Maybe you’ve never said those words, but perhaps you’ve thought them, especially if you’ve served in church for any period of time. If you’ve taught, if you’ve led, if you’ve been in charge of some sphere of church life…especially then.
Has it ever crossed your mind…It’s “my” ministry? But is anything wrong with that thought?
Now, I want to be careful not to judge motives; however, to conceive of service to Christ as “my ministry” can be a dangerous thing. That one word, “my,” is often pregnant with dangerous spiritual impulses and desires that turn ministry from Christ-service to self-service.
We have to be extra-careful when it comes to serving the church. The more you serve, the more you lead, the more public your role becomes, the more dangerous ministry can be to your spiritual health (consider James’s admonition to those who want to teach in James 3:1).
Why? Because we’re all infected with pride. It’s in our blood. We think more highly of ourselves than we ought to. We compare our flaws with those of people we know are worse than we are (think speck and log from Matt. 7:1-5). We’re quick to deny or defend when criticized or rebuked. And when we do well, we’re overly happy with ourselves. We praise ourselves, (contra. Prov 27:2). Even our modesty upon being thanked or praised can cloak an insidious pride that loves approval (consider the Pharisees who looked haggard in public as they fasted – Matt. 6:16-18).
Specifically, regarding service in the church, pride can show up in at least the following ways. For example…You always have to have your way in ministry. You don’t listen to the input of others you’re serving with or especially serving under. You have to serve in the ministry you’ve served in and are resistant to letting go or changing. You have to serve in specific ways but not others. You’re more about parachurch ministry than church ministry. You wonder why people don’t listen to you. You wonder why others aren’t serving as much as you are and with the zeal that you possess. You’re condescending or harsh (even just in your own heart) when someone doesn’t do something the “right” way.
As I write these responses, they sound terrible; they really sting because I’ve been guilty of all of them. And I know that I can think and do any one of these but for the grace of God. Apart from Him, none of us are safe – safe to serve, safe to lead, safe to follow.
That’s why we need to daily remember Christ and His gospel. It reorients our hearts to the fact that all of life and ministry are founded on His grace, not on our performance. It reminds us that our faithfulness and fruitfulness are not as important as His faithfulness and His power to bear His fruit in and through us.
The cross cuts our pride at the knees. It shocks us back to our senses to think rightly – that ministry is never “mine.” That all ministry is a response of love to the One who loved me and died for my sins and called me, purely by His grace to serve in whatever capacity right now for the good of His church and for His glory.
