Often when we encounter religious materials, we ignore them — especially if it something even close to a creed of some sort and we happen to be Protestant. Just now, I was looking at this past Sunday’s bulletin and two things caught my eye:
Our Ministry
The foundation of our ministry is Character.
The nature of our ministry is Service.
The motive of our ministry is Love.
The measure of our ministry is Sacrifice.
The authority of our ministry is Submission.
The purpose of our ministry is to Glorify God.
The tools of our ministry are God’s Word & Prayer.
The power of our ministry is the Holy Spirit.
The model for our ministry is Jesus Christ.
This is my church’s model for the focus of its various ministries. Something struck me, though. How many of those categories do I incorporate into my life on a daily basis? How strong is my character? My old youth pastor had a quote taped above his computer monitor: “Integrity is who you are when nobody else is watching.” My integrity defines my moral character — do I walk the paths I preach? Do I apply my views equally? Service — what do I do for Christ each day? Love — am I being a good example of the Agape love when I cuss the punk on the cell phone that is tailgating me, or when I talk about someone behind their back? Sacrifice — what have I done that has caused me to leave my comfort zone? Submission — How can I submit to God when I crowd Him out of my life? Glorify God — Do my thoughts, speech, and behavior fit the mold that the Bible sets for me? How does my un-Christian behavior diminish my witness? God’s Word & Prayer — How hard can it be to study the word and pray each day? Very. Holy Spirit — Can I hear the small, still voice of the Holy Spirit speaking to my soul? Do I seek the Helper that God send us? Do I daily revel in the power that the Holy Spirit has baptized me with? Do I seek God to develop the gifts of His Spirit in me? Do I daily try to cultivate the fruits of the Spirit within me? Jesus Christ — Who am I more like each day: Jesus Christ or me? I DON’T want to be like me! Who would?!? Why would YOU want to be like YOU?
The above “Our Ministry” section is printed in the bulletin every week, but the scripture passage that is normally included above it changes every week. Here is this week’s (Matthew 5:3-11):
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. 8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
The Beatitudes — God’s instructions, through Christ, as to how we should live our lives. Pastor Daniel made a great point about the Beatitudes: they are the exact opposite of how most people live their lives. As for me, at times I have a proud spirit, I don’t mourn, I am not spiritually meek, I lack a hunger and thirst for the things of God at times, I seek revenge instead of granting mercy, my heart is tinged with worldly sin, I don’t seek peace often, I hide my Christianity to avoid being held accountable for it by others, and a whole lot more that aren’t covered.
Those two things — one a church’s idea of what its focus should be, and the other being Holy Scripture — are vastly neccesary ideals that I need to incorporate into my life. So, why can’t I? The only answer that I can come up with almost seems like a cop out: I’m human. My personal religion will be a constant journey of, hopefully, consistent steps forward and, unfortunately, some steps backward. The Bible tells us that none are righteous; so, why do some have an easier time of it? Maybe I’ve lost that fire that burns deep in the soul of a new convert. Maybe there are worldly things that I’ve got to eradicate from my life first. Maybe I don’t want it bad enough. I hold on to one thing though, a word that a great person of God spoke to me once: Look not to the right or left, but keep your eyes focused straight ahead.
