The Law of Love

Our associate pastor of two-years, who by all appearances is a biblical scholar, is scheduled to preach only one Sunday a month. I requested that he be allowed to preach more often and the Chairman of the Elders responded, “After consideration, we do not feel that a change in the preaching schedule is needed.” I’m really not surprised. It’s not unusual for a senior pastor to want to keep the pulpit all to himself. However, the personal needs of the preacher do not supersede the needs of the body. Paul said, “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully” (Ro 12:3-8 NIV).