“They are the faithful plodders of God’s Kingdom.  They love the worship of God and the ministry of His Word.  They work long hours in their spheres of labor, in the home and out of the home and yet make it a priority to come to services of worship and the times of prayer.  They have full schedules, are often weary and yet they come, not to be served, but, like their Master, to serve.  Some of my heroes face crippling diseases and have battled through crushingly dark providences.  I’ve seen them lose their jobs, lose their children, and their spouses.  I’ve seen the cost they pay to simply follow Christ.”

If you were to ask the average Christian to speak of their spiritual heroes it would be common for them to bring forth the names of great pastors, preachers, and missionaries who have served faithfully and well in the Kingdom in the past or present.  They buy the books, listen to the sermons, follow the tweets, and read the biographies of these esteemed men and women.  I want to tell you bit about some of my heroes.  Many of them have never preached and certainly have not written popular books or blogs.  They have never spoken at conferences.   With the exception of a few dozen fellow churchmen, they are unknown in the wider Christian world.

My heroes consists by and large of the men and women of my church.  They are the faithful plodders of God’s Kingdom.  They love the worship of God and the ministry of His Word.  They work long hours in their spheres of labor, in the home and out of the home and yet make it a priority to come to services of worship and the times of prayer.  They have full schedules, are often weary and yet they come, not to be served, but, like their Master, to serve.  Some of my heroes face crippling diseases and have battled through crushingly dark providences.  I’ve seen them lose their jobs, lose their children, and their spouses.  I’ve seen the cost they pay to simply follow Christ.   I’ve seen men and women persevere when loved ones turn back to the world.  I’ve seen them bear with the faults and sins of others.  Their elders have at times disappointed them, their brothers and sisters have let them down.  Yet, they show a love that covers a multitude of sins.  They exemplify what it means to bear with one another and to bear one another’s burdens.   Unlike the heroes of the church or the heroes of our culture, they do not preach, they do not travel to foreign lands, they are not strange visitors from another planet with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal man, they do not cling to walls or fly through the sky.  But they are my heroes, and one day, the King of Kings will say to them before the whole world, Well done!

[Editor’s note: The link (URL) to the original article is unavailable and has been removed.]