IN THE MASTER’S SERVICE

Paul writes in a day when men and women were bought and sold in the marketplace. So, there is the literal application of this truth to those were saved and yet still slaves. Yet, there is a spiritual implication for the preacher of the Gospel, too. Paul frequently referred to Himself as a bondservant in his labor for the Lord.  God’s preachers are bought by the precious blood of Christ. We are held by shackles of love. We are in the service of the Master. As such, there are some lessons for church leaders here.

Consider our FOCUS (v.22). We are to serve the Master pointedly. Our focus is to please the Master and not men. We do not work for a church board, some church bosses, the congregation, but for Christ.  The hypocrisy of people-pleasing will lead you sooner or later to failure and frustration. The sincerity of God-pleasing will bring you to success and satisfaction. You cannot please people all the time, but you can please God every time. The reality is that sometimes you will displease people by pleasing God. Always focus on Who you work for—the Boss is watching.  It is the fear of the Lord and not the fear of the people that should be our pointed intent.

Note our FERVENCY (v.23). We are to serve the Master passionately. Not only do we serve the Lord sincerely (v.22), but heartily. There should be a zeal that drives us. The preacher is not merely doing a job, but honoring the Lord. Think of the difference between someone who cooks for a living, and one who grills steaks for his lover.  The former is a job, while the latter is a joy. God looks on the heart and weighs the motivation behind the ministry. Going through the motions will drain you and you will eventually burn out. Serving with loving motivation will energize you and you will faithfully burn on. It does not mean you never get physically weary in well-doing, but you will not become spiritually weary of well-doing.  This is the way we serve with passionate insistence.

Weigh our FUTURE (v.24-25). We are to serve the Master persistently. As previously seen, ministry is not about pleasing people, but God. It is not about performing a job, but fulfilling a joy.  Now, we see it is not about temporal reimbursement, but eternal reward. If you work for a paycheck you will find yourself consumed with covetousness. You will be corrupted by vanity if you have a lot and consumed with envy if you have a little. What the preacher needs is just enough to provide for his family—even, if he must be a tent-maker like Paul to do so. Do not forget, “godliness with contentment is great gain,” (1 Tim.6:6). Our payday will be in heaven. God is keeping account and we will secure a reward or suffer a loss accordingly (see 1 Cor,3:10-15). This is why we serve as our persistent incentive.