Close Disciple or Fearful Follower? Taking a New Path in Ministry

I really love the spiritual concept of calling. I have experienced a variety of callings: marrying Chip, staying at home, working, being a part of our church, and more. I am so thankful that God beckons me and you into and out of seasons. Some seasons longer than others. I recently experienced God calling me to a change in seasons, and then within the new season He called me to a new path. I know without a shadow of a doubt that I am meant for The Body--I am meant for ministry. Ministry is a path I am on with Jesus. It’s one of serving and one of following Him. I heard Him so clearly say, "You will find Me in abiding, and you will follow Me in ministry."

The Gospel of Mark is such an interesting one for those of us in ministry because it’s all about serving. I think someday I will write a Bible Study on Mark geared towards people who serve in ministry (which really is all of us as believers). It's been amazing to see Jesus in this light. In Mark, God reveals Jesus as The Servant. To see Christ as Servant shows us how to be a servant of God. It also shows us how free Christ was as He was bound to God and the rescue mission of the Gospel. 

 

In regards to following Him on a new path in ministry, here is something I have learned. By the tenth chapter of Mark, the disciples had had an epic experience with Christ. They had followed Him on a ministry path and He had stretched them as men, as faithful Jews, as disciples, as those seeking for the Messiah. He had offered them truth, and miracles, and a relationship. Remember, they too had been called. And the Story takes a turn at Mark 10:32. They stood at a crossroads.

"They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid." (Mark 10:32)

This small verse packs a powerful truth for you and me in ministry. Jesus was leading the way. It was a new path, but the path still had the same mission: love, speaking truth, service, obedience, and sacrifice. The new path was not an easy path. It was a path to Jerusalem, a path with Jesus to His cross. The disciples would find themselves, like Christ would, asking for another way, tired, praying a ton, trying to go to places of comfort with people of comfort so that they could sort things out and find or know God in the midst of it.

Have you felt this way? You’ve been following Christ, and now you are called to ministry. Or you have been in ministry, but God has a fresh path in front of you within your ministry or calling. There's a new level of what’s being asked of you as you are serving. You have the same mission as Christ and the disciples: it's a gospel mission to love, speak truth, serve, obey God in relationships and authentic living, and sacrifice. And like them you find yourself at times asking for another way, feeling tired, praying a ton, and going to places/people of comfort in the discomfort or unfamiliarity of this new path.

Look at Mark 10:32, the followers of Christ had two reactions to this change in course.

The disciples, those who followed Him so closely, saw only Him and His wonder. They were astonished. They looked at Him.

Those that followed less intimately or from a distance took steps, but stopped at the crossroads and stood in fear. They looked at the place and the unknown.

God has called us to ministry. We are invited to journey with Jesus to places He leads. We have two choices: abide and exalt or fear.

The disciples were the close ones. They walked so closely that they could only see Him. Walking closely is what’s called abiding. Disciples abide. Their circumstances, the bold truth, the deeper serving, the authentic living with it's challenges to their pride and past, the toughness of the road, and even the future of the cost of following Him paled in comparison to Him and His wonder.

I think we, like the followers, often live the other. We have seen His miracles, heard His teaching, watched Him be all of Who He is right where we live. We have seen Him be powerful in the lives of those around us. We follow, we believe. But at the crossroads, we slow our pace a bit. Why? Fear. We say in our hearts, "What about…?" (this, that, them, me, the cost, the distance, the direction, the time, the sacrifice, the risk in relationship, the level of service, if it/I fail) We let fear become our focus and the vision of Jesus is blurred. We follow, but at a distance. Christ beckons us for more. He wants to give us a vision of Himself and His glory! That requires faith as He leads and closeness in abiding as we follow.

It feels so vulnerable to go on a new path with only faith and abiding, to only go with the promise of Jesus. Yet it feels so faithful of God, when we will do just that, that He still calls us to love, speak truth, serve and sacrifice, and obey Him. It's in that abiding and love, truth, service, sacrifice, and obedience where we see Him.

When we experience the wonder of our God, and have faith experiences that are rooted in Who He Is, those are meant to be shared. We get to lift Him up for all to see, or exalt Him. Isn't that what ministry is all about? Following our Savior to the new places with the same mission He had, and sharing it? Just like Christ and the disciples our journey in ministry always takes us to the place outside Jerusalem where the Lamb was slain for the sin of the world. A place of cost and sacrifice. A place of utter dependence on the Gospel. Oh, but He didn't stay dead! He lives, to intercede for you and me in this journey with Him. He is near and glorious right where we are. He desires to reveal Himself in the midst of whatever we are experiencing in this new path so we can have a faith experience with Him and know His nearness right now. Then we can share and exalt Him not just in our hearts but in front of others.

I have been called to be a disciple. To walk closely to Jesus. Look at Him. Spend time with Him. Exalt Him--find ways to praise Him right now in this circumstance. Find freedom in being bound to God and His Gospel mission. When I am a disciple, the rest of it will fade away, including fear and concern and the toughness of the road, and I will see and know HIM. The cost will be met in the awe and wonder of Christ and then I can make Him known.

I was afraid. Now I am quickening my pace.

Just another seed of my faith,

Ginny

Willingly: A Lesson from Judges 5

I have so wanted to blog. My writing energy has gone towards work, and it has been good and right! But I have a list of about 9 blog entries that I have wanted to share for some time now. And I have just enough margin on a Friday afternoon to share this one.

I share in a women's Bible study on Tuesday nights. This semester it was a toss up between Romans and Judges. God led us to Judges. I found a small set of verses on the journey in Judges that opened my eyes to the beauty of offering myself to the work of God.

"...when the people willingly offer themselves--praise the LORD!...My heart is with Israel's princes, with the willing volunteers among the people. Praise the LORD." (Judges 5:2,9)

I recall reading this with a heart seeking God over what exactly He was doing with a woman like Deborah. I am a woman in leadership. And there are times where it is not easy. In fact, the more leadership God has called me to, the harder it is. (That's another blog on the list.) There are times where it feels like a man might be more heard, respected, or followed than a woman like me. I am not at all complaining about where God has put me. I was told by a new and yet deep friend that I am never to apologize for my anointing. Deborah didn't apologize for her anointing. She willingly did exactly what God asked her to. God was doing something significant for His people and His glory through her. When she and Barak sing together over victory in chapter 5, their song resonated with my heart.

I often long for people to willingly offer themselves to His work. I want them to be passionate about what God is doing and leave behind the worldly stuff that consumes us and follow Christ in things more important and eternal. That's about all I'll say about that potential soapbox, because God was quick to remind me that He has called and anointed me to willingly offer myself. He'll deal with others offering themselves. And frankly I may not see half of what God calls others to willingly offer themselves to. He is very good about asking us to do things with no recognition. Assessing the fullness of someone else's willingness or calling is not for me. God gently applied the gospel to me and required that I see His word as a mirror (James 1:22-24) and see what it looks like when I willing offer myself.

When I willingly offer myself to the work God has for me, praise to God happens! It's almost as though there is relief in that phrase. It's as if all along God desired for me to be a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1), or willingly offer myself, and when I decide to actually do it, the immediate fruit of it is praise. Not stress or one more thing on my plate or begrudging movement, but praise. It's as if the fog of personal perception clears and a fresh wind of purpose fulfilled (Psalm 57:2) blows through my life. I can see clearly exactly what God wants me to do (Romans 12:2), and it's good, perfect, and pleasing! What a relief! I can move in freedom into what He wants me to do and offer Him praise. Praise that I was called into something good, pleasing, and perfect! What else does any woman desire out of her calling but for it to be good, pleasing, and perfect? You'd have to get excited about whoever brought that about--and it's God! So there's praise!

Praise is so much lighter than obligation.

When I willingly offer myself, unity with others happens. I have prayed and longed for that in several places in my life. I have served with others where there is unity and it is so life-giving! I have also seen the carnage disunity will inevitably bring. If you look at these verses, it's not just me that offers myself to a work of God or a calling, but others as well. Now I can look at others. Not the ones I think should be willingly offering themselves to this work, but the ones that have. "When the people.." That means whoever comprises "us" in this work. God has called each of us to join together and we can be unified. I have to admit, I love serving with other people. My sweetest days in ministry have been doing ministry life with other people. God intended us to be a people for His glory. That means "us." And unity brings about His glory!

Unity also does something to our hearts. As a woman, it fills my heart to overflowing when we are unified and together in our calling. If you'll allow me...I have sat at the head of a table, like Deborah, and seen a group of 14 people working towards the same mission and vision. Not just in the fun times or the "good results" times, but in the moments of tough words, laying our ideas, failures, and creativity shamelessly on the table, I have had a full heart. I have felt so deeply connected and fulfilled because of one word: our. I have stood like Deborah in a room full of leaders and expressed vision and a fresh, wild initiative and I have had to be unapologetic for God's anointing and yet humble because they were precious leaders valued and called by the same God. I have taken a risk in all that, and when lights went on and people willingly offered themselves to the vision and way we were called to, I had a full heart. I have sat like Deborah, under a tree, and listened to friends with a big vision and a pure heart struggle with vision and heart. And when we had sought wisdom and love and desired God in all that vision, I had a full heart. I was with people, princes and volunteers, and it has brought such deep satisfaction to my heart that it was "us" and I was called to be included in movement and heart to be together with those people for His glory.

The beauty of a leader like Deborah is that she stepped forward into her calling, and willingly offered herself to a work of God. The beauty of God's way is that others joined her. She was so about God, us, and our, that she even shared the song as a duet, and you can't tell which part was hers. The glory of God was that in the end it brought an entire nation back to Him. That's what willingly offering myself can do. A people wrapped back into a relationship with a loving, holy God...that sounds good, pleasing and perfect, doesn't it?

Just a seed of my faith,
Ginny