On the plane returning from vacation I found myself reading Matthew, Chapter 24. The disciples have just asked Jesus, “When is the end of the world coming?” The answer they get is more than they bargained for. Jesus prophesies about the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 (Mt. 24:4-28) and then, in the second part of his answer, he tells the story of a household of simple slaves.
The Master has gone away and puts his slaves in charge of his household. The slaves have two options: they can be faithful and serve, or they can forget about their master. Jesus adds that the slave who is working when his Master returns will get rewarded, while the slave who gets lazy and begins to serve himself will be destroyed. Yikes! As the disciples are wondering what they can do to prepare for the coming final crisis at the end of the age, Jesus gives them a simple message: serve.
While I was on vacation, I spent some time with friends who are planting a church. What struck me the most about them was that they were simply trying to find the best way to serve their city. They are a small group, but they meet faithfully twice a week for prayer and to strategize how to best reach their city for the cause of Christ—and it’s working! In about two years time they’ve grown to a worshipping community of about 175 from a small group meeting in someone’s living room. As I saw their meeting place covered with flipcharts, a pizza box and some donuts, I had one thought: faithful slaves.
About two months ago, I received the temporary responsibility of overseeing the ministry areas from birth through college at the Hospital Church. I’ve had a great time meeting with the Children’s Ministry leaders. In our meetings we’ve talked about where Children’s Ministry needs to go. Our first goal: find some faithful slaves. What do I mean by this? I mean we are looking for a group of people who want to work on behalf of the kingdom, even when no one is looking.
I’ve started affectionately calling our leaders “Pastoral Leaders.” I’m doing this because they are leaders who are more than organizers. They are leaders who see themselves as having a pastoral calling to care for their little flock. Although I call them Pastoral Leaders, they are really just faithful slaves who need more faithful slaves to do the awesome work of caring for our little ones.
Are you a faithful slave? In your family, work or church—are you faithful, or are you living as if the master isn’t going to return? Given the times in which we live, how are we to respond? Serve. Don’t wait and watch the sky—wash feet.
David Achata
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