Motivated by good reasons

No one is immune to it. Everyone who takes on a ministry or a task in the Church appreciates some kind of gratitude or recognition. But when positive reactions fail to materialise, the only true motivation becomes apparent.

The role model is Hezekiah. He was regarded as a good king for Judah: he wanted to put things in order, have a good relationship with God, please God, and proclaim His will. He called on the people to return to God and gathered the scattered tribes and made efforts to restore true worship. He repaired and cleaned the temple so that it could be used properly again. And he stood up for those who had not sanctified themselves sufficiently.

Above all, however: “And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, in the law and in the commandment, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart. So he prospered.” This passage from 2 Chronicles 31: 21 was the basis of a divine service for ministers in Buenos Aires in Argentina at the end of March.

“This is a nice description of our mission in God’s work,” Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider said and went on to explain the tasks.

• First, we must know the will of God and understand it correctly in order to proclaim and teach it properly. And that is an ongoing task, a never-ending task.
• Secondly, we must show people that the only true and comprehensive solution for all problems is Jesus Christ, His sacrifice, His teaching, and His return.
• And then we also want to make sure that the Church can function. Our mission has been given to us by Jesus. And this mission consists of making salvation and eternal life accessible and helping believers to follow Christ and be saved through Him.
• Our mission also includes building unity in Christ. We don’t need to sing the same hymns or dress the same all over the world. “It is not about following the same rules. It is about following the same Master,” the Chief Apostle said.
• “We know that no one deserves salvation. We all need grace. And that is why we pray, ‘Please God, have mercy on all of us. Be merciful to me and my neighbour.’”

“It is important that we do it as the king did it: with a pure heart,” the Chief Apostle emphasised.

• All of us, beginning with me, must make sure that we do not serve the Lord to be admired or to achieve a certain power or status. We serve the Lord only for His sake, not for our own.
• Our motivation cannot be to get more than others. The crown is eternal life, eternal fellowship with God. What more is there to have?
• Our motivation is that we want to be like Christ. And the more the nature of Christ develops in us, the more we want to serve as Christ served.
• It is so easy to tell others what they should do. But if we are sincere, we should really be the first to practise what we preach and teach.
• Let us be an example when it comes to trusting in God, no matter what happens in our lives, in the church, or in the world. “He loves us and will save us,” the Chief Apostle said.

If we do that God will grant us success, the Chief Apostle said. However, “you cannot measure this success with attendance figures of divine services, offerings, or membership …” Rather, “God will complete the work He has begun in us. That is our hope, that is the success we are waiting for,” Chief Apostle Schneider emphasised. “God will complete His work, no matter what happens on earth, in the Church and outside the Church. He promised it, and He will do it.”