Essentials of Ministry Paper
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Essentials of Ministry Paper
Michael Warren
CHMN 201 – B02: Introduction to Christian Ministries
May 25, 2022
1
Part One: A Summary of the Essentials
1.
Here I am, Send me
.
The first essential for ministry that Early and Gutierrez identify is the willingness to
submit ones’ whole self to the call and will of God, as exemplified in Isaiah 6:8.
God does
not desire for us to begrudgingly do His will, or for us to be automatons that do His will like
emotionless robots, but for our hearts to sincerely want to do His will for no other reason
than to praise and serve Him.
Early explains why this is the first essential to ministry: “God
pours out his favor and power on those who are willing to go. You cannot truly be a follower
of Jesus until you are willing to go. You are not truly following Jesus until you are
intentionally going for Jesus.”
1
This step is not necessary to call on the name of the Lord, be baptized, or participate in a
local church, but it is essential for ministry.
Before Jesus ascended back to the Father, He
gave His disciples what we know as The Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20).
To that
commission, followers of Jesus must be willing to respond, “Here I am, send me!”
2.
Responding to the Call of God
After submitting our will to God’s, then comes acknowledging and living in accordance
with God’s unique call for our life.
Not everyone is called to be a pastor, or a deacon, or a
worship leader, or a cook at a restaurant, or a first responder, or an artist, or a parent.
God
made each of us with particular talents and skills, all of which can be submitted to God in a
way that glorifies Him.
3.
Living a Life of Prayer
1 Earley, Dave.
Everyday Ministry: Applying the Christian Faith
(B&H Academic, 2010), 956.
2
Prayer is how God’s children communicate with their Heavenly Father.
Prayer is both an
attitude and action: an attitude of dependance on God, and an action in that they speak
inwardly and outwardly.
Dr. Timothy Keller described how the Holy Spirit enables believers
in Jesus to approach God as their loving Father, and then adds a more direct, translated,
heavenly testimony over our prayer.
2
The reason this is essential to ministry is because the
Apostle Paul said it was in Ephesians 6:18.
4.
Maintaining an Eternal Perspective
Early and Gutierrez explain how ministers, just like anyone who works hard at any job,
can be prone to burnout, doubts, and giving up, but the key to staying in the race of faith and
pressing toward the prize is maintaining an eternal perspective. Jesus gave His disciples the
greatest reality check on John 16:33, which promises difficulties in life, the availability of
peace through Him, and His conquering of the world.
5.
Refusing to Coast
Routine can be a powerful tool, but also a hinderance to effective ministry.
Going-through-
the-motions has the tendency to lull us into comfortable expectations and limit our outreach.
Hosea commanded: “break up your fallow ground…” (10:12).
Paul instructed Timothy, “Stir up
the gift of God which is in you” (2Tim. 1:6). Like the popular military adage says, we must be
willing to constantly “Improvise, adapt, and overcome” even if it means trying something new,
going out of our way to help someone, or its not on the schedule.
Charles Spurgeon is quoted
exhorting his congregation, “Die every morning before you leave your bedroom.”
6.
Loving People
2 Keller, Timothy.
Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God
. 14.
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3
In Matthew 22, when asked what the greatest commandment is, Jesus answered that the law
and the prophets hang on two points: love for God and love for neighbor.
This is an essential for
ministry because as a consequence of being fallen and sinful, learning to love and be loved by
sinners can be painful, annoying, and difficult.
Nevertheless, Christians are to always be
growing in their love not just for other Christians, but for those outside as well (1Thess. 3:12).
7.
A Life without Compromise
Christians ought to have Biblically-informed convictions ranging across the gamut of societal
and cultural content and issues.
Jesus rebuked the church in Laodicea for being luke-warm in
their faith (Rev. 3:15-16).
A favorite paraphrasing of mine of Psalm 1:1 says that tolerating leads
to admiring which leads to assimilating.
Sin must not be allowed to take an inch.
Compromise
leads to ineffectiveness in ministry.
8.
Loyalty to the Truth
Cementing the previous essential, the mindset of loyalty fortifies our hearts.
We all have
experienced loyalty to some degree, whether its from parent, spouse, sibling, friend, or church.
Jesus is the bride of church, so the idea of the church being disloyal to her bride is heartbreaking.
Jesus said that He is the embodiment of truth (Jno. 14:6).
9.
Living up to your Name
Having been adopted into the royal family of God, it is time to act like a child of the King.
Whereas the loyalty mentioned in the previous essential could be taken in many different ways,
this essential reminds us of our filial relationship with God.
No matter how messy your earthly
family relationships have been, God as your Father is the purest relationship you could ever
dream.
4
10. Keeping the Obedience Bar High
The Apostle Paul exhorted Timothy, “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the
believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity” (1Tim. 4:12).
The same
standards must be applied today.
Christian leaders are not only called to encourage the church to
keep high standards, but to maintain high standards themselves.
This is the final essential as if to
say, “Good job, now keep going just like that.”
Part Two: Areas where I can improve
1.
Responding to the Call of God
I lack confidence and certainty in what my unique calling is and where it is.
Having recently
moved to a new city, I have the daunting task of finding a church to call home.
Up until a couple
years ago, I spent my life attending only one denomination of church, but I left my denomination
to explore the branches and denominations within Christianity.
Will I be a deacon or a teacher?
Will I be a priest or pastor?
2.
Living a Life of Prayer
Prayer is my favorite subject to learn more about, and yet it feels like my weakest discipline.
All too often I find myself rushing into work without having prayed beforehand; I will be in bed
for a few minutes before my eyelids pop open upon realizing I did not pray before getting under
the covers; when I achieve something, I am too slow to give God the glory; when I hear about
someone’s problem, finding solutions takes precedent over prayer.
I must learn to make prayer
my first response instead of my second or third.
5
Part Three: My Specific and Measurable Plan for Improvement
1.
Responding to the Call of God
First, I need to find a church with which I agree theologically and practically, and join it.
Second, I need a pastor to mentor me through finding my calling.
And thirdly, in the meantime, I
need lots of prayer for guidance in finding my place but also not being so worried that I do not
know what the future holds so that I forget to trust my future in God’s hands.
2.
Living a Life of Prayer
As exemplified above, prayer should have been my first step, not the last.
To improve in this
area, I want to get back into the habit of prayer journaling and reading pre-written prayers.
I
often feel pressured to make every single extempore prayer sound unique, pithy, and filled with
Bible verses.
To me, reading prayers relieves my heart. I need to read at least one every
morning, afternoon, and evening.
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6
Bibliography
Earley, Dave, and Gutierrez, Ben. Everyday Ministry: Applying the Christian Faith. B&H
Publishing, 2010.
Keller, Timothy.
Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God. Penguin Books, 2014.