When people tell the stories of Christian history, they usually tell them through extraordinary people.
Augustine. Luther. Wesley. Richard Allen. Billy Graham. Hudson Taylor. Corrie ten Boom. René Padilla.
Their lives deserve to be remembered. God used each of them in remarkable ways.
Yet, the more I read history, the more convinced I become that Christianity has never been sustained primarily by extraordinary people. It has been sustained by ordinary faithfulness.
Most believers throughout history never wrote a book.
They never preached to thousands.
They never founded universities or planted movements.
Most quietly loved their families.
Served their churches.
Worked honest jobs.
Prayed when no one was watching.
Opened their homes.
Raised children to know Christ.
Gave generously.
Shared the Gospel with neighbors.
Showed and served up week after week.
Generation after generation.
The Kingdom of God has always grown through people whose names history never recorded.
Over the past several weeks I have visited world-famous cities and historic places that attract millions of visitors every year. People travel from every corner of the globe to stand where famous leaders once stood.
Those places remind us that history is real.
But do you know what else is real?
The pastor faithfully serving a local congregation.
The grandmother praying quietly in a church.
The serve-team member welcoming guests with genuine kindness.
The student trying to understand scripture more deeply.
The family gathering around a meal.
Our culture teaches us to think in terms of influence.
- How many followers?
- How many views?
- How many people attended?
- How much “impact” did we make?
Scripture often asks a different question: Were you faithful?
Jesus frequently pointed His disciples toward faithfulness rather than visibility.
In the Parable of the Talents, the master’s commendation was not, “Well done, famous servant.” It was, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Faithfulness.
Not recognition. Not popularity. Not applause.
Faithfulness.
I sometimes wonder whether we unintentionally overlook these kinds of faithfulness because they seem too ordinary.
Never forget the Christian life is lived mostly on Tuesdays.
Not mountaintops.
Not conferences.
Not commencement stages.
Most discipleship happens in routines.
In habits.
In quiet obedience.
In choosing, day after day, to love God and love our neighbor.
Perhaps that is why Paul encouraged believers not to grow weary in doing good.
As I look back over the places I have visited so far this year, I am grateful for the great landmarks, but I am even more grateful for the everyday believers I have met along the way.
They reminded me that the Church has never depended on celebrities.
It has always depended on countless faithful men and women who quietly chose obedience over recognition.
Most of us will never have our names recorded in history books.
That is perfectly alright.
If, at the end of our lives, we hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” nothing else will matter nearly as much.
Dr. Carlo A. Serrano, President