Get Out Of The Church

What is ministry? Many of us would say ministry is serving at a church.  It's easy to have an "it's all about the church" mindset: go to church, be at church, and serve the church. While this isn't a bad thing, we must also remember that God has also called us to get out of the church. 

For almost my whole life, I thought ministry belonged to the church. I grew up going to church since a young child, and eventually grew up serving at my church. While this all was a good thing, what I failed to realize was how closed minded I became in regards to serving Christ. 

I limited my abilities to serve Christ only at the church. Now, what did I do outside of church? 

Nothing--besides living my ordinary work and school life. 

Now looking back, I regret not taking those opportunities to share Christ to my classmates and to those around me, especially when I had the chances to do so. 

My eyes have been opened to see that ministry isn't a church thing, it's a lifestyle. 

We are all called to be followers of Jesus, whom never limited himself to serve God at the temple. He never set certain times or days to share the gospel or serve others, he did it anytime the opportunity came. 

He would heal the sick and share the gospel to those he passed by. Whether at the temple or on the way to a new city, he never rejected anyone who was in need. It says in John 21:25, "Jesus also did many other things. If they were all written down, I suppose the whole world could not contain the books that would be written." That is how much Christ did for the kingdom of God. One Sunday and one place wouldn't give enough time and room for Christ to do what he did. 

He used every opportunity he had to heal the sick, perform miracles, and share the gospel to others. Are you using every opportunity God has given you to share the love of Christ? Are you limiting yourself in serving Christ? 

Ministry is not for a certain time, place, people. It is to be lived out in our daily lives. 

We tend to choose the people we want to serve, and we set certain times and days of when we want to serve. However, we are called to serve Christ whenever we see the opportunity to do so. 

We are called to go into the dark and be the light, to save the lost and set the oppressed free. This all will require us to get out of the Church and go into the lost world we live in. 

Jesus knew his purpose on this earth, for he says in Luke 4:18, "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor, to proclaim freedom for the prisoners, ..to set the oppressed free." This is our greater calling on earth - to bring the freedom of Christ to those who do not yet know him. 

Jesus knew he was needed more by those who were lost than found, which is why he said in Luke 4:24, "..No prophet is accepted in his hometown." He didn't belong in his hometown where everyone already knew who he was, he knew his greater calling was to go out and into dark to reach the lost.

Just as Jesus was called to reach the lost, so are we. The Church is a great place to serve Christ, but there are many other people outside the church that God has placed in your life for you to share Christ. Don't stay in your comfort zone, rather get out and go to the dark places where you will find many who are lost. It's in the dark where Christ will shine the brightest.

Let ministry be your lifestyle. When you show patience to your family, love to your spouse, or kindness to a stranger, that is ministry. Even spending time with non-believers and sharing God's love to them is counted as ministry. Open your hearts to see that God has called you to be his witnesses to all over the world (Acts 1:8). So remember, get out of the church and share his light to the world. 

It's Ok To Be Treated Wrongly

We live in a society where being treated wrongly is unacceptable, and it becomes justifiable to defend ourselves regardless if our defense offends the other. We see being treated badly as wrong and immoral, however, it only takes a change of perspective to see that it's ok to be treated wrongly. 

You might be thinking, what? It's ok to be treated wrongly? 

I was thinking just the same thing not too long ago. It happened at my work place in the midst of a busy week between one of my co-workers. He called me out in front of everyone, asking me for something that wasn't even in urgent need or due till days later.

When I told him how I would not be able to get it for him by that day, his response was not what I had expected. His body language was rude, his request was absurd, and his response to me had no such kindness to it at all. 

He ended the conversation with, "I'll just do it myself, how hard could it be."

In my mind I was thinking, "Is he really saying this? Does he have no respect at all for my schedule?" And it was at the end of his statement when I couldn't take it anymore and blew up. 

At that moment, I felt no guilt for my reaction because I deserved to defend myself. I mean, he was the one in the wrong and I was in the right, so I had to have had the right to respond the way I did. 

But that night, God took a hold of my heart and opened my eyes too see how he saw the whole situation. In my eyes, what I did was right, but in God's eyes, what I did was exactly what the other person did--act wrongly. 

I thought what I was doing was a moral right I had, which was true. The world could agree that it is right for someone to defend themselves when being treated wrongly. However, as followers of Christ, we are called to follow Christ's example, and not the world's. 

Romans 12:2 says, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will." 

God's will is for his light to shine brightly and for his love to be shown to others through us. What I did that day at work went against the will of God. I conformed to the world and responded how any other nonbeliever would have responded. 

What I failed to realize was how my actions that day only took away Christ in me. I didn't show Gods love, but only showed to my other co-workers that I was like any other person, a person who responds to the way they should be treated. I could have responded in grace and love, and that would have been an amazing opportunity for others to see a glimpse of Christ, but instead I took away a opportunity to reveal the beauty and power of Christ in me. 

That day I learned that nothing is worth more than hurting the cause of Christ. Any action that hurts the cause of Christ is never God's will, but Satan's desire. Satan knows the impact that God's love can bring, and he is willing to place a lie in our minds that acts of anger and unkindness are justifiable. 

It was ironic because I had been praying for God's light to shine upon my work place through me so that others may see his glory, however, Satan tried to stop God's glory from shining that day by using my pride to block it. 

We must remember that we are called to a greater purpose than what this world has to offer, and that is to point others to Jesus. The only way to point others to Jesus is to live as he lived. Jesus was spat upon and ridiculed, punished and whipped, yet he still responded in kindness and love. Jesus didn't deserve any of the wrong treatments he experienced, but he never reacted in anger or wrongdoing. 

He was forgiving and loving, an example that we all should follow. God calls for us to share the gospel and salvation to nonbelievers so that they may be saved, and that comes from living a life that shows Christ in us. 

Don't let a temporary incident hurt an eternal cause. 

Let us be eternal minded, changing our perspective so that we focus on eternity rather then having a "at the moment" mentality. It can be easy to get caught up with what's happening in front of us and let our emotions get through, but we must remember that salvation and eternal life is worth more than a temporary hurt. 

If we see from God's eyes, we can see that being treated wrongly is actually ok. It might seem bad to be treated wrongly, but it's during these moments where Christ really shines. When someone does good to you, its obvious for anyone to be loving and nice. But it's during those underserving moments when we show God's love that it shines the brightest. These moments are when Christ becomes evident in your life. 

When people do wrong to you, take those moments as an opportunity to show God's love. God's love has the power to change the world and draw people to Christ. Galatians 2:20 says, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me." So remember, it's ok to be treated wrongly. 

Am I Called To Evangelize?

Many of us have heard about missionaries and people evangelizing, sharing the gospel to all. You've probably seen those close and far to you evangelize as well. But have you ever considered if you were also called to evangelize? How do we know if we are called to evangelize? 

I grew up as a Christian and was exposed to the concept of sharing the gospel. In fact, I would hear many stories of missionaries traveling all over the world to reach the lost. My church would invite missionaries to come and share their testimonies of how others' lives have been saved through their work and support of the church. 

But never once did I ever consider myself evangelizing. 

Why? Because I didn't see it as my responsibility to do so. The only responsibility I knew I had was to study the gospel and to obey God. 

Plus, it seemed like there were already enough people out there reaching out to the lost and spreading the gospel. 

To say it simply, I didn't feel the call to evangelize. 

However, after spending a lot of time studying the word and having friends speak truth into my life, I realized that I have lived more than half of my life with a lie that it wasn't my job to evangelize. You might be in the same boat as me, thinking that it's not your duty to share the gospel, but I am here to tell you today that you are called to evangelize. 

The great commission from Jesus is stated in Matthew 28:19-20 which says, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you to do." Jesus emphasized to all of us to go and share his good news. He didn't give restrictions of who should or shouldn't share the gospel - he calls all of us to do so. 

It doesn't matter how bad your past was, how long you have been a Christian, how good of a speaker you are, or what your track record is. Once we have been saved and have received the good news, we are called to go and share. Mark 16:15 says, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation."

As followers of Christ, we must follow his example and share the gospel to all who will hear. The gospel started with Jesus in Jerusalem thousands of years ago. How did it spread all over the world? By 12 men, the disciples of Jesus. They were empowered by the Holy Spirit and dedicated their lives to take every opportunity to share the salvation of Jesus Christ. 

If the disciples hadn't taken the initiative to spread the good news, Christianity would never have lasted until today. Not only should we credit the disciples, but also to everyone who has taken the effort to share the good news ever from the time of the disciples. 

How did you know about Christ? It's because someone shared about him to you. If it wasn't for their effort to share Christ, you wouldn't be saved today. Imagine living your whole life without having anyone speak the truth of the gospel to you. Don't take away the chance for someone to be saved. 

You hold the key to people's happiness and joy, and that is Christ. 

Christ was never meant to be kept, but to be shared. 

What's stopping you from sharing the gospel? Because whatever the reason may be, it can't be better than letting that person miss being saved and experiencing the fullness of joy in Christ. My friend has always given me this analogy: Imagine someone with cancer who is dying. You are standing right next to them with the cure to save their life in your hands. Would you not share the cure to them? 

God has a greater purpose for you in your life - greater than your job at work, school, and home. Your greater purpose is to save lives through sharing about Jesus.  I now see my job in a new perspective. I no longer see my purpose as to only work, but to take every opportunity to share the love of Christ to others. We are Christ's ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20). We have the privilege to represent Christ, and we are the only closest physical thing for non believers to see a glimpse of who God is. 

I have found something that is more better than taking in the good news, and that is sharing the good news. Matthew 9:37 says, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few." Don't live with the lie that you are not needed to share the gospel, because there are many that still need to hear the truth of Jesus, and you might be their only chance to hear the gospel. So remember, you are called to evangelize. 

Why You Shouldn't Give Up

It can be easy to see failure as an indicator that you're not good enough to do the task. When your path is full of consistent failure and slow progress, it is hard to have a reason to not give up. At what point should you give up? There might be a million reasons of why you should give up, but there is one good reason to not give up that will push you forward.   

It was a Friday evening and I was exhausted from a busy week of work. Not only was my exhaustion coming from my job, but a huge part of it came from the failures I experienced that week. 

I've been trying to commit myself more into prayer and started scheduling in my daily calendar to wake up extra early to spend some alone time with God. Did I end up disciplining myself to wake up earlier to pray? 

No.

At the same time, I was struggling with some things that God has requested me to let go of. Was I able to let go of those things?

No. 

There were days when I had the opportunities to show God's love and patience, but I blew it. Sure, I have changed a lot since last year, but until now I still haven't been able to walk in perfect obedience to God. As much as I desired to be the person whom God has called me to be, I just wasn't that person. 

I knew who God was calling me to be, and I had goals to reach my calling, but my failures and slow progress only told me that I wasn't good enough to reach them. 

In the midst of my burdened heart, I ran into a post online from Proverbs 31 Ministries that said, "There's this beautiful thing called imperfect progress, slow steps of progress wrapped in grace."

It was at this moment when I realized that there is one good reason of why I shouldn't give up, and it is because God isn't giving up on me. 

Don't give up because God is not giving up on you. 

Don't believe Satan when he tells you that your slow progress means you're not good enough to be who God wants you to be. Your slow progress is one step closer to where God wants you to be.  God has great plans for you and he wants to help you fulfill your destiny. 

2 Corinthians 12:9 says, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.." God's grace is enough to cover our imperfections. We don't have to be good enough, because God is good enough for us. We need to stop fighting to be good enough and instead abide in Christ and let him take control of us. He has already overcome the world and sin, and through him we can also overcome our own weakness and failures. 

Before we were even born, God has created us with a special purpose and calling in mind. He has made great plans for each of us, and he plans to help us reach those very goals. God doesn't expect us to have it all together, and in fact, he knows that we can't do anything without him. In John 15:5 Jesus says, "..If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." 

God wants us to depend on him so that at the end when we do overcome our failures, all the glory will go to him, and we will know that it is not by our own works that we are saved. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For it is by grace you have been saved,..not by works, so that no one can boast." If we were perfect, then why would we need God? 

Behind every failure is an open door to God's grace. Appreciate your failures because it is in your failures where you will find the power and beauty of God's grace upon your life. What are some areas in your life that you feel like giving up on? Don't give up to the things that God has called you to do, because he will make a way for you if you let him. Trust that his grace is sufficient, and that in his time, you will see the results of his grace. 

Failure is a stopping block between where you are now and where you want to be, but only if you let it stop you. The truth is, our failures don't matter, it is what we do after our failures that count. Allow your failures to bring you closer to Jesus, because it is only through Jesus that you can accomplish the tasks he has set before you. So remember, don't give up.