Do you serve God or men, minister?
Are you a man of holiness?
Does your congregation respect that
you forgo many good things for time with God and your family?
Is your schedule and agenda dictated
by God or man?
Do you sense God’s presence in your
daily labors?
Most importantly, are you serving the
Lord and in tune with His Spirit or striving to achieve your own plans and
surrounding yourself with the counsel of man?
The Prestige of the Call
You may be lifted up by some to be
more than you really are. Some may idolize you. But as God’s minister, a man called
and appointed by the Holy Spirit, you are called to be humble and when you know
that someone is idolizing you it is important for you to lovingly show them
their error. You are a servant, an instrument, a vessel in the Hands of God to
touch lives and move in the powerful anointing of the Holy Spirit, but you are
not called to pridefully build your own reputation. Be above reproach, behave
yourself wisely, and regularly monitor pride. Pride will destroy you! It
destroyed Satan! It caused Eve to Fall! And it has been seen all throughout
human history as the root of our sin and rebellion toward God. Beware of the
platform—yes you are called to be in a public place and stand before the
people, but do so as a servant-leader, one who follows Christ and sets an
example for others with his life. Do not go after the allure of prominence. May
God raise you up if it be His will, and may you be willing for God to at any
time take you down from a position of prominence and into a ministry of
obscurity according to His will.
Devoted Wholly to God’s Will
For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will,
but the will of
him that sent me.
John 6:38
(KJV)
Jesus did not come to do His own will. No,
Jesus came to do the will of His Father alone. Jesus did nothing of His own
accord, but in all things obeyed His Father. Jesus set us the example for all
manner of living—including how to follow God and minister in the Power of the
Spirit.
Minister, wholly dedicate yourself to the
call of God. Surrender now, to only do your Lord’s will. Don’t act, move, or
make decisions based on the pressure of the circumstances, but wait upon the
Lord for His direction. As Bob Shultz, a humble carpenter who has gone home
with the Lord used to say, “In the Bible, God has reserved the task of making
decisions for Himself.” When we resolve to let God call the shots in our lives
and ministries, there is a peace and freedom unlike any other. God is in
charge, not us. We are in our proper place as servants and God is in His proper
place in our hearts as King, Master, and Lord.
When the Lord first called me to the
ministry, I was quite young—14 to be precise. In a time of prayer, the Holy
Spirit prompted me to begin sharing the Word of God through devotions. After
prayer and seeking my parents’ counsel, God opened up the door. For about two
years I led devotions for 8-10 young men who were my peers on Wednesday nights.
As time went on, I had to continue battling with the fear of speaking, but the
Lord kept opening doors—not a ton, but often 3-4 speaking engagements a year.
But it was not just preaching that the
Lord called me to. No, at 15, the Lord prompted me to begin writing a book.
Since that time, the Lord has laid a burden for the American Church on my heart
as well as a specific burden for raising up young men and pastors. The journey
isn’t over yet, and I never would be where I am today or doing the things I am
today of my own accord. But the Lord called, and I praise Him that I was not
disobedient to the call!
Minister, may you be faithful to your
Lord and remain humble throughout your ministry. Always depend on the Lord.
Mr. Oswald Chambers, Hudson Taylor, John
Wesley, and others have some noteworthy quotes about ministry that have been
encouraging to me and I pray that they are to you as well as we begin our study:
“Are you willing to spend and be spent; not seeking to
be ministered unto, but to minister?”
Oswald Chambers
“It is easier to serve God without a vision, easier to
work for God without a call, because then you are not bothered by what God
requires; common sense is your guide veneered over with Christian sentiment.
You will be no more prosperous and successful, more leisure-hearted, if you
never realize the call of God. But if once you receive a commission from Jesus
Christ, the memory of what God wants will always come like a goad; you will no
longer be able to work for Him on the common-sense basis.”
Oswald Chambers
“I have lived for my work. That is all. If I had
talked all the week, I could not have preached on Sunday. That is all. If I had
attended committee meetings, immersed myself in politics and undertaken the
general care of the Empire, my strength would have been consumed. That is all.
Mystery there is none. I have made my preaching work my delight, the very
festival of my soul. That is all. Young brother, go thou and do likewise, and
God bless thee!”
Joseph Parker
“Don’t go after a ministry, anticipate the fruit of a
disciplined life.”
John Wesley
“God’s work done in God’s way will not lack God’s
support.”
Hudson Taylor
“A life spent in the service of God and communion with
Him is the most pleasant life anyone can live in this world.”
Matthew Henry
“Worry erases the promises of God from your mind.”
Chuck Swindoll
“The world has yet to see what God can do with and for
and through and in a man who is fully and wholly consecrated to Him.”
Henry Varley
“All God’s giants have been weak men, who did great
things for God because they reckoned on His being with them.”
Hudson Taylor
