What exactly is ministry?
Is it playing with kids? Is it praying for my teammates? Is it street evangelism to tourists? Is it worshipping in the public market?
Life is ministry. Every moment holds the opportunity to speak life or death to each other, sometimes to masses. What will we choose?
Our first lunch as Team Hebron & Team Mashach, prepared by Pastor Antonio´s wife.
Will we criticize out of bitterness? When we see weakness do we speak it into greater existance or do we call out strength and destiny in each other?
Will we put ourselves first or last? Do we esteem each other more than ourselves?
Are we willing to say yes and amen to the person God created even when there's disagreement? Or do we write someone off as soon as they jar us?
This month, our ministry is highly relational. We're going into town almost every day to worship, minister, and hang out with whomever crosses our path. We've sung worship songs on the radio, we've told Bible stories to neighborhood children, we've chatted with locals and tourists alike. This month, we're showing up for our lives.
The Lord has been teaching me to be present in every moment. It doesn't matter if it's travel day, debrief, public ministry, or our nightly team meeting. The World Race is often full of unknowns, and even what is known is often changed at the last second (example: I'm in Guatemala and not Romania). Talk about laying down my Type-A personality! I'm learning that it's really not necessary to know everything, it's not crucial to always have a plan. After all, if I'm holding my plans so tightly how can the Holy Spirit move?
At the end of every day, the Lord has spoken to me and through me, enough energy for the day's tasks was supplied, and I'm a little better at loving than yesterday. What more could I want? Does it matter if I'm in Guatemala or Honduras or the US?
Our ride to church.
To love people of the nations, I have to first love the person standing next to me. To do otherwise would be sheer hypocrisy. So I'm learning to love my teammates, to love my squadmates, to love my leaders. Sometimes it means apologizing for an offense I'd typically write off as nothing back home; other times it means being vulnerable in bringing my offense to the table and being willing to forgive. It's not about being right or wrong, but about whether I am loving others the way Jesus would.
So, what is ministry?
