Often our ministry to others hinges more on who we are than it does on the words we say. Words are critical but the reality of who we credibly are is far more vital.
A minister who is a workaholic cannot credibly preach on rest. We can only teach others what we already live ourselves.
Often we accomplish so little in ministry because we focus too much on doing and not enough on being. Often once we are the person God intends us to be than we can accomplish things.
Of course we will never be perfect and we should never let our imperfections make us feel inadequate to serve. If we know we are inadequate we have likely learned far more than we imagine. The natural mind never sees itself as spiritually inadequate.
God is always with us in our efforts but our efforts are greatly magnified by first becoming someone. Who we are has a great influence on the success of what we say.
Showing posts with label ministry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ministry. Show all posts
Monday, October 5, 2015
Saturday, August 8, 2015
Less is more in Ministry
We live in a culture obsessed with more. More is always better.
We often have revelations that less may be more. Of course the idea is not new, but it is new to us.
God has always told man that less is often more. It is everywhere through scripture. Three hundred men with God is more than ten thousand without God.
Ninety percent with God is more than one hundred present without God. Six days of work with God is better than seven days of work without God.
Often pastors and ministers get and teach the point. But they often fail to live it. They miss that their ministry is hampered because often they live as if more is more rather than less is more.
If we wish to grow the church, then it should be grown God's way. One pastor related that he tried to grow his church tirelessly for years with no effect and it damaged his life. Finally when he placed his ministry into balance then his church grew.
Of course many pastors grow churches by tireless effort. Ministry of all forms is tiring. But hard work with rest is God's plan. And often I believe many ministers would find the results of their ministry improved if at times they lived out the idea of Sabbath as if they actually believed scripture.
We often believe scripture, but not enough so to live it out. To really truly reach the final level of belief on any scriptural topic is to live it out. If we have still failed to live out the scriptural point in life we have still failed to believe it fully to some degree.
We often have revelations that less may be more. Of course the idea is not new, but it is new to us.
God has always told man that less is often more. It is everywhere through scripture. Three hundred men with God is more than ten thousand without God.
Ninety percent with God is more than one hundred present without God. Six days of work with God is better than seven days of work without God.
Often pastors and ministers get and teach the point. But they often fail to live it. They miss that their ministry is hampered because often they live as if more is more rather than less is more.
If we wish to grow the church, then it should be grown God's way. One pastor related that he tried to grow his church tirelessly for years with no effect and it damaged his life. Finally when he placed his ministry into balance then his church grew.
Of course many pastors grow churches by tireless effort. Ministry of all forms is tiring. But hard work with rest is God's plan. And often I believe many ministers would find the results of their ministry improved if at times they lived out the idea of Sabbath as if they actually believed scripture.
We often believe scripture, but not enough so to live it out. To really truly reach the final level of belief on any scriptural topic is to live it out. If we have still failed to live out the scriptural point in life we have still failed to believe it fully to some degree.
Saturday, July 18, 2015
Friendship, Humility, and Limits
True friendship is faithful in small things. You find everyone is your friend when things are well.
True friends are not absent when things are poor. They remember the details of our lives and begin to understand us even when we do not speak.
At times we are encouraged to do more and more in the church for God. Doing more for God is always noble as long as more is more. At times the church encourages us to interact more and always do more with others.
At times doing more can begin to harm our friendships. There can be an issue with having too many friendships. The friendships end up becoming a long list of acquaintances. Many people have had the issue of losing four or five dear friends for the sake of two hundred acquaintances.
We can be friendly with everyone but not friends with everyone. We can show the love of Christ to everyone but we cannot deeply invest in everyone.
It often takes humility to see our limits. Not a false humility which sees that we can do nothing. That is not humility; it's a shirking of responsibility. True humility sees what it can accomplish and does it, but accepts its limits.
True humility is not a self depreciation but an acceptance of our abilities and limits. It sees what we can or may be able do do and acts while recognizing the limits of our time and energy.
Often Jesus went into solitude to pray. There was more ministry that could be done, but more is not always more in ministry.
True friends are not absent when things are poor. They remember the details of our lives and begin to understand us even when we do not speak.
At times we are encouraged to do more and more in the church for God. Doing more for God is always noble as long as more is more. At times the church encourages us to interact more and always do more with others.
At times doing more can begin to harm our friendships. There can be an issue with having too many friendships. The friendships end up becoming a long list of acquaintances. Many people have had the issue of losing four or five dear friends for the sake of two hundred acquaintances.
We can be friendly with everyone but not friends with everyone. We can show the love of Christ to everyone but we cannot deeply invest in everyone.
It often takes humility to see our limits. Not a false humility which sees that we can do nothing. That is not humility; it's a shirking of responsibility. True humility sees what it can accomplish and does it, but accepts its limits.
True humility is not a self depreciation but an acceptance of our abilities and limits. It sees what we can or may be able do do and acts while recognizing the limits of our time and energy.
Often Jesus went into solitude to pray. There was more ministry that could be done, but more is not always more in ministry.
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Realistic Ministry
Often ministry has unrealistic expectations. Ministers expect that they can transform their congregations at speeds far past what is possible.
In many congregations the church begins to stagnate because the leadership has unrealistic beliefs about sanctification and spiritual growth. Instead of having a church full of sick people needing transformation there is now a church full of sick people who either hide their sickness or are unaware of their sickness.
The problem with unrealistic expectations by ministers is that people quickly feel judged. And they pull back from bringing up any issue in the church or their lives. The unrealistic expectations often have a highly negative impact on spiritual growth.
In ministry a balance is needed between expecting people will grow and also realizing the depth of the problems in the human condition. Jesus demanded growth but always met the truly authentic sinner with grace and compassion.
That should be the spirit of ministry. To not be surprised by the depth of sin in the world but to meet it with compassion and understanding and desire to transform us into the image of Jesus.
In many congregations the church begins to stagnate because the leadership has unrealistic beliefs about sanctification and spiritual growth. Instead of having a church full of sick people needing transformation there is now a church full of sick people who either hide their sickness or are unaware of their sickness.
The problem with unrealistic expectations by ministers is that people quickly feel judged. And they pull back from bringing up any issue in the church or their lives. The unrealistic expectations often have a highly negative impact on spiritual growth.
In ministry a balance is needed between expecting people will grow and also realizing the depth of the problems in the human condition. Jesus demanded growth but always met the truly authentic sinner with grace and compassion.
That should be the spirit of ministry. To not be surprised by the depth of sin in the world but to meet it with compassion and understanding and desire to transform us into the image of Jesus.
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Realistic Expectations in Ministry
Often the church needs to have a reality check about its goals. It is easy to hope for and dream of more from our work than what happens.
The church often looks to accomplish great things. While the dream of accomplishing great things is beautiful often the reality of what is possible to accomplish at times may be more mundane.
Often making small and steady progress is realistic. Often it is easy to feel as if small and steady progress is not enough.
Often small and steady progress accomplishes far more than dreams of grandeur. All progress brings glory to God.
It is often our sin which makes us feel that slow and steady progress is insufficient. Often authentic ministry brings glory to God, but does not stroke the pride of the minister by bringing praise and acclaim.
The goal of a minister should always be to bring glory to God. Ministry is successful or unsuccessful on this measure alone.
The church often looks to accomplish great things. While the dream of accomplishing great things is beautiful often the reality of what is possible to accomplish at times may be more mundane.
Often making small and steady progress is realistic. Often it is easy to feel as if small and steady progress is not enough.
Often small and steady progress accomplishes far more than dreams of grandeur. All progress brings glory to God.
It is often our sin which makes us feel that slow and steady progress is insufficient. Often authentic ministry brings glory to God, but does not stroke the pride of the minister by bringing praise and acclaim.
The goal of a minister should always be to bring glory to God. Ministry is successful or unsuccessful on this measure alone.
Thursday, November 20, 2014
The Good in All Types of Work
All work is good, even work that isn't in ministry, if it's something that produces good in the world. All work should be viewed at the same level, and shouldn't be viewed as "not as good" as others. The reason is God commands us to be active and help others in the world, and work is one way to do this. This of course includes work at home, such as taking care of kids and housework.
We are all gifted by God differently and there are a variety of jobs that fit these talents. The fact that we all have different talents and backgrounds may lead us to think that other jobs aren't as good.
A designer may cringe at the thought of crunching numbers, and vice versa.
A person sitting in the office all day may not like the thought of retail or being a car mechanic, but they may not realize that some people like very much walking and moving around during the workday.
Along with the value in secular work, it is also a setting that may influence coworkers to think at least a little more about spiritual matters. It doesn't even have to be saying anything about spirituality, but just living a life that may seem a little different and more peaceful than others. They may start to think that there is something important in this. And the people in this setting are possibly ones that people in ministry may never cross paths with.
We are all gifted by God differently and there are a variety of jobs that fit these talents. The fact that we all have different talents and backgrounds may lead us to think that other jobs aren't as good.
A designer may cringe at the thought of crunching numbers, and vice versa.
A person sitting in the office all day may not like the thought of retail or being a car mechanic, but they may not realize that some people like very much walking and moving around during the workday.
Along with the value in secular work, it is also a setting that may influence coworkers to think at least a little more about spiritual matters. It doesn't even have to be saying anything about spirituality, but just living a life that may seem a little different and more peaceful than others. They may start to think that there is something important in this. And the people in this setting are possibly ones that people in ministry may never cross paths with.
Thursday, August 14, 2014
Other Focus
The church only lives up to its mission in that others are placed more important than itself. Those others are other believers in the church and those outside the church in the world.
To the degree that the church turns inward and the church becomes about oneself or simply those within the church the church has lost its mission. The early church spread quickly because it understood that Christianity is something to be shared.
The more the church focuses on itself and its survival the poorer and less likely to survive it is. The radical thing about the gospel is that God accepts everyone and it is through spreading the gospel that it has power.
Often today churches sit and hope that people will enter the confines of the church. Maybe they do one small event in the community each year. But often the church faces inward and the inward faced church is not healthy. It does not fully grasp the gospel.
Sometimes the inward facing is because of a desire for purity. If we pull literally every sinner into the church then it will be hard to maintain the purity of the church seems to be the objection. It is of course one of the main objections Jesus' enemies had against his ministry.
You see we often assume that the people in the church are meant to be there. Or that certain people outside the church are better prospects to be pulled into the church than others. Our assumptions are almost never helpful and often wrong.
It is an interesting phenomenon that often God calls the most sinful people into the church. It plays out repeatedly through scripture and church history. I believe the point is that some people in the height of their folly understand that they are broken.
They may not have an answer but they often know that they are on the wrong track. You see that the broken sinner with little hope who knows they are on the wrong track may be a better candidate to enter the kingdom of heaven than the wealthy non believer next door who seems to have their life together.
Ultimately we cannot know why they will enter the kingdom of heaven but assuming the quality of prospects is folly. And the church should always have an outward eye toward the world.
To the degree that the church turns inward and the church becomes about oneself or simply those within the church the church has lost its mission. The early church spread quickly because it understood that Christianity is something to be shared.
The more the church focuses on itself and its survival the poorer and less likely to survive it is. The radical thing about the gospel is that God accepts everyone and it is through spreading the gospel that it has power.
Often today churches sit and hope that people will enter the confines of the church. Maybe they do one small event in the community each year. But often the church faces inward and the inward faced church is not healthy. It does not fully grasp the gospel.
Sometimes the inward facing is because of a desire for purity. If we pull literally every sinner into the church then it will be hard to maintain the purity of the church seems to be the objection. It is of course one of the main objections Jesus' enemies had against his ministry.
You see we often assume that the people in the church are meant to be there. Or that certain people outside the church are better prospects to be pulled into the church than others. Our assumptions are almost never helpful and often wrong.
It is an interesting phenomenon that often God calls the most sinful people into the church. It plays out repeatedly through scripture and church history. I believe the point is that some people in the height of their folly understand that they are broken.
They may not have an answer but they often know that they are on the wrong track. You see that the broken sinner with little hope who knows they are on the wrong track may be a better candidate to enter the kingdom of heaven than the wealthy non believer next door who seems to have their life together.
Ultimately we cannot know why they will enter the kingdom of heaven but assuming the quality of prospects is folly. And the church should always have an outward eye toward the world.
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