So I’ve recently been catching up on my pastor’s sermons (thank you, Lord, for podcasts and online streaming) and it’s a breath of fresh air to listen and be fed. I’ve struggled with being fed apart from personal devotions. Shout-out to my awesome pastor and church.
Anywho, I chose to go back and listen to everything I’ve missed and even download some that I could listen to again. The two I’ve listened to the last two days talk about advancing the gospel and focusing on the cross. Is the gospel top priority? Am I focused on the cross, or do I stand in opposition of the gospel? These two sermons made me start thinking about what we would look like, what our ministry would look like, if we were more like Paul and the early disciples.
We whine a lot. Gosh, it’s a lot, guys.
When we aren’t whining we’re most likely discussing trivial things. The funny thing is that we spend a lot of time arguing about “things of Christ” when really it’s truly just our selfish ambition stepping in the way. Here’s a mind boggler – you can claim to argue things of Christ, and it really just be you masking the fact that you want it your way. The Kingdom of God is not the equivalent of Burger King. Dude, you aren’t really fighting for Christ. You’re really fighting for your way, which is what most of our trouble in life is. We want what we want, and if we don’t get it…
We need to make what matters matter.
When you read through the New Testament, if you watch how the disciples did ministry you wouldn’t see dumb arguments about the best way to start the day, go about the day, or end the day. They didn’t get mad because maybe one disciple didn’t worship exactly how another worshipped. They didn’t force their “gifts” on anyone. They didn’t do fru-fru ministry. They stood together, in one spirit (Phil 1:27), and did ministry. They went out to spread the good news. Why do we waste time arguing about how to go talk about Jesus? The Bible gives us such a clear description and example of what ministry is to look like, how we are to carry ourselves. Why do we spend so much time arguing about it? We all need to go back and have a good look at the example Jesus set, the example the disciples followed, and the example Paul was for us. I think we would all find more joy than burn out from and in ministry if we followed the example Jesus set for us.
Let’s remember we are conforming to Christ… not to each other. I think there’s a beauty to be found in just coming together in Christ and laying down all of our ambitions.
If we look closely enough I think that we would find this: It isn’t the non-believers causing ministry burn-out, it’s fellow believers arguing their way of ministry and standing in the way of the Gospel.
