Regi Addictissimus
Completely sold out to the King
Below is an excerpt. You can read the full article on our blog here: https://bit.ly/MinistryArticle
Excerpt:
This is a truth that few seminaries will ever include in their recruitment drives: ministry will involve suffering! It is painful and uncomfortable, but true: struggling in ministry cannot be avoided.
For instance, if you are a pastor, you probably have had the experience of coming home from an elders’ meeting or a pastoral visit and knowing that you will not sleep very well once again. There is too much on your mind as you think about, agonize over, and pray for the people you are trying to help. The lack of sleep may mean a low-grade headache and bags under your eyes in the morning, but it is actually not a bad thing. In 2 Corinthians, Paul says that if someone genuinely cares about others and adopts a Christ-shaped ministry model, this is to be fully expected.
As Paul reaches the end of his long list of sufferings in 2 Corinthians 11, he says: “Besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches” (11:28). He describes it as a heavy burden on him, something that constantly weighs down his heart.
It is understandable why he had a “deep concern for all the churches,” for he was a mobile minister, wanting to go wherever the gospel had not been preached. God used him effectively for this work, but it came with the anxiety of leaving behind groups of new believers in many places.
Reuben Bredenhof. Tossing and Turning: The Reality of Suffering in Ministry. The Heritage Blog 2021.
Tossing and Turning: The Reality of Suffering in Ministry by Reuben Bredenhof
Excerpt:
This is a truth that few seminaries will ever include in their recruitment drives: ministry will involve suffering! It is painful and uncomfortable, but true: struggling in ministry cannot be avoided.
For instance, if you are a pastor, you probably have had the experience of coming home from an elders’ meeting or a pastoral visit and knowing that you will not sleep very well once again. There is too much on your mind as you think about, agonize over, and pray for the people you are trying to help. The lack of sleep may mean a low-grade headache and bags under your eyes in the morning, but it is actually not a bad thing. In 2 Corinthians, Paul says that if someone genuinely cares about others and adopts a Christ-shaped ministry model, this is to be fully expected.
As Paul reaches the end of his long list of sufferings in 2 Corinthians 11, he says: “Besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches” (11:28). He describes it as a heavy burden on him, something that constantly weighs down his heart.
It is understandable why he had a “deep concern for all the churches,” for he was a mobile minister, wanting to go wherever the gospel had not been preached. God used him effectively for this work, but it came with the anxiety of leaving behind groups of new believers in many places.
Reuben Bredenhof. Tossing and Turning: The Reality of Suffering in Ministry. The Heritage Blog 2021.
