Ministry Intensity
28
Apr/091
Apr/091
I have a much more intense approach to ministry now than I did when I began working at my first church. The reasons for this intensity are varied, but a lot of it comes down to some core beliefs that I have. It is likely that none of this is going to be news to you, but here are some beliefs that spur me toward intensity.
I actually believe that…
- God changes lives. I have conversations with people every single weekend whose lives are being radically transformed by the power of God. I'm not exaggerating…I have these conversations every single weekend, without fail.
- the gospel is true. It's not a myth or a fantasy. And it's not one of many avenues to God. The gospel declares that Jesus died for my sins and rose again to seal my victory. And that is the only way I can have access to God.
- Jesus is coming back. I don't know when. But I see nothing in Scripture that says that Jesus can't come back today. I'm not one of those wingnuts who claims to know exactly when Jesus is coming back. That is a direct contradiction of Jesus' own words (Matthew 24:36-44). The coming of Christ could be a millennium away. Or, it could just as easily happen today. I'm going to spend every day I have serving Him.
- God will hold me accountable for my ministry. This has helped me tremendously, because it's allowed me to be less concerned about what people think. Criticism goes with the territory in ministry. (I talked extensively about this in my message on Sunday.) And it still hurts…don't misunderstand me. But ultimately, I won't stand before any of my critics to answer for what I did or didn't do in my ministry. I will stand before God to give an account (Hebrews 13:17).
- hell is real. And yes…I actually believe that people outside of Christ will spend eternity there. This knowledge has pushed me to levels of ministry intensity that I didn't even know were possible. It's a tragedy that more saved people don't really believe in hell. They might believe in the idea of hell, but it isn't real to them. If it was real to them, they would feel a sense of urgency and intensity that is sadly lacking in many believers' lives.
- heaven is going to be awesome. I don't just care about helping people avoid hell. I want to do more than sell fire insurance. I want to see them hunger for heaven. I want to see them become so passionate for Jesus that their life's goal is to see Him face-to-face.
Honestly, ministry used to be a lot easier before I began to approach it with such intensity. I could just punch in, do my thing, and then punch out.
But the more that I began to own these truths, the more intense I became about ministry. It's tiring…actually, it's exhausting. And it can be very frustrating.
But these truths keep me coming back for more.
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5:20 am on April 28th, 2009
And we thank GOD you do.