Is it possible to do ministry, and not keep Jesus in the center of it? Is it possible to be “called” to ministry, and along the way somehow forget that Jesus is the reason you got into this in the first place? Simply put – yes.
If you are in vocational ministry, think of when you first began. There was a time in your life when you sensed the Holy Spirit tugging at your heart to do something different with your life. There was an excitement and anticipation of what was to come. And you proceeded one step at a time, taking ministry opportunities. Years in though, you have probably struggled with the motive of that calling. Ministry is about people. People look to you, respect you, and love to hear you speak. If you aren’t careful, you begin to crave and love the attention and praise of people, and then you forget about Jesus.
Writing this blog has been on my mind for quite some time. After my five year mark of being in pastoral ministry, I began to feel this struggle in a real way. Earlier this year after being on the pastoral team at my church for seven years, I had the opportunity to take a sabbatical. It was truly amazing, yet also extremely difficult. I realized how much I was carrying but also how much I wasn’t depending on the Lord in my life and ministry. I needed to be reminded of my identity. I needed to lay myself bare before God and ask Him to heal and renew me. I needed to ask myself some tough questions and consider my motive in ministry. Retreating and signing off forced me to do this.
From this experience and my journey, here are a few things I’ve learned about how to do ministry from an overflow of first being with Jesus. These are more geared towards those in vocational ministry, but I also hope that anyone can glean in some way from this:
- Prioritize intimacy with Jesus above all things.
This sounds very obvious and almost too simple. But, do you prioritize being with God?
This quote from Tyler Staton’s book, Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools, sums it up well:
“We must keep in mind that when we make fruitfulness the goal, leapfrogging intimacy, we make a well-intentioned tragic mistake. When we try to carry out the mission of Jesus without grounding every action in intimacy with Jesus, we will often come out of the gate strong. A lot of social good has been done in the world through gritted teeth and the caring heart of a serious activist. However, more often than not, this motivation does not end in kingdom fruit. Even though it often starts out that way, it tends to end in exhaustion and resentment.”
When I read this quote, I had to seriously ask myself if I was doing my ministry out of an overflow of my intimacy with Jesus. Intimacy is about oneness and connection. Jesus LONGS for us to come to Him. And He LONGS to speak to us. For me, this isn’t necessarily about quantity, but quality. I can have 20 solid minutes with Jesus, and then go preach a 45 minute sermon. But the key is if I prepared my heart, mind, soul and body for what was coming. And then, out of an overflow of my time with Him, I strived to be a non-anxious, calm presence, serving others because I’ve been already walking with Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5:17 — “Pray without ceasing…”
- Be very careful with social media.
We all love dopamine hits. It feels great! The messages, comments and likes make us feel good. I’m guilty! I’ve become convinced though, that social media is easier to use for negative, unhealthy things than good, helpful things. It’s just really hard to use social media in a way that doesn’t negatively impact you.
It’s been said that “Comparison is the thief of joy.” This could not be more accurate. And this was written in an age without social media.
Comparison. Seeing how big their church is, the opportunity they got, or how everything just looks perfect for them and their family. These things are real, which is why I’ve had to put up serious boundaries with social media.
Before my sabbatical, I knew that I needed to take a long break from social media. I needed to be shown that I could live well without it. So, for 7 weeks I did not touch it. Week one was very hard, but after that, each week got better. I discovered my anxiety and stress went down, my contentment went higher, and I was much happier.
Have you ever heard the phrase, “If you don’t post it, it didn’t happen!” Yeah, that’s not true. If you want to post it, go for it. But you don’t have to. And your life is just as much fulfilling if you just savor the moment on your own. I have social media and use it. But I recognize the toll it can take on me because of my personality, so I’m constantly working to be careful with it.
- Be about faithfulness, not climbing a ladder.
Just like most careers, there is a ladder you can climb with vocational ministry – striving for bigger crowds, following, influence, and much more. Once again, I’m guilty of this. But Jesus calls us to be faithful, not famous. Faithful with even a few, or little.
Luke 16:10 – “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.”
Whatever is in front of us, that’s what we are faithful with. Each person matters. Ministry success ultimately = faithfulness. As you are faithful, God will take care of the rest. If he gives you a platform to make an influence, that’s great, but you want it to be His doing, not yours!
- Know and embrace your limits.
Before we had our son a couple years ago, I was often trying to do too much. I simply hit a wall and realized I wasn’t super human! My people pleasing tendency has also played into this. What I was doing on the outside was often not matching my inner life. I was pouring out more than I was taking in. Although God’s power works through our weakness, we also have limits that God wants us to operate within.
You can’t do everything! God was teaching me to not try to do everything, but rather do the things He’s made clear for me to do well. Understanding your limits requires you to be with God and seek Him.
- Just BE.
Do you ever have moments where you just sit and exist? It’s the idea of taking a step back and acknowledging that you’re alive and with God? It’s very difficult. Ironically, it takes a lot of discipline to simply do nothing. Thankfully, the world keeps spinning without us.
Think again about dopamine hits – we crave it. Oftentimes, we don’t know how to exist without it. Try this: Next time you’re sitting down with nothing to do, don’t scroll on your phone or turn something on. Just sit, walk, pray, reflect, contemplate. When you’re driving, try turning off your radio. Just drive, pray, reflect, think (but please pay attention)! It’s when we cancel out the noises that we are so accustomed to hearing, that we are reminded that we can just be in his presence.
Psalm 46:10- “Be still and know that I am God.”
Whether you are in vocational ministry and wanting to adopt some new rhythms, a Christian that serves in the marketplace and in your church, or anywhere in between – I pray that this blog reminds you that the most effective ministry we do for Jesus, is when our cup is overflowing with His presence, not ours.
May God’s grace carry us forward!
Matthew Weaver 