There aren’t
many Sundays when I have mixed emotions on where I’m at and what I’m doing.
Today though is one of them. Last week we began our study: Luke – Finding Jesus. I’m really
pumped about this new series. But then I
had an offer that I “just couldn’t refuse.” You see, today is Dave Bratlie’s
Installation Service at Crossroads Church in Pittsville,
Wisconsin.
A few weeks
ago, Dave called and asked if I would preach the “Charge to the Pastor” at this service. I was both humbled and
honored. Yet, I struggled with my responsibility to our church, so I asked our
Deacons and they gave their blessing. This morning I have the great privilege
of speaking at Dave’s church as part of this special service as he begins this
new ministry.
Dave’s life
and entry into ministry has been an exciting one. After he and Shawna came to
Christ, they became involved in their church. The door later opened for Dave to
leading a Bible study. He developed a passion for ministry and went on to
seminary…the rest is history. Did you know that that’s normal Christianity?
People trust Christ and God lays His hand on some of them, giving them a
passion for vocational ministry. They then invest their lives in full time
Christian service.
Somehow
we’ve lost that in the church today. It’s very rare today for someone to even
consider vocational ministry. I’m not sure why that has become the exception.
It’s certainly not because of lack of need or that God’s plan has changed.
Obviously,
not everyone is called to full time Christian service, though everyone is
called to be a full time Christian.
God’s will, too, is for every believer to be involved in service. That’s a
purpose of our salvation and it’s the only way that we find fulfillment and
meaning in our spiritual walk. “For we
are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared
beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). You’ll often
find that some of the most miserable Christians you meet are those who are
uninvolved in serving the Lord, giving or evangelism. That’s because we are
saved to serve. It’s part of our spiritual DNA. To be uninvolved is to violate
our new nature. And that’s why at Grace we diligently seek to help believers
find places to serve, areas of ministry, that fit their gifts and how God has
designed them. To be candid, oftentimes it’d be easier to hire staff than to
seek to enlist and equip volunteers BUT it would be biblically wrong. Often,
it’d be easier to just do it yourself. Many times you feel like a parent trying
to motivate a teenager. It’d be easy to give up and just do it yourself, but
it’s not in the best interest of your teenager.
Most
churches are overflowing with ministries, yet as we examine Scripture, most of
those are not necessarily biblical ones. They help a church accomplish its
purpose and mission but they’re not necessarily found in Scripture. For
example, the Bible doesn’t say anything about a nursery or having a children’s
ministry or even small groups for adults. Those are good ministries but they are
not necessarily biblical. They give Christians though opportunities to serve.
The truth is
though that most of us can come up with scores of reasons to never serve.
Obviously, we’re too busy. We’re either working a lot. Our kids have a lot
going on. We’re in school. We’re burnt out. We did it in the past. We don’t
feel qualified. I’m sure that you could probably come up with some different
ones, even some unique ones.
But when we
fail to serve, it violates how God has designed us. Remember what Jesus did in
His last meeting with the disciples in the upper room. He put on a towel,
picked up a basin of water and began to wash their feet. Remember, what He said
to them: “Do you understand what I have
done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I
then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one
another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just
as I have done to you” (John 13:12-15). The bottom line is that if you love
Jesus, you want to serve. And that’s what happened to Dave Bratlie. When Dave
got saved, he fell in love, he fell in love with Jesus. And that’s why he’s in
vocational ministry today.
It’s also why
at Grace, we work at finding opportunities to serve for every believer. And we
start young with things like assisting in Children’s Church. We want young
people to have the opportunity to serve the Lord in our worship team, AV
ministry, and Sunday Morning Live. We see that as an investment in their
spiritual future. Who knows who God will touch and call into another part of
His harvest field? Interestingly, the Lord doesn’t call those who are sitting
on the bench. He usually begins with a low commitment ministry and then
increases their responsibility.
Most of us
came to Christ because of someone serving the Lord full time in vocational
ministry. Either they led us to the Lord or they were instrumental in the life
of the one who brought us to Jesus.
The need of
a lost world has not decreased since you came to Christ. Our world desperately
needs the Gospel. Let’s pray together that the Lord would call more out of our
midst to serve Him. Maybe the Lord will call someone to a second career after
retirement into ministry. Maybe He’ll touch a young person’s heart. Perhaps, it
will be someone, like Dave, who has a family and a career but serving the Lord
begins burning in his heart.
The person
the Lord calls to serve Him might be that young person that you’re teaching in
Children’s Church or a child from one of our midweek ministries. They see the
love for Jesus and the commitment of the leaders, and the Lord uses it to touch
their heart.
I can
guarantee this though. If you’re not involved in serving the Lord, you’re not
going to touch anyone’s life. Sadly, your own soul will begin to shrivel
because you’re violating God’s design. We are saved to serve. Do you have a
ministry? Are you serving the Lord?
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