When Ministry Gets Hard

Difficulty Brings Perfection

You can always expect opposition when you are doing the Lord’s work. Just as you are being called by God to do His work, Satan uses his people to oppose the work of the Lord. This is not to say that everyone who opposes you is Satan’s tool. However; when we do face opposition James gives us how we should view the opposition.

2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various [a]trials,3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces [b]endurance. 4 And let [c]endurance have its perfect [d]result, so that you may be [e]perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

The church in Jerusalem was facing opposition from the Jews because of their faith in Jesus. The Jews wanted the culture to remain faithful to the traditions of the elders and the law. Christians were teaching the grace of God through Jesus Christ apart from the law. There was much contention with the Christians in Jerusalem.

James encourages them not to get upset at the persecution, but to count it all joy. Though the persecution was going to be tough, it was going to make them perfect and complete for the work of the Lord.

Opposition makes us stronger. We are forced to work with difficult people. They are not always easy or a pleasure to work with, but none the less they are a part of the church. Working with them develops you.

Humbly Listen

It is very difficult to listen and give credit to someone who is difficult to work with. It is easy to discredit what they have to say because we don’t care for them or what they have to say. However; sometimes it is wise to hear what they have to say even though we don’t like the attitude by which it was said. What they said might be right. I am reminded of the man who cursed David.

9 Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over now and [a]cut off his head.”10 But the king said, “What have I to do with you, O sons of Zeruiah? If he curses, and if the Lord has told him, ‘Curse David,’ then who shall say, ‘Why have you done so?’” 11 Then David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “Behold, my son who came out from [b]me seeks my life; how much more now this Benjamite? Let him alone and let him curse, for the Lord has told him. 12 Perhaps the Lord will look on my affliction and [c]return good to me instead of his cursing this day.” 13 So David and his men went on the way; and Shimei went along on the hillside parallel with him and as he went he cursed and cast stones and threw dust at him.

Shimei was under the authority of king David. However; we find him cursing and throwing rocks at David. He was mad at David because he took the place of his family member Saul as king. It would have been easy for David to take the man’s life and end the cursing, but David considered the fact that in this man’s rant he could hear something that he needed to hear because God had sent him to curse David. There could be something that Shemei said to David that he could work on and make him stronger.

When we deal with difficult people, we need to respect them enough to listen to them. Though their intention may not be the best, what they say may have value. We need to listen and glean what is valuable from them.

Be Understanding Of Their Spiritual Condition

Rather than write a difficult person off, be compassionate to their spiritual condition. Rather than judging them and discounting them, love them, pray for them and do your best to work with them.

One thing I have found is that when you deal with difficult people that are not in support of the Lord’s work, but instead have their own agenda, they typically are not walking close with the Lord. What they want is power and control to feed their pride. Understand their spiritual condition and ask the Lord to change their hearts.

Before we can ask the Lord to change their hearts we must be forgiving towards them. Often times people that are prideful can rub us the wrong way and even hurt us. This has a tendency for us to harbor anger and bitterness towards them. We must forgive them and then ask for the Lord to change them.

Draw A Line In the Sand

It is important to work with difficult people to a point. The point we work with them on is dealing with us individually. When they go beyond this and cause division in the church, we are to ask them to leave the church. Titus gives us these instructions.

10 Reject a factious man after a first and second warning, 11 knowing that such a man is perverted and is sinning, being self-condemned.

Asking a person to leave the church may seem mean and cold-hearted. It is for this reason that very few churches do it. They avoid dealing with the divisive person and let the condition of the church deteriorate. When they begin criticizing the leadership of the church for the purpose of replacing the leadership this person needs to leave the fellowship. I am not saying that if the pastor needs to go for valid reasons, he should ask the person trying to get him out to leave. What I am saying is if the leadership as a whole is in agreement with the direction the church should be going and this person opposes and tries to cause division, then that person has to go.

We see this example with Absolom:

2 Absalom used to rise early and stand beside the way to the gate; and when any man had a suit to come to the king for judgment, Absalom would call to him and say, “From what city are you?” And he would say, “Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel.” 3 Then Absalom would say to him, “See, your [a]claims are good and right, but no man listens to you on the part of the king.” 4 Moreover, Absalom would say, “Oh that one would appoint me judge in the land, then every man who has any suit or cause could come to me and I would give him justice.” 5 And when a man came near to prostrate himself before him, he would put out his hand and take hold of him and kiss him. 6 In this manner Absalom dealt with all Israel who came to the king for judgment; so Absalom stole away the hearts of the men of Israel.

Absolom didn’t like the way his father David was running the kingdom, so he convinced people that David was a bad king. God had called David to be king and Absolom wanted to be king. Ultimately Absolom was killed.

I am not saying that we should harm a divisive person, but we are mandated by scripture to remove the divisive person.

Don’t Minister By Emotion

Ministry is not about trying to get people to like you. Ministry is about making disciples. There are difficult conversations that need to be had between believers. There are also times when ministering to someone will hurt their feelings. We should not have the intent to hurt their feelings for the sake of hurting them. However we should not avoid difficult conversations for sake of hurting someone’s feelings. Paul Puts it this way when he writes to the Corinthians.

8 For though I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it—for I see that that letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while— 9 I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything [a]through us. 10 For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance [b]without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death.

When we lovingly share truth with someone, it may hurt their feelings. However if the truth leads them to repentance they are better off and the hurt feelings can heal. Conversely if we avoid difficult conversations, then the person will not change and end up causing more harm to the church. Another aspect is sharing truth with the intent to hurt. If we do this, then they will just be mad at you and never change.

Don’t Dwell On Opposition But Praise Jesus

It is real easy to get discouraged when you get opposition to the Lord’s work. Often the opposing person consumes your thoughts and wears you out. Don’t dwell on the opposition, but instead on the work of the Lord. Dwelling on the work of the Lord will bring joy and zeal.

You can worship Jesus when you consider that He is allowing you to join Him in His work. Praise Him for the opportunity and the victory that He will bring about by accomplishing His will.

For thus says the high and exalted One Who [a]lives forever, whose name is Holy, “I dwell on a high and holy place, And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit In order to revive the spirit of the lowly And to revive the heart of the contrite.

Difficult people are just a part of ministry. Understand that when you are called to the work of the Lord, His work and will is going to get accomplished!