Thanking God for His People
Ephesians 1:15-16
You may have heard me joke regarding my own noble profession, “Don’t be a shepherd if you don’t like the smell of sheep.” I’m not sure who coined it, but the saying is certainly true. Another once said, “If it weren’t for people and their problems, ministry would be great!” I recently inquired of a man in our church about how his fellowship group was going. He joked, “Apart from all these messed up people, I love it!” Of course, such exclamations are silly. Ministry is people. What is a fellowship group without people? Yes, people can be difficult; people have problems. These problems can be messy and ugly. And, pastors and faithful servants get the joy of seeing the mess up close and personal. But we press on. We continue to serve people with the good news; we continue to pursue others with Spirit-filled fellowship. We do this not because they are good, or because they are without problems; quite the opposite. People are sinners, and our sin is deep and dark. It brings chaos, pain and ultimately, death. But Jesus’ redeeming love is deep and wonderful. It restores order, comforts the afflicted and breathes forth life.
The struggles of ministry, and the reality of people’s sin and depravity, is only half of the story. Yes, if you take seriously the ‘one anothers’ of the New Testament, you’ll discover that the road of obedience to these commands is dangerous and fraught with sorrow. But we find the rest of the story as we travel along. A glimpse of it is found in Ephesians 1:15-16 as Paul begins his intercession for the Ephesian church. He prays, “…because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.” Paul faced all sorts of ‘people problems’ in his mission to bring the light of the gospel to a dark world. This letter is one of the prison epistles written by Paul under house arrest. He was so reviled by the Jewish leadership that he was framed (Acts 21) and falsely accused. The Ephesians understood the conflicts that go with bold gospel ministry- stubborn opposition, demonic activity and riots (Acts 19). Remember over in Philippians where Paul tells us that there were those who were “preaching the gospel out of envy and rivalry…thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment” (Phil. 1:15-18). Talk about persecution. I’ve never been imprisoned for my faith in Christ; much less received persecution and affliction by so called Christians while in prison! But this was only part of the story.
Consider the striking source of Paul’s joy: the faith and love of God’s people. Consider also that the great bulk of the New Testament canon is not a collection of dry theological treatises, but personal correspondence. We have God’s Word through the letters of love, warning, joy, sorrow, and hope to God’s people. After all, the salvation of people was the great goal of Paul’s ministry. He was “a prisoner for Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles” (Eph. 3:1). This being so, it is understandable that he rejoiced in the faith of God’s people; for people were putting their faith in Christ. He can take hope that as he is in chains, the people of Ephesus soldier on in loving all the saints. This was Paul’s consolation at the end of his life. All had deserted him; no one was with him at his trial. Though he must have struggled mightily with depression and loneliness, we find these stirring words, “But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it” (2 Tim. 4:17). This is the valuable lesson from these two verses in Ephesians, and the whole life of the Apostle Paul: the ministry of the gospel is hard (life threatening, in fact), God is good and people are being saved.
I can say Amen to Paul’s thanksgiving here. Yes, the sheep are stinky (but then, shepherds don’t smell like roses either) but their faith and love are a great joy to me. I love to hear the testimony of people committing themselves to a fellowship group with fear and reluctance only to find the blessing and joy of communion with God’s people. My Dad, a 40-year veteran of pastoral ministry, would be asked what it is like being a pastor. He would respond simply, “I love the view.” Those who give themselves to the mandate of sacrificial service to the body of Christ (whether they are pastors, elders, deacons, fellowship group leaders, or Sunday school teachers) are given a skybox view of the Spirit’s work. Paul faced great struggle and opposition in Ephesus; and he was able to enjoy the fruit of his labors just through the hearing of the Ephesians faith in Christ and love for the saints. This news was a source of unceasing thanks for the Apostle.
This week, whatever difficulties I might face as a pastor, I will resolve to remember the wonderful people that God has given me to work with and for. I will look beyond the struggles and find joy in the reality that I am surrounded by people who are full of “faith in Christ Jesus.” I will find joy, with the apostle Paul, in the many examples all around me of the love of God’s people for the lost and one another. Today, this stinky shepherd will not cease to give thanks for the stinky sheep, remembering them in his prayers.
You may have heard me joke regarding my own noble profession, “Don’t be a shepherd if you don’t like the smell of sheep.” I’m not sure who coined it, but the saying is certainly true. Another once said, “If it weren’t for people and their problems, ministry would be great!” I recently inquired of a man in our church about how his fellowship group was going. He joked, “Apart from all these messed up people, I love it!” Of course, such exclamations are silly. Ministry is people. What is a fellowship group without people? Yes, people can be difficult; people have problems. These problems can be messy and ugly. And, pastors and faithful servants get the joy of seeing the mess up close and personal. But we press on. We continue to serve people with the good news; we continue to pursue others with Spirit-filled fellowship. We do this not because they are good, or because they are without problems; quite the opposite. People are sinners, and our sin is deep and dark. It brings chaos, pain and ultimately, death. But Jesus’ redeeming love is deep and wonderful. It restores order, comforts the afflicted and breathes forth life.
The struggles of ministry, and the reality of people’s sin and depravity, is only half of the story. Yes, if you take seriously the ‘one anothers’ of the New Testament, you’ll discover that the road of obedience to these commands is dangerous and fraught with sorrow. But we find the rest of the story as we travel along. A glimpse of it is found in Ephesians 1:15-16 as Paul begins his intercession for the Ephesian church. He prays, “…because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.” Paul faced all sorts of ‘people problems’ in his mission to bring the light of the gospel to a dark world. This letter is one of the prison epistles written by Paul under house arrest. He was so reviled by the Jewish leadership that he was framed (Acts 21) and falsely accused. The Ephesians understood the conflicts that go with bold gospel ministry- stubborn opposition, demonic activity and riots (Acts 19). Remember over in Philippians where Paul tells us that there were those who were “preaching the gospel out of envy and rivalry…thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment” (Phil. 1:15-18). Talk about persecution. I’ve never been imprisoned for my faith in Christ; much less received persecution and affliction by so called Christians while in prison! But this was only part of the story.
Consider the striking source of Paul’s joy: the faith and love of God’s people. Consider also that the great bulk of the New Testament canon is not a collection of dry theological treatises, but personal correspondence. We have God’s Word through the letters of love, warning, joy, sorrow, and hope to God’s people. After all, the salvation of people was the great goal of Paul’s ministry. He was “a prisoner for Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles” (Eph. 3:1). This being so, it is understandable that he rejoiced in the faith of God’s people; for people were putting their faith in Christ. He can take hope that as he is in chains, the people of Ephesus soldier on in loving all the saints. This was Paul’s consolation at the end of his life. All had deserted him; no one was with him at his trial. Though he must have struggled mightily with depression and loneliness, we find these stirring words, “But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it” (2 Tim. 4:17). This is the valuable lesson from these two verses in Ephesians, and the whole life of the Apostle Paul: the ministry of the gospel is hard (life threatening, in fact), God is good and people are being saved.
I can say Amen to Paul’s thanksgiving here. Yes, the sheep are stinky (but then, shepherds don’t smell like roses either) but their faith and love are a great joy to me. I love to hear the testimony of people committing themselves to a fellowship group with fear and reluctance only to find the blessing and joy of communion with God’s people. My Dad, a 40-year veteran of pastoral ministry, would be asked what it is like being a pastor. He would respond simply, “I love the view.” Those who give themselves to the mandate of sacrificial service to the body of Christ (whether they are pastors, elders, deacons, fellowship group leaders, or Sunday school teachers) are given a skybox view of the Spirit’s work. Paul faced great struggle and opposition in Ephesus; and he was able to enjoy the fruit of his labors just through the hearing of the Ephesians faith in Christ and love for the saints. This news was a source of unceasing thanks for the Apostle.
This week, whatever difficulties I might face as a pastor, I will resolve to remember the wonderful people that God has given me to work with and for. I will look beyond the struggles and find joy in the reality that I am surrounded by people who are full of “faith in Christ Jesus.” I will find joy, with the apostle Paul, in the many examples all around me of the love of God’s people for the lost and one another. Today, this stinky shepherd will not cease to give thanks for the stinky sheep, remembering them in his prayers.
Labels: Ephesians
posted by Pastor Erik at
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