FREE…FREE…FREE…
OK Hyderbadis’ (Yours truly included) have something to be proud about, for their “Son of the soil” namely Sathya Nadella was recently elevated to one of the most enviable posts in the World…CEO of what else…Microsoft. Does Microsoft need an introduction…the fact that some of you are reading this piece using one of the Microsoft products says something about this Multinational giant in the Corporate World.
Hmmm…his annual pay package…a staggering 112 Crore Rupees (in Indian currency)!!! More than the annual Defence budget of Island country of Mauritius!!! Considering the unquantifiable pressures which come visiting along with the responsibilities of being a CEO of such a high-profile company …our Cricket-loving Sathya would doubtless be fully deserving of such a handsome compensation.
That brings us to an equally staggering command to every Christian from his incomparable Master “Freely ye have received, freely give.”-Matt 10:8. Boy, now what are the areas’ of Christian life and ministry, where FREE SERVICE is expected of a Christian? Here goes…
INVITATION
“What then is my pay? It is the opportunity to preach the Good News without charging anyone. That’s why I never demand my rights when I preach the Good News.” – I Cor 9:18
Raise your hands, those who were saved from the deadly clutches of sin by our Saviour Jesus Christ for a fee. Now no hands would go up, for all of us got our indescribable gift Jesus (2 Cor 9:15) into our lives and along with Him the priceless Salvation free, by just inviting Him into our lives with perhaps at best folded hands and bent knees. When we repented, just as He promised the Kingdom of God which was very near us (Matt 4:17) came into our hearts. So much so, from that moment frozen in our personal and Heaven’s history “Righteousness, peace and joy of the Holy Spirit” flooded our hearts (Romans 14:17). So what is our response…rather what ought to be our response to this free gift of salvation…share the Good News with everyone we meet what we have experienced ourselves, so that those of them who never had a foretaste of Heaven right here on Earth, would enjoy the same by inviting Jesus into their hearts. Hey, Jesus did not want all of His followers to be preachers but WITNESSES.
Yes, there is a responsibility placed on those who receive the Gospel (I Cor 9:14) of “taking good care of those who brought them the Good News” but those who are in the God-given Ministry (read evangelism) of inviting people into God’s Kingdom, ought to go about their Divinely-ordained task without expecting anything in return in conformity with Apostle Paul’s (read Scriptural) stand on this subject.
INSTRUCTION
Where the Evangelist’s work ends of winning a soul for the Kingdom, the Pastor’s work begins of nurturing the “new born” in God’s Kingdom. Unlike an evangelist, who is moved by the Lord’s Spirit from town to town, a Pastor’s call is to be at one place patiently “taking care of and feeding the Lord’s flock” with God’s Word (Acts 20:28).
When Peter responded to our Lord’s question “Peter, do you love me” three times with words emanating from the depths of his heart “Lord, I love you”, the Master’s response on all three occasions was “Feed my flock” (John 21:15-17). Peter’s love for the Lord was to get reflected in equal measure in his care for the people, the Lord “had purchased by shedding His own blood”. No wonder, Peter after many years of serving the Lord wrote these words to younger pastors. Kindly note the word Elder is synonymous with Pastor...
“And now, a word to you who are elders in the churches. I, too, am an elder and a witness to the sufferings of Christ. And I, too, will share in his glory when he is revealed to the whole world. As a fellow elder, I appeal to you: Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly—NOT FOR WHAT YOU WILL GET OUT OF IT, but because you are eager to serve God. Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example. “ –I Peter 5:2
Now what is responsibility of the “Flock” in turn to their exemplary full-time Pastors who lead the flock through life and lip in the “spiritual ecosphere”, we know as the Church? Pastors who have not pursued any secular profession and in 9 times out of ten, may have swapped a lucrative secular one for a serious responsibility in the spiritual realm in full obedience to the Great Shepherd’s call? Let the Scripture take over…
Those who are taught the word of God should provide for their teachers, sharing all good things with them.-Gal 6:6
Elders who do their work well should be respected and paid well, especially those who work hard at both preaching and teaching.-2 Tim 5:17
Of course all these Scripture portions do not give a license to the Pastor to go about his ministry expecting a royal treatment. His Ministry out of love for his Master should be at all times governed by the principle …”It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35) without ever forgetting the fact that he has received the anointing to effectively preach or teach freely from the Lord!!! Minus the anointing -the “X factor”- which determines his/her success in preaching or teaching ministry, a Servant of God would be like pen without ink.
REMISSION
“…forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive AS the Lord forgave you. “ –Col 3:13
The key operative word in the above-captioned Scripture is AS. Without demanding any monetary compensation the Lord forgave us of our sins, the moment we trusted Him for our salvation and keeps forgiving us whenever we slip in our spiritual journey provided every single time we sincerely repent (1 John 1:9) of our wrongdoing. Then is it demanding TOO MUCH, when He requires of us to do likewise, with those who may have hurt us physically or emotionally. In fact, when we harbor a grudge (Heb 12:15) besides doing a mighty disservice to our spiritual health (can you retain the joy of the Holy Spirit in your heart when you are yearning for revenge), we would be fiddling with our physical health too what with our hypertension and sugar levels going haywire. Add to these, some digestion problems and the pertinent question arises…is it really worth nursing resentment? As some wise soul put it “Harboring resentment is like drinking poison and expecting your enemy to die”.
Then what about habitual offenders, one may well argue, would they not end up exploiting us? Take heed of this Scriptural instruction “Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,“I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the LORD (Romans 12:17-19).
INTERCESSION
“As for me, I will certainly not sin against the LORD by ending my prayers for you….” – I Sam 12:23
With the appointment of King Saul as the First King of Israel, even as obscurity loomed large in front of that faithful old Prophet Samuel after being “in thick of things” for many decades, he resolves to intercede for the very ones’ who were inclined indignantly to replace him with ‘their choice’. So seriously did this ageing Prophet view his intercessory prayer ministry that for him to call it quits would tantamount to SIN.
Our High Priest Lord Jesus intercedes for us free of cost at God’s right hand (Romans 8:34). In fact, it is binding on all Christians' to pray for one another (James 5:16). I remember a cult group about 20 years back seeking Rs10,000/- for prayers on behalf of a seriously sick kidney patient from his desperate, gullible albeit rich parents and Rs50,000/- for “special prayers”, as though to suggest that Rs10,000/- prayer would go up to Heaven’s gates and the Rs50,000/- one would go right up to the Almighty’s throne. Talk of heights of hypocrisy...
Intercessory prayer ministry unlike say preaching or singing ministries, does not require any special talents. ALL ONE NEEDS TO BE EFFECTIVE IN IT IS TO HAVE LOVE FOR THE LORD AND FOR THE PERSON, WHO IS IN NEED!!!
INSPIRATION
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.- I Thess 5:11
Besides the intercessory prayer ministry, if there is one more ministry which does not depend on any special talent barring pristine love for God and the person in need then it is one of encouragement. Raise your hands, those of know about a famous Joseph of NT. No brainer really for some folks. Joseph, the husband of Mary would be the instant reply of most. NO!!! In the early Church, there was one Joseph (a Levite from Cyprus) who so personified encouragement in his spiritual walk that the Apostles named him as Barnabas (Acts 4:36-37) meaning … “SON OF ENCOURAGEMENT”… yes, the same Barnabas who accompanied Apostle Paul in the historic first missionary Journey, taking the Gospel to the heartland of Asia Minor (Acts 13-14).
Even in Antioch, where the disciples were first called Christians (Acts 11:26), Barnabas on a special assignment (from Jerusalem Church) was doing what came to him naturally from a heart full of love and Holy Spirit (another name for Holy Spirit besides others is an encourager-John 14:16-17/John 15:26)…Let the Scripture take over
“…he ENCOURAGED the believers to stay true to the Lord. Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and strong in faith. And many people were brought to the Lord.” –Acts 11:23-24
Now how’s that for living up to your name!!! By the way, going by our disposition what would be the name our friends both in and outside the Church would give to us? A disgruntled discourager or an enthusiastic encourager…
Speaking of proud Hyderabad, ever wondered what prompted the State Government of Andhra Pradesh (Hyderabad is its capital) to name its pioneering free ambulance services as 108*…which has since been replicated in other States of India too like Goa, Gujarat, Odisha etc? Matthew 10:8, Ladies and Gentlemen!!!”…Freely give, as you have freely received”.
Finally folks wherever the good Lord has placed you in His Sovereign wisdom, even if it were Microsoft…you can surely be a CEO there for free…
Chief Evangelistic Officer (inviting people to come to Christ)
Chief Edifying Officer (Strengthening the Body of Christ, if your call is Pastoral)
Chief Exonerating Officer (Letting go of the resentment caused by some)
Chief Entreating Officer (Interceding for those in need)
Chief Encouraging Officer (Inspiring and comforting fellow sojourners in and outside the Church)
OK, by His Grace alone (all glory to Him and Him alone)…Yours truly was inspired to pen this article for free…were you edified? Meanwhile Bravo Sathya…
Suresh Manoharan
An unworthy servant
*My mom and our family are deeply grateful for the services of Ambulance 108 for in Nov 2010, when she suffered a stroke, the good Lord gave me the presence of mind to call it immediately, so that with its help, we were able to rush her to nearby hospital, where prompt medical attention saved her life.
ps...this sermon replete with pics is also available at the following URL...
http://jandsmministries.com/message_feb15_14.asp
