PRO-CON

The Need for Loyal Servants in Diverse Communities

            You might be amazed to find out that I haven’t always been a Christian☺  I vividly remember about thirty-years ago walking down a street with a few of my buddies when we made eye contact with some young men who lived on the other side of the highway.  Both groups mutually didn’t like each other.  Before you know it the group that I was with was running away at breakneck pace and we found ourselves being pursued.  I can still clearly remember our ring leader glancing at us after we had been running for about a minute and saying, “What are we running from?”  This pertinent question motivated us to stop running.  It didn’t take long for the pursuing group to catch up to us.   Everyone was now panting and the two parties were exchanging glaring stares.  The two alpha males (one from each group) were holding onto the shirt of the other.  Then without a word we went our separate ways.

            It grieves me to write that I have seen a pattern of flight from pastors and congregations who find themselves in an ethnically changing landscape.  The question that I would like to pose to you is this:  What are we running from?  I am a Caucasian minister and it has been my privilege the last fourteen years to shepherd a flock of people just outside of Washington, D.C. in a community that is now seventy-five percent African American.  I would like to share with you what God has taught me from His eternal Word concerning standing where God has placed you.

            Let’s journey together to the distant land of Israel about three thousand years ago.  King David is now very old and comments about God’s faithfulness to him in spite of his lack of faithfulness to God.  2 Sam. 23:5 says, “Although my house is not so with God, yet He has made with me an everlasting covenant.”  David praises God for His steadfast loyalty to him.  Next, David gives an account of the men who were tenaciously loyal to him.  We will learn three valuable lessons about being loyal to God where He has stationed us.

            First we will see that loyal servants are willing to stand alone.  2 Sam. 23:8-12 gives the exploits of three of David’s men of valor.  These three warriors were willing to stand alone knowing that they were vastly outnumbered by the enemy.  The second name given in this list is Eleazar.  His name means God is my helper.  Well, God had to be His helper because 2 Sam. 23:9 says, “and the men of Israel had retreated.”  In other words, Eleazar was all alone.  He was undaunted and stayed his ground to the extent that his sword stuck to his hand in battle.  Eleazar experienced the meaning of his name because the text says, “The Lord brought about a great victory that day.”

            I believe that the church of Jesus Christ would experience more victories if its servants were willing to stand alone when necessary.  It was a cool evening just last October (2004).  I had just finished a counseling appointment and was looking forward to the next thing on my schedule, a Bible study with Jeff and Diana.  This precious African-American couple has been such a blessing to me.  They not only have a passion to know God’s Word but also actively serve their community.  At that moment a young man came to my study door and said that the Mayor needed to see me outside a.s.a.p.  Actually, Diana is the Mayor of the town where I minister.

            I made a beeline to the front door to see the Mayor.  I’ll never forget what I saw when I opened the front door.  There were two large groups of people on both sides of the street fiercely staring at each other while hurling expletives.  The Mayor was right in the middle of them trying to mediate the situation.  As I was walking briskly to join Diana I was immensely aware that the insults could quickly escalate to violence.  The police had already been called but much to our chagrin they would not arrive for another forty minutes.  We were told later by the police Lieutenant that they couldn’t immediate come to the scene because they had a tip that a local gang had plans to kill police officers by staging a fight and then turning on the police.  The police didn’t come until they had plenty of backup.

            Well, this pastor was never more proud of one of his parishioners.  Diana lovingly and convincingly worked to deescalate the situation until the police had come.  She demonstrated that loyal servants are willing to stand alone.  After the event we went back into my study and prayed that God would remove the people within our town who were instrumental in bringing this activity into our municipality.  I am glad to report that within one week God answered our prayer and the culprits were removed from our town.

            This event cemented an already strong relationship between the Mayor and me.  We both knew that at any moment we could be in the midst of a cross fire.  God graciously protected us and I’ve grown to appreciate what difference a loyal servant of Jesus Christ can make upon a community when they are willing to stand alone.

            The second point to be derived from 2 Sam. 23 is that loyal servants are willing to sacrificially serve their leader.  2 Sam. 23:13-17 refers to a period of David’s life when he was not able to reside in his beloved Bethlehem because of Philistine occupation.  Our text tells us that David longed for a drink of water from the well in Bethlehem.  David’s desire should not be a surprise to us because he just longed to be home to enjoy the normalities of life, and secondly, it is harvest time (v. 13) which means it is summertime when one would desire to have their thirst quenched.

            David could have never imagined that these three unnamed soldiers would risk their necks to fulfill such a simple desire of their king.  These loyal servants broke through the camp of the Philistines and returned with a cup of water.  The king was so overwhelmed by the sacrificial service of these servants that he poured out the water as a drink offering to God.

            The church of Jesus Christ needs these kinds of servants.  Paul commended two such servants in Rom. 16:3-4 where he writes, “Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their own necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles.”  Can you imagine the impact that we could have on the world if we had churches full of people who sacrificially serve their leader?

            It was after an evening service a couple of years ago when we had some gang activity in front of our church building.  Some of our church youth ran out on the front porch to observe the prospective meleé.  I was in the basement of the building and noticed that our youth were in harms way.  I quickly walked up the basement steps (I didn’t even have enough time to have the young people go inside) and immediately walked in front of our young people hoping to put a buffer between them and the activity.  I tried looking nonchalant and unconcerned as I leaned against the fence by the front sidewalk.

            Matt who is a dear brother in Christ and a deacon saw that I was in a precarious position.  As long as I live I will never forget that he came and stood next to me.  Right then one of those involved in the ruckus who had been cursing and loudly shouting blasphemies came and walked slowly in front of us.  Honestly, I thought he was going to take a poke at us.  Again, by the grace of God all the aggressors left.

            David and Paul were blessed with loyal servants.  We are also blessed when we have loyal servants around us as well as when we are loyal servants to our King.  Our God honors authority (since He created it) and we should strive to sacrificially serve those who are over us in the Lord.

            David shows us from 2 Sam. 23:18-23 our third point: Loyal servants will be honored.   Abishai is credited with killing three hundred men in one encounter and Benaiah is reported to have defeated a war hero from Moab.  Both men risked life and limb to serve their king.  Both men are honored and won a name for their loyalty to their king.

            God delights to honor loyal servants.  These choice servants are a rare find.  Prov. 20:6 asks a question worth pondering, “who can find a faithful man?”  God is searching for such faithful and loyal servants.  2 Chron. 16:9 says, “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.”

            How can we demonstrate loyalty to God and those He has placed over us in the Lord?  First, we need to come to grips with the truth that our Lord Jesus Christ has bought us with His precious blood and that we should glorify God with our entire being (1 Cor. 6:19-20).  Next, we should present ourselves to Him as a living sacrifice (Rom. 12:1-2). 

            After we have dedicated ourselves to the Lord we must purpose to be loyal to those God has put in leadership over us.  I will never forget the e-mail that Dave, my precious and loyal brother in Christ, sent to me in the midst of a trial I was experiencing.  It was a note of encouragement along with the Scripture reference Ex. 17:12.  I remember weeping like a baby when I read this verse because it testified to Aaron and Hur supporting Moses their leader when he was fatigued both spiritually and physically.  Dave was writing to let me know of his unwavering support to me.  I am so thankful for loyal servants who have held up my arms when I felt like quitting.

            In summation I would like to ask you, what are you running from?  Remember, God will honor loyal servants who are willing to stand alone and sacrificially serve their leader.  By the grace of God I have chosen to remain faithful to the post that my Commander-In-Chief has entrusted to me.  I have witnessed Christ’s ability to build a diverse church where I’ve been stationed.  He is able to do the same for you.