Over the past several months, several pastoral friends have
prayerfully asked this question, “Do you sense the ministry move from ‘here to
there’ would be a faithful transition?” This is always a deep trust question
that I prayerfully attempt to honor. But this faith adventure with Jesus also
has imbedded within it presuppositions that should be identified before moving
forward. Simply, let’s look back and in before leaning forward.
First, “Do you assume that
the location of your ministry calling
is paramount and of primary concern to your faithfulness to the Lord?” (Theology
question, Is the Lord’s working in an thru you restricted by location)
Second, as an extension of
the first question, “Is there only one place where your gifts can be utilized
by the Lord?” Rephrase it this way, if your answer is yes, then you must be
assuming that one response you will make is the
faithful one and the other must be resulting in your disobedience. (Now, the
theological question, what does this reveal about the nature of God and His
character and the manner He employs spirit-filled people in Kingdom work?)
My friend…you know my desire is not to gain the right answer but to
ask the right question that prepares the “way of the Lord.” So, here we go…
In seeking the Lord’s will, especially for questions that involved
significant life change, my questions in prayer are these:
1.
Will this decision and the journey it may take me on make me more
servant-like? More humble? (And not just “look” more like a servant but will
this serve as a catalyst for my own real transformation)
2.
Will the Imago Dei in
me continue to be shaped into His?
·
Will your mind become more like that of Christ Jesus? (Phil 2)
·
Will your “thinking like men diminish as thinking like God will increase?”
(Mark 8)
3.
Will this action (obedience by either “staying” or “going”) display to
my family, friends, and faith community a movement of the Spirit in my
life?
4.
Will my Kingdom influence increase as my needs of self-interest diminish?
5.
Will God the Father and His Son be glorified? Will the Spirit find
pleasure in me as His home?
6.
Does this time of “seeking His Face” (not just His will) cause me to
fully submit to Him in prayer, searching the Scriptures, and practicing the means
of Grace. (Read it this way: Is the delight of being in His presence so much
better than merely gaining information about my “next steps”?)
7.
Finally, have I already said “Yes” to His will BEFORE I know what it is? Do I so trust Him that I am
already leaning towards His voice even before He speaks?
Response from my seeking
friend;
Wow. That is a lot to take in. Thank you for your guidance Dave. I
needed to read all of these. I am not sure it's possible to answer some of them
fully until you step out in faith. How is it possible to know how you will be
shaped in the future by decisions that must be made on the present? How do I
know if the Imago Dei will be formed
in me? These are all great questions. I would expect nothing less
My friend;
Try to re-read my questions without implying that you are merely
seeking to make a ministry placement decision. For the questions are not
segmented or focused on making a “right
choice” (or the fear of making a “wrong
choice”) but making a godly “life
choice” (and read that as a Resurrection life-choice). Huge difference.
The questions are intentionally designed to get you into the Presence of the
God of all Wisdom, not merely making a list of spiritual pros-and-cons for a
choice. That, my friend is secondary at best.
In my life there have been rare occasions when the Lord has so
powerfully intervened and invaded my world that He has sovereignly taken me out
of my current ministry context. Maybe 5 times in my entire life. Mostly I sense
He is about changing me IN my current
location and making me salt and light to broken and lost people.
In the end, I really think we have historically asked the wrong
question: “Lord, what is Your will for my
life?” For as a whole, doesn’t that sound self-centered? Rather, why not
ask a larger Kingdom-minded question: “Lord, what is Your will, for the world!” Thus, we think global in
scope and transformational of our heart.
If “spiritual unrest” is being stirred up in our ministry and maybe
you even feel as if you are in currently living in the land of ministry-wilderness,
maybe its not so much to move us out but to change us from within. Let’s get
that part right first…before we begin
thinking that simply a change of location will fix everything. Otherwise
we take our same spiritual-relational problems into a new setting…and maybe
actually contaminate that place with our pain and shame. I want to be a
contagion of grace and peace. I do not want to make bad people good…or good
people better; I want to be part of making dead people ALIVE. Jesus, start with
me.
My friend, a ministry move may
be in order. I’m just begging you to ask the first-order question; “Am I
running from something (pain, ministry disappointment, financial hardship, lack
of divine trust, pastoral leadership issues, laity problems) or am I submissive
to the Holy Sprit to use all this to prepare me to be more Christ-like than I
ever imagined. Remember, all of life and ministry is preparing us not just to
“do something more effectively” but also to “be with Him” and to live in the
presence of the Triune God for all eternity. So, the true location question of
ministry should not be “here or there”
but “ in Christ.”
This is the worst “non-answer” I have ever given. But He-Jesus is the
best answer to any question you can come up with.
In Jesus' joy,
Dave
