Wednesday, January 26, 2011

"My Ministry"

The phrase “my ministry” can be both good and bad depending on my attitude and understanding of ministry.

Attitude is huge when it comes to serving in the church. Wait! There was the key word, “serving”. Jesus, God in the flesh, took on the form of a humble servant. Not a doormat but put the needs of others first. My attitude must be one of a servant. I do this ministry to serve others and to serve God. When my attitude shifts focus off of others and off of God and on to myself soon ministry goes from a joy to a hardship.

The attitude problem is why some don’t serve in the church their attitude is one of “giving up an hour or two a week from their already busy lives to do a job”. The change happens when they realize they are worshipping with their lives every minute that they are serving others and serving God.

The understanding comes into play when we realize that “my ministry” is not really mine at all. It may be what I do but doesn’t belong to me but belongs to God. There is a danger when we get the “mine” understanding because soon we quickly forget the bigger picture.

My ministry is just a small part of something bigger that God is doing in the body of Christ in my local church. So if I get bent out of shape because it appears to me that “my” ministry isn’t taking priority, whether it be pouring coffee, changing diapers, teaching children, shaking hands at the door, that is a signal that my understanding of ministry in the church is skewed.

Youth ministry is where God has placed me at NHC. I will be more effective overall and more of an active part of the church’s purpose when I realize that I’m here to serve and simply part of the big picture of ministry at NHC. I heard a wise man say the other day, "it's hard to see the picture when you are in the frame." Never forget that the ministry you do in your local church is part of a much bigger picture.

No comments:

New Site is up and Running

My new web site which now hosts my blog posts is up and fully functional. You can check it out at andylawrenson.com . There is also a ...