We live in a busy world. Some people say idle hands is the devils workshop. I guess that depends on how idle you are. God designed humans to work but He also commanded us to rest. In fact, He created a day to protect us from ourselves.
Unfortunately, many people equate their spiritual life with how much they can “do” for God. We have churches that try to program events and activities 7 days a week and 24 hours a day. What this has led to is busy and overworked Christians. Usually, 20% of the people do 80% of the work anyway. Unfortunately people gauge their spiritual walk with Jesus based on a checklist of all that they have done for Him. But Jesus doesn’t want us to “do” because He has already “DONE” the work when He died on a cross for our sins.
Does this mean we don’t do anything? No. We should serve God because we want to and out of giftedness. I heard Bill Hybels (Gasp, I mentioned his name) said if someone steps down from a ministry and there was no one to step in they would not browbeat people into serving there. They would assume the Holy Spirit was done with that specific ministry.
I have witnessed people begging and guilting (I know it is not a word) into serving in a position just to get it filled. What ends up happening is the person who fills the position hates it and can’t perform because they aren’t serving out of their giftedness or they just give up. The people they are ministering to aren’t blessed either. I’m amused when someone tells me that God told them I should do this or that. I always say, “well He hasn’t told me.” The better way to say it is I would like you to pray about. That allows the person to say yes or no.
Sometimes the best word in ministry is:
- here it comes…
- it is…
- are you ready…
NO!
What do you think?
Filed under: ministry
Low these many years ago, I was once, a bright eyed, eager young fundamentalist minister wanna be (yes, I do confess it).
In a meeting with a group of fresh faced, young men on fire for God, a wise, older minister started the meeting and said one of the most profound things I ever heard.
Sometimes the most spiritual, valuable thing you can do for God is to go home, and get some sleep. This meeting is over, go to bed.
It one of the very few things I retain as worth something from that period of my journey.
Watch out, Kevin! You’re treading on really dangerous ground. How can we staff all the useless committees and long dead ministries without brow beating someone into submission?
But you’re exactly right. Preachers can get so busy doing everything they’re asked that they forget to minister. We can get expend so much energy doing the least important that we forget what we we’re called to do – to pray, lead and preach.
YES! … wait maybe I missed the point.
But . . . but. . . but. . . what about our flurry of activity that makes us look like we’re doing something even though we’re doing nothing?
Kevin,
“Yes” to your “No” being the best word in ministry often times. The use of the “N” word has delivered me from many false expectations, being a victim to circumstances, or worse, to other people. It has enabled a clear “Yes” to the true Lord of life in many ways that have benefitted a marriage, [mine] children, personal physical and spiritual health, and has, generally made my journey from a performance based christianity to a truly biblically relational based christianity, a delightful one. [It's really still in progress]
Do people understand the use of the “N” word? Sometimes. Sometimes not. Should it be used in the same manner by all of us? Absolutely not. The use of it in a believers life is as unique as DNA . But to walk in the Spirit will mean He cuts new channels for life to flow as surely as He did in the vision of the waters in Ezekiel.
Those new channels will not be comfortable for many but are essential for one walking after the Spirit. It is the “No” that keeps us from staying in the old channels prescribed by pragmatism. It is the “Yes” to the Spirit’s leading that causes us to jump in over our heads trusting Him.
I have a feeling one could say to you and Cassandra..”welcome to the river.”
Know you are loved and prayed for by a HOST of friends. I’m in that number.
“Be ……STILL ……and Know that I am God.”
“Come unto …… ME ……and I will give you ……REST”.
Dad
And the word “NO” is a complete sentence.
Kevin, once again, you’ve hit the nail on the head. We are so “busy” with stuff…or at least I know that I am….that sometimes I have to wonder, “Where is God in all of this?”
As my friend Gloria Gaither has said many times, “God created human beings, not human doings.”
Thanks for a brilliant post–as usual.
Kevin,
Great post! I believe it was Hybel’s “Imagine a Church” message from which you quote. I’m going to use your post along with Mr. Burleson’s comments this evening when I speak to a college ministry filled with many bright-eyed, passionate, soon to be ministers–that will mess ‘em up!!
Jeff
Amen and amen! In fact, we just had this very conversation at our church. Our pastor was troubled that some of his ministers were saying to him “we don’t have time for ministry because of all the “stuff” we have to do.” He was shocked to say the least. He called a meeting and they put everything their ministries were doing on the altar and were told to pray over them and leave them on the altar until God revealed to them which were the ones that best allowed them to “go and make disciples.” Anything left on the altar stayed there. As a result, we are radically changing the way several ministries operate at our church. It will make all of our leaders more effective and ultimately better able to use their spiritual gifts while making disciples among all nations (as we are commanded to do).
I personally have spent a lot of time lately focusing on abiding. Most of the abiding process takes “being” not “doing.” The use of the word no has been an integral part of that process. Learning to say no is hard for this servant but for the sake of my own relationship with Christ, I’m working on it.
I couldn’t agree more. Richard Foster actually talks about saying “no” as being a kind of spiritual discipline in Freedom of Simplicity. His point is that being so busy can leave us too busy to hear God’s voice.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what the church and its mission are supposed to be, and the more I ponder, the less I think it’s supposed to be about programs and buildings.
Earlier this year while pregnant with #3, I was feeling particularly guilty for not serving *at all* in my church. Saying “no” is something I’m not good at either.
I had in the past served and led in a children’s ministry enthusiastically but had quit when we moved. It took awhile to find new church home, and I had child #2 during that time.
But we finally found a new church home. A small church where everyone was needed to help make the different ministries happen. To the church’s credit, they’ve never begged or pressured me to volunteer. But I had guilt nonetheless.
I began praying about it and felt that during this season of my life, my ministry was here at home. Not anywhere else. And God was good… He confirmed what He wanted me to do by speaking through a mature Christian woman who had come by and told me about how she, too, had that calling at one point in her life when all of her children were young.
I can imagine from my pastor’s or ministry leader’s point-of-view it looked like I was not “stepping up to the plate”. And I felt bad for saying “no” but I have learned that sometimes what God wants us to do is different than we think… even if it means saying “no” to everything else for awhile.
We belong to a very small church fellowship. If all of us waited for God to tell us ‘yes’, nothing would get done at all. Sometimes obedience to where God has called you in your walk takes priority.
Of course a wise Titus 2 woman once told me a saying that she had memorized from Spurgeon,”A need is not a calling. “
That’s the sound of the hammer of Truth hitting the nail on the head.
One of Dr. Bill’s Church and Other Postulates:
If you have burnout, you’re probably out of God’s will in one way or another.
“No” is definitely a good word.