Motives for Personal Ministry

Christian community finds its center in the common life-changing relationship we theologically refer to as the Kingdom of God. It is the rule and reign of Christ as Lord of our lives. It is the company of those called and committed to following Christ. Yet the community we call the church very often acts like it is on the verge of collapse, at the point of exhaustion, making last-gasp efforts in the face of unquestioned opportunities for ministry. What gives? If the church is the gifted and spirit-led community of faith…should we rethink and reconsider our practice of ministry? Could it be that we are working without direction, ignoring the spirit of God? Could it be that we have professionalized our ideas about ministry to the degree that we have forgotten the calling of every believer to service? The reality of few attempting the labors needing the many is a circumstance not unlike that noted by Jesus when he called for prayer that there may be more laborers in the harvest. Do we point to such realities as a symptom of limited faith or disinterest or a failure of organization and inspirational motivators? At the same time, there is the reality, that in many cultures, the church that follows Christ will endure conflict with the culture, and can be confronted with persecution and suffering for Jesus’ sake.

Personally, I have spent a lifetime in ministry and observing churches of many sizes and shapes. Young churches, old churches, small churches, large churches…but some things are evident in them all. The work that accomplishes the most for the kingdom of God is born out of personal devotion to God, a sense of divine calling and a utilization of divinely given gifts and spiritually directed endeavor. Very often that form of ministry receives little fanfare and is bound to a humility and compassion that seldom calls attention to itself. The nature of this relationship is exactly what can be described only as God working in persons who make themselves available to God and who in turn are sensitive and willing to respond in the face of God’s opportunities to them. I think those who act from such motives and influences are serving today and serving well, doing the things God has laid before them to do.

God still works His wonders among us, reminding us that it is not in our strength that we do His will, but in His. Yet there are many, even within the community of faith, who are missing the blessings of such service because of unconfessed sin, unwillingness to forgive, or because of their failure to make themselves available to God in a spirit of humility and genuine worship. If at places, the church appears to flounder, you can be assured it is not God who has broken his word, abandoned his truth, or denied his love. He waits for us to recognize his voice, and to follow Him who leads us to life abundant. We are called to follow Christ…it is a call to a new life…born from above… for the glory of God. Such a relationship is gifted with divine blessings …every day and forever.