Ministry Is...

...the MEANS to an end.


When Jesus set forth the "Great Commission" for His return to Heaven, the disciples had all they needed to do the work--and so do we.  The passage so very well-known as the "Great Commission" is Matthew 28:18-20 "Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.'"  

Rightly named commission because in issuing such an order, Jesus granted the disciples the authority to go forth in His name and finish his work.  The definition of commission includes granting authority for a particular action or function.  When leaders issue commissions they make certain that all the facts and resources are present to get the job done.  For instance, in the military when a commander issue such a command, it is accompanied by other instructions to finish the task.  When the President of the United States issues such commands, it probably comes with a file which includes all of the facts needed to get the job done.  One major problem in ministry is that we take this "Great Commission" and make an island out of it.  We assume that all we need to know is in this passage--disciple, baptize, teach.  We fail to read the "case file" accompanying the command--The Bible.  We aren't utilizing the provided up-link to our Commander--prayer.  

We as Christians know what we want to do.  We know what we're supposed to do.  However, it isn't always as easy to want to do the work.  It's not easy to want to make the hard choices, take the hard road, take a precious hour out of our day for that debriefing required to complete the task assigned.  My husband is in the Army National Guard, and he and his soldier buddies joke and complain about debriefings and what they call "death-by-PowerPoint".  The fact is, that the military knows how to get things done.  They know how to create leaders (disciple), recruit members (baptize), and follow rules (teach them to obey commandments).  They have an age-old system that Jesus also trusted.  

It may not be fun for soldiers to spend hour upon hour in a dark room with a projector and a monotone presenter, but it is worth it when the work is done and people are safe.  

It may not be fun to wake up an hour before the kids everyday to spend some time in prayer and Bible study, but it is worth it when the work is done and people are safe.  

Praise God for leaving us with the resources we need to do it!