I was reading the other day in John 4, and while just expecting the familiar story of the Samaritan woman at the well, a truth popped out at me that I had never pondered previously. Verse 2 read, (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,) Then, I noticed verse 8: (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) I considered, along with these verses, other passages in which the disciple Andrew asked a little boy for his lunch. This act led to the feeding of the 5,000 and to Jesus sending His disciples out two-by-two to preach throughout the cities. I thought about how much Jesus was able to achieve in those three and a half years of His ministry. A part of those accomplishments was the result of having disciples to help bear the load of the work. Jesus did not need to take time away from teaching and healing to baptize because the disciples were willing to do it. Jesus was able to wait at the well because His disciples had gone to get bread. I know that Jesus as God was not obligated to use people, but Jesus allowed Himself to be limited by the ability of a man to be in only one place at a time.
What if each church member were to decide to be to his pastor what those disciples were to Jesus? What if we were to make sure the little fires were put out so that the pastor did not even need to think about them? I cannot preach a sermon, but I can make sure a visitor feels welcome. I can volunteer to help in the nursery so that the pastor does not need to worry about whether the toddlers are the ones watching the babies! Our church recently began a “Sunday School Revolution,” starting many new classes that meet all over the Jacksonville area in an effort to minister to more people and to give them the opportunity to get the help they need. I may not be the teacher, but I can invite someone to come and be taught from God’s Word. I can bring breakfast, pass out flyers, help set up the classroom, greet the visitors, and so much more. We all can find ways to help bear the load for our pastor and to participate in the ministry.
We all know that our homes work more smoothly when everyone pitches in to help. That does not mean the children are leading the home, but that they are supporting the parents so that they can focus on what is most important. Also, the children become personally invested in the success of the home when they have participated in the day-to-day work of it.
A good reminder of this truth can be found in Acts 6, when the Grecians were worried about the Hebrew widows being neglected. The disciples solved the issue, not by leaving their own duties to do so, but by finding deacons who could render the care the widows needed. The disciples were able to perform the work God had for them successfully because the deacons were willing to help bear the load of the work of the church.
While as Christian ladies we cannot fill the role of a deacon or the pastor, we can fill a vital role in the church specifically mentioned over and over in the Bible: the servant. We not only will be helping to bear the load but also will be bringing honor to Christ’s name by our willingness to serve. Imagine what a church could accomplish for God if each member were to decide he is going to get behind the pastor by serving as much as he can, helping to bear the load for the cause of Christ!
But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. – Matthew 23:11
by Vicki Voorhis
