Drew Boswell

a place for us to share ideas, talk about life, and learn together.

Walking the Tight rope of “Kingdom” Work and “Church” Work

In many ways leadership is a balancing act. Some guys do it with flare, others of us are just glad to be hanging on and not have fallen to our death. Some leaders move gracefully and with pizazz, with others it becomes tedious step-by-step events of terror. But in the tightrope of ministry, one must know how far to step, when to bring up topics to discuss, how to deal with “personalities,” and on and on the rope goes in which one must stay balanced.

The leader must weave through obstacles and must constantly keep multiple things in mind. As one progresses through the years these balancing movements become reflexive and intuitive. So with age comes wisdom, and when you see someone about to make a misstep you cringe and yell “stop, you’re going to fall,” and you pray there’s a net.

But all leaders must fall off the wire, it’s how one learns the intuitive feeling of balance and if your lucky gain the flair of showmanship. But tightrope walking begins only inches off the ground, and with experience moves heavenward. So fall from this height are for more forgiving when you are getting started, rather than falls from the “Big Top.”

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Tension

Like the tension in the wire, the leader in ministry needs two anchored ends to support him in his dramatic walk along the rope. The first anchor is outreach, evangelism, and ministry. For our discussion I categorize these purposes of the church as “kingdom” work. The second anchor is discipleship, fellowship, and worship, and we will call these three “church” work. 

If there is too much of an angle on either side, then the tightrope walker too easily slides down the steep angle and falls. If there is too much slack in the rope where either side gives way, then the walker does not have the support needed to make the walk. Both are needed equally, both must be securely anchored, and both must be of equal level (i.e. importance) in the life of the church.

Fellowship balanced with Outreach.

Worship balanced with Missions.

Discipleship is balanced with Ministry.

All things balanced with Love.

If you focus too much on missions, then people could begin to feel out of touch with the church body as a whole. The church will begin to say things like, “Why are we trying help all these people (over there) when there are people needing help right her in our own church body?”

This is not an “either/or” situation, it is a “both/and” situation, and both need to be balanced. If the church is not reaching out, and it over emphasizes fellowship, then it easily becomes inward focused and selfish. Marble columns go up everywhere in the cathedral while the nations are ignorant of Christ. Volunteers become scarce as everyone has “stuff they need to do.”

When missions is overly pushed then people are left feeling used and neglected. Those that are faithful, hardworking volunteers get burned out and the volunteer base shrinks to nothing. If we think of “missions” as seeking to reach a certain people group, or changing how you do things in order to reach people (i.e. immersion in a different culture), then it is not too difficult to find a church that has changed everything to reach lost people with their church services.  If missions is overly emphasized, then the services resemble rock concerts, the preaching becomes “talks” with little Bible content, and the most important person in the room is the guest and not God. All of this is done for the purpose of making the lost culture to feel “more at home.”

If worship is overly emphasized then the service changes little over the years. There is no thought (or very little) to guests and they are left feeling like “outsiders” who don’t speak the foreign language of church (bulletin, atonement, right hand of fellowship, reading music, finding books in the Bible in seconds, etc.).  The lost world must make a huge effort to overcome these obstacles in order to climb into congregations. Worship tends to focus more on tradition than making changes to stay “culturally relevant.”

Lastly, when discipleship is overly emphasized then people learn a lot about God and His Word, but do very little of the things He commands His followers to do (sharing the gospel, feeding the poor, helping the widow, giving our coats to those without one, etc.) They tend to stay in classrooms and argue over doctrine, while they do little with the doctrine.

When ministry is overemphasized soldiers are ill equipped to do ministry. Like a soldier handed a rifle with no instructions, dangerous doctrine, sinful solutions to problems, and bad application of Scripture are not very far away. When churches focus little on equipping and are heavy on ministry then you better keep your head down because they know little of the Evil One’s schemes nor the Creator’s Plan for them and the world.

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When a church is able to find the balance between “kingdom” and “church” work, then they grow in knowledge and life experiences. Their assumed doctrine is challenged and made more concrete through encountering a lost world. Their hidden sins are brought to the surface and dealt with through being held accountable by fellow believers.  Their spiritual gifts are exercised in service to the Lord, so they feel more satisfied and content with life.  New friendships are made (outreach) and old ones are deepened (fellowship). Ultimately God uses one’s faithfulness to His plan (church and kingdom work) to make the Christian (and then the church) more like Christ. To be out of balance, with any of these purposes, leads to a person being damaged and the church misses it’s calling.

 

Farming and the Gospel; Mark 4:1-20


A Grandfather’s Little Helper

During the long, hot, summer days of my childhood I would stay with my Grandfather while my parents worked. Every year he would roll out the old Farm All tractor that looked like it rolled off Noah’s Ark; it was the kind with the crank on the front.  We would then plant a three or four acre garden.  The tractor had a mechanism that seed could be loaded into and we planted corn, okra, cucumbers, squash, etc.

Then as the weeks passed, little green sprigs would pop from beneath the soil, getting taller, taller and taller.  Then there would be a blossom of various colors, and eventually vegetables.  The wonderful part of the summer was when we would walk through the rows of plants and there beneath a leaf would be a mature okra, or among a tall stalk an ear of sweet corn – we would carry buckets full of vegetables to the house to be cleaned, stored for the winter, but best of all – to be enjoyed for dinner.

Being a farmer is hard work.  It requires an enduring work ethic, many hours of sweat, and the ability to solve problems. But most importantly, being a farmer requires patience.  What if the second day my grandfather would have looked out over the freshly plowed and planted field and yelled, “Where are my vegetables?”  “I quit farming.”  Many Christians after trying to reach their neighbors, family or community for Christ just quit simply because it is a difficult task.

You can go to the frozen section of the grocery store, or even better go to a restaurant and order vegetables – but someone else raised them – you are enjoying food someone else raised.  Being apart of a church is not about eating the fruits of someone else’s labor – it’s about all of us being in the field and together reaping a harvest.

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The Work of the Farmer

In Mark 4, Jesus’ parable is taking us into this world of agriculture when he says “A farmer went out to sow his seed.”  Life is too short not to have ever sat around a table, feeling exhausted from a hard day in the sun, and sinking your teeth into a delicious ear of corn, or fried okra, or steamed cabbage that you grew.  Christ calls us to not only plant a crop of seeds in the field, but to stay around long enough, and to stick with it long enough to see the harvest mature.

Before you die, I want you to have a story of how you were apart of seeing a person receive the seed of the gospel, and you worked with them long enough to see them blossom into a mature reproducing Christian.   Not that you stood at a distance and watched, or heard others tell their story – but you were the farmer who sowed the seed, you were the one who worked with the plant until it was mature.  I want you to have enjoyed the banquet at the table.   I want you to see the vision God has for your life.

I. Farming is Hard Work (vv. 1-4a)

Mark 4:1-4a “Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. 2He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: 3“Listen!. 4As he was scattering the seed,“

Among the many things that he taught using stories or parables the writer of this gospel selects one about a farmer who went out to sow seeds.  In Matthew 4:17 Jesus said, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”  Just as there is an urgency to go fishing as fisher’s of men, there is also an urgency to scatter the seed of the gospel.

“A farmer went out to sow his seed” – First, recognize that the farmer is actually in the field, sowing seed.  He is willing to work for the harvest.  Before the farmer can ever know what his harvest will look like, he has to first step foot into the field.  He has to trust that by doing the work of casting seed, he will have food to eat in the weeks to come.   There is no harvest, if you don’t step foot in the field.

There has only been one time in my life when someone came up to me and asked, “Are you a Christian?” and I said yes, and we went on to discuss salvation and the things of God.  All the other years and millions of other people that pass me every day, require that I initiate contact with them. We must be willing to “go” and plant the seeds (Matthew 28).

II.      Not All Soils Are the Same  (vv. 4b-9)  

“some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. 8Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times.” 9Then Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.“

Jesus describes how four different types of people respond when the gospel is shared with them.  All four responses are different.

 1.         Hard Soil – “some fell along the path and the birds came and ate it up” Farmers and travelers walked in between fields by traveling along paths that zigzag across the landscape.  Because of this traffic the ground became very hard.  The seed never was able to penetrate because of the hardness of the path, and birds came and ate the exposed seed.

Jesus explains this verse by saying in verse 15, “15Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.”  Because of the hardness of their hearts, Satan is able to take it away as soon as it is sown.  This is why prayer is so important – we must pray that people hearts will be softened and prepared for the seed of the gospel.  This person will just outright turn you away.

2.         Rocky Soil – “5Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.” – There are some who apparently receive Christ, they seem to be growing in their faith.  On the outside there are all the signs of a healthy plant, it was growing quickly – there was a promise of a fruitful harvest – but when things heated up, or there was some difficulty, their faith died.

Jesus explains this verse when he says “16Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.”

The reason it never reached maturity was it did not have a deep root system – the person never had a saving faith in Christ (there was no root).  There are some who apparently receive Christ but they never had a saving faith and when the heat comes, they deny their faith because it is just too hard, too hot, too much trouble.

The next time you encounter hardship for the name of Christ, thank God for it – because through this time you are confirming your salvation by your dependence and enduring under it for Christ.

3.        Thorny Soil – ” 7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain .” – others who have heard the gospel, take this seed and it even begins to grow in their lives, but they are surrounded by things that choke it out.

Jesus explains these verses in (v. 18) when he says, “18Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.”

There are three things given that cause the plant to become unfruitful: (1) “worries of this life” – they are so worried and preoccupied with their own lives that they simply don’t have time for anyone else, including Christ.  (2) “the deceitfulness of wealth” – This is a group of people that are more concerned about money and are distracted from their purpose of producing a crop.  (3) “the desire for other things” – these people want the gospel, salvation, while at the same time having the world.  Later Jesus says in Luke 16:13 “No one can serve two masters.  For you will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other.  You cannot serve both God and money.”

“Things” are getting in the way of being a fruitful plant.   There are only so many hours in a day, and this person has decided to dedicate all of them to “things” and not a lost world.  Even those that worked with Paul fell away because they became distracted by the “things of this life.” 2 Timothy 4:9-10 “Please come as soon as you can. Demas has deserted me because he loves the things of this life and has gone to Thessalonica.”

 4.         Good Soil – 8Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times.  Jesus again explains this verse (v. 20) when he says, “20Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown.”

The seed that landed in good soil, or a heart who becomes a genuine disciple is portrayed by Christ as growing, being healthy, and producing a crop.  One seed has turned into 30, 60, or even 100s.  One person becomes a believer and when their time on earth is done they leave behind a multiplication of believers. Not simply a one to one ratio, but many.

III.       Farmers Face Disappointment

When you look at Joshua, chapter 1 , it describes the conquest of Canaan, it starts off like this:  “As I was with Moses, so I’ll be with thee.  Be strong and of a good courage.  And as I’ve promised my servant Moses, I give unto you the land of the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, and the Girgashites.”

Then that [third] verse says: “And wherever—every place where your feet trod, that have I given to you.”  God gave to Israel that holy land.  But they had to fight for it every inch of the way.  Every place they placed their foot was a battle.  It is much easier, just to stop and stay where you are.  Are we willing to rally, and fight for every step you take to reach others for Christ?  Those that fight in war get hurt.

There is no harvest without hard work, but there is also no harvest without disappointment.  For this farmer he lost three out of every four plants.  That’s three disappointments to every one success.  How do you keep casting seed, knowing that every three seeds you cast will not make it?  Because of the one that does.

A boy and his grandfather were walking along the sea shore and the early morning tide had pushed millions of starfish on the shore for miles.  The boy began to throw the starfish into the sea and after a while the Grandfather said, “boy there’s millions of them, you can’t save them all – what does it matter?”  The boy responded back, “it matters to this one.”[1]

I believe that Jesus gave us this passage of the different types of soils so that we won’t get completely depressed.  This passage gives me hope that all our effort, all our time, and resources aren’t wasted.  Many people believe that unless you have taken a person through a tract, the four spiritual laws, or checked the salvation box – then you haven’t been faithful in evangelism.

On some occasions, the Spirit wants me to be an opener.  I have a hoe and I’m supposed to break up the hard ground of their heart.  There may be another person who comes and plants the seed.  Another time the Spirit may want me to water the seed, and on another occasion I have the privilege of walking them across the salvation line – but only because dozens of others have gotten them that far.

In the years that I have been pastoring I have seen what I sometimes call to myself the “Fool’s Walk.”  Sometime earlier in the week, they had invited someone to come to church and they said that they would be there.  So there they stands in the lobby, waiting, for the person to drive up.  The service begins and the pacing begins—back and fourth, five minutes go by, and then ten – the person never shows.

I have played the fool, and if you are faithful in inviting people, you will play the fool too.  Paul tells us to “do the work of evangelism” – because it is hard work.  It is hard to put your heart out there.  You offer grace and love – and they give rejection.  Know this – there is a person out there whose heart is the good soil and if we keep playing the fool long enough we will reap a harvest.

[1] This illustration is not original to me, but I am not sure where it originated.

Transitions

Today is the kid’s last day of school, at least for this grade. As they were getting out of the car I joked with them, “I remember my last day of school. . . when I graduated from the fourth grade,” but then went on to say, “ohh except for fifth grade, I remember the last day of fifth grade, ohh except for sixth grade, etc. . . all the way through 2009“ They said, we were alive in 2009!” “Yeah, I was still in school when you were in second grade (the grade H-G is in now).” “But summer vacation is almost here – so enjoy it, because you will be in school until your children are in second grade!”

It’s funny how when we end a season of our lives that we somehow think we are finished moving from one thing to another. But days of swimming, sleeping late, camps, and playing Legos all day are just around the corner. For my children, they are beginning a transition from one grade to another.  They have made it through a new school year, a new school, new friends, a new home, and a new life.

I am reminded that FBCV’s new youth pastor has completed his first week.  It was a week of cleaning out his office, figuring out which keys go to what, meeting the staff, and trying to remember where his office is in a maze of church buildings filled with crevices and surprises.  I am convinced that I will discover the Lost Ark somewhere on FBCV campus.

“I remember my first week at FBCV . . .” so many months ago (like ten). The end of the summer will mark my first year as serving as the Pastor of Children and Families. In many ways I still feel like I am transitioning from one life to another.

Life is constantly moving from one thing to another – we are in constant transition. When you are born your body radically changes daily. From there it’s walking, potty training, eating by yourself, then eventually reading, writing, driving, Calculus, girlfriends, college, marriage, kids, mini-vans, and thinning hair. At every stage, just when you have it figured out, guess what? It’s time to change to something else. If the transitions ever slow down, we get bored, and get way too contemplative. It’s the constant and sudden changes that keeps us from too deep of thought, too much time to get in trouble.

The following are a few mistakes that we can make if don’t deal with transitions very well.

Mistakes of dealing with transitions of life:

1. Looking toward the next transition too soon. When I was in seminary there were those that would max out the amount of classes they could take. They rarely (if ever) left their rooms except to go to class. If you did happen to see these recluses, and were able to squeeze in a conversation, they constantly talked about how they wanted to finish school as soon as possible (yeah, no kidding).

They were missing “the seminary experience” in order to get to the “real world” of ministry. The whole purpose of seminary was to equip them for the ministry they desired to do, but in their rushing through the experience they were short circuiting the process of being equipped in order to move to the next stage.

At every stage of life and in every time of transition there are things we are to learn, life lessons to experience, and people that we are to meet and engage in life with. If you move from stage to stage, and transition to transition, with never stopping to engage in the moment, then you are going to miss something very important in your life. When have you finally arrived? At what point of “success” will you slow down and concentrate on the moment?

2. Not Developing Relationships As You Go. Life (and ministry) is all about relationships, people, and how we are all connected together. It took me until my adult life to realize the people who have been in my life weren’t just there (as trees in a landscape)– they were there for me to develop meaningful relationships with.

In our self-centered lives we tend to view people as ways to get us to where we want to go; they become tools we use to help us advance in our goals, “visions”, or careers. If they can’t be of help to us, we tend to marginalize them out of our lives.  This is a huge mistake.  Even if you perceive that a person will be in your life for a short period of time, you still should make an effort to get to know them, love them, befriend them, and invest your life in theirs. Who knows where it might lead and what the future holds.

3.  Not Enjoying the Moment. There are moments in my kid’s lives that I will always treasure.  I have loved leading Joshua and Caleb in Cub Scouts, having lunch with Isaac when I pick him up after Pre-School, or doing Hannah-Grace’s hair for a dance recital when her mother had to go out of town.

It sounds cliché, but “stop to smell the roses.” Our kids are only in their “transition” for a moment and then they move on to something else. Each day is a gift, and each new change is an opportunity to keep a great relationship, start over, or make things right.

Transitions cause stress in our lives. We feel the need to make decisions, and our focus can become completely consumed by this need to take some action, make a final decision, or the feeling to just do something. Often times we are not sure of what we need to do, and we know this requires us to wait. In that time of stress, life still moves on, it doesn’t stop because you are feeling introspective.

Ministry involves “emotional work.” Like nurses or police officers, pastors regularly engage in activities as a part of their day-to-day responsibilities where they must deal with other people’s problems, emotions, and behavior.  They are expected to express love, compassion, emotion, or they are expected to reserve that emotion, to be professionally distant and to control it all like a switch.

So as the years go by, if we are not careful, our emotion switch gets stuck or even broken. Numbness and callousness sets in like a whiteout in the winter. We stop feeling, caring, and everything goes on autopilot. We are so “professional” that we can fool everyone, even ourselves.

But we are numb on the inside, and we miss those moments of transitions that our kid’s need for us to “be there.” If you are at this point, and you are not able to enjoy “the moment” then stop what you are doing, take a break, pray, and focus on doing whatever it takes to regain your sense of feeling. One of the ways that I have found to manage that “professional numbness” is to focus on today. I don’t know what God has in store for me in the future, but today I have responsibilities, children who need a dad, a wife that needs a husband, a church that is looking to me to lead in the area of “children and family.” If I can focus on that, and only that, then I can fend off the feeling of paralysis by analysis.

 

Balancing Family and Ministry

Joshua at Jump'n Jacks in Valdosta, GA 5-5-2012

This is my son Joshua. We named him and his twin brother Caleb after the biblical characters in Numbers 13. Only Joshua and Caleb believed that God would be with His people and to help them do what God had called them to do (i.e. the conquer the Promised Land). My guys were born six weeks premature and were in a NICU unit for an extended period of time. We would visit them every day and there were times when I was greatly concerned for them. In the biblical account “they were like grasshoppers among giants.” And in many ways my sons have been playing “catch up” their whole lives.  They were small in their early grades, small on their Upward teams, but in spite of everything they are doing great. We want them to be leaders who even though the world around them does not follow God, they will be bold and stand for what is right.

As a pastor, I sometimes find myself out of balance. God in His grace and mercy, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit taps me on the shoulder and reminds me that I have a family, a wife, children.  Balancing individual time with each child, time with my wife, outings as a family, even dinner in the evenings becomes a challenge. Calendars have to be mapped out, vacations planned, ball games juggled, or just time guarded to be at home. When dads get out of balance and don’t listen to God, it is their families that pay the price. I recognize that our (Kimberly and myself) desire for our children to be spiritual giants is in jeopardy when I fail to balance my time.

Every night as I turn off the light after our devotions Joshua asks, “dad, can I have a hug?” By the time I cross the room, he is already half asleep. I give him the “anaconda” hug, and he yells, and laughs, and then I give him a “real hug” and tell him that I love him.  It is moments like these that I don’t want to miss.

Joshua is self-conscious about his teeth so when I take his picture he smirks (he really needs braces, but we are waiting until his “baby teeth” are all out), he is beginning to show interest in girls (that’s a whole other blog topic), and yells for his brothers to get out of the bathroom while he takes a bath. Joshua and Caleb will be ten years old in a few months. Kimberly and I are half-way to the point where we will send them off to college and they will be “grown.” There is still so much that I want to do with them, to teach them, and to experience with them, but time just keeps spinning by. I know that one night he will stop asking for hugs, and my little boy will be a young man.

Those that are called to ministry, don’t neglect your family while you are doing “ministry.” It is a challenge, and sometimes it seems like the entire world is working to keep you from being with them. You can’t control other people’s marriages and their need for counseling, you can’t control when others die and their family’s will be in of their pastors; you simply can’t control life. But knowing that your family is your top priority other than your relationship with God, consider the following:

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4 Ways to Keep Your Family in Balance With Ministry

1. Build in Margin. Life in ministry is similar to being a police person. There are moments when there is nothing going on, and then in a split second “all hell breaks loose.” There are weeks when you are so busy that you feel like you are drowning in a tsunami, and there are weeks when you feel like you are only in a small tropical storm.

In those slow times take the extra time and spend it with your family. Have some “penciled in” activities thought out that you can do if time opens up (go to the park, fix something, clean out the garage, etc.)  There is a saying, “if you don’t control your calendar, then it will control you.” The better you are able to manage your schedule, the better able you will can minister to others (including your family).

Also, when you plan out your week, don’t allow your calendar to get maxed out, build in margin. Don’t worry, life will happen and will fill in these gaps. But instead of being overwhelmed with so much to do, you have given yourself some extra time for these “opportunities.”

Boswell Family at Community Day, Valdosta, GA 4-28-2012

2. Take Them With You Whenever You Can. If it is possible and appropriate take your children (or at least one) with you while you do ministry. You know that there are times when this won’t be appropriate, or they will be a distraction from you being able to do your job — but there are times when they can come along, and may even help. This will allow them to see what you do, how you help people, build the church and the kingdom, and to know how they can pray for you the next time you have to leave them to do ministry.

It is now a family tradition that once one of children turns five they are then allowed to go with me on Sunday morning to church. We leave about 7:00am, stop by and get a quick breakfast and then we “set up” whatever needs to be set up for church. We have a set pattern and the children are able to predict their week. It is a special time that I have individually with my children. Isaac just turned five and is now going with me on Sundays.

3. Say “no.” Your family already knows how many times you say “yes.” But one way of showing how important they are is for you to say “no.” There are only so many hours in the day, and so many things that can be done in a given day, and so many relationships that one person can maintain. You have to say “no” but who you say it to makes all the difference in the emotional development of your children and the strength of your marriage.

If you say “yes” to a ministry concern, you are saying “no” to your family. If you say “no” to your family too much, then problems will arise.  We are talking about balance, you have to say “yes” and “no” to both ministry and family, just make sure you are being guided by the Holy Spirit and the wisdom he gives through His Word. Also, your “yes” should mean “yes.” If you tell your children that you will be there, will do an activity,etc., then don’t make it a pattern of really meaning “no” because you have allowed a ministry opportunity to steal that time away.

4. Quantity verses Quality. I believe this to be an urban legend. Families need both extended time with you and your “being there” emotionally during that time. The most meaningful conversations that have occurred between my children and myself were in the moments where we were doing something mundane (sweeping out the garage, walking to a friend’s house, or just sitting under an umbrella on a beach).

Children can’t be rushed or scheduled to have thoughtful conversations, it just comes to their mind and you talk about it.  You can’t block out time for that, it just happens as life moves from one context to the next. Your presence in the home can’t be replaced.

Pastors and Numbers — What Makes a Christian Leader a “Success?”

Preachers and “Numbers” have had a long sordid history. There are those who when they first discover that you are a “minister” or “pastor” they immediately ask, “so how many are you running?” (i.e. how many do you have in attendance on a typical Sunday morning). In their minds they are evaluating your worth, your faithfulness, your talent, everything about you by the number that comes out of your mouth to answer their question.

Ask yourself, “Who is invited to preach at seminary campuses, various seminars, or large churches?” Is it not those who have experienced explosive growth, those that pastor large churches, or have released a book or some resource that has sold a bizillion of copies? These people are “successful” and if you are to be “successful” in ministry then you should emulate them. At pastor’s lunches or gatherings, when we are all alone with our own, we look over the group and measure our worth and judge our order amongst ourselves. We are a cruel and heartless bunch, we pastors.

Over the years, when my church or ministry was growing I felt successful, and when it decreased I would feel like a failure. I would pour in the hours, sacrifice financially, and try to do whatever it took to change things. The rise and fall of churches is crushing and exhausting to leaders. Leaders and pastors typically don’t know how to balance their feelings of success or failure with the circumstances around them. They struggle with depression because of the events that transpire around them.

On the other side of the discussion are those who for various reasons don’t grow, don’t attract very many, or don’t do much to reach people for Christ. These are the people who say, “it’s not about numbers, it’s about being biblical.” As if “being biblical” is a reason to not change how they operate or think in order to reach out and see people won for Christ. They use this straw man argument to do little for the Lord, to remain inside of a cocoon away from “worldy” people and their influence upon their family.

Everything the Christian does is to be done for the glory of the Lord, but in order to give Him glory we must be obedient. If we are to be obedient and to be a follower of Christ, then we must do what He did. We are commanded to “go and make disciples.” Therefore, growth, new spiritual birth, disciple making, reaching out, etc. . . are important if not required to be true to Christ.

Our value is not based on what we do, but on whose we are. Our privilege and honor is that we get to be apart of the plan of redemption of mankind.  If we are to be apart of His work, there is eternal value in every act. But even as I write these words I am thinking, “that’s what people who don’t see growth, or whose work isn’t seeing any disciples being made say.” That’s what losers say.

We are not called to be “successful” we are called to be “faithful.” But how do you balance what you know Scripture says with what the world (especially the church) says is the measure of success?

There are times when God does a mighty work amongst us, or even with us, and we feel awesome, only to shortly thereafter face a difficulty and find ourselves an emotional mess.  There is a great example of this roller coaster of emotion in 1 Kings 19.

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Elijah and the Broom Tree

So How Should I Deal With the Roller Coaster of Ministry Emotions?

I.   Ask “Why Am I Running Away?” (vv. 1-9a)

1 Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.” 3 Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4 while he himself went a day’s journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” 5 Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” 6 He looked around, and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again. 7 The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” 8 So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. 9 There he went into a cave and spent the night.

When we look at Elijah in this passage we find him wanting to sleep, hide, get away, and die.  He fears for his life, he has had enough.  But how did Elijah get to this point? He had not eaten,  his focus has changed from eternal to temporal,  he was physically exhausted,  he was alone (he left his servant behind),  he was being introspective and self-pitting (“I am no better than my ancestors”), he is living and running in fear.

How does God respond? He sent him someone (something) to take care of his needs.  Elijah needed to eat, so an angel prepared a meal and encouraged him to eat (twice).  God gave Elijah what he needed to continue, God gave Elijah what he needed to get up, shake of the dust and walk on.  God provided for Elijah in a way similar to his past.   Ravens miraculously fed him when he was by the stream; here an angel miraculously feeds him in the desert.  The Lord ministers to him now, just as he did in the past.  God will provide for you, and give you what you need to make it in ministry.

God also recognizes that “the journey is too much for you.”  Notice that God does not say, “The journey was too much for you.” Elijah has more work to do; his work would go on and on, and on.

Because God gave the apostle Paul great visions, and used him in such a special way, he gave Paul what is described as a “thorn in the flesh” and when Paul asks God to take it away, 2 Corinthians 12:9 “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” God knows that the journey is too much for us to handle alone, so he gives us his grace, and it is sufficient.

II.        Stop Running and Watch (vv. 9b-13)

And the word of the LORD came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” 11 The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. 

Then God speaks to Elijah.  He asks him a question, “What are you doing here?”  God did not tell Elijah to run away.  Elijah has just called down fire from heaven, he has slain 450 prophets of Baal.   The people had cried out, “The LORD – he is God!”  He won the battle single handedly – he won the day. What happened? I believe that Elijah as he stood on Mt. Carmel and saw the fire fall, in his mind thought that that was it – Baalism was beaten, it was over.  After all these years of ministry the war was finally over. He could rest, go home, be at peace.

But now Jezebel is coming after him.  Another battle, another enemy, another battle, another enemy, another day, on and on, and on – the battle never ends, there is no apparent end to Elijah’s fighting. Sometimes when we are on those spiritual mountains we expect to stay there – but ministry has ebb and flow, ups and downs, years of plenty and years of famine. Families still fall apart, children still go wayward, cancer still rips people apart, death still robs families of loved ones, on and on the battle goes.

God asks Elijah, “What are you doing here?”  Elijah responds by saying, “Lord don’t you see what’s going on here – I have lost!”  The people reject your word, they don’t worship you, they kill your prophets, and now I’m the only one left. They won’t listen, they won’t change!” – I have failed.  God responds to Elijah by saying, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.”  God has proven to be God to the people of Israel, and He has proven that he is God to the prophets of Baal – but here he has to show that He is God to His own prophet. Sometimes we think it’s all about us, and what we can do, what we can see, what we understand, what we know, etc.… It is not about what we can do – It’s all about the God that we serve.  The God we serve spoke and worlds came into existence, at His word the ground became flesh, at his breath Adam breathed his first breath.  It is in his thoughts that all the created order is held together.

He knows how many hairs are on your head, and he knows the darkest part of your heart.  His knowledge is eternal, He has always existed in eternal past, He lives today, and will live forever more.  God alone bore the weight of the cross, He alone loves with a love that endures forever.  When this God passes by our lives – everything changes.

The God we serve leads us out of slavery, pays our ransom and redeems us.  He alone can break the chains of sin.  The Creator controls His creation.  “Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire.

 

God controls the wind, the earth, the fire – he is not in these things, He is above them.  Can Jezebel cause earthquakes, knock down mountains with a wind? Can she consume with fire?  No – But the God whom she will have to an account can.  Who is more powerful, God or Jezebel?

It says that God was not in the wind, the earthquake, or the fire – God performed even more mighty miracles before Elijah, but God was not in the miracles. He “came in a gentle whisper.” It was God’s gentle whisper into Elijah’s heart that ministered to him, not the powerful displays.  God does not always use the miraculous to deliver him from his problems.  God could wipe out all enemies before Him, but he may also use as whisper into the heart of his servant to show His power.  In this moment of crisis in Elijah’s life – it is only the word of the Lord that allows him to mend and regain strength.

What we may really need is not for a mountain to be moved, we may just need to hear the whisper of the Lord saying, “my precious child, I love you, I know what you are going through, and I’ve got your back. Now keep going.”   “But don’t you see my marriage, my child, my life – I’ve got it, I’m strong enough to handle it.”

We want to move from miracle to miracle, from mountaintop to mountaintop until we become miracle junkies.  If we go to a worship service, we want to fire to fall, and the praise band to rock, and the preacher to sweat – we want it loud, and we say, “make me feel something, let me see God do something.”  But God says, no I want you to listen, (softer) I want you to listen, let me just talk to your heart.  I want you to lean in and listen and know that I am God.

III.       Stop Watching and Run Again for God (vv. 13b-18)

Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” 15 The LORD said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. 16 Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. 17 Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. 18 Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him.”

God asks Elijah the same question, and Elijah gives the same response.  Perhaps his thinking is that because he is in a cave, maybe God didn’t hear him.  God’s display and passing by his life doesn’t seem to change Elijah’s view of his life situation.  God gives a different response – “Go”  (do your job). He gives him a specific task.

Anoint men of God – spread the load, it’s not all about you.  It’s not all about you being faithful, it’s not all about just you doing ministry, I have a plan that is far larger than you.

“But I’m Elijah” – it will only be successful if I do it.  No, God is bigger than you, and he has a lot more going on than just you.

Anoint a successor – God wants Elijah to take another man who has been called out and invest in his future.  In Elijah’s life time there will be no “death blow” to evil, the fight will continue on.  So he must have someone who has been prepared to take his place when he dies.

There are 7,000 who have been faithful. – In other words, you don’t know everything.  Elijah says, “I’m the only one, I’m the last one left.”  God says, “oh really, you who know everything – did you know about the 7,000 others?”  “Elijah, just because you can’t see other faithful believers, doesn’t mean that they aren’t there.”  Man or woman of God just because you can’t see all the pieces to life’s puzzle, doesn’t mean they don’t exist. You only know today’s chapter, but only God knows what the next chapter of your life holds. It may be high tide, it may be low tide – but God expects us to remain faithful and to keep going.

One of the ways that God brings our spirits up is to push us to continue to “go.”  Go into the future with the foundation of what God has done in the past. God has fed him the past and has fed him now.  God has spoken to him in the past, and now has spoken to him now – the fact that he asks him the same question may be that God is asking him what he desires to do in the future.

The situation stays the same.  The evilness against him and all around him stays the same.  And the God whom he served has always remained the same – it is Elijah’s view of his God that needs to change.  It is only how he perceives God that will bring him out of the pit of depression.  

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 What Does Success Mean for You?  

Numbers are valuable because they represent people, but our value is not based on these numbers.  God is the one at work, He is the one doing the work – we are simply blessed to be along for the ride. Some men of God are used in crystal cathedrals, others only see a handful won for the Lord in a secret place in a dark and oppressive foreign land. Both men are of equal value. Their assignments are different, but their Lord and faithfulness is the same.

 

 

 

"For by grace you have been saved through faith." Ephesians 2:8

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