ministry scum

To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things.

1 Corinthians 4:11-13

This ministry lifestyle description is what Paul gave to the Corinthian church as he took them to task for their divisiveness over the ministry of the apostles. They had chosen favorites among Christian leaders. They had “celebritized” the preachers of the gospel and had begun to fight amongst themselves over which apostle they favored and followed. But Paul is purposefully removing the false glamour they had built up around the apostles. He explains to them how hard leaders actually must work... that the cost of ministry is paid in extreme hardship.

I love ministry, but there is not really glamour in it. I love preaching and teaching but it is VERY hard work. Most people think that a 30 minute Sunday sermon must be easy work when you can get it, but they don’t realize the week’s worth of preparation and refining that got the message in a form where at least a few people will stay awake to listen to it. People love it when ministers drop everything to be with them during difficult times, but may not realize the family and personal sacrifices that were made to do so. Christians expect more from their leaders than is often humanly possible. Many don’t realize that ministry leaders usually put in a 50 to 60 hour week ROUTINELY. The pressure can be intense.

And then the world outside the church has little to no respect for the work of ministers. Every financial and moral scandal in Christian ministry makes suspicion grow that church work is just scam artistry. Every gross prosperity preacher bragging about his private jet makes every other hard working preacher suffer and leads the work of the gospel to be even more reviled. Authentic ministry is hard to find, and when you do find it, it will be suffering from two extreme judgments: There will be expectations that are too high from those within the church and there will be opinions that are too low from outside the church. Yet we must, like Paul, still bless... still endure.... and still call out to God.