Thoughts Along The Journey

Complacency can easily blur our vision, rob us of the joy we have in Christ and make us weary and tired saints. The search for power over our world runs deep in our hearts so much so that we can enjoy feeding more on ‘self’ than on Christ.

However, there is still another way that inhibits the impact of the Gospel in our lives; that causes us to be unconsciously learning day by day how not to let the Gospel change our lives.  It’s when we allow something else to become more important in our hearts than Jesus.

For many of us, that ‘more important something else’ is our ministry. 

A disciple walks away from Christ; a Bible study or house church turns sour; or someone raises a question about the long term fruit of our ministry.  When any one of these events happens, we find ourselves immediately in the red zone.  You know, that area where our responses and reactions to any further comments or questions are out of proportion to the actual situation.

“What kind of church planter am I?”  “What was that disciple’s problem?” “No one really understands my ministry.”  These statements or questions we often say to ourselves are self directed, not other directed.  In other words, they don’t push us to ask some harder questions of ourselves.

Stepping back from our ministries, we should be asking ourselves if in our ministry we rely more on our own capacities than the Holy Spirit.  Or we might ask if our avoidance of a plan and priorities might actually hinder the growth and development of disciples.

Our ministry is a possible “savior” we might turn to other than Jesus.  There are many more.  We identify other “saviors” when overreaction occurs as someone gets in between us and that idol.  The Gospel displaces all other saviors when one affection, one passion overwhelms our heart and takes full possession of it.  May we be passionate about Christ alone.

Filed under: Gospel |