July 16, 2024
There is a sense in which Christians withdraw from Christian service and ministry long before they actually retire from their paid business or professional life. For centuries, the “church” has been divided between the clergy and the laity. The clergy became the professional Christian ministers responsible for the most important spiritual duties. However, the early Christian Church did not have such clear distinctions.
All true believers are priests, not just one tribe as in ancient Israel. The gifts of the Spirit were given to the saints for building up the body. In the early Church, groups were small and each member was a decision maker and a clergy, unlike in today’s institutional church. Currently, the clergy and the governing Church Board make most decisions and oversee operations.
In early churches, there were no paid staff and no building mortgages. Today, we pay others to do the work of the ministry for us, much like we support missionaries in other lands. This has created a situation where most Christians are passive spectators rather than active participants. In the early church, most everyone was an active participant, guided by the gifting and calling of the Holy Ghost.
Given that history, it should come as no surprise that when Christians actually retire and stop working, they are neither ready nor equipped to enter into ministry. Instead, many simply play around and waste the rest of their lives. They may travel a lot, play golf, develop hobbies, sit around, visit friends and family, and do very little to advance the kingdom of God. They have never thought of themselves as part of the clergy and the ministry team of Christ. It is a very unfortunate situation because everyone is shortchanged.
In Luke 12, Jesus tells the parable of a rich man whose land produced abundantly. He decided that he needed to enlarge his barns to store all his produce. “And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” Luke 12:19-21.
This parable cuts deep because this is the American dream. Most Americans picture themselves someday being in the same position as the rich man in this parable. What this rich man treasured and worked for was when he was in a financial position where he could “take thine ease, eat, drink and be merry.” Is that not the American dream: to stop working (take thine ease) and eat, drink, and be merry?
The rich man in the parable was not rich toward God and the things of God, but very generous with himself. He didn’t think about how he might help others and advance the kingdom of God, but only about his ease, pleasure, and happiness. God said to this fool, This night your soul shall be required of you.
Christian retirement often resembles the parable of the rich man who is not rich toward God. I am sure there are more reasons for this unfortunate situation than the two I just mentioned. The divide between the laity and the clergy has contributed to this problem, where most Christians do not see themselves as priests or part of the clergy, as the Bible teaches. Add to that the idea of the American dream, which we are constantly encouraged to pursue, and it is little wonder that many Christians think retirement is about, “taking their ease, eating, drinking, and being merry.” God calls that person a fool because they are not rich toward God, only themselves.
Obviously, there is a place for rest and recreation in retirement, just as there is when one is working full time. But if retirement is solely about our own ease, entertainment, and comfort, then we are valuing something that will not ultimately benefit us. In this parable, Jesus encourages the rich to give away their wealth so they can store up treasures in heaven, where robbers, rust, and moths cannot steal or destroy.
Before I retired, someone asked me if I wanted to earn more money after I finished working full time. I told him I had enough money, and he looked at me as if I were crazy. How can anyone have enough money? He asked if I was independently wealthy, and I said no. I also asked him, “How much money do we truly need?” Many people, including Christians, significantly overestimate the amount of money they believe they must have. If your retirement plans and bucket list include traveling the world, visiting expensive attractions and amusements, and living a life of luxury and comfort, then you might need more money. You may think you need to build bigger and better barns, just like the rich man in the parable.
Based on my understanding of the Word of God, I have never embraced the American dream of retirement. It has always been my plan to go wherever God sends me and do whatever He guides me to do today. Now that I am no longer bound to serve my employer, I can serve God full time through direct ministry. Stopping work has never appealed to me; I simply want to work directly for God now that I have left my professional job. The needs are immense and time is limited. The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. God’s children must be about our Father’s business. For the Christian, retirement is just a different field of service—a new opportunity to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Someday, all of us will be permanently retired from this life. Maybe we should prepare for the next life? I hope we will have plenty to do then. How about you?
