I REMEMBER…
THE CONCERN FOR THE FLOCK OF CHRIST
“But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children: So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us. For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail: for labouring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God. Ye are witnesses, and God also, how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe” (1 Thess. 2:7-10 KJV).
When I remember the late Rev S.K Beckley, I remember a strong commitment to the care of the flock over which our God made you overseer. There is no extent to which you couldn’t go to help the flock of Christ under your care by prayerful intercession, financial, moral and emotional support. You could not stand to see any of your church members being cheated, oppressed or molested. You always took their battles as your battles; their burdens as your burden; their enemies as your enemies. Many of those who followed you could even choose to dare some things apparently beyond their spiritual abilities out of the confident assurance that they have a father in faith as a sure back-up-someone who would plead their cause when matters arise. On several occasions you have practically laid down your life for the fold of God over whom the Holy Ghost made you overseer.
To you nothing is too special or precious that cannot be offered to God and His people. Your home is ever opened night and day to receive visitors irrespective of age and status. Your cars were never too neat and precious to carry people-especially villagers.
Your love for children is amazing. Amidst your very busy schedule, you still had time to play with and entertain questions from children. Like the “shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night”; many nights there were of long standing and watching in prayers while the flocks were sleeping, countless days of fasting and going hungry in order for the flock to be fed. You denied yourself many years of the luxury of city life just to be closer to the flock of Christ over which God made you overseer.
For many years you turned down many entreaties to relocate to your building site in the capital city of Abeokuta. Like Moses in the land of Egypt, you preferred to suffer affliction with the people of God than the enjoyment of the city life. You denied yourself of the comfort of a life of ease in order to touch lives. You gave a new definition to the call of God and Christian ministry different from what many today have defined it to be. As a father cherishes his children, you would travel a long distance journey to visit your sons and daughters in faith who relocated from the church vicinities as a result of job, school admission or marriage; it was your passionate desire to see your children attain pinnacle of success in their fields of endeavour. You were not the kind of the anointed but not accessible species of Christian ministers. You were a fruitful and accessible servant of God.
There are different kinds of fruit-bearing trees as defined by fruitfulness and stature: some trees are fruitful but of no use to humanity. Some others are fruitful, but at the same time very tall and inaccessible to people. Yet, there are still others who are fruitful and very accessible to people. This last category of trees bear on them the scars of accessibility as men sometimes throw stone and stick to access their fruits. And because they desire to maintain the status of “fruitful and accessible”, they have no choice than to bear the pain and the agony that go along with being fruitful and accessible. Like Jesus Christ, the captain of our salvation, in order for Him to be relevant to every need of humanity and be the merciful high priest; had to be tempted in every way. The Late Rev. Samuel Kayode Beckley was a fruitful and accessible tree of life. Having loved those over whom God made him overseer, he loved them unto the end. What a heart you carry! A heart for God and for His people! You will remain written in every heart that has been touched by your loving care!
Paul the apostles lamented the acute lack of shepherd without the caring heart in his epistle to the Philippian believers: “For I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s.” Paul was in pain when he had not heard of them for a good while, and therefore would send Timothy to enquire, and bring him an account of their state. It is the duty of ministers to care for the state of their people and be concerned for their welfare. Seeking our own interest to the neglect of Jesus Christ is a very great sin, and very common today among Christians and Christian ministers. Many prefer their own credit, ease, and safety, before truth, holiness, and duty; the things of their own pleasure and reputation before the things of Christ’s kingdom. Many have made themselves rich at the expense of the flock of Christ. “Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard, they have trodden my portion under foot, they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness. They have made it desolate, and being desolate it mourneth unto me; the whole land is made desolate, because no man layeth it to heart” (Jeremiah 12:10-11).
May the Lord hasten His Word to perform by giving us pastors after His own heart.
The tributes continues, watch out for the next episode…
