WHAT IS TRUE MINISTRY?

"THE FACTS OF THE MATTER"
"A weekly letter of encouragement to business and professional men and women"

October 01, 2008

WHAT IS TRUE MINISTRY?
How many times have you and I wanted to walk away from our ministry? Call it quits? Is it possible that at least one of the causes for our discouragement is that we may have been fed a false idea of what true ministry is? Today many of us, without realizing it, worship at the idol of “success.” If a ministry is big, growing, fast paced, contemporary, upscale, youthful and trendy, and is seeded with attractive, articulate people, then surly God is in it and it’s a “success”. Then you look at what you are attempting to do in your ministry with a few struggling souls. They forget to show up, seem forever to be taking more steps backward that forward. I would imagine that in your vulnerable moments you have questioned whether it’s worth the effort. After all, your ministry is worlds apart from the powerful models paraded before you. My friend, don’t even think about throwing in the towel! When you get down to it, both Jesus and Paul only had a few faithful followers. Not very glamorous. Not exactly “successful.” Just take a look at the struggles and pain associated with their ministries:
- When Christ raised the level of commitment, “many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.” (Jn. 6:66)
- When the disciples’ lives were threatened at Jesus’ trial, “[they] all…deserted him and fled.” (Matt 26:56b).
- Paul’s life and ministry was anything but “successful” - as we view success today, “I have…been in prison… flogged... severely, and been exposed to death again and again…At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me.” (2 Tim. 4:16a; 2 Cor. 11:23)

If you are going to minister to people for the long haul, here are three truths you will need to understand:

#1 Ministering to others is fundamentally an act of worship, and as such has intrinsic worth to God, regardless of the results: It is secondary whether or not your protégés show up, grow, catch what you have been teaching, or ever pass it on. The fact that you obeyed Christ in sacrificing your life for his glory is what matters. Throughout Jeremiah’s ministry both he and his message were summarily rejected. His life long “success”? Nil. Yet in God’s eyes Jeremiah was a smashing success by virtue of his faithfulness to his calling. Many of the heroes of Hebrews 11 died without experiencing the fulfillment of God’s promises. Also consider:

*Jesus: “Well done, good and faithful servant…” He does not say, “Well done good and productive servant.” (Matt. 25:21)
*Paul: “I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.” (Rms. 12:1)
*James: “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (Jms. 1:27)

#2 God’s primary calling on our lives is to intimacy with him over service for him: In your zeal to help people, you run the risk of burning out and becoming another casualty on the ash heap of bitter, disillusioned laborers. His higher calling and first priority for you is to develop a life of intimacy with him, because it is out of that relationship that genuine fruit is born, “It is the man who shares my life and whose life I share who proves fruitful…Apart from me you can do nothing at all…Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” (Jn. 15:5 (Philips), Matt. 7:22, 23)

#3 The worth of the individual is of paramount importance: In a world obsessed with numbers, the very notion of focusing on an individual is a foreign concept. Not so with Jesus and Paul:

*Jesus’ parable of the lost sheep: "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?” (Lk. 15:4)
*Jesus’ example of singling out each of the Twelve to be his followers: On one occasion he walked 90 miles to recruit Philip to become his disciple. (Jn. 1:43)
*Paul’s example of his deep concern for the individual: “As you well know, we dealt with you one by one, as a father deals with his children.” (I Thes. 2:22 NEB) (See 2 Tim. 1:16-18; 4:19; Phil. 2:25, 29; Act. 16:1,2; 1 Cor. 4:17; Phil. 1:1)

QUESTIONS: Do you view serving others as a duty to perform or as a privileged act of worship? Are you caught up in the numbers game, or have you grasped the value of one person? Are you focused primarily on knowing Christ or serving Christ?

My prayer is that you are having a great week!
R. Dwight Hill

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