SOUNDING OUT:
Maturing in Ministry
The work that the minister does cannot
be separated from the life that he lives. That may be
possible for other men, but not for a minister. A minister
is responsible to live what he teaches.
I Timothy 4:14-16:
Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given
thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of
the presbytery
15 Meditate upon these things;
give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may
appear to all.
16 Take heed unto thyself,
and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing
this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear
thee.
The minister is to give himself wholly
to the things of God so that his profiting may appear
to all. The word “profiting” means “to change one’s state
for the better by advancing and making progress” or “to
pioneer advance into new territory.” When we meditate
on God’s Word and give ourselves wholly to it we continue
to advance and move to higher ground. Taking heed unto
and continuing in the doctrine makes both the minister
and those to whom he ministers whole.
There is a great difference between age and maturity.
Age deals with quantity of time, and maturity deals with
quality of experience. Not everyone that grows old has
necessarily matured. One way to measure maturity is by
the ability to make proper decisions and distinctions.
Philippians 1:9-11:
And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more
and more in knowledge and in all judgment;
10 That ye may approve things
that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without
offence till the day of Christ;
11 Being filled with the
fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ,
unto the glory and praise of God.
Following are six areas
where mature ministers will need to make proper distinctions.
Decisions in these categories will show maturity in ministry.
Activity
or Ministry
Not all activity is ministry.
Ministry is service to others. Many times activity is
detrimental and acts like a detour around real ministry.
Some parts of the ministry require little activity but
much intensity. Activity is doing a job and being done
with it, but ministry is sharing your life in service.
There is involvement and investment of oneself in ministry.
I Thessalonians 2:7,8:
But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth
her children:
8 So being affectionately
desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto
you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls,
because ye were dear unto us.
A faithful minister is likened to a
nursing mother. True ministry meets needs and glorifies
God. Activity can fill a calendar, but does the activity
genuinely meet the needs of those involved? When we walk
by the spirit and stay “tapped into” God, there will be
profit brought to people’s lives by the operation of the
manifestations. A key to being successful is maintaining
a quiet time with God. Of course, if our personal needs
are not being met, it will be difficult to meet the needs
of others.
Principles or
Methods
Methods may change, but principles
never do. What methods work in one place may not in other
places. Saul’s armor did not fit David. David went into
battle with Goliath with what he had proven and was comfortable
with. Methods must fit the man. The principles of courage
and determination to stand for God, set David apart from
the rest that were there. Like the husbandman in II Timothy
chapter two, the minister must first be partaker of the
fruits. Our principles of ministry arise from our own
personal experience with God and His Word. Methods should
be tested by our principles. Principles are the roots
that cannot be shaken by every wind of doctrine.
Popularity
or Success
We have little control over our popularity,
but we have great control over our success. Our success
is determined by our meditation upon and obedience to
God and His Word (Joshua 1:7,8). Our concern should first
be what does God want, not what do people want? What we
do when no one is looking is as important as what we do
in public. Character is built one decision at a time.
D. L. Moody once said, “If I take care of my character,
then my reputation will take care of itself.” The most
important part of my life is the part that only God sees.
If I fail in the secret place, I will eventually fail
in the public place. Mature ministers are not quick to
jump into the spotlight. Neither do they covet praise
and success in the eyes of men or compare their work with
others (II Corinthians 10:12, 18). When the Lord wants
to build a ministry, He first builds the man (Matthew
25:21).
Opinions
or Convictions
We must know the difference between
prejudice, opinions, and convictions. Prejudice is an
unthinking thing. It is buried in upbringing, and it is
blind and dangerous. The words “I feel” may be an indicator
of prejudice. Opinion is better educated. It is based
on experience. It reveals itself when a man says, “I think.”
Conviction demands the true words, “I Know.” Maturity
is tested by the way we react to those who disagree with
us. Mature men are meek and open to truth. They want to
learn more of God and His Word. Immature men think they
are always right. A mature man is not afraid of change
because he is anchored to the Lord. Learning usually always
involves unlearning. Remember the counsel of Philipp Melanchthon:
In essentials, unity; in differences [arising from questions],
liberty; in all things, charity.
Acting
or Reacting
Men act and children react. Some reactions
are good such as like not touching something that is hot.
We must act because we know what must be done. If we constantly
react then we become a victim of circumstances. We must
know ourselves, which includes our weaknesses as well
as our strengths. A good lesson for us to learn is to
listen without interrupting (Proverbs 18:13). We must
think with our minds and not our emotions. We are to be
Word conditioned, so we don’t complain about circumstances.
Immaturity thrives on excuses and maturity on challenges.
A mature minister knows where he is going, and those that
follow him know he does. We set our priorities according
to God’s Word, and do first things, first. We know what
must be done first. This means allowing nothing to turn
us from the task.
Dictatorship
or Leadership
A
servant-leader depends on humility, prayer, and love;
a dictator depends on pressure, force, and fear.
A leader goes before and encourages; a dictator stands
behind and drives. A leader leads by serving; a
dictator expects others to serve him. A leader rejoices
when the Lord gets the glory and others the credit; a
dictator takes both the credit and glory. A leader
builds people; a dictator uses people and drops them when
he is through exploiting them. What kind of people
does our ministry attract? A dictator needs “small
people” who need security and the popularity of
a great man. A dictator needs people who are willing
to lose their own identities as they inflate the ego of
their hero. A dictator wants to “cookie cut”
his followers who try to imitate him.
A true servant-leader needs people who believe
in his causes and are willing to work with him to extend
those causes. A true servant-leader needs people
who do not lose their identities in the leader, but they
grow under his leadership. A true servant-leader
is one who grows other servant-leaders who mature under
his guidance. A servant-leader is harder on himself
than others. A dictator may take risk but he will
not be willing to pay the price he asks his followers
to pay.
Conclusion:
We need maturity in ministry,
and that comes from experience not age. My daughter
Christine has a quote at the end of her email from Abraham
Lincoln that I love. He said, “And in the
end it’s not the years in your life that count.
It’s the life in your years.” Those
who choose to do God’s Word and will, will find
themselves maturing far beyond their years. Let’s
follow Paul’s example of ministry.
Colossians 1:25-29:
Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation
of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word
of God;
26 Even the mystery
which hath been hid from ages and from generations,
but now is made manifest to his saints:
27 To whom God would make
known what is the riches of the glory of this
mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you,
the hope of glory:
28 Whom we preach, warning
every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that
we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:
29 Whereunto I also labour,
striving according to his working, which worketh in
me mightily.
God has graced our lives
with a knowledge of Christ in us the hope of glory.
Let’s preach it, warning every man, and teaching every
man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect
in Christ Jesus. Then we’ll find ourselves striving
according to His working, which works in us mightily.
That’s the kind of experience that breeds maturity
and engenders humility before God and His people. |
