Simple Truth That Makes A Difference

One of my greatest joys in ministry as I have gotten older is pouring into young ministers.  I was blessed with some great mentors in my early days so being able to pay it forward seems the least I can do.  If the little bit of knowledge I have gained and the experiences I have had can help a young man or woman to move forward in their ministry, then my life has extra value.

Awhile back I was invited to speak to a group of students who were studying for the ministry.  I was told these young people were very eager to hear from me.  I felt honored by this invitation and began to prepare to present a lifechanging message to them.  I worked on what I thought would be an appropriate message and, quite honestly, impressed myself with what I developed. 

The day came for me to go meet my audience, but something did not feel quite right.  I thought, again, about my presentation and it is as though the Lord said, “not this!”  I laid my prepared remarks aside and picked up an index card and began to write.  I came up with eleven random statements that every young preacher needed to understand.  These have become benchmarks in my life.  The old guy learned something as he prepared to speak to some young students.

They probably expected more from me, but here is what I shared with a group of aspiring young preachers on this occasion:

1.  It is always in order to be nice.  There is simply not enough kindness in this world.  I guess I understand that from those in the world, but I do not understand it from Christians.  We may be busy, and we could be having a difficult day, but being kind to people is the best way to show Jesus to the world.  People may not remember our words, but they will definitely remember how we treated them.

2.  The same God who opens doors, closes doors.  I am constantly praying for open doors for ministry.  I trust God to open doors no man can close.  But, if I am going to pray that prayer, I need to be prepared for the moment God closes a door.  I cannot become angry and feel I am being treated unfairly.  I have to know God in His goodness and infinite wisdom will protect me by closing doors I may have thought I needed open but, in reality would have been harmful for me.  Sometimes my greatest blessing will be a closed door.

3.  Always be prepared to do your best. Ministry is never about comparison with others or the feeling you must be perfect, but it should always be about doing your best.  I cannot be a great him or her, but I can be the best version of me.  My audience deserves a prepared presentation and God deserves the best representation of Himself I can give.  Do not be lazy; prepare to do your best.

4.  It is ok if you do not know everything.  I quickly learned in my early days of ministry I was over my head!  The challenges I faced had no easy answer and no one had told me about some of the things I confronted.  I have come to realize this is life and it is not going to change.  But…this is when we lean hard on the Lord.  I may not know, but He does.  It may be bigger than me, but it is not bigger than Him.  I may not have seen it coming, but nothing surprises Him.  It is all right if I do not know everything; I will just look to the One who does.

5.  It is a high honor to be called by God.  He chose me.  I bring nothing to the table He does not already have, but He called me to the table.  He lets me be involved in what He is doing in the world.  I do not deserve this honor, but it is one the Lord, Himself, has bestowed upon me.  I will cherish my calling.  I will protect my calling.  I will do my best to bring honor to the One who has honored me.

6.  You have to get into people’s world before you can get into their heart.  Ministry is about helping people.  You have it all wrong if you love ministry, but you do not love people.  A God-called minister of the Gospel loves people and wants to make a difference in their life.  This difference that needs to be made will never be made from a distance with clean hands and dry eyes.  It happens in the trenches through relationships.  Getting into the world of a person allows you the privilege of getting into their heart.  Big things come through a series of little things.  Love people where they are.

7.  Learn to preach from overflow.  Nothing brings greater panic to a preacher than coming to Saturday night with nothing to preach in the morning.  This does not happen when the river is flowing inside of you.  You are always reading.  You pray without ceasing.  Your spiritual antennae are constantly activated.  God speaks to the preacher who is listening.  Having something to preach will never be a problem if your relationship with Him is fresh and the river of His Spirit is freely flowing in your life.

8.  Being too busy is not an admirable quality.  Busy is the word of the day.  It is our excuse for our mishaps and the crutch we stand on when we make mistakes.  We even, at times, take pride in being in such demand that we are too busy.  When this happens, we need to step back and ask why we are too busy.  It could be because of poor planning and a disorganized life.  It could be because of misplaced priorities.  It could be because of selfish pride.  There will always be busy seasons in ministry, but we must never become too busy for God, family, and our own self-care.  Managing what comes is a much better quality than being too busy.

9.    Our church is not perfect, in large part because I am in it.  Criticizing the church has just become too easy.  When things go wrong in the world it is because of the church.  When things go wrong in my life it is because of the church.  We say the church is not what it used to be; there are so many problems with the church.  The fact is, the Church is what it has always been – the Body of Christ.  He has not changed!  The problem, today, is not the Church; it is us!  As long as I (and you) am part of the church, there will be problems so my criticism should be directed toward me and not the Church.  My goal must be to keep growing and become more like Jesus.  If I will do that, it is amazing how much better my church will become!

10.  Prayer makes everything better.  The greatest blessing given to the believer is the opportunity to pray.  Prayer seats me in the throne room of God and allows me to communicate directly with Him.  There is nothing I cannot talk to Him about.  If it concerns me, it concerns Him.  When I fully realize the availability of this resource and begin to employ it in my daily life, everything is affected and made better.  Consistent heartfelt prayer profoundly changes everything.

11.  Learn to appreciate – or, at least, accept – process.  Process has become such a bad word to many.  To them it means being denied.  Waiting is, indeed, part of process but it is also growth and development.  It is about learning and exhibiting commitment.  It is about showing oneself approved unto God.  It is about giving time for foundation to be established so when the winds of trial blow you are not overcome.  Moving up the ranks – process – is a valuable tool that can be dangerous to ignore.

Well, I am sure those young ministry students expected something far more profound than these “without rhyme or reason” thoughts I shared with them but, I have a feeling, if they took any notes they have referred to them a few times.  Sometimes it is not the deep things that change us, but simple truths that affect our real world. Grabbing hold of what we can all understand can be lifechanging.

I have to say I have referred to my list often.  Some of these things encourage and motivate me, while others convict me.  But the older – or should I say mature – me has decided I want it all.  I just want to be like Jesus and serve Him to the best of my ability.  There is much more for me to learn but I am grateful for the liberating truth I have received.  It is this truth that sets me free.  It is this truth I will keep preaching until everyone I can reach has heard.  It is, indeed, good news.