粗略地说，听力损失有三种类型:传导性、感音神经性和混合性. The first is due primarily to a physical restriction; the second is essentially nerve damage; the third, as its name suggests, is a combination of the two. I was born with a sensorineural loss. It was a mild loss until I was five, 然后恶化到技术上定义的“严重”损失. Due to the hearing loss, 我的语言发展过程与那些没有听力损失的人不同. Generally, your speech reflects what you hear. 由于我听不清辅音和元音的形成方式，所以我的发音受到了影响. 为了解决这些困难，我整个小学都在找语言病理学家. I hated seeing my pathologist, Mrs. Greene. 我讨厌做那种不得不被赶出教室接受语言治疗的孩子，回来后还得补课. (旁注:我在三年级时获得了“问问题最多奖”. Thanks Mrs. Stringfellow!)我的语言病理学家和听力学家花了无数的时间陪我, despite my efforts otherwise, to help me every way they could. 我忍受了大量的听音录音和不断重复元音和辅音的会话. Of course, I saw these in a different light – namely, more ways in which I was simply different from my peers. 直到多年以后，我才意识到，如果不是他们对我的勤奋和坚持, my life wouldn’t be the same. 即使他们从来没有看到他们所有工作的结果，他们仍然是忠诚和勤奋的.

Ministry is often difficult. 当我们沉迷于产生结果而不是忠于我们的呼召时，这就变得更具挑战性了. When quantity becomes more important than quality, then we have a problem. More specifically, 如果我们更关心有形的结果，而不是仅仅忠于基督呼召我们做的事, then we’re not fulfilling our charge as ministers. We need to examine our priorities and where our foundation lies. 我们是否把自己的身份放在蓬勃发展的青年事工上，让宝盈APP登录成群结队地来，却没有地方让他们坐下? 我们是否变得更专注于成为下一个撰写下一部作品的超级教会牧师 Radical? A few years ago, I met an incoming NOBTS freshman who, in response to my asking him what he felt God calling him to do, said he wanted to be the next (popular mega-church pastor).  The reality of the difficulty of ministry hit him soon thereafter, and he dropped out of seminary after a few semesters. 当我们对个人荣誉的渴望取代了我们对上帝对我们生活的呼召的渴望, we have a problem. 我们的首要任务应该是努力去做神呼召我们去做的事. 我们需要记住，我们可能并不总能看到自己劳动的成果，但这没关系. We’re called simply to be faithful.

在哥林多前书3章，保罗写道:“我栽种了，亚波罗浇灌了，惟有神叫他生长。. 所以栽种的算不得什么，浇灌的算不得什么，只叫他生长的神算不得什么. 栽种的和浇灌的都是一样，各人要照自己的劳碌得工价. For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building. According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. 因为那已经立好了的根基，就是耶稣基督，没有人能立别的根基.”

In this passage, 保罗对一些事情很清楚，我认为我们今天可以推断并应用到我们自己身上. First, each Christian is called to a specific duty. 保罗向哥林多教会传福音，亚波罗与他们同行, but God is the one who produced the results. 保罗和亚波罗的工作都是神的首要工作. 同样，我们自己和我们所服务的事工也是如此. I can preach the gospel to my students every week, but ultimately God is the one who gives the growth. Our job isn’t to produce results; it’s to be faithful. 我们完全有可能保持忠诚，一段时间内看不到任何结果，如果有的话. William Carey, the father of modern missions, served in India for seven years before baptizing his first convert. Our job is not to produce numbers and add names to the church roll; it is to be faithful. Second, the foundation of our ministry and message is Christ. 如果我们传讲的信息不是建立在基督和他赎罪的死之上的, burial, and resurrection, we’re not preaching the gospel. If we’re preaching that if one comes to Christ, she’ll be healthy and wealthy, 或者上帝主要关心的是我们拥有丰富的物质, we’re preaching a false gospel.  Third, we may not see the results of our efforts. Paul noted that while he laid the foundation, 其他人将从他结束的地方开始，并在他的努力基础上继续发展. 保罗很可能没有在那里看到跟随他的人的工作. Every Christian is a minister of the gospel. 不管我们的职业是什么，我们都被呼召与他人分享福音. 常被引用的“随时分享福音，必要时使用语言”只说对了一半. 我们要分享福音，但一个人不能在保持沉默的情况下宣扬好消息.

I’m a pretty talkative person. As a youth pastor, I do much of it. I also enjoy meeting new people and getting to know them. However, 我之所以能成为一个喋喋不休的人，是因为我的语言病理学家和听力学家在20年前所做的工作. 我怀疑他们和我一起工作是否总是一帆风顺，但他们始终坚持不懈. When I was distracted, they were focused. 当我不愿意待在他们的办公室时，他们却很关心我们俩. I’ve not talked with either lady in years; they were unable to see the fruit of their labors. 不管他们是否意识到，神都使用他们来训练和装备我去服事. 同样，我们可能不会在部长级范围内看到我们努力工作的成果. Honestly, it doesn’t matter if we do. 我认为，我们经常希望立竿见影的原因是，我们以数量增长而非质量深度来衡量我们作为部长的成功. Jonathan Edwards once wrote, “If man does not give his highest respect to the God that made him, there will be something else that has the possession of it. Men will either worship the true God, or some idol. It is impossible it should be otherwise; something will have the heart of man. And that which a man gives his heart to may be called his god.“我们有可能把上座率放在如此重要的位置，以至于数字增长成为一种偶像. 我们需要记住，我们完成个人的检查清单比宣讲福音和培养门徒要微不足道得多.

Alex Rea 是NOBTS的两届毕业生，目前在FBC Gonzales工作.