Fire In The Hole
As I became aware of the ministry
possibilities I had, the most aggravating and frustrating part of it all was the
bankruptcy in the organized church of the moral climate. Hypocrisy was
rampant – and still is. Coming to Christ as a child, it was not until I
stepped out on my own, away from home at the age of 18, that I really began to
establish my personal relationship with the LORD. Up to that point I had
not taken personal ownership of the relationship. I had been a Christian
because my parents were and I went to the same church they did, mostly because I
had to; and even though I had had a memorable conversion experience as a child,
it was when I left home for college that I truly discovered Jesus; and it was
then that I discovered the dichotomy of what was being said and what was done.
Though immature in my Christian
walk, I understood as a teenager that Jesus had died for me and I also realized
He had cared for me all the way since my early childhood. Opening the
scriptures and reading the words of Jesus as an adult, and hearing the
applications given to me by my teachers, I realized almost immediately that I
had a call on my life. I wanted to live for Him and do something
significant for the Kingdom of God, but I had several serious hurdles to
overcome – and unbeknownst to me at the time, there were many difficult years
ahead before I could realize my true ministry. The process of finding it
involved the following major areas.
1. LEANING ON
CHRIST
The ministry of Jesus Christ has now
become your ministry. (Luke 9:1-5) Your job is to proclaim the “Good
News,” therefore you must understand what is so good about the “Good
News.” He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in
righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and
renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus
Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs
according to the hope of eternal life. (Titus 3:5-7) This message must
permeate your whole being. There can never be a hint of earned love.
Grace means unearned favor, unconditional acceptance – it’s the power of the
gospel and the most abused and misunderstood part of the “Good News.”
Without grace, there can be no salvation. How can this lesson be learned?
It comes through a personal realization that for those in Christ there is no
condemnation. (Romans 8:1-2) This means God does not condemn you (or
anyone else) and it also means that “condemnation” and “judgment” no longer
plays a part in your attitude toward others and most especially toward yourself.
Knowing scripture is important, but receiving God’s love is essential.
Jesus said that He had come to give us life in abundance, (John 10:10) but few
people actually seem to experience it. How do you get this abundant
eternal life? Paul says that receiving grace and righteousness is the key
to experiencing eternal life. (Romans 5:17)
2. LATCHING ON
TO THE TRUTH
The Truth is the most important
information one can obtain. This was my first lesson. It is
essential to come into the fullness of the Christian experience – and even more
necessary toward operating effectively in ministry. I wanted to know the
Truth. Jesus told Pilate that the purpose of His coming to earth was to
give His testimony concerning the Truth. (John 18:37) I knew that my
ministry was also wrapped around revealing the Truth. Jesus had said that
knowing the Truth would set me free from slavery to sin. (John 8:32ff)
Jesus prayed that His disciples might be sanctified by the Truth and those who
believed their testimony would also be sanctified; and related that God’s word
was the Truth. (John 15:3; 17:17,20) Upon hearing that the Truth comes
from Jesus, I realized that analysis of His words would lead to discovering the
content of the Truth. The LORD had sent me into the world to bare witness
to the Truth also. (John 17:18)
3. LISTENING TO
THE HOLY SPIRIT
In Acts 1:8 Jesus told the disciples
that after a few days they would receive power. This would come through
the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The word used for “power” in this verse is
the word
δύναμις, (dunamis)
the same root word for our English word “dynamite.” According to Jesus,
the Holy Spirit, a.k.a. the Counselor, a.k.a. the Helper or the Spirit of Truth
(John 14:17) was to empower each believer to do the work of the ministry by a
revelation of the Truth. (John 16:13) The Holy Spirit would come as the
Comforter and minister the Truth even as Jesus had done. He was to open
the hearts of those who would listen to the understanding of who they were in
God and what His plan was for them. (John 16:8-11) Jesus revealed that He
Himself was the Truth (John 14:6) and that after His return to heaven, a
relationship with the Holy Spirit was essential for the discovery of Himself,
the Truth. (John 14:21; 15:26) Jesus relied upon the living ministry of
His Father revealing Himself to Him through the Holy Spirit. (John 5:19)
He could not (or perhaps would not) do anything that He did not see His Father
doing. The Truth that sets me free is operating according to what the
Spirit of Truth reveals to me and doing that. This shows my love for God.
(John 14:21, 23; 15:10) Learning to listen to the Holy Spirit is
illustrated by operating in your prayer language. It is done the same way
that revelation occurs – hearing, believing, confessing – so it teaches us how
to operate smoothly and efficiently utilizing our spirit by listening to the
Holy Spirit.
4. LIFTING UP
THE NAME OF JESUS
“Let us continually offer up a
sacrifice of praise to God. It is the fruit of lips that give thanks to
His name. We must not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such
sacrifices God is pleased.” (Hebrews 13:15-16) The work of the ministry
can be very draining. Even Jesus had to have quiet moments alone with the
Father. (John 12:36; Mark 1:35; Luke 4:42) Much of the difficulty
encountered is in trying to come up with solutions for the problems that people
have. But those solutions are really the responsibility of the Holy
Spirit; therefore my role as a minister is in seeking the will of God. I
begin doing this in worship. (Romans 12:1-2) This is the lifting up of the
Name of Jesus and it brings the assurance of the Father’s will. (John 8:28-29)
Worship is adoration is demonstrative love. Setting my spirit free to
worship, I release the Holy Spirit to bring forth praise and exaltation.
Jesus explained that when the Holy Spirit is released, He will testify of the
works of Jesus and as a result we will testify also. (John 15:26-27) This
means that I find His perfect will through praise. Studying is important,
education is valuable, but often dwelling in the realm of understanding is
limited when it comes to discerning the Spirit. (1 Corinthians 2:9-13) I
have been given a tool whereby I can bypass intellect (understanding through
logic) and receive a revelation of the perfect will of God through the Spirit.
Paul urges us to pray in the Spirit (Ephesians 6:18) at all times. Most
often this is done through a prayer language whereby we pray in accordance with
the perfect will of God. (Romans 8:26-27)
5. LEARNING TO
LOVE PEOPLE
Jesus links obedience to His
commands (through the Holy Spirit) and the love you have for Him; and the love
expressed to your brothers and sisters (or the lack of it) has a direct link to
the love you have for God. (1 John 4:7-9) Loving God and loving people
cannot be mutually exclusive. Loving people is what you must do because
that is what you see your Father doing. (John 3:16) As a minister of God,
if you are going to do ministry with people, you must develop a love for them,
which is not an easy thing when you realize what they’re like. Therefore,
you must learn to love them with God’s love.
Something is burning down in your
soul. Whatever it is, you cannot stop pursuing it. It will not leave
you alone. It is your calling and nothing else will or can satisfy you in
life except doing the one thing that God purposed you to do during your stay on
earth. But like everything else that God has done for us, this ministry
will not be forced upon you. You have to want it more than anything else
and seek God and His will to find it. The principle that I look to for
this is the same one that should draw them to Christ in the first place –
whoever calls upon the name of the LORD and earnestly reaches out to Him in
faith will not be disappointed. God has a wonderful plan for your life,
but He needs you to reach out to Him and receive it.
DISCUSSION
QUESTIONS
1.
What is the driving force that makes
you want to be a minister?
2.
What roadblocks stand in the way of
the fulfillment of your ministry?
3.
Have you set personal goals to get
your ministry on track? What are some of them?
4.
What plans have you made to get to
where you want to be?
5.
What is the next step toward reaching
your goal?
Has God revealed to you what you should be doing
now? Why or why not?