The Destitution Of Service

. . . though the more abundantly I love you, the less I am loved —2 Corinthians 12:15

Natural human love expects something in return. But Paul is saying, “It doesn’t really matter to me whether you love me or not. I am willing to be completely destitute anyway; willing to be poverty-stricken, not just for your sakes, but also that I may be able to get you to God.” “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor . . .” (2 Corinthians 8:9). And Paul’s idea of service was the same as our Lord’s. He did not care how high the cost was to himself— he would gladly pay it. It was a joyful thing to Paul.

The institutional church’s idea of a servant of God is not at all like Jesus Christ’s idea. His idea is that we serve Him by being the servants of others. Jesus Christ actually “out-socialized” the socialists. He said that in His kingdom the greatest one would be the servant of all (see Matthew 23:11). The real test of a saint is not one’s willingness to preach the gospel, but one’s willingness to do something like washing the disciples’ feet— that is, being willing to do those things that seem unimportant in human estimation but count as everything to God. It was Paul’s delight to spend his life for God’s interests in other people, and he did not care what it cost. But before we will serve, we stop to ponder our personal and financial concerns— “What if God wants me to go over there? And what about my salary? What is the climate like there? Who will take care of me? A person must consider all these things.” All that is an indication that we have reservations about serving God. But the apostle Paul had no conditions or reservations. Paul focused his life on Jesus Christ’s idea of a New Testament saint; that is, not one who merely proclaims the gospel, but one who becomes broken bread and poured-out wine in the hands of Jesus Christ for the sake of others.

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傾盡的事奉

難道我越發愛你們，就越發少得你們愛麼？ （林後十二15）

天然得愛是期望回報的，但保羅卻說：[我不管你愛不愛我，我甘願竭盡一切犧牲自己，不單是為你的緣故，更是要把你帶到神那裡。 ][你們知道主耶穌基督的恩典，他本來富足，卻為你們成了貧窮。 ]保羅事奉的觀念正是：[不管我怎樣竭盡心力，也是甘心情願的。 ]對保羅來說，這是一件樂事。

神的工人要傳道這觀念，並不是耶穌基督的觀念。他的觀念是要我們藉著服役人而事奉他。耶穌基督的思想比社會主義者更富於社會主義的色彩。他說在他的國里，最大的要作眾人的僕人。作聖徒真正的考驗不在傳講福音，乃在洗門徒的腳，就是做那些在人眼光中無足輕重的事，在神看來卻是非常重要。保羅樂意為神的緣故，不計算代價地耗盡一切為人。但我們會把經濟問題帶過來——[假如神要我到那裡，薪金怎樣？氣候怎樣？福利怎樣？ ]人總要考慮這些的。這一切表示我們事奉神仍有保留：而使徒保羅卻毫無保留。主耶穌對新約聖徒的觀念，保羅都集中在自己的生活中；他不但傳播福音，更為別人成為擘開的餅、倒出來的酒。

祈禱◆噢，主啊，求你今天使那導致我們在你的事奉中軟弱無力的自我意識，永遠消失，這樣，我們所知道的，便只有耶穌。