Risking the possibility of your thinking that I only read Mike Mason, I am going to offer another quote from his book, The Gospel According to Job. I think it will strike a chord in your heart, one that will play a melody you might not have heard before.
Who is the most important person in a church? Is it the head of the denomination? Is it the local pastor? Is it the person who is most filled with the Holy Spirit? Or how about one of those hard-working deacons, the one who somehow has a hand in everything and without whose tireless service the whole church would (or so it seems) collapse? Or perhaps the most important person is that unassuming angel of mercy whose humble but towering faith is known to the Lord alone? Or what about the prayer-warrior? Isn’t there always one saint who seems more ardently and joyfully committed to prayer than all the rest of the church combined? Is he or she the most important? But no. Oddly enough the answer is none of the above. Rather the answer is this: the most important person in the church is the one who is suffering (p. 211).
The most important person in the church is the one who is suffering. How have we missed this? Maybe you haven’t, but I am convinced that most have. When you think about it, it becomes quite obvious that this is very true. Suppose you are nailing a nail in a board and accidentally hit your thumb nail. Which part of your body becomes the most important? That is a no-brainer! Your thumb! I am confident that the part of your physical body that is suffering is the most important part of it, and that will continue until another part suffers more.
Now, I pose a question: Suppose your brain treated your suffering thumb the same way you treat those who are suffering around you? I can hear it now: “Oh, there is nothing wrong with your thumb. Stop whining!” or “Oh, you just want attention!”
Mason said this: For all the talk of ministering to the needy, when faced with suffering most have a highly developed facility for passing by on the other side.
I think this is, especially, true for those of us who call ourselves “Christians.” What is your opinion?
"This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent" (John 6:29 NASB).
4 comments:
Unfortunately, dear Mac, I believe that Mike is right. Not only have I experienced this from the perspective of one suffering, but my shoes have turned to walk around a "wreck" too often as well. I would do well to think on the statement about the most important person in the church. Thanks for the food for thought.
A beautiful truth. And I like the fact you asked the question, Who is the most important person "in a church?"
In the parable of the sheep and the goats, Jesus said,"The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these "brothers" of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'" Mat 25:40
Sometimes I think we avoid the suffering b/c we are afraid that we will also suffer. We can be so selfish.
I agree that we all suffer and unfortunately the society in which we live seems to view suffering as weakness. It(society) circles like a flock of buzzards just waiting for the moment when the suffering(weak) finally lose the battle and become the feast. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could all admit our suffering without becoming the feast? I wish I could !!!
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