9). Just as it was for Paul's followers, it is critical we acknowledge our personal faith and that our actions provide testimony in conjunction with what we believe and proclaim publicly. Paul acknowledged the fortitude his followers held onto for the sake of the Gospel in partnering with him, and in turn, the church in Philippi held a special place in his heart and ministered to him personally. That is the beauty of being one in Christ—the summation of millions of broken souls surrendered to the cross of Calvary unto salvation and held together by a scarlet thread of Jesus' blood under a banner of absolute truth, faith and love. For ministry works best when we are both pouring into others and being poured into by others as well, but spiritual perspective must be elevated because at times, we feel our tank is empty with no replenishment in sight. Again, that is the common plight of many pastors who unfortunately burnout from their calling. The physical and emotional well runs dry, and exhaustion, frustration, and hopelessness begin to fill the heart and overwhelm the psyche. Therefore, we as the body of Christ must be keenly aware and sensitive to the overwhelming responsibility we have to exhort, encourage and admonish one another in love and according to the truth of God's Word, which proclaims as Jesus did to the woman at the well, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life" (John 4:13–14).
In the end, the difference between being on fire for the Gospel and burning out hinges upon global, spiritual perspective. In other words, the more we stand back and view our lives from God's vantage point rather than our own, the more we will understand why seasons of our lives seem so dry and desolate while others flourish and grow. It is in seasons of BOTH feast and famine where our reliance upon God is tested. Yes, we praise Him when the harvest is bountiful, but do we praise Him when the well runs dry? Yes, we pray to Him for deliverance when personal need and necessity overwhelm us, but do we pray just as fervently when we're happy, content and comfortable? For Solomon reminds us, "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace" (Ecclesiastes 3:1–8). Therefore, we are wise to discipline ourselves to not pray and praise based on circumstance because seasons change. Rather, we must pray and praise based on identity, for God is worthy of our worship no matter what season of life we're in because He does not change, and His love, grace, forgiveness and mercy endure forever despite our ever-changing needs and circumstances.
