JOY IN THE MINISTRY JOURNEY

It has been a very busy week—day and night of ministry. From 8 to 8 yesterday, I was on the go. Then, this is time change Sunday, and we lose an hour of sleep as our body tries to adjust to the new schedule. We also are aware of how this can potentially shrink church attendance and that even those who come are yawning. Poor, pitiful me! 

Except we don’t have to surrender to such an attitude. The feelings are real, but there Is a greater reality. It is a privilege to be chosen to serve the King! It is an honor that He would give me almost fifty years of Gospel ministry and enough strength to keep going. I do not have to mount a horse to get to church or face a firing squad for my faith. Amazing grace is available to equip me—His Spirit to empower me!  So, I choose to press on with joy!

PRIORITIES FOR THE PASTOR

I have heard it said, “There is not enough time to do all you want to do. There is not enough time to do all others want you to do. There is enough time to do all God wants you to do.”  Whether it be as a preacher at a small country church, a pastor off a metropolitan megachurch, the president of a corporation, or the president of this country we all have 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year—and we do not know how many years. What we do with that time is determined by our priorties.  Leading our family and our flock well is essential. Jude lays out in verses 20-23.

The first priority here is BUILDING. “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith.”  We cannot build the church, if we do not build ourselves up. John Maxwell speaks of “The Law of the Lid” as one of his irrefutable laws of leadership. My leadership is a lid, and only as I lift my capacity will I be able to lift others. How do I build them? “Preach the Word,” Paul commanded in 2 Timothy 4.  Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. If the Word won’t do it, it won’t get done.

The next priority Jude lists is PRAYING, “praying in the Holy Spirit.”  When I work, my hands can accomplish what a man can do. When I pray, God works, and will accomplish what only He can do. Someone has said, “There is much to do after we pray, but nothing to do until we pray!”

Then, we find the priority of LOVING, “keep yourselves in the love of God,.”  The Great Commandment is to love God with all our being and then to love others as ourselves. God’s love for us is our model and His love in us is the means. Without love, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13 that we are just a lot of noise as we speak. 

Further, we focus on LOOKING, “looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.”  We have talked about faith and love. Now, we focus on the third Christian virtue of hope. The blessed hope in the return of Christ is one that must be sounded forth from our pulpit and a motivating force in our life and ministry. Ours is a hopeless world apart from Christ, and people are searching for it. Give it to them and they will soak it in!

Last, but not least, let us labor in REACHING, “And on some have compassion, making a distinction; but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.” This is evangelism, and it must claim a priority. This is the Great Commission. The fires of Hell await those who reject Christ. Let us do all we can to “rescue the perishing…snatch them in pity from sin and the grave,” as the hymn exhorts.

There—that should keep us busy!  Do this for your family and your flock and you will be a success in God’s eyes. What else matters?

YOU’VE GOT A FRIEND IN ME

“You’ve got a friend in me!” That’s the title of Randy Newman’s song from Toy Story. It is also my heart for other pastors. I consider it one of my primary tasks and a privileged service as an Associational Mission Strategist for Haywood Baptists. 

Some wonder what good an association of churches is—and I will quickly answer there are many blessings that flow from such a fellowship. There is greater Kingdom impact when churches work together for advancing the Gospel than if one church tries it alone. We pool our resources. We learn from one another. None of us have all the gifts and together we are better. 

The unity pictured in an association of churches is what Christ prayed for in John 17. As we are bound together in truth and love, the world not only hears the Gospel, but sees it. In a world that is increasingly polarized, we can stand against that tendency united by truth. From the outset, God told us, “It is not good for man to be alone.”  I say to our pastors—you are not alone. You’ve got a friend in me.  I will be your sounding board, a counselor, a listening ear, a confidant, and a resource. Get in touch. You need it, and I do too!