The Roller Coaster of Ministry

Paul had one of the most dramatic salvations in the bible. Jesus appears to him and speaks to him, he is blinded for 3 days, some stranger name Ananias comes and lays hands on him, he receives his sight and the Holy Spirit and is baptized.

After his encounter with Jesus, the Jews tried to kill him in Damascus, Paul went to Arabia for 3 years, where the Lord revealed the Truth of the Gospel to him by revelation. (Gal. 1:11-12)

Paul returns to the church in Jerusalem to see the disciples, they don’t want anything to do with him. Praise God for Barnabas who takes Paul to the disciples and tells them all about his conversion and How he has preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus.

Paul is received and begins preaching boldly in the name of Jesus. He debated the Hellenistic Jews then they tried to kill him. The believers took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus. He stays there 8-12 years.

God is moving in Antioch and the disciples send Barnabus there, and when he gets there, he sees something beautiful: Acts 11:23 “..he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done”.

Barnabus goes to Tarsus to get Paul and brings him to Antioch to help him, He and Barnabus minister together for a year. (First called Christians) Barnabus and Paul take an offering to the Jerusalem church due to a famine in that area at that time.

After returning to Antioch, the Holy Spirit spoke to the leaders of the church and called them to set apart Paul and Barnabas, so they pray, lay hands on them and send them off.

This was a specific ministry that the Lord had prepared for Paul. Remember what Ananias was told about Paul? Acts 9:15 This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. ¹⁶ I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

God has orchestrated this magnificent plan. Looking at everything God has done even just up to this point, we get the understanding…It’s God’s calling and God’s plan, RIGHT?

Well, that must mean everything is going to go smooth, Right? This is going to be like taking candy from a baby, right?   Not so. Paul faced difficulties at every turn in his ministry.   RC

• A sorcerer (child of the devil) opposed him in Paphos. In Pisidian Antioch the Jews “were filled with jealousy, and began to contradict what Paul was saying and heaped abuse on him”. They stirred up persecution against them and expelled them from the region.

In Iconium they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed. They performed signs and wonders, yet those Jews who refused to believe stirred up the other Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the them. They uncover a plot to abuse and stone them, so they flee to Lystra and Derbe.

In Lystra people thought they were gods. In Lystra they stoned Paul and left him for dead. How’s that for a start to your ministry?

We are all gifted in certain areas of our life and called to serve and use those God given gifts in ministry. And sometimes we may be tempted to think, God has gifted me and called me so everybody will appreciate me and be supportive and everyone will be happy with what I am doing. But that’s never the case, there will always be someone who ‘talks abusively against’ you, who stirs up trouble against you. There will always be someone who wants to shut you up or take you out.

Paul faced that daily. Amazingly though he never gives up. He wasn’t disillusioned or discouraged by the abuse, persecution or the threats he was receiving from some of the people.    Paul doesn’t question God

The reason Paul was able to fight the good fight, finished his course, and keep the faith is because of the way he looked at his calling of God, and his ministry.

Paul believed that what he was doing was important and valuable to God. He was on a special assignment, given to him ‘personally’ by the Lord Jesus.

The way you see yourself and your ministry affects everything you do. The way you value your ministry is important. How should you look at it?

Paul said to Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:12-14 “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. ¹³ Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. ¹⁴ The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.”

This perspective allowed Paul to understand and value his ministry and to believe that what he was doing was for Jesus and the Kingdom of God. And it’s because of this kind of attitude, Paul could endure difficulties and persecutions, RC, knowing that he was carrying out God’s plan for his life.

For Paul, serving God was the highest calling on earth and he was grateful for the opportunity to do so.

2 Timothy 3:11 ..“persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them.”

You and I were saved to make a positive difference here on earth right now, not just to go to heaven when we die. God initiated this, not you. He has chosen you. It is an act of grace, not because of your own goodness–but because of His plan.

So, whatever your assignment/ministry may be, see it as important and place a high value on the ministry you are called to and are involved in right now.

There is no reward for position, only reward for obedience. God will not say, “Alright, all those who are pastors come forward now and receive your special prize.” That’s not in the Bible.

The only rewards given out are based on what you and I do with what we have been given.

In Matthew 25:14-15 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. ¹⁵ And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; (Explain) The person with 2 talents wasn’t asked why he didn’t have 5, but simply what he had done with the 2 he had been given. If you are faithful with the 2 you are given, you can receive the same reward as the one who received 5.

2 men were moving bricks on a construction site. The first was asked what he was doing. He said, “I’m moving bricks from here over to there.” The second was asked, “So what are you doing?” He said, “We are building a church!”          They are both doing the same job but they had totally different perspectives on the value of their work. One saw a pile of bricks, the other a grand church.              So, are you building God’s Kingdom, or just piling up some bricks?     

See the ‘big picture’. Don’t lose sight of the big picture when you are busy doing your ministry, even if it looks/feels like you are just ‘moving some bricks’.               The way you see your ministry affects your attitude and the outcome.

• Paul has been abused, persecuted, expelled, stoned and left for dead. But, he is not discouraged because his significance/worth is not in the ministry, but in God.
• When your ministry is doing well, that doesn’t mean you are more significant. When your ministry is not doing well, that doesn’t mean you are less significant.

Don’t build your significance in the ministry. Because the ministry you have been called to is the work of the Holy Spirit. You are just the chosen instrument!

Believe that what you’re doing today is a part of God’s eternal plan. So many give up early because they fail to see the big picture. They fall short of the kind of impact they can make because they do not value their ministry the way God does.

Paul knew it was God who gave him strength, considered him worthy and appointed him to His service. And because Paul kept that perspective he could say: 2 Timothy 4:7 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

CONCLUSION

I know ministry is like riding a rollercoaster; but don’t forget your calling and purpose in Christ. Be bold, Be humble, and most of all BE FAITHFUL.

Paul saw himself as carrying out a special assignment given to him directly by Jesus Christ. He was on a mission from God, with a unique role and specific tasks.

Paul was motivated to preach the Gospel, even in the midst of harsh realities. Learn to see your ministry as significant and special, and do not build your worth or significance upon the state of your ministry.

MINISTRY TRULY IS A ROLLER COSTER