Misplaced Glory: Part Five

It can be a struggle, particularly when you are involved in ministry—whether it be in song, visitation, teaching, or preaching—to keep God the main focus. Many is the time that I have wished I could fade into the background or lead worship from behind a screen so that the focus would no longer be on me.

Human beings—whether they have ADD or ADHD or not—suffer from distractions. Hmm, just look at the tie our song leader is wearing! Does he know his shoe is untied? Hmm, I didn’t notice his right ear hung lower than his left! People are constantly distracted, confounding the very purpose of ministry at times.

The best remedy we can offer then is to minister without seeking attention, glory, or praise that belongs to God. We cannot control the thoughts of others but we can certainly keep our prideful human spirit under subjection so that God can work in the congregation.

Let us re-examine the power and purpose of ministry:

Ephesians 4:11-16 says,
“And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.”

God will not refuse a willing vessel but what is that vessel’s purpose? So often we are blinded by the images of ministry with which we have become acquainted…rather than truly being inspired by the end goal: that none should perish! But let us delve deeper into the specific reasons for ministry as given by God’s Word.

Reason #1: For the Perfecting of the Saints

This not only refers to ministering to the congregation as a group but also the oversight and discipleship that will develop each saint individually. First, let me begin by saying that Christians are not carbon copies of one another. Instead, each is unique with unique challenges and needs. Furthermore, everyone develops in their walk with God at a different pace.

Take my father, for instance, just one day after receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, he discarded anything that was worldly in his possession. He’s never turned back to those things. Others, however, can take months or even years to overcome some temptations. It isn’t that they received less Holy Ghost—there is no scriptural backing for such an assumption. The key is that everyone has different challenges and, just like human infants, develop at different rates.

Hence, the ministry is to provide guidance and fellowship while providing a godly example of the believers. Real ministry does not, as the old timers often said, ‘skin the fish til you get the fish!’ Indeed, ministry must be a labor of love.

“For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister (Hebrews 6:10).

Leadership is needed as the saints strive unto perfection. As Paul commanded, “Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this will we do, if God permit.”

Note, we are not to forsake the principles of the doctrine, such as the plan of salvation in Acts 2:38, repentance, faith, baptism in Jesus’ name, healing by the laying on of hands, or the rapture; instead, these are the foundational principles that all should be taught in the beginning. Then, we are to use these as building blocks as we grow more in the Lord!

Reason #2: For the Work of the Ministry

We are to assist other ministries; we are not in competition nor do we build our own kingdoms! We are a team, a family. In fact, Christ calls us one body! Your hands don’t compete with each other to see who can grab the fried chicken first! The members of the human body are often far wiser than we are!

We are to bolster, support, and encourage other ministries. It is much like building a house. Some lay the concrete foundation, some frame the structure, others add insulation or plumbing, others brick the walls, and still others add the roof. Then there are those who tape and bed the inner walls; some are painters, some are carpet layers, or tile layers. The roofers don’t compete to make their roof better than the tile; and they certainly don’t destroy each other’s work to make their own efforts seem better!

Instead, each of these construction teams knows that it takes many types of skilled laborers to build a beautiful and functional home. How many more would worship in our churches, how much more of an impact could we have in our cities, and how much more pleased would God be if we would stop seeking to take the glory and accolades for ourselves and simply build His House?

Reason #3: For the edification of the body of Christ

To edify, according to Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary, is to ‘To instruct especially so as to encourage intellectual, moral, or spiritual improvement; to improve the morality, intellect, etc.’

In ministry, our purpose is not to produce followers of ourselves but to raise strong leaders and strong Christians with the moral wherewithal to make good decisions even when we are not present to assist them. They need to be empowered with a knowledge of the Word and fortified by having developed the habit of prayer, fasting, and faith. We are to improve the inner functioning of the body….in essence, we are to be peacemakers and instill unity. As Psalm 133:1 says, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”

Reason #4: To Make the Body into the Perfect Man

Who was the perfect man? We all know it to be Jesus Christ in his earthly ministry. So what are we to create of our saints via our ministry? We are to bring them into alignment with the perfection that is found in Christ Jesus!

Everything he is, we are to inspire our churches to be! And it is when we can minister in love—of both human souls and the God we serve—that we will escape the tendency to self-worship!