Private Service

Some brothers and sisters feel they have little to offer in the way of service.

Public speaking is the most visible service in the ecclesia. The sisters don’t participate in this, and some brothers don’t either. But if all the body were a mouth, where would be the seeing, and the smelling and the other myriad of functions? (In fact, it’s entirely possible the body would be better off with less mouth than it has.)

Most of us recognize that there’s plenty of service besides public speaking. There’s much to be done: cooking for a meal of fellowship, cleaning or repairing the ecclesial building, advertising for a public effort. And there’s the continual need for counseling, comforting, building up our brothers and sisters. There’s no lack of work to do!

But there are some brothers and sisters who can’t do any of this. They live too far away; they have a physical disability (perhaps due to age); they are just too painfully shy. What of these?

There are two great works of private service which I believe are greatly needed in our community.

One is letter writing. We are supposed to exhort one another every day; but the fact is that we are very busy and too often we don’t get around to it. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t enjoy getting a letter. It doesn’t have to contain deep exposition or a pointed exhortation. Just a note of brotherly or sisterly friendship will do wonders for the recipient.

To whom can we write? Brothers and sisters in isolation or the mission field, the elderly, the sick, someone who seems to have no close friends in the ecclesia. We can write those who don’t seem to make it to meeting very often–not a reprimand. We don’t need to even mention the absence, just let them know they are loved. And we can write young people — building a relationship with them and encouraging them through some difficult years.

How do you start? How about this: “Some brother wrote in a magazine that I should start writing letters. So here I am.”

The second service, which can be performed even if you aren’t able to write, is prayer. There is so much need for prayer. As a community I think we often do a poor job of it. We are supposed to pray for the governing authorities. Do we? We are supposed to pray for the sick–both physically and spiritually. We should be giving praise and thanksgiving. We should, more than anything, be pleading for the return of our Lord.

Both Daniel and Nehemiah prayed on behalf of their people, without any­one giving them permission. They took on themselves to confess the sins of their people. We could probably use some of that, too.