Suffering in Ministry is God's Answer to My Prayer

A shout out to Stephan Kwan (http://www.missionaryskwan.com), a missionary currently serving in Arua, Uganda, for his prayers.  Go on his site, pray and support him, too.

I love how God answers prayers.  While I was doing my morning readings this morning, I came across this in http://www.christianitytoday.com/globalconversation/august2010/index.html

As a leader, I am the bond-servant (doulos) of the people I lead (2 Cor. 4:5). This means that my schedule is shaped more by their needs than by mine.

Vocational fulfillment in the kingdom of God has a distinct character, different from vocational fulfillment in society. Jesus said, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work" (John 4:34, ESV, used throughout). If we are doing God's will, we are happy and fulfilled. But for Jesus, and for us, doing God's will includes the Cross. The Cross must be an essential element in our definition of vocational fulfillment.

How to teach my congregation servant-leadership?  Is it teach them the difference in the vocational fulfillment in the kingdom of God vs. the vocational fulfillment in society.  To teach them to live out Christ does not require a "full-time calling", but it's THE calling as children of God.  And not to sugarcoat this teaching because to live out Christ is to suffer.

The New Testament is clear that those who work for Christ will suffer because of their work. Tiredness, stress, and strain may be the cross God calls us to. Paul often spoke about the physical hardships his ministry brought him, including emotional strain (Gal. 4:19; 2 Cor. 11:28), anger (2 Cor. 11:29), sleepless nights and hunger (2 Cor. 6:5), affliction and perplexity (2 Cor. 4:8), and toiling—working to the point of weariness (Col. 1:29). In statements radically countercultural in today's "body conscious" society, he said, "Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day" (2 Cor. 4:16); and, "For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you" (2 Cor. 4:11-12). I fear that many Christians approach these texts only with an academic interest, not seriously asking how the verses should apply in their lives.

And I guess the fear I have is part of the suffering  as the life of Jesus may be manifested in my life.

One of My Greatest Fear as a Pastor

As a pastor and as someone convicted of serving the Lord full-time, some choices I have to make in regards to scheduling are easy - yet requires wisdom.  There are church wide events that I must attend without a doubt.  There are fellowships that I must attend most of the time.  There are meetings that I must also attend.  Funerals, no doubt.  Weddings, a time to celebrate with the new couple.  It is all part of visible leadership.  If these events happens to be on Tuesday to Friday or Sundays, I'll schedule my regular prep work around it.  If it happens on a Saturday, oh well, even less time for final prep work on Saturday.  If it is on a Monday, I'll reschedule another time off if I can.  It is all serving the Lord - and learning from our Lord Jesus, if he can serve us by washing the disciples' feet, I need to learn to serve with joy.

As for the people I am learning to serve, they have some much harder decisions to make.  In general, they work Monday to Friday.  For most of them, Sunday morning is non-negotiable - it's church.  However, the choices comes in the form of prayer meetings, fellowships, cell groups, church events, meetings, and etc.  Unlike myself, they "volunteer" their time to come, they "volunteer" their time to serve.  If someone cannot set the time aside to volunteer the work, the task either ultimately falls on my shoulders or it does not get done at all.

As a pastor, and I've said this many times before, one of my greatest fears is having all my volunteers walk out on me.  Because if that happens, my ministry becomes merely getting things done, and not about influencing lives with the Gospel and my witness. 

Lord, give me the wisdom the teach and examplify (I think I just made up a word) servant-leadership.

Ministry and Life

Sitting in my office, I know there a bunch of things I can be doing (i.e. finishing up this Sunday sermon, finish next month's BLogos articles, write that article on Urban Missions and Ministries for Tyndale Link, or even finish the prep for Saturday's mission conference). But I started thinking, what does all these ministries mean if I am not connected to the people I'm serving...

Rebecca, Jermaine and I sat down yesterday to talk about the mission and ministry of TC and we all agreed on that for TC were the rubber hits the road is in the one-on-one engagement between captains and teens, teens and peers, coaches and teens. To a larger extent, mentor coaches and volunteers, etc. The bulk of God's life transformative work is not in the message, the singing, the media presentation, it's in life influencing life.

That got me thinking. As a pastor, does my congregation know me? As pastors, we were told to act professionally, but how is that helping the ministry God has put in my hands. I preach at least twice a month, write once a month in the BLogos, lead Bible Studies and attend meetings, but how does all that aid the relationship building with the people I ministry too.

This lead me back to this blog... people use to say they know me because of this blog. They would know how I feel, what I'm going through, and etc. If they don't like what I'm saying or who I am, they don't have to read this blog. But when I became a pastor, this blog became all "business". I'll only write if I have something "insightful" to say. It is not the "real" me anymore. How am I to influence other lives if I'm not being real with my life.

So I've made a decision, I am going to revive this blog. New design, new focus. And not to just fill it with "insights" but with my life. So I can witness with my life. And live out my life as a living sacrifice.