They Need You…And…

YOU NEED THEM! It was a joy to visit with a young preacher recently who was telling me about a brother in their congregation who had passed away. The brother had moved into their community not too long ago and started coming to their assemblies on his own. He obeyed the Gospel and became a child of God. He was eager to learn more and more. They began a new Bible study once a week in addition to their other times of worship and study specifically to help the man grow. The church family was grieving because of his passing. I told the preacher that he and the church were a tremendous blessing to this new Christian. He quickly said, “He has blessed our lives more than we blessed him.” While I’m not sure that the brother was a greater blessing to the preacher and the church than they were to him, it is refreshing to see a spirit of humility among men of God, which is rarer than it is common.

People like the gentleman mentioned above desperately need the church and they need their preacher. Our people need their preacher when they have lost someone close to them. They need you when they have just received a critical health diagnosis. They need you when they have questions about scripture and life. They need you when they are struggling in their marriage. They need you when dealing with an adult child who has walked away from the Lord. They need you when they have reason to rejoice. They need you to pray with them and for them. They need you to present the Word of God to them in love. They need you to cry with them and laugh with them. 

And we need them. We need to learn from them about life experiences. We need them to help keep us centered. We need them to help keep us faithful to the Word and the church. We need them to correct us, encourage us, and love us. Yes, brother. Our people need us, and we need them!