Be still!

Be still!

      A pastor in the Southwestern region always says to his co-workers, "Be still!" But to pastors in mainland churches, this concept nearly does not exist. Apart from circumstantial factors which forbid workers from taking rest, to many it seems unspiritual to even mention the concept. Some pastors may joke by saying that a certain pastor is good in all aspects except that he gives the impression of being too free; he should work harder, do more for the Lord!

      It is owing to personal experience that the pastor made the sincere advice above. When he was studying at a seminary, he was so tired with placement work that he was often admitted into hospital. According to regulations of the seminary, every student must practice in rural areas for one year, changing location every two months so as to get more experience in nurturing, preaching and visiting, in preparation for their future service.

      On the most indelible experience during his practice, he said he was once placed in a mountainous area. He had to trek for 14 km to go preach there. Upon arrival after an arduous journey, he found that there were only three believers. Then he had to walk another 14 km of hilly path to go to another mountain, an area so remote that no one had gone there before to do any nurturing work. The believers there had a great thirst for truth. Once he got there, enthusiastic believers engaged him in worship for two hours, followed by another two hours of preaching. Then the believers let him go reluctantly. For the whole day he had gone from one place to another on the mountain and slept there too at night. He said that there were many lice and unknown insects in the mountain district in the Southwest. Being stung by mosquitoes during sleep was only a minor thing. During that year of practice, he always had little appetite because of fatigue. His bowel system was also ruined. He had to be admitted into hospital after each two-month placement!

      Since he had personally experienced the toughness of serving, to the point of almost ruining his own health by being frequently on the road, he advised other co-workers to rest, disregarding other pastors' views. They have a long way ahead, he knows.

Note from the Editor:
      There are "too few shepherds for the many sheep" in mainland churches, and co-workers are often overworked, and exhausted physically, mentally and spiritually, like the pastor above. May the Lord have mercy on His servants so they can change the concept that "serving non-stop is spiritual", and take good care of their bodies－the temples of the Holy Spirit－to prepare for a longer road ahead. May the Lord also give wisdom to the churches so they can organize serving teams to share the work of core co-workers, so that each fulfills their duties according to their gifts and serve mainland churches in today's society more effectively.


Resource: http://www.ccfellow.org/Common/Reader/News/ShowNews.jsp?Nid=5965&Pid=22&Version=39&Cid=226&Charset=big5_hkscs