I am at the age now when I’m old enough to have experienced a lot, but still young enough to profit from what I’ve learned.
There were many things I didn’t know when I started out in ministry. Some things I knew in my head but hadn’t experienced. If I had really known these things, I could have avoided a lot of mistakes, done ministry more effectively and accomplished a lot more for the kingdom of God. Here are some essential things about ministry I have learned.
1. Trust the Bible.
I don’t have to fear when I base my ministry on the Bible. It is trustworthy. Critics of the Bible come and go. There are times when it seems the enemies of Scripture out-shout us and seem to be carrying the day. The Bible has been burned, ridiculed, belittled and maligned, but it stands strong. I am more convinced of the accuracy, truthfulness and integrity of the Bible now, than at any other time in my life.
God has spoken to us in a variety of ways and through a multiplicity of people, but the Bible is the permanent record of what he has said. It is God’s word and it is absolute truth. In an era when everything is relative and truth is subjective, the Bible is the standard of ultimate truth. It is unchanging.
God’s word is authoritative. It is the final authority on truth, behavior and church life. It is the last word about the way to heaven. What I may say is subject to error.
God’s word is powerful. Our words lack the necessary force to accomplish spiritual life-change, but God’s word has the spiritual strength to cut through human arguments, hardened hearts and cynical attitudes to reveal God’s love.
God’s Word is eternal. It is not going away. When the last critic is laid in the grave, the Bible will have the last word! When the last scientist walks out of his lab, the Bible will still remain. When the last philosopher is finished orating, the Bible will still stand tall.
2. Integrate the Spirit into all life and ministry.
I grew up in a preacher’s home that emphasized the importance of the person and work of the Holy Spirit. I value that heritage. My parents pointed me to the Scriptures that showed the critical importance of partnering with the Holy Spirit in all of life and ministry.
The Holy Spirit cannot be restricted to a one-time crisis experience, as important as that may be. The Spirit is an ongoing presence in our lives. I am convinced the Holy Spirit is not an add-on to make our lives more enjoyable; the Spirit is the essential power-core of the Christian life.
The Spirit brings conviction of sin and reveals the love of Jesus Christ. It is the Spirit who brings about the new birth. The Spirit moved upon the writers of the Bible and he illumines our minds to understand the meaning and application of the Bible.
The Spirit works in both our personal lives and ministries. First, he works in us, developing Christ-like character as exhibited by the fruit of the Spirit. Second, he works through us, empowering us to be effective in ministry. This ministry comes with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power. The Spirit’s anointing is not a style, but the divine working of God in the lives of those exposed to the word of God.
What the Scriptures teach about the Spirit is of upmost importance. Paul described the ministry as a “ministry of the Spirit.” He talked about the importance of “walking in the Spirit.” The Bible teaches that the Spirit provides us with direction. The Spirit gives us divine promptings to show us the way to go and to give us the words to say.
3. Follow God’s plan; it is the best plan for your life.
I could never have planned my life as well as God has designed it. In retrospect, God did a great job! From Asia to Africa, from interdenominational conferences to leadership positions within my own fellowship, from pastoring churches to international missions, only God could have connected the dots and pulled my life together.
It has never been a struggle to do God’s will. I remember as a teenager making the conscious decision to turn my life over to my Master. I have never regretted that decision nor have I ever wanted to take back the control of my life.
Many times I have not understood God’s leading, but I’ve never been tempted to take control of my life out of God’s hands. That would have been stupid. He has a plan for me. He knows my strengths and weaknesses. He knows the future. He knows where I can fit into his eternal purposes.
4. Praise God continually.
I was introduced to the atmosphere of praise at an early age. I remember standing with my parents in church as people lifted their hands and voices in praise. I watched the people around me, trying to understand what was happening. The couple in front of us didn’t realize it, but they were swaying back and forth as they worshipped and expressed their praise. As a young boy, I concluded that an integral part of praise was swaying back and forth, so I started to sway back and forth.
What a simplistic, shallow understanding of praise! I’ve learned now that praise is so much more. From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised. (Psalm 113:3).
Praise is the outward expression of the internal worship I have in my heart. What’s inside us needs to come out.
Praise is a way God manifests his presence. It is through praise that I can regularly make an intimate connection with God.
Praise is a way that God releases his power to act on our behalf. Praise prepares the atmosphere and circumstances so God can go to work! He who sacrifices thank offerings (praise) honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God. (Psalm 50:23).
Praise is a garment we put on to ward off discouragement. The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me… He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners… to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion– to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. (Isaiah 61:1-3)
5. Put God first in everything.
What Jesus said is true. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:33). No one who puts God first, ever loses. I’ve watched people who did not put God first, lose a great deal. When we put God first, he provides all our needs.
When I was in college, I was intending to be an accountant, but God’s plan was ministry. So I started as a youth pastor. Then went to Hong Kong as a missionary. Later, after finishing graduate studies, I was offered a position in a prestigious magazine in New York. Again it was clear God wanted us in ministry and within a few months we were in East Africa, not in New York.
I’ve never regretted putting God first.
6. Rely on God’s power to keep you.
God’s power to keep you is as great as God’s power to save you. I have heard spectacular testimonies of people who have been gloriously delivered from a life of violence, alcoholism and abuse. As a teenager I remember a speaker telling how he had been involved in crime and connected to the Mafia crime syndicate. He described what he had done in his former life, how he had been spiritually converted and was now following Jesus.
I went home from that meeting wishing I had a spectacular testimony like that to tell. I thought my life story was rather ordinary and dull. That night during my personal devotions, the Lord reminded me that I had a wonderful testimony. I was born in a Christian home and through God’s grace had never gone out to live a rebellious life.
The Lord reminded me that his power to keep me from the dangerous pitfalls of sinful behavior, is just as great as his power to deliver me from a lifestyle of hate, harm and hurt. He is able to keep us from falling, as well as deliver us from the messes we get ourselves into. To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy… (Jude 24).
I will gladly share my testimony with anyone who will listen. He has protected me and provided for me. He has kept me from messing up my personal life, my marriage and my ministry. At a Promise Keepers conference for pastors, John Maxwell stated that only one in ten people who start out in public ministry in America, are still in ministry at age 65. I gladly acknowledge that it has been God’s power and presence that has kept me going in the ministry for more than 49 years.
7. Value your ministry partner.
There are a few, and only a few, who could make it in ministry as the apostle Paul did. It is widely believed Paul was not married. While his singleness enabled him to keep a rigorous travel schedule, he did it without the partnership of a wife. Most of us relate more to the apostle Peter, who, at least at times, had his wife traveling with him.
The specter of marital meltdown has reached the parsonage. Trouble in the pastor’s home means personal pain, congregational shame and aborted ministries. When a pastor’s marriage detonates, the debris lives on and it is not biodegradable.
I’ve learned that it is those who have healthy marriages who make it for the long haul in ministry. Nothing can undermine the effectiveness of ministry like unsettledness in a minister’s home. A discordant marriage drags a minister down emotionally and spiritually. When things aren’t right at home, you can’t hide it from your people. That means that the number one choice a person going into ministry must make is the choice of a life-partner.
Ministries are destroyed by unhappy marriages. There are increasing pressures on a pastor from congregations, from society and from the changing roles of men and women. On the other hand, ministries are strengthened by a strong marriage. The wholesomeness of a marriage can preach as loudly as a sermon given from the pulpit.
I thank God for a marriage partner who has shared life and ministry with me for 45 years. Ruth has followed me around the world, lived in several countries and has supported me through it all. I know she loves the Savior and me. I would never have made it without her.
A complete directory of articles can be found at http://calsinsights.com/
You can receive this material regularly by email – just fill in your email address at the bottom left side of the home page under subscription options and you will receive a copy of each new article as it is posted.
To forward the material to someone else, press the “share this” button and fill in an email address.
I appreciate all your comments and suggestions.