Are we taking care of our shepherds?

“In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.” (1Corinthians 9:14)

There are a lot of poor pastors who scrape by, doing as they feel the Lord leads, but with little or no income. There are others who are salaried. Still others flourish abundantly. I wish to write about the group who is poor for the sake of the gospel.

I had a pastor friend named Cynthia. A remarkable woman, she gave up the excellent prospect of a medical career and instead moved to a foreign country to preach the gospel through discipleship training and church planting.

As a minister, she was allowed to remain in the UK – the aforementioned “foreign country”; she was not permitted to work in a capacity other than as a missionary. She was financially poor, more poor than I ever realized. She had a congregation, but it was small; dedicated, the people were without abundant wealth to share with their shepherd.

Cynthia contracted cancer at age forty-four. I discovered this by way of reading a notice for her funeral. She is now with her beloved Lord, reaping a beautiful reward for a life of faithful sacrifice.

But I wonder: was she meant to be so poor, and if she had more finance would she have eaten better and been healthier? (see programmes – Eat Well – Stay Well with Felicity and Cy)

I wish I’d realized she was in poverty. I wish I’d known she had become sick. I’d like to think I would have been helpful and generous to her, making time for her and offering her support in whatever way she needed. But it was not Pastor Cynthia’s way to ask. I never knew.

When our pastors serve us, do we repay in kind? What our ministers are called to do, are we sure to support? Do we pray, love, give to our pastors as God calls us to do? I’d like to think so, but I’m not certain we do.

Ever since I learned about Cynthia, I seek to keep my eyes and ears open to pastors’ needs. They give of themselves sacrificially, out of love for the Lord and for the sheep. Shall we not do likewise toward them? Surely when we do, the Lord will smile upon our gestures. And the World will know us by our love. (1John 4:12)

Sarah Tun
As shared on Revelation TV