I am accustomed to a lifestyle of “ministry.” I know the right things to say and the questions are supposed to be answered. Sometimes I can get stuck in the busyness and practicality of ministry and forget what it’s all about.
Back at Thanksgiving I gave my Kids Church class a project where they had to write things they were thankful for on the tail feathers of a turkey drawing. Before I passed out the project I asked them, “what does the turkey represent?” After a moment of hesitation one of my students proudly raised their hand, “Jesus.”
Of course, Jesus is always the answer in Kids Church. I smiled and told them it was a trick question and that the turkey had nothing to do with the Bible lesson we had previously discussed.
But the point of that story was to say that sometime I can get in a routine of giving the right answer. Even when it comes to planning a lesson, or teaching others how to plan a lesson. I know the “right” way to do things, but am I using my own strategy to minister, or am I truly being lead by the Spirit?
I was recently challenged to encourage a team of students to minister from a place of intimacy with God and prayer. As I thought about how important this topic is I stumbled upon a quote:
As I thought about that I began to realize how truly impossible ministry is. Jesus defined his ministry in Luke 4:18-19,
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”
Will I ever be able to heal the brokenhearted? free the captives? recover the sight of the blind?!
No education or college degree could equip me to do these things. Yet this is the ministry that the Lord has called me to, and this is the way I want my life to used. I have no desire to live the american dream. I want to do the impossible. I want to see the brokenhearted rejoicing. I want to see the blind experiencing new sight. And I know that, despite my inadequacies, the Lord is willing to use me. It is a humbling place, really, to come before him every day and ask for strength to do my daily tasks. But it’s also empowering to sit in the place where I know I am loved by my father and to trust his leading. By his spirit alone will I accomplish anything that will glorify his kingdom. I thank him that he has freely given me his spirit and with that I have hope that what is impossible for me is possible with him.
