As many of you know, our ministry is fairly new and right now is small. We are involved with the church plant, worship, music school, women’s bible study, and discipleship training. I know that if I went to churches in America and talked about our ministry here in El Salvador, few would be impressed. They would ask the number of youth going to the church. About 30. They would ask how many kids are benefiting from my music school. About 5. They would ask how many people have gotten saved through our efforts here. About 1. They would ask how many come to discipleship training. About 4.
The numbers are not impressive. And I have to admit; sometimes I look at the numbers and become discouraged. Sometimes I find myself at my door on a Saturday morning waiting and hoping for someone to show up for music school. Sometimes I find myself looking at the empty seats at church and wondering where everyone went. Our ministry may not be impressive by numbers, but I know that in God’s kingdom what we are doing is important.
This month we have been hosting a World Race team consisting of seven girls. Yes, I know. Poor Victor! He has eight gringas around him 24/7. I sat down with the team the first week they arrived and explained our ministry.
“To me, ministry is not about how many times we do street evangelism or how often we go to church. Ministry is how you impact those around you for the kingdom of God. Ministry is about how you impact those on your team, your ministry hosts, and the youth. God told us to go and make disciples. How can we do this if we just meet someone one time during an outreach? I think the most impactful ministry is ministering through relationships. The only way you can really disciple someone is through a deepening and continual relationship with them.”
I told the girls to pick one person this month that they were going to disciple, build a relationship with, and impact for the kingdom of God.
Many times this is how I have to view my ministry. And sometimes I have to ask myself if one person coming to Christ would make all of this worth it. Would one youth learning how to play piano for worship, be worth it for me? Would training one teenager how to have a deeper relationship with God, be worth it for me? Is one person worth the sacrifice?
And ultimately we have to ask ourselves if Jesus is worth it? A friend once told me that doing missions isn’t necessarily because you have a love or heart for that particular country, but because you love Jesus Christ and He loves them, and therefore you love them.
I believe that Christ would have died for one person. I think He would say that one person receiving Him would be worth His sacrifice on the cross. And I believe that my sacrifice here is worth the one. Because that one person we bring to Christ is special, precious, and important in the sight of God.
I think it is important to remember that ministry is not just going door to door, or preaching the gospel. Ministry overseas is very much the same as it is in America. Your impacting people everyday either for the kingdom of God or not. You are impacting your family, friends, co-workers, and strangers. Many times we look at ministry as a scheduled thing that we put in our calendars and we forget to realize that our greatest ministry is through the relationships we already have. Start thinking about how you are impacting those around you. Ask yourself if you are impacting those for the kingdom of God. Ask yourself what one relationship you can focus on and impact for His kingdom. And remember, whatever the sacrifice, Jesus is always worth it.
Watching 6 youth get baptized after our discipleship on baptism, is worth it for me!
Having girls who are not Christians, come to my house and learn about Christ – is worth it for me!
Seeing new Christians hungry for God, is worth it for me!
