Lecture 5 Church Ministries - Reluctance and Perils in Ministry

Aim-To address the subject of entering the ministry.

ENTERING THE MINISTRY

We have talked about the preparation stage (the call).

Now, let’s address the issue of action or the actual fulfilling of the call.

RELUCTANCE TOWARDS THE MINISTRY

Many tend to be reluctant towards the ministry. You may have been reluctant yourself.

Why are people reluctant toward the ministry? (Ask for answers)

1. Service.

Some of you mentioned this in your definition of ministry.

Mark 10:45 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

Sadly, many are so selfish and focused upon themselves that they cannot see the needs of those around them, therefore they are reluctant to get involved.

They place conditions upon the call. They want the big church and nice parsonage. They must have their every whim provided.

Their concept of ministry is based upon what they will get out of it (instead of what they may give).

2. Sacrifice.

Service is a form of sacrifice, but there are also other things that a minister must sacrifice.

Sacrifices of ministry:

a. Finances-the church may not pay as much as your 9-5 bank job (sometimes, you may not be paid anything for ministry!) Or you may have to be the main giver for the missionaries and evangelists.

b. Possessions-b/c of your financial sacrifice, you may also not have the latest and most expensive vehicles, homes, furniture, clothing, etc.

c. Time-the minister must find time and perform tasks, when he doesn’t have the time. Otherwise, the task goes undone and the work suffers.

(FOCUS On Bi-Vocational Ministry)

d. Weights-for the sake of the ministry, the minister may have to lay aside some things that may hinder her and her work. There may not be anything wrong with it, but if it is hindering the minister it is a sacrifice that he or she must make.

*I’m not intentionally trying to “paint a bleak picture” of ministry, but I’m trying to be realistic and also point out a few of the reasons why people are reluctant to join the ministry OR become “burnt out” very early.

3. Surrender.

Ultimately, it all comes down to this. Many people refuse to join the ministry simply because they do not want to surrender everything to God.

Consider the rich young ruler (Mk. 10:17-22)

The Rich Young Ruler received the commission, but he refused to act on the commission. As a result, he was deprived of ministry and true fulfillment.

Do you know anyone who is like that?

*Because of their lack of surrender, they are forced to live a counterfeit life.

How?

If they have received a call to ministry, but refuse to surrender to it, then they are pretending to be profitable and fulfilled doing something other than that which God has planned for their lives.

Have you ever noticed that hypocrites (compromisers) are always trying to convince you of their goodness and fulfillment?

There is a very real possibility that you may be struggling in some of these areas of ministry.

It is not my intention to “belittle” you, but to try to get you to identify some things that others struggle with and challenge you to conquer them.

YOU MUST IF YOU ARE TO CONTINUE IN MINISTRY!

PERILS OF THE MINISTRY

Again, it is not my desire to be overly negative, but I must point out some legitimate concerns.

We will talk about some additional perils of ministry later. For now, let’s consider some of the early perils of ministry.

The ministry can be unkind (particularly to young ministers).

In other words, there are some things that you should be aware of before you get started.

The ministry is not always “rosy.”

You do not always feel the presence of God at the “drop of a hat.”

Those who are aspiring to ministry should count the cost.

Jesus didn’t “sugar-coat” things when He was calling.

Luke 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

The cross was a sign of suffering, difficulty, and humility. I think that we can agree that the ministry can include (at times) all of those things.

Therefore, we should avoid certain perils when entering the ministry:

1. The peril of disregarding the seriousness of ministry.

a. You shouldn’t enter the ministry if you are not called.

b. I say this, because there could be a temptation to enter the ministry with impure motives.

i. You may “invent” a call simply because friends are entering the ministry (this can happen at Bible school).

ii. A zealous parent/mentor in your life may force a call upon you.

2. The peril of making hasty decisions concerning ministry.

a. You should never make a major decision at ministry or its location without praying it through (fasting included).

i. The grass is not always greener somewhere else!

3. The peril of making biased decisions concerning ministry.

a. If you want to be involved in a ministry opportunity make sure that it is God that is directing you there.

b. Do not go somewhere just for financial reasons or so that it will be an elevation in your prestige.

4. The peril of being influenced by peers.

a. You cannot allow the thinking of friends to dictate your ministry.

b. This is different than point #1 b/c here I’m referring to the ever present temptation to compromise.

c. You may have friends in ministry who compromise and experience an “explosion” in number.

i. These same friends could try to influence you to go the same way.

5. The peril of being hurt.

a. You must realize that you will get hurt in the ministry (REMEMBER-you don’t have to be a casualty).

i. There will be people that will betray you who you have invested time, energy and effort in.

ii. Ministry requires that you open yourself up (sometimes, this will result in you getting hurt).

6. The peril of disappointment.

a. You won’t always be successful.

b. You won’t always preach a camp meeting sermon.

c. Sometimes, you will fail.

d. Not only that, but you will also be disappointed by mentors and others that you have supreme confidence in.

i. Some may backslide, others may compromise.

ii. You may even be given bad advice by well meaning people.

e. To be honest, these perils just get you started in all the things that you must beware of when considering the ministry.

f. Should I allow these perils to frighten or intimidate me? Should I allow myself to be backed into a corner?

g. Absolutely not! The rewards of ministry far outweigh the perils, but it is important that we do recognize the reality of ministry.

If you are called to ministry, you may expect to be subjected to the hardest

work in the world!