When ministry "begins"
Driving into work today I was thinking about when ministry ends (if it ever ends) and "just life" begins. I then wondered if I can draw that line clearly.Is ministry simply when I am preparing and delivering a sermon or a Bible lesson or can it be sitting with my wife watching Dancing with the Stars fully embracing my God-given role as husband. Is it reading Bible stories to my boys, or can it encompass a game of Trouble or Go Fish? Quite obviously there are times, in a traditional ministry role, when I am not ministering. I do too much in the flesh and know that there are things that I have done "for the Lord" that were really done "for myself" or "for someone else".
But, when I leave the confines of the church building or am engaged in something other than Biblical instruction (i.e. "this is what the Bible says...") am I not ministering? Can "Biblical instruction" be defined as modeling God-given roles (like Dad, Husband, and Neighbor) for the Lord and not so that my life can be easier or more simple? Can I minister to my family and "unto the Lord" if I request a raise or if I get the oil changed in the car? I would like to think so, but I am not going to delude myself that this is, indeed, ministry.
Then again...
But, when I leave the confines of the church building or am engaged in something other than Biblical instruction (i.e. "this is what the Bible says...") am I not ministering? Can "Biblical instruction" be defined as modeling God-given roles (like Dad, Husband, and Neighbor) for the Lord and not so that my life can be easier or more simple? Can I minister to my family and "unto the Lord" if I request a raise or if I get the oil changed in the car? I would like to think so, but I am not going to delude myself that this is, indeed, ministry.
Then again...
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