The Work of the Ministry

Like many of you, I grew up going to church. My family was there all the time. We were at every prayer meeting, every Sunday morning service and we were even among those who came early and stayed late to set up the chairs! Right out of high school I went straight into a school of ministry, so I have been around "church stuff" most of my life. Now, I don't say any of this with regret - I have enjoyed and benefited from each of these seasons and I would probably not change any of them, if I could. (I would like to go back and change the attitude that I had during some them, but that's another matter :) ).

All of this being said, I have come to recognize an understanding that many people have about being in ministry and doing the work of the ministry. For many years I have had this same understanding, and am probably still becoming free of it. Many people seem to believe that in order to truly perform the work of the ministry, you have to be a pastor or a traveling evangelist. Sure, we all know that we should be sharing our faith wherever we go, but the real stuff happens from the pulpit, right?

For many years I was in the pew, and I have spent the past several years spending a fair amount of time in the pulpit. I really enjoy teaching and encouraging others from the front, but it has given me a different perspective of where the "true" work takes place. Although I never really said it, and I may have never deliberately thought it, in the back of my mind I felt like any other occupation besides being a "minister" was a second rate place to be. I have come to believe that this is completely not true and is also contrary to what the Bible teaches. The pastors, evangelists, etc. certainly have their place, and the Bible tells us what that place is:

Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God's peopleto do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-12, NLT, emphasis mine).

As those verses explain, the job of the professional ministers is to equip all of God's people to do His work in the earth. These ministers are a true gift, and the Lord gave them to us for a purpose. That purpose, however, is not to do the work, but to prepare us that are not "professionals" to do the work. The work of the ministry is our responsibility. Now, does that mean that we need to get behind the pulpit? Well, it could, but not necessarily. The Lord is active behind the pulpit, but He desires to be active in governments, on construction sites, in our public school classrooms, at the check-out line at the grocery store and in the break room at your job. He is active in these places as we become active in these places.

You and I are the ones the Lord has called to do His work, and this isn't something that He intends to start one day - we need to start now. Many of us will never be behind the pulpit, and that's the way it needs to be. We are called to do His work in our sphere of influence. Look around you. What needs to be done? Is there anyone hungry within your sphere of influence? Are there any widows whose hedges need trimmed? If so, you may be the one the Lord uses to meet these needs. It sounds simple, right? It is simple, so why are more people not working within their sphere of influence?

There are probably many reasons for this, but I think in most cases we either belittle our potential in these areas, or we feel overwhelmed by the needs we see around us. We need to remember what Jesus said:

"... I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!"

In spite of how insignificant what we are doing might seem, whenever we meet the need of someone around us, we are ministering to Jesus, Himself. In reality, there is nothing insignificant. "But what about the tremendous need?" you might ask. "Am I really making a difference by feeding the one hungry person around me when there are so many hungry people out there?" Mother Teresa once made a very insightful comment: "If you can't feed 100 people, feed just one." If you feed the person in your sphere of influence, and I feed the person in mine, pretty soon there are a lot less hungry people out there. If you help the widow on your street and I invite the widower over for Christmas dinner, who otherwise has nowhere to go, before long there is less loneliness haunting people's empty homes. If you help tutor the child next door who is struggling in his reading, and I help buy baby food for the teenage mom down the street, there are many less kids being left behind.

What it all boils down to is if I don't minister within my sphere of influence, who will? I am not called to meet the needs of the world, I am just called to help meet the needs the Lord sends my way. It is not so much what happens on Sunday morning that counts, but what happens on Monday morning. That is truly the work of the ministry.

The Unchangeables Part 5

If you have been keeping up with my most recent posts, you know we are in the middle of a series called "The Unchangeables." We have already examined the first four, and with part five we will begin to wind this series up. All of these unchangeables are very important, and number five is no exception: it is more blessed to give than to receive.

As followers of Jesus, our calling and purpose can be simply defined as knowing the Lord, becoming like Him and doing the works that He did. Among these works is giving. It is fundamentally a part of the Lord's nature, and Jesus was a very generous Giver during His earthly ministry. He gave of His time, His resources and, ultimately, He gave His life. Probably the most common verse in modern history, John 3:16, sums up the gospel and identifies the Lord as a Giver:

"For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life" (NLT, emphasis mine).

These words are the best news in human history, and eternal life is available to all of us because the Lord gave. Just as he gave, we are called to do the same. However, giving is not just part of our calling, it is one of the greatest privileges of the Christian life. But why is giving so important, and why did Jesus Himself say that it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35 b, NASB)?

The third "unchangeable" we discussed is that God is a God of unity. This doesn't just mean that we all get along or that we all have a common goal. It also means that we need each other. The Lord created me to need you and you to need me. Giving is a crucial element in our relationship with one another. There will be times when I will have an abundance and will be able to share with you. Other times I might be in need and someone else will be able to help me. There will even be times when I am in need and am still able to help someone else. The Lord will always look after us, and often times He uses us to help each other.

Jesus had much to say to His disciples about how they treated others. He told them that whatever they did to someone else, even to someone who was held in the lowest regard, is what they did to Him. The manner they chose to treat someone else was the manner they were treating Him (see Matthew 25:40). The apostle Paul admonished the Philippian church:

"Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too" (Philippians 2:4, NLT).

One of the primary ways we do this is by giving. When we give to others, we are really giving to Jesus and we are selflessly looking out for another's interests. However, giving is also much more than that. Giving is an expression of faith in the Lord. When we clutch what we have, we are placing our trust in what we have and in what we can see. We are trusting in our own natural resources and abilities to provide for us. When we give of what we have, we are placing our trust in the Lord. We cannot always see and understand what He is doing, but by giving we are openly expressing our trust in Him. We are choosing to place our faith and trust in His goodness and plans for us, although they may not be apparent to us in the natural.

Things in this world are constantly changing, and our natural tendency is to cling to what makes us feel secure. Right now, all across the world, many people are experiencing a great deal of economic pressure. Markets are suffering, jobs are scarce and many are looking for whatever will bring them security. However, there is nothing in this world that can truly provide lasting security - not governments, not positions or associations and not even money. True security only comes from the Lord and the manifestation of His kingdom in our lives. That will never change, and giving is a key principle to help us align ourselves with His kingdom.

Thoughts Regarding This Year's Nobel Peace Prize

If you have followed some my previous blog posts, you know I like to share about my girls and some of what I am learning being a father. I have also shared some of what I have learned from my relationship with the Lord. This post might be a little bit different, but then again, maybe it's not so different. If you are like me, you probably cannot list the last five winners of the Nobel Peace Prize. To be honest, I would have a difficult time listing five winners total. I know Mother Teresa won some years ago, and rightfully so. I know Martin Luther King, Jr. and Nelson Mandela have won, along with some of our former and current Presidents.

In spite of my lack of knowledge of some of the past award recipients, one of the nominees for this year's award has gotten my attention. I have also found myself challenged by his story. I want to talk about his story a little bit, and let me begin by saying this: there is little doubt that last year's award was not given because of anyone's accomplishments to bring a greater measure of peace to our world. Instead last year's award was given to a politician in order to persuade him to act a certain way. I don't say that to criticize last year's recipient, but rather to express disappointment with those that made last year's decision.

This year could not be more different, at least as it concerns the gentleman who appears to be the front runner to receive the award. His name is Liu Xaobo. He has been nominated because of his work promoting human rights in his home country of China, which has made him an enemy of the Chinese government. So much so that China has warned the nation of Norway that if Mr. Xaobo is awarded this year's prize, it will strain their international relationship. China's government is largely communist, and they regard Mr. Xaobo as a criminal. As a matter of fact, he is currently serving an eleven year prison sentence and will not even be able to receive his award in person, if he wins.

Personally, I think it is refreshing that someone who has a track record of actually fighting for peace is leading the pack of nominees, as opposed to someone who may prove to be politically expedient in the future, as was the case last year. However, this is where I am being challenged. Whether or not he wins the prize, Mr. Xaobo has my respect. He is in prison and is an enemy of his own government for fighting for what he feels is right and just. I wonder how many Americans in our current society feel so strongly about something that they would risk prison to stand for it? How many of us witness injustice everyday and quietly stand by or turn our heads and cross to the other side of the street?

There are some countries right now that have just held elections and the large majority of their citizens showed up to vote, even though they risked death to do so. In comparison, a much smaller percentage of Americans take the time to vote, even though we don't risk anything more than missing our favorite restaurant for lunch that day. We live in an age when information is readily available to all of us, but how many of us even know who our local candidates are and where they stand on important issues. I am afraid that many of us have lost a very important perspective. It has been said that a person is not truly living until he or she finds something that is worth dying for. As followers of the Lord Jesus, I'm sure that most of us believe that, if we had to make the choice, we would die for our Christian beliefs. That's great, but right now we are not being called to die for Him - we are being called to live for Him!

This is a time that is like no other in our nation's history. All around us there is moral decay, political corruption and the lines between right and wrong have never been so unclear. Like Mr. Xiaobo, we need to stand up for our convictions and re-draw that line in the sand. If we don't, nobody will. This world and this nation will look very different in ten years - I think it's up to us to determine how it will look. It's our decision, and we will decide by our action or else by our indifference. Which will it be?

"He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Just as we shall give account for every idle word, so shall we give account for every idle silence." - Benjamin Franklin

A New Perspective

I can remember a time a few years ago when I was having a bad day . . . actually, I was having a bad season of life. I was very unhappy with some of my circumstances and I had allowed myself to become dissatisfied and ungrateful in my heart. I didn't realize it at the time, but looking back I can see that things were not nearly as bad as they seemed to me then, and my attitude was actually making everything worse.

On this one particular day, I was especially frustrated and I had a worse attitude than normal :) Nothing seemed to be going my way, and I was aggravated and pouting about it. There didn't seem to be an end in sight, but little did I know that my perspective was really about to change. I was doing some research for a project I was working on at the time, and I inadvertently came across the picture at the top of this post. As soon as I saw it I broke and tears began to roll down my face. This picture spoke so much to me. Obviously we are all familiar with Mother Teresa and her life of selfless love and service to others, so we can fill in the blanks in this picture.

This baby was probably an orphan whose name we'll never know, but the compassion beaming from Mother Teresa's face seemed to tell this little person that he or she was the only person in the world. At this point in her life, Mother Teresa had probably personally cared for hundreds of thousands of hurting and sick people, but still her heart bubbled over with love for this one little baby. Wow! Just seeing this helped me understand how selfish I can be sometimes!

I was reminded of this the other day. Nicole and I had to take Ally to the doctor, and my heart was touched by a little girl who was also there to see the doctor that day. She was probably about 6 years old, and she had somehow broken her leg. As we were sitting in the waiting room, I was looking out the window and I saw this little girl coming in with her mom. She had a pink cast on her leg and was walking with crutches. I know it's not that rare for kids to break an arm or leg, and I have seen kids even younger wearing casts. However, there was something about this little girl and her attitude that really impressed me.

I didn't talk to her, so I never learned her name, and I have no idea how she broke her leg. What really stood out to me, though, was the look of determination on her face as she walked with those crutches. Even though that look is something I won't soon forget, I still wish I could have captured it so I could have bottled it and sold it! In spite of the fact that she was being slowed down physically by this injury, it was clear that she hadn't been slowed down at all mentally or emotionally. Her attitude had not been at all negatively affected, and if anything, she had an increased resolve because of her potential setback. She seemed to understand that the pain and hardship from her broken leg were just temporary and really only as bad as she allowed them to be. How often have I lost sight of that principle? How often have I allowed things, which in reality were very insignificant, to cause me to lose ground and start going in circles emotionally?

I have lived long enough to understand that life can be hard, and we should expect difficult seasons to arise at times. They may arise because of our mistakes, or they may come along because of someone else's actions. They may even happen for no apparent reason! Regardless of why, every time we find ourselves in one of these tough times, we have a choice to make. We can allow these seasons to set us back and cause us to focus on ourselves, or we can choose to keep our eyes fixed straight ahead and persevere until we have emerged from them victorious. It really is up to us. Which will it be? What are we going to choose?