MINISTRY OF VISITATION
(Pastoral Visitation)
“Then
they that feared the LORD, spake often one to another
and
the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of
remembrance
was written before him for them that feared
the
LORD, and that thought upon his name.” Mal.3:16
We
praise and thank God for our salvation – an eternal salvation - so rich and
free. No one is able to offer us this salvation except Jesus Christ, the Son of
God who died on the Cross and shed His precious blood to wash our sins away.
Romans
5:8 says “ But God commandeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet
sinners, Christ died for us.”
So,
we are saved. We bear the Name of Christ and we belong to the Family of God. We
are born again and by a new and living way, we fellowship one with another.
This is true as Paul reminded us in Hebrews 10:24, 25 saying “Let us consider
one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the
assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one
another; and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching”.
One
of the good works in the Body of Christ, the Church, is the Ministry of
Visitation. It is a ministry by itself
where both, the one visiting and the one going for the visit, will benefit. It
can never be a one-way affair. We get to know one another more naturally as
brethren in Christ and open up to share our problems. There is mutual trust
between visitors and hosts for we have a common Faith in the One and Living
God.
Where
a visitation is called upon by the church to fulfill, it is not the normal
‘social call’ that the world practices, It is the call of God to visit people
who are in need – mostly the need to fellowship with people of like-minded
faith; the want of God’s Word for strength and encouragement where trusting in
people has shown time and again to fail miserably. There is also the need to
come together in prayer earnestly to the One and Living God because the battle
is not ours for the battle is the Lord’s as we face a formidable foe as in
Eph.6:12 says “For we wrestle not against flesh and bleed, but against
principalities, against powers , against the rulers of the darkness of this
world, against spiritual wickedness in high places”.
Another
aspect of visitation is also the need to encourage brethren who are weak in the
body and who also are in beds of affliction. We all acknowledge that our bodies
are deteriorating by the day, yet by God’s grace & mercy even through
coming together in prayers, God may incline His ears to our cries and heal the
afflicted. James exhort us to “call for
the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in
the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord
shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him:”
- James
Another
call for Church Visitation is the need to share the Word of God. Peter in his
epistle of 1 Peter 3:15 emphasized on the readiness to witness and share the
Word - “But sanctify the Lord God in
your hearts; and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you
a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear”. It is not the sole
duty of the Church Pastor to share but, to every one that has received the
manifold Grace of God should be diligently prepared at short notice to go forth
with testimony & witnessing for Christ. It is the Gospel debt that we need
to pay and Church Visitation is always an opportunity to realize this desire to
the Praise and Glory of His Name. Amen!
Last
but not least, the call to show love and concern for one another is the high
light of the Ministry of Visitation. We take lesson from Paul in Gal. 6: 2
which says “ Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ”.
Be ready; be attentive and be courteous to offer help if you are able to
fulfill the need that has been shared during the fellowship time during the
Visitation. More importantly, prayer is the most essential thing to do during
the visitation. Hearts may be lifted up when we utter a prayer for the hosts
even for the blessings of God to be upon them.
We
thank God that
To
God be the Glory!
If you are encouraged by
this article and would like to join the church in these visitations, please
contact our Pastor, Rev Jack Sin at 91160948 or email our church office at
maranatha.bpc@pacific.net.sg. Thank You
Picture Gallery of Some Past
Pastoral Visitations