There's a story about the guy who went to his pastor and said, "Pastor, please help me, I'm stuck in a web of sin. I don't know what to do." So the pastor prayed for him and sent him on his way. A week later, the guy comes back again and says, "Pastor, pray for me, I'm all entangled in that web of sin again. I can't help myself." So the pastor prays for him again, and sends him on his way, with a stern admonition in his ears. Another week later, to the pastor's annoyance, the guy turns up again and says, "Pastor, pray for me! I've fallen into a web of sin again. Help me to get out!". The pastor looks at him steadily and says, "Brother, it's not getting out of the web that's the problem... Kill... the... spider."
The point of the story is that we need to stop talking about dealing with an issue, and get on with actually doing it. In this regard, my Dad (the embodiment of never stop learning, bless him) shared with me a new word he learned recently - "praxis" - which according to the dictionary refers to the "process by which a theory, lesson, or skill is enacted, practised, embodied or realised". Or if I may simplify, practise what you preach.
My Dad was making the particular point that it is not enough to talk about following Christ - we need to actually follow Him, particularly in Christ's example of servant leadership "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many" Mark 10:45. As my Dad observed, most of us serve for reward - for money, for honour, for fame, for love. Matthew 6:5 says "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you they have received their reward in full." meaning God is not impressed by such shows of piety.
As my Dad was saying this, I reflected on my church friends and leaders, and I suddenly felt a great welling up of affection. I am so blessed to be able to say, hand on heart, that my fellow cell members lead a life of service. They serve the church and the poor with their own hands. They go out of their way to help the desperate with intractable problems. They serve each other with prayer, encouragement and genuine friendship. For me and my wife as leaders, we are blessed by their service (and the occasional herbal chicken from JB!). But I can honestly say that our leadership is not a glamorous thing either (which is why so many, including ourselves, are initially reluctant to take it on). We get no titles, no preferential parking, no special seats, no speeches, no podium. We simply serve. We do the boring admin. We turn up for the funny prayer tower timing shifts. We support our members when they get the funny prayer tower timing shifts! And we are expected to. This is simply normal.
My own leaders are even better servants. They open their home. They are always there to pray and give advice to me and my wife. They go out of their way to give practical help for people we serve, people they may not even know personally. They are even more concerned about our ministry than we are. They lead by example by preaching the gospel themselves, not merely teaching and talking about it. One level up, my pastor has an higher level of servanthood. In a dozen things, he will enthusiastically 亲自出马 (ride out on his own horse), to the extent that we have to remind ourselves not to bother him with too many of our issues, otherwise he will be overloaded! I see that it's the same for the other pastors - they are really hands on. They don't just talk. They really walk. They really get their hands dirty.
I am so glad to be discipled in a place like this. To love and to serve, and to have the courage to say, "This is just the way it's supposed to be. This is normal, and I will show you myself". I am blessed to have my children grow up in a place like this - real, grounded, practical... and supernaturally full of love!
Here, the complaints that "I am not fed enough by the teaching", "the sermon is too long / not relevant to me / not deep enough", "the leader/pastor does not love me", "the auditorium is too crowded", "the worship team does not inspire me" and "the church is too strict about punctuality" receive short shrift. Instead, the focus is turned away from "me". Instead, serve. With abundant joy. With great love. With abiding peace. And really, there's nothing, absolute nothing like serving, that can fill a life like that. Thank God for this place. For me and my family, it really is the place to be - come and see for yourself!
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