Bride (6): Lovers vs. Workers

Siew Chiun and I have decided to stay at IHOP – KC for a while, maybe for a few months or maybe for a few years, depending when the Lord has called us to leave. This place is known for the 24-hour prayers, but is also a mission base with over 30 different domestic and international ministries. IHOP – KC staffs are very busy people, busy with prayers and busy with ministries.

One distinct virtue of IHOP – KC is encouraging the staffs to become lovers of God rather than just being workers for the Kingdom. Most of times, the two identities of lovers and workers occur simultaneously and cannot really be differentiated. We need to be both workers and lovers but it is in His love, not in our ministries, we find our identity and security.

In the end, lovers will outrun workers. Workers obey out of duty and out of fear but lovers obey out of affection. Works might fail, circumstances might fail but the love of Christ never fails. Therefore, workers very likely will be burned out through frustrations, failures, sins, relational brokenness and disillusionments while lovers are burned with unquenched and unceasing passions. When failures and sins come along the way, workers will feel condemned and ashamed while lovers will rise up from their failures or sins much faster because their security is based on love, not on their performance.

Knowing Christ, grasping the depth and reality of His love, brought me so much joy in the past few months that sins were much easier to conquer. If we can see and taste the goodness of knowing Christ, then the choice of sins would be like drinking filthy water and eating dirt while pursuing God is like going to Hawaii to vacation by the sea. The decision is easy to make.

I am fascinated to see this group of people who love God so relentlessly and I am contending that for my Chinese brothers and sisters in Christ. I want to see my fellow countrymen to love God passionately so we are exhilarating about God, joyful before His presence and free from all bondages and sins.

There are ways and schools that we can train workers, but how does one teach someone to be lovers? I find myself over and over again in the past leading people to service of the Church, rather than to a holy, abundant life in Jesus. Works could be assigned and even evaluated but how do I know if I am leading people to love?

Only a life in love can inspire others to love. Only the Spirit can reveal the glorious Person of Jesus. I am staying in IHOP-KC so my little world can be overturned. So I can be a message. I am pursuing this in the hope that others may run with me. I am praying that the Spirit of wisdom and revelation will unveil the beauty of Jesus Christ among the Chinese churches. So I don’t know how long we will be here, but I know that walking on water with Jesus is safer than staying in the boat. His Name is like a fragrant perfume, too attractive to resist.