Steadfast in heavy swell

What quality does Jesus most desire in his servants? Well, Bill had it in abundance.

This Monday, my good friend and co-worker Bill Evans—in the words of the apostle Paul—fell asleep in the Lord. We will miss him deeply: his humour and loyalty, his kindness and friendship. Over the last few years he showed remarkable resilience in facing significant health challenges.

Bill was extraordinarily fit. An avid cyclist, he played football well into his late seventies and even ran a couple of Coniston 14s with me—that's 14 miles, not kilometres! We also enjoyed holidays together in Majorca and Malaga. I remember one day walking the length of Gibraltar with him in search of the latest accessory for his beloved Mac for he was a devoted Apple user.

As a member of Christ Church, Bill exercised an indispensable ministry through the design and publication of almost everything we produced—church magazines, notices, posters, flyers, whatever. I would simply email him copy and, using his expertise in QuarkXPress, he would transform it into something professional and attractive.

In fact, the last project he completed for me was the publication of my booklet telling the story of the Ministry Centre, Impossible, Difficult, Done. As always, his advice, expertise and attention to detail were invaluable.

Yet what made Bill's ministry so valuable was not simply his skill. It was his reliability.

Most weeks I would send him material knowing that within a few hours he would respond and, usually within the day, the job would be completed or the printer contacted. Wonderfully, Bill was totally dependable.

As a vicar, I learned that what counts most in ministry is not brilliance but reliability—what the Bible calls faithfulness. John Stott, himself renowned for his steadfast service, wrote: "The servant of God must not seek to be impressive, but dependable."

That is why I was always cautious when someone volunteered enthusiastically for a new ministry. Enthusiasm is wonderful, but what happens when the enthusiasm fades—as it inevitably does?   Will they keep turning up, especially  during the World Cup or in wild weather?

Mind you, the most difficult people to manage are not those who are completely unreliable—I could factor that in. The most challenging were those who were usually reliable – usually but not always.

That is, you could usually rely on them doing whatever they were supposed to do – but you couldn’t be absolutely certain. Now and again, you would get a phone call to say that there’s a huge queue around the building because they failed to open up.  Or everyone’s waiting impatiently for they forgot they were speaking.

Reliability is everything, as the apostle Paul knew from experience. So he describes Timothy as "my beloved and faithful child in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 4:17),  Tychicus as "a dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord" (Ephesians 6:21), and Epaphras "a faithful minister of Christ" (Colossians 1:7).

These are not famous names. They were not celebrated preachers or miracle workers. Yet Scripture remembers them for one precious quality: their faithfulness.

Such people do what they say they will do; you can count on them. They persevere when enthusiasm fades. They remain steadfast when circumstances become difficult. As Alistair Begg comments, himself a pastor:  "What God wants from us is not great acts of faith, but faithfulness in the ordinary duties of life."

So Jesus commends: "Well done, good and faithful servant." Notice that he does not say, "Well done, successful servant," or "Well done, gifted servant."   For God measures differently from the world. He is less interested in how much we achieve than in whether we have been faithful with what he has entrusted to us.

Such reliability is not ultimately rooted in us but in God himself.  So Paul writes: "If we are faithless, God remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself" (2 Timothy 2:13).  Faithfulness in his very nature.

Our faithfulness may fluctuate; God's never does. Every act of Christian perseverance rests upon his unwavering faithfulness. Because he keeps his promises, we can keep going. Because he never abandons us, we can remain steadfast.  Great is thy faithfulness!

In fact, the sheer dependability of God as revealed in the Bible is the basis for the modern scientific method – in contrast to the capricious nature of the gods of contemporary religions.  But that is a blog for another Friday. 

And above all stands Jesus Christ, described as "the faithful witness" (Revelation 1:5) and "faithful and true" (Revelation 19:11). He remained faithful to his Father's will all the way to the cross. He is both the model of faithfulness and the source of our strength to be faithful.

Just a few weeks ago, Bill responded to my blog on ageing, particularly the verse: "So we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day" (2 Corinthians 4:16). He texted me: "Excellent blog, Ross. Almost exactly how I'm feeling."

Bill knew that his outward nature was indeed weakening, yet there remained in him a quiet strength, courage and trust in Christ. And this kept his balance in heavy seas.

So we thank God for him, we shall miss him greatly, and we look forward to the day when Bill hears in all their fullness the words of his Saviour: "Well done, good and faithful servant."

I