(Further reflections on “AAA Membership”—Sunday 14-Nov-2021)
Everyone is naturally born to be a ‘boss’. Our sinful human nature agrees with it. Our cultures promote it. Societies accept it. Our ancestor, Adam and Eve, did it. So here we are, wanting to be the boss of life (at least). And no one in his/her human unredeemed mind answers, ‘I want to be a servant of God’ to the question, ‘Who would you want to be in the future?’ This does not mean that we have to be doing the same job or having the same vocation or everyone must be missionaries or pastors or to do some sort of ministry in or outside church. This simply means, regardless of our vocations, the attitude we all need to have is servanthood.
Have you experienced that certain relationships we have with others or even with the Lord our God has been staying ‘flat’ and has not been reaching a new ‘altitude’? It is perhaps that our attitude is not in a right place and this cripples our aptitude. Now let’s see how we can practically apply ‘AAA Membership’ (Romans 16:1-16) in the following scenarios.
Scenario #1. Being misunderstood or mistreated at home
Before ‘launching your word-missiles” to one another, pause (try your best—I know it’s hard sometimes) and ask, ‘Am I having a servanthood attitude toward to my family’? If ‘no’, then retreat and abort “the missiles’ from being launched (this is also very challenging). If ‘yes’, then ask yourself this, ‘How can I collaborate with my family to make our home a Christ-centered loving, joyful, and peaceful place’? If you don’t know how, then make time and sit down with your family member and exchange thoughts, feelings, and ideas how you guys can co-work together to reach a new altitude in your relationship.
Scenario #2. Working with a difficult boss/colleagues/customers/suppliers
When this happens, ask yourself, Why are you working here? Are you here to serve the Lord through your vocation/profession? Or you are here, though joyless, because you are trying to make ends meet. Regardless of your position in a company, you are, biblically speaking, a servant of Jesus Christ whom you call, Lord/Master. People (non-Christians) generally (if/when they know we are Christians) tend to challenge/test our character more than our caliber. When we get the job done as expected, we may or may not get noticed. But when our character is shown, people instantly notice it. This is when we need to remind ourselves that we are servants of the Lord regardless of our position at work. Servants have no right, but to be right with the Lord. Generally speaking, people (non-Christians) tend to like people who are humble or lower than themselves. They naturally want to support colleagues/staff that express genuine humility. Your aptitude is no longer based on your personal caliber, but collaborative outputs (assuming the working environment is not overly hostile or toxic). Let your character shine brighter than your caliber and watch your relationship climb to a new altitude. Don’t forget to pray!
Scenario #3. Getting along with people in the church
Some like small ship. Others like big ship. But if anyone does not like to fellowship, chances are high that they will either ‘ship’ themselves or be 'shipped' away from the church. This is a ‘bittersweet’ reality (maybe unpleasant). Whether we like it or not, sooner or later we will (un/intentionally) offend one another. It is inevitable. We cannot prevent but ‘circumvent’ it by having a right attitude, that is, servanthood. Whenever you are upset or hurt, think not of who you are as a person, but think of who you are in Christ as a member of His Body—the church. Ask yourself, what has triggered you? Self-importance? Self-worth? Self-image? Selfishness? Self-centeredness? Or something "self-else"? Now try to replace the ‘self’ with Christ/Body, then you will begin to see a clearer and more beautiful picture. Christ-importance; Jesus-worth; God-image; Body(of Christ)fitness? Jesus-centered; and so much more. You got the idea. Alright, you may say, ‘I can try to get along with church members’. But how about with the pastor? That’s a very good question and it deserves a good answer. Ready? Matthew 7:12! Our attitude matters. It gives rise to our aptitude which scales us up to a new altitude in our relationship with the Lord and others. And when the ‘As’ come together, it is going to be a magnitude of a difference for His kingdom!
May each of us, by His grace, love, and mercy, be an ‘AAA’ member in this church.
Amen. —
Pastor Lap
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