Xiaoguang, a Christian man in his twenties, has worked for the Lord full-time for almost a year. If going back more than ten years, his actions would have been highly praised in his hometown; but now, he has to face pressure from relatives and friends for his salary, which is not high.
His hometown used to be a prosperous place for the gospel. In his childhood, the elders often cited full-time young church workers as examples for him: "Look, they went to study theology; they came back to their hometown to preach." Back then, it was difficult for a man to marry without studying theology, and it was glorious to marry with a low bride price and wedding cost.
Nowadays, many of God’s servants follow the ways of this world. Some pastors born in the 1980s and 1990s, whom Xiaoguang once admired, left their positions due to life pressures and started making a living in society. Nowadays, when they gather together, they mostly talk about buying houses, children's education, working to earn money, and paying off mortgages. Even the dowries for Christian marriages have aligned with society.
During the Spring Festival, he also worried that others might ask him: How much is your salary? How much money have you saved? How can you earn enough dowry money doing this work? Xiaoguang had thought about these factors many times before embarking on the full-time ministry, and he started serving through prayer before overcoming these concerns.
He felt sorry for the actions of his predecessors, who compromised with the secular world. He could understand that they have family burdens that cannot be avoided, but he believed that they should not lose faith in God and live like others.
When Xiaoguang saw these phenomena, he was not affected but chose to go against the tide. He said, "Because I am very sure that this is the path of promise in my prayers; secondly, I want to live as a witness, letting others see that there are indeed God's abundant blessings in my life."
He used to study vocal music and play the guitar, loving stage performances. He once dreamed of making much money through this to glorify God. After struggling in society for a few years, he longed for a life serving God. Because of his musical gifts, he joined a Christian organization with a music ministry. As time passed, his spiritual life showed progress. After experiencing the grace of serving the Lord, he also hoped that his mother, who had preached before, could rise again to serve the Lord.
During the Spring Festival, he also met with several roommates from the university who evaluated Xiaoguang's life differently from others; they didn't talk about salary or purchasing a house. They felt that Xiaoguang was enjoying life in a good state, which they envied.
During the Spring Festival, he also attended a meeting of small group leaders, pleasantly surprised to find that most of the members were younger than him. They discussed how to assist believers during the Spring Festival holiday.
His story reminds me of a Christian leader in northern Jiangsu who has served the Lord for thirty or forty years. He sighed and said that when he was young, most of God’s servants were men, but now there are very few young Christian gentlemen participating in ministry. He said that they often have to support their families, so they cannot serve in the church full-time. He believes that if the church wants to raise more manpower, it needs to help them solve this real problem.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
二十多岁的小光弟兄全职服侍主快一年了。若是回到十多年前，他的这个举动在家乡会备受称许；而今，他却需要背负着很多压力来面对亲朋好友。
小光的家乡曾是一个福音兴旺的地方。儿时，父辈们常拿全职服侍的年轻人给他当榜样：“看，人家读神学去了；看，他们在做这样的侍奉，回到家里还能够讲道。”那时，弟兄要是没有读神学是很难娶到妻子的，而彩礼、婚礼是以花费的钱少为荣耀神。
如今，很多东西悄然间变得跟社会上一致了。小光曾视为榜样的80、90后传道人，一些迫于生活的压力离开了服侍的岗位，到社会上谋生了。如今，他们聚在一起的时候，聊的大多是买房、孩子上学、打工赚钱、还房贷之类的事情。基督徒结婚的彩礼也基本跟社会对齐了。
春节回家，小光也担心别人问他：你工资是多少啊？你攒了多少钱啊？你这工作不行，赚不够彩礼钱啊……其实，这些因素小光在走上全职服侍道路之前就已经多次思考过了，他是藉着祷告胜过这些后才开始服侍的。
前辈们向世俗妥协的举动令小光弟兄感到惋惜。他可以理解他们有不能不面对的家庭负担，但是他认为不能够丧失对神的信心，生活变得和世人一样。
看到这些现象的时候，小光弟兄没有受到负面的影响，反而选择了逆流而上。他说道：“因为我很确信，这是我祷告中神所应许的路；其次，自己里面想要活出见证，让大家看到在这样的生活中，其实都是神满满的祝福！”
他以前学的是声乐，会弹吉他，热爱舞台表演。他曾梦想着藉此赚大钱，以此来荣耀神。在社会上摸爬滚打几年后，渴望过侍奉神的生活。因着自己有音乐方面的恩赐，他来到了一家主内音乐事工参与服侍。随着时间的流逝，他的属灵生命显出了长进。自己品尝到服侍主的恩典后，他还期盼曾经作过讲道人的母亲可以再次起来服侍主。
春节期间，他还约见了大学时的几位室友。这几位挚友对小光目前生活的评价有别于其他人，他们没有讲工资、买房等事情。他们觉得小光目前的状态很好，是在享受生活，这个是他们非常羡慕的。
春节期间，他还参加了一个小组长的聚会，惊喜地发现参加的成员大多比他还年轻。他们趁着春节假期在商讨着如何在当今的环境下给信徒们提供帮助……
这让我想到，苏北一位两会主席服侍主三四十年，他感慨地说道，他年轻时起来服侍主的大多是男信徒，如今参与服侍的年轻男基督徒很少了。他说因为他们往往要承担更多养家的责任，以致无法全职参与教会的服侍。他认为，教会如果想要兴起更多的男同工，需要帮助他们解决这个现实问题。
他们曾经以“彩礼少”为荣耀神，如今向“世界”看齐了
Xiaoguang, a Christian man in his twenties, has worked for the Lord full-time for almost a year. If going back more than ten years, his actions would have been highly praised in his hometown; but now, he has to face pressure from relatives and friends for his salary, which is not high.
His hometown used to be a prosperous place for the gospel. In his childhood, the elders often cited full-time young church workers as examples for him: "Look, they went to study theology; they came back to their hometown to preach." Back then, it was difficult for a man to marry without studying theology, and it was glorious to marry with a low bride price and wedding cost.
Nowadays, many of God’s servants follow the ways of this world. Some pastors born in the 1980s and 1990s, whom Xiaoguang once admired, left their positions due to life pressures and started making a living in society. Nowadays, when they gather together, they mostly talk about buying houses, children's education, working to earn money, and paying off mortgages. Even the dowries for Christian marriages have aligned with society.
During the Spring Festival, he also worried that others might ask him: How much is your salary? How much money have you saved? How can you earn enough dowry money doing this work? Xiaoguang had thought about these factors many times before embarking on the full-time ministry, and he started serving through prayer before overcoming these concerns.
He felt sorry for the actions of his predecessors, who compromised with the secular world. He could understand that they have family burdens that cannot be avoided, but he believed that they should not lose faith in God and live like others.
When Xiaoguang saw these phenomena, he was not affected but chose to go against the tide. He said, "Because I am very sure that this is the path of promise in my prayers; secondly, I want to live as a witness, letting others see that there are indeed God's abundant blessings in my life."
He used to study vocal music and play the guitar, loving stage performances. He once dreamed of making much money through this to glorify God. After struggling in society for a few years, he longed for a life serving God. Because of his musical gifts, he joined a Christian organization with a music ministry. As time passed, his spiritual life showed progress. After experiencing the grace of serving the Lord, he also hoped that his mother, who had preached before, could rise again to serve the Lord.
During the Spring Festival, he also met with several roommates from the university who evaluated Xiaoguang's life differently from others; they didn't talk about salary or purchasing a house. They felt that Xiaoguang was enjoying life in a good state, which they envied.
During the Spring Festival, he also attended a meeting of small group leaders, pleasantly surprised to find that most of the members were younger than him. They discussed how to assist believers during the Spring Festival holiday.
His story reminds me of a Christian leader in northern Jiangsu who has served the Lord for thirty or forty years. He sighed and said that when he was young, most of God’s servants were men, but now there are very few young Christian gentlemen participating in ministry. He said that they often have to support their families, so they cannot serve in the church full-time. He believes that if the church wants to raise more manpower, it needs to help them solve this real problem.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
Full-Time Ministry Worker Goes Against the Tide Despite Financial Pressure
