Episode 8 / The Definition of Successful Ministry
I used to think that doing ministry was an act of obedience or an act of worship, an act of dedication unto the Lord. Whether God had actually asked me to do it or not, I just thought it would be default by doing something that is right. But in the process of that, I wasn't very successful. I had the mentality of lead, follow, get out of the way. And I literally thought that you're either part of the solution or part of the problem.
And I thought that God would be honored with that, "Look how dedicated I am to you," I never said it like that. But in my heart, that's really what was happening. Um, I never intended for that to happen. I think it was one of the spiritual battles that I fought, and I think I always will. Trying to do something right, it was just absolutely unsuccessful. It didn't bring honor and glory to God.
Later I heard this phrase that, "We don't find our purpose. We serve the purposes of God." That has helped me so much in my Christian life. In my thought processes. In my hopes. In my dreams. It's not about me trying to figure something out, it's just about me doing what the Lord wants me to do.
And if he hasn't given me the next order let's say, then my job is just to stay on the last order that I got. And another aspect of a successful ministry that just simply being obedient to God. That has been so helpful for me is like in the Book of Exodus when God says to Moses you know to, "Separate unto me, Aaron, and his sons" or how many times I mean I've never counted them, but it's gotta be 30 at least. "Separate unto me."
And the context of that was God saying, separate this person to ministry. But the way that God views it is, "Separate unto me." And I love that because that's a successful ministry. We serve the Lord. When we get into the New Testament and a lot of the epistles, we read that, though we have a master over us, or a boss over us, yeah. But we serve the Lord. And it's the same thing from Old Testament to New Testament. No matter what we do. You know, it's unto the Lord. And when God asked us to do something, our job is just simply to be obedient to him. And it's, you know, I overworked it. I tried to make something happen.
All I did is fall flat. I just created problems and it wasn't service under the Lord at all. So a definition of successful ministry is just doing what God asked us to do and be faithful. When you consider the prophet Jeremiah, the guy where we don't really read about, repentance and people coming to the Lord through his ministry.
Matter of fact, he's known as the weeping prophet. Like there wasn't a whole lot there, but yet he was faithful unto God and God viewed him in his word as one of the chief of the prophets in all of the Bible. He just simply did what God wanted him to do and whether it was good, bad, or ugly, he just stayed faithful to the cause.
And I think that's a really good, um, you know, example for us. So we define a successful ministry by one word, obedience.
Verses
“So Samuel said: “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.” I Samuel 15:22 NKJV
“For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise.” Psalms 51:16-17 NKJV
And I thought that God would be honored with that, "Look how dedicated I am to you," I never said it like that. But in my heart, that's really what was happening. Um, I never intended for that to happen. I think it was one of the spiritual battles that I fought, and I think I always will. Trying to do something right, it was just absolutely unsuccessful. It didn't bring honor and glory to God.
Later I heard this phrase that, "We don't find our purpose. We serve the purposes of God." That has helped me so much in my Christian life. In my thought processes. In my hopes. In my dreams. It's not about me trying to figure something out, it's just about me doing what the Lord wants me to do.
And if he hasn't given me the next order let's say, then my job is just to stay on the last order that I got. And another aspect of a successful ministry that just simply being obedient to God. That has been so helpful for me is like in the Book of Exodus when God says to Moses you know to, "Separate unto me, Aaron, and his sons" or how many times I mean I've never counted them, but it's gotta be 30 at least. "Separate unto me."
And the context of that was God saying, separate this person to ministry. But the way that God views it is, "Separate unto me." And I love that because that's a successful ministry. We serve the Lord. When we get into the New Testament and a lot of the epistles, we read that, though we have a master over us, or a boss over us, yeah. But we serve the Lord. And it's the same thing from Old Testament to New Testament. No matter what we do. You know, it's unto the Lord. And when God asked us to do something, our job is just simply to be obedient to him. And it's, you know, I overworked it. I tried to make something happen.
All I did is fall flat. I just created problems and it wasn't service under the Lord at all. So a definition of successful ministry is just doing what God asked us to do and be faithful. When you consider the prophet Jeremiah, the guy where we don't really read about, repentance and people coming to the Lord through his ministry.
Matter of fact, he's known as the weeping prophet. Like there wasn't a whole lot there, but yet he was faithful unto God and God viewed him in his word as one of the chief of the prophets in all of the Bible. He just simply did what God wanted him to do and whether it was good, bad, or ugly, he just stayed faithful to the cause.
And I think that's a really good, um, you know, example for us. So we define a successful ministry by one word, obedience.
Verses
“So Samuel said: “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.” I Samuel 15:22 NKJV
“For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise.” Psalms 51:16-17 NKJV
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