Do you agree with Paul's example in 1 Thes. 2:8-9?  Do you agree that good ministry is an investment of content and one's own self?  If so, you understand why it's terribly hard to leave a church.  Hard on the servant; hard on the people.  Indeed, we can see the difficulty in this account of one church that Paul left:

"And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all.  [37] And there was much weeping on the part of all; they embraced Paul and kissed him,  [38] being sorrowful most of all because of the word he had spoken, that they would not see his face again..."  Acts 20:36-38 (ESV)  

      Leaving is hard work.  But that's not the whole story.

      I began this 2-part blog by commenting on the challenge of leaving.  It is hard to leave because of the connections and personal investment.  Still there is another side to the issue that must temper the process as well.  Read with me:

"And coming to us, he took Paul's belt and bound his own feet and hands and said, "Thus says the Holy Spirit, 'This is how the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.' "  [12] When we heard this, we and the people there urged him not to go up to Jerusalem.  [13] Then Paul answered, "What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus."  [14] And since he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, "Let the will of the Lord be done." Acts 21:11-14 

      This situation is one where the Holy Spirit had foretold Paul's trials to a prophet named Agabus.  The word was that Paul would be imprisoned in Jerusalem.  Not only did this mean that he be leaving those loved, served and ministered to, but it also meant that Paul would be going on ahead to endure hardship.  This was too much for the people.  They "urged him" (some translations say: begged/besought/pleaded) with weeping.  What a scene!  Look again at the outcome: "since he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said 'Let the will of the Lord be done.'"

      Amazing! 

      What solid commitment to the mission!  What commitment to God's will and God's ways above even our own!  Paul was not an unemotional man (Acts 20:19, 31; 2 Cor. 2:4; Phil. 3:18; 2 Tim. 1:4) but here's what he did have: a zealous commitment to God's mission over and above everything else! 

      Paul loved the people of God in Thessalonica, those in Caesarea, Corinth and everywhere he ministered.  Still, Paul loved God more and was willing to set aside his ideas of how to honor God in favor of God's ideas of what's best.  I want to be a pastor like that.

      The balancing act requires flexibility, communication and God's power in every situation.  The love of God in my heart for the people we've served is huge.  Likewise, I'm learning to live in a zeal for God's mission.  This is hard!  To be most honoring to Jesus, there must be a deep embrace of the pain of loss.  (No casual nod to the pain will do.)  On the other hand, honoring Jesus must mean that I honor God's sovereign plans as well.  The Scripture teaches that God's plans even involve the specific times and places in which people live.  So, sometimes, God's plans take us away from those into whom we've invested content and self.  At those times...right now, I choose to honor God's mission even above maintaining the relationships we've formed.  I'm so glad that God is big enough to trust, big enough to lean on, big enough to follow.

      How about you?  Have you ever had to choose between esteeming the mission and plans of God or the relationships God's allowed you to form? 

      Have you ever made the wrong choice?  What happens if we choose our way instead of God's ways?

      Do you allow joy and pain to invade your heart and mind or do you keep stuff like that on the surface where it can be easily managed and disposed of?

      Do you prioritize the mission of God in your life on a moment by moment basis?  Or, do you struggle, like me, and find yourself constantly tempted to exalt comfort and personal plans over God's plans?

      Leave a comment so others can benefit from what you're learning too!