Have you ever come across the truth that you’re doing something unbiblical?
I’m not taking about sin, because that’s a given. I’m talking about your mindset, perspective, or plans.
One of these for me was the phrase “I’m going to ministry”. Ministry was Monday nights at a homeless shelter, Wednesday night youth group, or Thursday night Bible studies. And that’s just wrong.
Read through the gospels and you’ll find that the majority of Jesus’ time ministering was “as he went”, “as he was going”, or “while on his way”. Jesus didn’t have office hours, service times, appointments, or ministry hours.
Here’s what I did:
1. Wake up.
2. Go to work.
3. If it was a Monday, Wednesday, or Thursday, I would go to ‘ministry’ for a few hours.
4. Go home.
Here’s what Jesus did:
1. Wake up.
2. Do ministry while working, walking, eating, meeting, teaching, relaxing, fishing, boating, or preaching.
Do you see the difference?! I had a ‘ministry on/off’ switch, but Jesus did not and does not. He did ministry as he went, during his normal day, because he was a living ministry. His entire life was consumed with ministry!
This doesn’t mean that we need to quit our jobs and volunteer full-time at shelters, churches, or youth groups. It means you minister to others on your way to work, at the gas station, when you’re picking up your kids from school, as you go grocery shopping, as you walk to lunch, and when you’re relaxing at home.
Ministry is life. I’m done “going to ministry”, because I want to always be at my ministry.
My ministry is every moment I’m in.
And that’s how I met Artis. He’s a homeless man in Atlanta. My friends and I were at a gas station, and he approached us asking for money. We weren’t at ministry, we were just living life. We bought him some food, and asked about his story.
He’s a believer who served in the Navy, was betrayed in a business deal, was almost murdered by his partner, and now lives on the streets of Atlanta. His story was riveting, saddening, encouraging, and so full of God.
You can meet Artis in your life. There are people at your work, in your community, in your schools, and in your churches that need to be seen, loved, and heard.
Is your ministry every moment you’re in?
