Even though we are speaking this way, dearly loved friends, in your case we are confident of things that are better and that pertain to salvation. For God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you demonstrated for his name by serving the saints—and by continuing to serve them. Now we desire each of you to demonstrate the same diligence for the full assurance of your hope until the end, so that you won’t become lazy but will be imitators of those who inherit the promises through faith and perseverance. (6:9-12)
From the time that God saved me, He gave me a heart for evangelism. I heard the gospel through Campus Crusade in college and learned to share my faith soon after. I hung out with a group of guys who were soul winners and they also spurred me on in that regard. Even in full-time ministry, I have served as an Evangelist, Pastor, and church planting missionary. While sharing the gospel with a lost person is not always easy, and I still get as nervous sometimes today as I did back in 1984, it is one of the things that brings me the most satisfaction and fulfillment in life. 2020 has been an especially hard year for guys like me. COVID-19, lockdowns, and social distancing have made it difficult to rub shoulders with people and it has forced people to be more creative and rethink how they do evangelism.
It is during this frustrating time that the Lord reminds me—“God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you demonstrated for his name by serving the saints—and by continuing to serve them.” Evangelism is super important and it is still something that every believer should be engaged in, even during the craziness of 2020. Yet, Evangelism is not the only way we serve God. When you are used to sharing the gospel often, you can feel a sense of depression and even unfaithfulness if you are not as engaged as usual. But, that is not the only way we serve the Lord. We also serve Him by serving the saints… and continuing to serve them. While I haven’t been able to engage with as many lost people as usual, I have been able to teach and encourage the saints, and obviously, that pleases Jesus as well.
How do we serve the saints? We serve them by being who God calls us to be, with whomever we are with at that moment. Sometimes we are serving the saints when we are sharing the gospel, because that lost person was chosen by God before the foundation of the world and will become a saint through our gospel witness. Sometimes we are serving the saints by discipling those who are new believers or by mentoring those who are growing stronger in ministry. Other times we are serving by caring for those in need, helping the poor, or ministering to the sick. One of the greatest ways we serve the saints (and the lost who might become saints) is through prayer. Prayer is the real work, and it is the most effective thing we can do in a year like 2020—yet often it is the thing we neglect the most. God is not unjust and He is watching. If you are always being who He wants you to be, with whomever you are with, you can know that He notices and He is pleased.
