The relationship between ministers and congregants.

[Acts 28:11-15]

Last Wednesday, October 1st, those who followed the news in Korea were likely shocked to hear about the suicide of a well-known entertainer, Jin-sil Choi. The news of her death, after maintaining her status as a top talent for 20 years, could not have been anything but shocking to many who knew her through TV, newspapers, and other media. This marks another instance of a famous celebrity's suicide within a month, causing not only the entertainment industry but the entire nation to be enveloped in shock. Furthermore, within three days of Jin-sil Choi's suicide, concerns about copycat suicides arose as two more individuals, a 55-year-old woman named Park and a 30-year-old woman from Gang-neung, took their own lives in a similar manner. In response to these incidents, lawmakers Han Na-rae and Dang Ha-na submitted a bill titled ‘Law for Suicide Prevention and Cultivation of a Culture of Respecting Life’ to the National Assembly. The purpose of this proposed law is to establish a legal basis for the active intervention of the state in citizens' suicide attempts. Reports also mention discussions about the introduction of the ‘Jin-sil Choi Law,’ which aims to address baseless insults and malicious comments on the internet, considering the immense suffering Jin-sil Choi experienced due to online harassment (Internet).

Reading these recent news from my home country, I personally found myself contemplating a couple of things: how we, as Christians, should view "suicide," and the phenomenon of online harassment, commonly known as "malicious comments" these days. When thinking about "suicide," I recall a time long ago when a brother approached me, sharing the tragic suicide of his cousin and asking, ‘Pastor, does one go to heaven or hell if they commit suicide?’ Our senior pastor in the church, an elderly figure, occasionally mentioned to us young pastors that if a believer in the church commits suicide, it is considered a failure of pastoral care. Even during the recent denominational assembly in September, there was emphasis on the idea that ‘if you commit suicide, you go to hell.’ Personally, I couldn't provide a clear answer to the brother's question back then. Even now, if someone were to ask me the same question, my response would be that only God knows. However, one thing I can state unequivocally is that "taking one's own life is a sin." The preservation and termination of life are under God's control. God brought us into this world, and in His time, He will take us away. We should not take the life that God has given us into our own hands. Committing suicide is a sin against God. The life God has given to each of us is precious and should not be taken lightly. Apart from "suicide," another issue that came to my mind was "malicious comments" or "hate speech." With the advancement of technology, countless sinful activities are taking place in the digital space, especially on the internet. It has been reported that even after the death of Jin-sil Choi, numerous unspeakable comments appeared online. I have no desire to see how people can write such malicious comments. Reflecting on news articles attributing the responsibility of these malicious comments to the suicides, I contemplated three forms of "evil": hate speech, malicious rumors, and malevolent hearts. While meditating on the Book of Acts, we learned that one of Satan's strategies is spreading "malicious rumors," creating unfounded stories to spread gossip. In recent times, this evil act of spreading unfounded rumors, which used to take a long time to reach a large number of people, can now be done instantly through the internet, particularly by posting malicious comments. It is indeed a frightening world. What is even more frightening is the evil hearts of those who spread such malicious rumors through hate speech on the internet.

The problem is that these malicious intentions and the spread of malicious rumors (gossip) are not uncommon within the church. Particularly, you can observe this phenomenon in churches where internal conflicts escalate, leading to legal battles. Many times, as the church becomes unsettled due to baseless rumors, you witness various incidents escalating to legal disputes, with pastors often at the center. It is not uncommon to see pastors resigning from large churches due to the swelling of rumors about them, even affecting their spouses' health. Recently, I have also seen assistant pastors spreading strange rumors about their lead pastors and leaving the church. It's disheartening to witness how trust and belief have become so challenging within the church. In such an environment, even among ministers, there are instances of causing harm to one another. Witnessing these situations, I ponder on the nature of relationships between ministers and congregants. If ministers themselves are causing harm within the church, one wonders about the state of relationships between ministers and congregants. In the midst of these reflections, I turned to today's passage, Acts 28:11-15, contemplating the nature of relationships between pastors and congregants.

In this passage, after spending three months on the island of Malta (meaning "refuge") with his companions, Paul leaves on a ship called Alexandrian bound for Rome. Along the way, they stop at a place called Puteoli, where Paul spends seven days with the local believers. Subsequently, he meets other believers at Appii Forum and Three Taverns. While meditating on this passage, I considered how relationships between ministers and congregants should be.

Firstly, I pondered how congregants should relate to ministers. The lesson from today's passage emphasizes that congregants should bring comfort to the hearts of ministers.

How can congregants truly comfort ministers? There could be various ways. Among them, I personally believe that one significant way congregants can comfort ministers is by striving for the progress of their own faith. When congregants earnestly read, meditate on, and study God's Word, living a life of obedience by listening to God's voice through His Word, ministers find great comfort. Additionally, other ways for congregants to comfort ministers include praying for them, obeying their teachings, and actively serving in the church. In today's passage, congregants are taught how to comfort ministers—they are encouraged to sincerely welcome and receive ministers. Looking at Acts 28:14, when Paul and his companions stayed in the Italian city of Puteoli for about seven days during their journey to Rome, they were warmly welcomed and hosted by local believers. The believers responded to their invitation and provided them with ample rest, becoming a place of refuge for Paul and his companions. They undoubtedly felt comforted by this hospitality. While on their way to Rome to proclaim the gospel, the Christians in Puteoli opened their hearts and homes, inviting Paul and his companions to stay, offering them rest and hospitality in various ways. When Paul experienced such love from the believers, it must have been a tremendous source of comfort for him. How comforting it must have been to feel this love of God! Indeed, how are you expressing your love to ministers?

If you read the book "The Five Love Languages" by Dr. Gary Chapman, he states, ‘Our most basic emotional needs are met through the love languages,’ and he describes these five love languages as follows (Internet): Words of affirmation, quality time, receiving gifts, physical touch, and acts of service. When the love languages are mismatched, even if two people love each other, they may feel unloved and unsatisfied. After receiving love and hospitality from Christian believers in the region of Boardi, which is about 80 miles from Abbio (about 122 miles from Rome) and beyond Abbio, Paul and his companions arrived in an area known as "Three Taverns," where there were many inns to accommodate travelers (v. 15). At that moment, Paul was strengthened and encouraged in his heart by the Christian believers who had come from Rome to meet him. They had traveled about 40 miles to meet Paul and his companions. When they met, Paul expressed gratitude to God and gained boldness of heart (v. 15).

So, what should the relationships between ministers and congregants be like? Here are a couple of thoughts:

Ministers should be thankful when they think about congregants who comfort their hearts.

Look at Acts 28:15. The Apostle Paul and his companions, referred to as "we," upon seeing the brothers who had come as far as Appii Forum and the Three Taverns, expressed "thanks to God," indicating they were grateful to God. Even in the midst of a great storm with no hope of survival, I am reminded of Paul's actions, giving thanks to God after breaking bread. Despite facing a life-threatening situation due to the decisions of the centurion Julius, who had not heeded Paul's advice, Paul demonstrated gratitude to God and began breaking bread. At that moment, everyone, including Paul and the 275 people on board, felt at ease and partook of the bread (27:35-36). Reflecting on this passage, our ministers should learn the lesson of not complaining or harboring resentment, even if there are disobedient congregants. Whether or not congregants comfort ministers, ministers should, like Paul, show a constant attitude of thanksgiving before all the congregants. This principle is not limited to pastors or evangelists; it applies to pastors' wives as well. Ministry couples should serve with a heart of constant gratitude before all the congregants. In the interactions between ministers and congregants, there should be a spirit of "thanks to God."

Ministers should gain boldness of heart through congregants who comfort their hearts.

In other words, ministers should be able to gain courage from congregants who receive and comfort them with love (Park). If ministers feel weakened and discouraged by congregants rather than gaining strength and courage each time they meet, such encounters may not be beneficial for either party. Paul expressed in a letter to the Christian believers in Rome about three years prior, "I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong—that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith" (Rom. 1:11-12). The apostle Paul, who had written this letter to the Christians in Rome, wanted to be strengthened and encouraged through their faith as they met, despite the considerable distance of about 40 miles that the Roman believers had traveled to meet him. To obtain such strength and courage from congregants, ministers should meditate on God's Word day and night and also teach congregants the Word to meditate on. Therefore, congregants need to listen to God's voice and grow in faith. In doing so, mutual encouragement, strength, and courage can be obtained through each other's faith. I hope that the relationship between ministers and congregants in our community becomes a beautiful one, similar to the relationship between Paul and the Christians in Rome and Appii Forum mentioned in today's passage. May congregants comfort ministers' hearts, and ministers, in turn, gain courage from congregants, resulting in a beautiful relationship that gives thanks to God, glorifies God together, and builds up the church.

Expressing gratitude to our church congregants,

James Kim

(Gaining comfort and boldness)