Ajith Fernando was our guest speaker at CMS Summerview Conference here in Tasmania last year (January 2009]. Ajith is a challenging Christian from Sri Lanka with an often prophetic challenge to the Church. In this article I am personally challenged by –

 The Glory of the Gospel – In a world where physical health, appearance, and convenience have gained almost idolatrous prominence, God may be calling Christians to demonstrate the glory of the gospel by being joyful and content while enduring pain and hardship. People who are unfulfilled after pursuing things that do not satisfy may be astonished to see Christians who are joyful and content after depriving themselves for the gospel. This may be a new way to demonstrate the glory of the gospel to this hedonistic culture.

 In this article Ajith presents some challenging thoughts: 

If the apostle Paul knew fatigue, anger, and anxiety in his ministry, what makes us think we can avoid them in ours?

As a leader, I am the bond-servant (doulos) of the people I lead…This means that my schedule is shaped more by their needs that by mine.

Vocational fulfillment in the kingdom of God has a distinct character, different from vocational fulfillment in society. Jesus said, “My food is to the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.”…if we are doing God’s will we are happy and fulfilled.

The model of Christian leadership is that of the Good Shepherd dying for his sheep, not abandoning them when the situation gets dangerous. When God calls us to serve him, he calls us to come and die for the people we serve. We serve….we help…we labor with them.

It is wrong if one gets sick from overwork through drivenness and insecurity. But we may have to endure tiredness when we,…are servants of people.

The New Testament is clear that those who work for Christ will suffer because of their work. Tiredness, stress, and strain may be the cross God calls us to.

 Ajith also writes of the Western Church:

I have a great fear for the church. The West is fast becoming an unreached region. The Bible and history show that suffering is an essential ingredient in reaching unreached people. The church in the East is growing, and because of that God’s servants are suffering.

So we need to stop and ponder:

• Are we stressed/burnt out/sick because we are driven to be “all things to all people?”
• Or, are we a “suffering servant for the Lord” due to lifestyle choices that are counter cultural in Australia?
• How do we hold together passionate commitment to growing the kingdom of God and stewardship of our health?
• How do we steward our health from the stresses of having the latest ‘got to haves’  in our society?

 Read the rest of Ajith’s article, “To Serve Is to Suffer,” here. The article is from The Global Conversations of ChristianityToday.com.

Read No rest for the holy? as an essential conversation partner to this article.