These are your brothers

There are as many reasons for determining to be a Minister as there are Ministers. The story of the events, the influences, the influencers, the experiences are dramatically varied. The circumstances which have shaped our ministries, that have caused us to react, or act, too take many paths. Some have experienced deep heartache, others have had extreme working environments, a number have been fired or dismissed, all have been hurt. 

I want to remind you that you stand in a long line of godly men. Not perfect, but perfected in Christ. From Peter and Paul, to Batsell and Bill. These men are your brothers. They are your brothers in experience, in good and challenging times, in personal and public struggles. They too have faced the continuance of Sundays and the weight of the pulpit. They have had their own Diotrephes and Alexanders. They have experienced the desertion of a Demas. And, they have loved the Lord and His church more than revenge or than their own way. 

Yes, now and then we’ll all hear a story of meltdown but if it was the norm it would not make the news. You serve alongside some of God’s Best. Encourage them and let them encourage you. Seek to see, to believe, and to trust the best in them. They will help you go forward when you think you can’t. They will aid you in continuing. They will build you up when you want to quit. Don’t quit - encourage.

May the Lord send many a Tychicus and Onesiphorus your way: “Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord,” “May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me” (Colossians 4:7; 2 Timothy 1:16).