Meaningful Christian ministry
Part 1
Part 1 of a 2 part discussion on
meaningful Christian ministry.
By David Woodbury
There are few subjects in the realm of the church that is so
disputed as the concept of Christian Ministry, much of it as a result of
conflicting theological and denominational views. The early church struggled
with the concept and letters from the early church fathers Clement and Ignatius
revealed serious divisions among Christians regarding the subject.
If Christian ministry is to be meaningful, effective and
fruitful it has to have a sense of divine purpose about it. It has to be
something out of the ordinary, and in a sense, something quite different to any
of the other elements of our lives. Most Christians are sure that Christian
ministry is an integral part of their spiritual pilgrimage but are not exactly
certain of what the Bible really says about it.
Ministry in the Old Testament was restricted to those chosen or
appointed as priests in the temple, carried out by Moses’ brother, Aaron and
his descendants. (See Leviticus
10:16-17, Numbers 18:1, Numbers 18:7)
The role of the priest was that of an intermediary between
the people and God. Leviticus and Numbers make it clear that the priest was the
sole arbitrator between God and the people. Theirs was the role to come before
God with the various offering the people brought and to seek atonement. All
religious ritual, which was very complicated and detailed, involved ministry by
the priest in one way or another and continued right up until the time of Jesus
and beyond.
For Christian ministry to be authentic we need to find a
scriptural basis and the scriptural authority for its existence. One of the
great dangers of the church is that it all too often falls back on tradition
and rituals in its operations without re-examining the basis for its existence
and re-evaluating its mode of operation under contemporary conditions.
Anything to do with our Christian lifestyle has to find an
authority and basis in biblical teaching. We
believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments were given by
inspiration of God; and that they only
constitute the divine rule of Christian faith and practice. (Salvation
Army - Doctrine 1)
Definition: Christian Ministry is the expression of the
mind and mission of Christ by a community of believers.
The event that opens the way
37 And Jesus
cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last. 38 Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
Mark 15:37-38 (NKJV)
For the Christian, these verses are crucial not only to our
salvation but also to our role in Christian ministry. When the curtain was
torn, the way to God’s presence, the holy of holies was opened for humanity.
Previously only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies and then only
once a year on the Day of Atonement. Now all humanity not only had access to
God, but they could comprehend him in the person of Jesus. (See Hebrews
10:1-10, Hebrews 10:19-24)
The coming of Jesus was to usher in an age where ministry
was no longer the select role of a few designated individuals. Entrance into
the very presence of God became the privilege of those who claimed Jesus Christ
as their Saviour and Redeemer. When a person is born again of the Spirit their
right of entry into God’s presence becomes a reality through Jesus.
Hebrews describes this as a new and living way, and it is perhaps a good description of what
can be the spiritual residence of those who seek to be involved in Christian
ministry. It may well be that this concept of walking boldly into the presence
of God is a little daunting for those new to the faith. However, those involved
in Christian ministry need to assist new believers to experience the reality of
the new and living way.
JESUS AND MINISTRY
21 Then they went
into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and
taught. 22 And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as
one having authority, and not as the
scribes. Mark 1:21-22 (NKJV)
When Jesus spoke the people perceived that he spoke as one having authority, an authority
that came directly from his Father God. There is a suggestion that ministry
needs a divine sense of calling and destiny about it if it is to be effective
and authentic. It may well be that in
examining the ministry of Jesus we can discover something of that divine sense
of calling and destiny.
If we take the ministry of Jesus as our role we note that
there are two distinct aspects. The first was a sense of a divine vocation; he
was
sent by his Father on a specific mission. The second was that of
compassionate service. These two characteristics become the foundations on
which effective and authentic Christian ministry is built.
Jesus was sent
Much is made of Jesus coming to this world and perhaps we
miss the reality of what took place. His own words forcibly confirm to us that
the reason for his coming what that he was sent; sent by his Father for a specific
reason. It wasn't a mission of his own initiative, rather he was sent to do the
Father's work, to fulfil his Father's mission of the salvation of all humanity,
and to bring glory to the Father by carrying out that task.
More than 80 times Jesus refers to being sent
by his Father God. He was under no illusion about who it was that had sent him
on his great mission of salvation for all humanity. His was an extraordinary
vocation into which he would invite those who sought to follow him. I believe
that as we examine the Scriptures regarding the sending of Jesus we can glean
insights into how our own Christian ministry can be meaningful and fulfilling.
As we examine the scriptures that relate to the sending of
Jesus we begin to see and understand the parameters and environment under which
we must also offer Christian ministry. We may well discover that authentic
Christian ministry has a sense of calling and vocation about it, without which
it is no more than good deeds. In
his posthumously published book, Treasure in Clay, the late Archbishop
Fulton Sheen writes: “No true vocation starts with ‘what I want’, or ‘what I
would like to do,’ it starts with God”.
Vocation (Latin vocātiō - a call, summons), is a term for an occupation to which a
person is especially drawn or for which he or she is suited, trained, or
qualified. Though now often used in non-religious contexts, the meanings of the
term originated in Christianity.
Use of the word "vocation" before the sixteenth
century referred firstly to the "call" by God to the individual, or
calling of all humankind to salvation, particularly in the Vulgate, and more
specifically to the "vocation to the priesthood", which is still the
usual sense in Roman Catholicism. The
idea of vocation is central to the Christian belief that God has created each
person with gifts and talents oriented toward specific purposes and a way of
life.
It may well be that those who are most effective in
Christian ministry are those who have a sense of calling or vocation. It’s as
if they were born to do ministry; it becomes the passion of their lives. For
some when they discover their role in Christian ministry there is a sense of
destiny that gives their lives purpose.
 |
| Catherine and William Booth |
When one
discerns a destiny in life, it can ignite the fires of living, providing us
with that all-important spark of motivation and energy. To know that our lives
have destiny gives us the strength to press on with life and living, regardless
of how difficult present circumstances may be. It is better to die for
something than to live for nothing. William Booth, after walking through the
human misery of the East End of London returned home and said to his wife Catherine I have found my destiny.
I think it is true to say that this sense of destiny and
vocation was one of the main driving forces of the early Salvation Army. They
believed emphatically in the founder’s vision of the world for God.
O boundless salvation! deep ocean of love,
O boundless salvation! deep ocean of love,
O fulness of mercy,
Christ brought from above.
The whole world redeeming,
so rich and so free,
Now flowing for all
men, come, roll over me!
One of the things that has grabbed my attention was the
speed and success of The Salvation Army in the late 19th and early 20th
Century. Amazing things were accomplished by what were in many circumstances,
very ordinary people. There can be no doubt that a number of factors combined
to bring about such extraordinary results, not the least of these the power and
inspiration of the Holy Spirit. However, one of the factors which may well be
overlooked was their belief in the impossible.
Early Salvation Army leadership encouraged its people in a
belief that the whole world could be saved and indeed, The Salvation Army was
one of the vessels which God had chosen. While The Founder spoke of; the whole world redeeming and his
daughter Evangeline penned the words; the
world for God; early Salvationists bought into the vision.
 |
| Evangeline Booth |
It may well be that a belief in the impossible was one of
the primary sources in which the early Salvation Army found its energy, passion
and drive. For after all the early Army had very little in the way of resources
to draw upon; it had no history, no corporate knowledge and very little in the
way of material resources. Most new organisation, if they are to be successful,
need to find an energy source which will empower both them and their people.
Consequently, the Army needed an energy that was beyond human means. The only
energy source available to the Army was the faith and belief of its people in a
God who was infinitely powerful. The Salvation Army believed the Bible to be
intrinsically true and drew on the words of Jesus that with God, nothing was
impossible. (Matthew 19:26) Accordingly, The Army sought to actively engender
this view within its people.
40 "He who
receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. Matt
10:40 (NKJV)
Those who are sent come in humility, aware they are the
messenger and not the message, come in the true spirit of Jesus. Christian
ministry is not about we who serve, but rather about those we serve. If our
service is motivated by ambition, self-promotion or remuneration, then we are
more about self than service. Temptation about self-serving can be overcome by
constantly keeping in mind that we are sent people, sent by the heavenly
father to serve suffering humanity.
Those who are sent know they carry a life-giving message.
Christian ministry has no greater or more important task than that of
proclaiming and carrying the good news of God’s offer of salvation for all
humanity. For the Salvationists, this is the primary purpose of their ministry.
We are a salvation
people—this is our specialty…Our work is salvation. We believe in salvation and
we have salvation…We aim at salvation. We want this and nothing short of this
and we want this right off. My brethren, my comrades, soul saving is our
avocation, the great purpose and business of our lives. Let us seek first the
Kingdom of God, let us be Salvationist indeed. (William Booth, The Christian Mission Magazine, January
1, 1879)
Those who are sent, know that their task is their lifeblood
and to fulfil this task they must be obedient to the will of God. Christian
ministry is all too often sabotaged by Christians following their own agendas
rather than seeking and doing the will of God. To the Christian who is sincere
and committed to Christian ministry, there must be first and foremost; a
commitment to discerning God’s will if they are to be effective. It must become
the compass by which they set their ministry direction.
To be continued in the next post
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