I heard a very timely message today. Timely because I needed to hear it.
I like it when KS preaches at FBF. He's just so on fire for Jesus and you can feel it. He had his twenty pages of notes up on the pulpit, sweating bullets as usual and telling the congregation about what God has shown him. He's had tons of encounters with God.. but when he tells us of these encounters, he always prefaces it with "I don't want to sound all mystical..." I really don't see the problem with sounding mystical but I think it's the elders in the church that don't want the "mysticism." Anyway... KS' voice wakes one up. Not that I was dozing off but it's that loud and powerful. Plus he bounces around the pulpit and looks people right in the eyes to engage everyone. One can feel that he really wants everyone to see what He's seen and hear what he's heard.
I saw and I heard.
Praise God.
Because I think God spoke to me through this message.
I can't tell you how much I've been obsessing over what to do as my ministry. I've been racking my brain to come up with my natural gift... to have something to do for God. Is it teaching or a certain type of outreach or giving encouragement? How do I know? What do I have to do to find out? Where do I have to be to find out? Am I at the right place? Is this the right time to "start" a ministry? Seriously it's been like this for a while. I whine about it too. Ask KV and BV. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that I've been soooo preoccupied with figuring out what my ministry is.
But God said, through KS...
"Don't make ministry your identity. First and foremost, your identity is being My child. I love you for who you are, not for what you do. I loved you even before you came to Me... what makes you think doing something will make Me love you more? I want you to know Me, appreciate Me, and follow Me... and in so doing, you'll be in ministry."
Ministry is the manifestation of the knowledge of God in our lives. We don't come up with a ministry... it should naturally flow out of us. When we know God intimately and encounter Him daily in our walks, ministry happens through us. We give off the "scent of God." People see Him and experience God's love that was first in Jesus and now in us, through us.
Jesus' ministry was to make God known.
Everything else (the feeding of the masses, the healings, the miracles, etc) were the means he used to make us understand God's love, compassion, mercy, grace, patience, etc. Jesus, being God but in human form, was limited to only a portion of people and in his short time here on earth. But Jesus' ministry is not done. He wants us to continue it...
That is our ministry. TO MAKE GOD KNOWN.
But before we can go about doing the great commission, we MUST obey the great commandment. And that is to love God with all our being. In loving God, we get to know Him intimately. In knowing Him, we manifest Who He is in our lives.
So... now what?
Well for sure, I won't be obsessing about finding a ministry anymore. It is not to be found after all. It is not to be figured out either. What I'm called to do is love Him, know Him, and surrender to Him. Hey, those things are not as simple as they sound. To love Him is to not love myself. (We all know how absurdly difficult that is. Haha) To know Him means reading His Word and communicating with Him. (Not so difficult but something I still need to work on.) To surrender to Him means not being in control... not having everything figured out... just completely trusting Him. (Gah! I feel like I'm going to have a panic attack.) Surrendering is NOT easy. I don't care if there is someone out there who thinks this is a piece of cake. It is NOT easy. It's something I have to do every freakin second of the day... and even then, I still don't think I've surrendered completely. But! There is hope. We do serve a God Who is infinitely patient and gracious and loving. He hasn't given up on me, why should I give up on myself?
So... wow, this blog is long. Haha.
In short... I love God (most of the time), I want to know God (but it'll take effort) and I have to surrender to Him and His Will in my life (which is a moment-by-moment thing.) OMG! That's my ministry!
I have never loved God more than in this moment.
(Which will probably be false tomorrow when I encounter Him again.)
This is freakin amazing.
Good night,
L
I like it when KS preaches at FBF. He's just so on fire for Jesus and you can feel it. He had his twenty pages of notes up on the pulpit, sweating bullets as usual and telling the congregation about what God has shown him. He's had tons of encounters with God.. but when he tells us of these encounters, he always prefaces it with "I don't want to sound all mystical..." I really don't see the problem with sounding mystical but I think it's the elders in the church that don't want the "mysticism." Anyway... KS' voice wakes one up. Not that I was dozing off but it's that loud and powerful. Plus he bounces around the pulpit and looks people right in the eyes to engage everyone. One can feel that he really wants everyone to see what He's seen and hear what he's heard.
I saw and I heard.
Praise God.
Because I think God spoke to me through this message.
I can't tell you how much I've been obsessing over what to do as my ministry. I've been racking my brain to come up with my natural gift... to have something to do for God. Is it teaching or a certain type of outreach or giving encouragement? How do I know? What do I have to do to find out? Where do I have to be to find out? Am I at the right place? Is this the right time to "start" a ministry? Seriously it's been like this for a while. I whine about it too. Ask KV and BV. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that I've been soooo preoccupied with figuring out what my ministry is.
But God said, through KS...
"Don't make ministry your identity. First and foremost, your identity is being My child. I love you for who you are, not for what you do. I loved you even before you came to Me... what makes you think doing something will make Me love you more? I want you to know Me, appreciate Me, and follow Me... and in so doing, you'll be in ministry."
Ministry is the manifestation of the knowledge of God in our lives. We don't come up with a ministry... it should naturally flow out of us. When we know God intimately and encounter Him daily in our walks, ministry happens through us. We give off the "scent of God." People see Him and experience God's love that was first in Jesus and now in us, through us.
Jesus' ministry was to make God known.
Everything else (the feeding of the masses, the healings, the miracles, etc) were the means he used to make us understand God's love, compassion, mercy, grace, patience, etc. Jesus, being God but in human form, was limited to only a portion of people and in his short time here on earth. But Jesus' ministry is not done. He wants us to continue it...
That is our ministry. TO MAKE GOD KNOWN.
But before we can go about doing the great commission, we MUST obey the great commandment. And that is to love God with all our being. In loving God, we get to know Him intimately. In knowing Him, we manifest Who He is in our lives.
So... now what?
Well for sure, I won't be obsessing about finding a ministry anymore. It is not to be found after all. It is not to be figured out either. What I'm called to do is love Him, know Him, and surrender to Him. Hey, those things are not as simple as they sound. To love Him is to not love myself. (We all know how absurdly difficult that is. Haha) To know Him means reading His Word and communicating with Him. (Not so difficult but something I still need to work on.) To surrender to Him means not being in control... not having everything figured out... just completely trusting Him. (Gah! I feel like I'm going to have a panic attack.) Surrendering is NOT easy. I don't care if there is someone out there who thinks this is a piece of cake. It is NOT easy. It's something I have to do every freakin second of the day... and even then, I still don't think I've surrendered completely. But! There is hope. We do serve a God Who is infinitely patient and gracious and loving. He hasn't given up on me, why should I give up on myself?
So... wow, this blog is long. Haha.
In short... I love God (most of the time), I want to know God (but it'll take effort) and I have to surrender to Him and His Will in my life (which is a moment-by-moment thing.) OMG! That's my ministry!
I have never loved God more than in this moment.
(Which will probably be false tomorrow when I encounter Him again.)
This is freakin amazing.
Good night,
L
3 comments:
=)
*WooT WooT*
[dizious]
hi there!
awesome experience!
i love this part:
"Don't make ministry your identity. First and foremost, your identity is being My child. I love you for who you are, not for what you do. I loved you even before you came to Me... what makes you think doing something will make Me love you more? I want you to know Me, appreciate Me, and follow Me... and in so doing, you'll be in ministry."
HUG L! :D
How timely and special your words, especially reading the beauty in wearing the "scent of God" through our deeds when in pursuit of the ultimate relationship. Thank you so much for sharing this - I NEEDED TO READ IT!!!
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