David Bahn – Reflections

Ephesians 3:7-8,13

Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power. ⁸ To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ. ¹³ So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.

Any time I have the opportunity to talk with someone about serving as a pastor, I do so with great delight. I consider my calling to be a great privilege and honor. I delight to preach the gospel. I rejoice to lead a staff as senior pastor. I consider – with St. Paul – it a gift of God’s grace to have this particular ministry.

Sometimes the cloth wears very thin in the course of my responsibilities as a pastor. The hours can get long. The interpersonal relationships can become very challenging. The truth of the Gospel can be a heavy burden. The challenges of being faithful loom large. But this is no different from any other calling exercised in the context of integrity and faithfulness to Christ. Promotions can elude those who insist on ethical conduct when pressed to close the deal at the expense of honesty. Office parties can quickly become places of temptation that must be fled if you want to remain faithful to your spouse. Declining an invitation to a business lunch at a particular establishment can put a godly man out of contention for the contract.

But these realities are not a daily grind. Far more frequent are the joys of serving Christ and representing him in our daily calling. It is our greatest honor to represent Christ to the world – no matter what vocation is ours. Any suffering or loss we might experience will be  redeemed by God’s faithfulness and gracious power. We are emissaries of the God who created all things, who has showered his unsearchable riches in Christ upon all people. It is our great privilege – as pastor or parent, minister or office manager – to represent Christ and point people to the God of all grace, wisdom, goodness, faithfulness, and glory.

Ephesians 3:7-13

Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power. ⁸ To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, ⁹ and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, ¹⁰ so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. ¹¹ This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, ¹² in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. ¹³ So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.