Preparing for Ministry

Most Christians (and I think maybe even non-Christians, too) at some point in their lives desire some ministry.  I think we all want a mission; we want our lives to mean something to others; we want to help, to contribute to building up the world around us.  I once read a definition of "vocation," which means "calling:"

Vocation is where our deepest joy meets the world's deepest need.  If we want to know our "ministry," I think we must first identify our "joy."  What is it that gives us 'joy'?  It may be that we need to reach a certain level of maturity before we can answer this question, but it may also be that we need to begin asking the question early in our lives so that we can be on the alert for the answer. 

Joy is not the same as pleasure; it is not even the same as happiness.  Some things do not necessarily make me happy, but they still give me joy.  I remember in 1985 when my closest friend died.  She had recognized in me the gifts of the Holy Spirit and said to me what John the Baptist said to his follwers:  there He is; (there is God at work; follow Him.)  She named in me what I still had no words to identify in myself.  She gave me confidence that God was "with me."  Because of her, I learned to trust the Spirit at work within me.  But then she died, and my grief was overwhelming.  Who would be my prayer partner, my sister, my friend in the Spirit?  Our friendship had been ordained by God Himself, it seemed, and was designed to bring me growth in the Spirit.  We could worship together freely, as well as share with one another the gifts given to us in worship. 

As I dwelt in grief, I slowly came to realize that, although her death had not made me "happy," there was a deeper emotion underlying the grief -- and that was joy.  My joy at having had Brenda for a close friend knew no bounds; my gratitude to God for that gift was a source of praise and thanksgiving. 

So, recognizing what gives us joy is a key to our "mission" or "ministry" in life.  Jesus, who for the joy of fellowship with us, embraced the cross, was not 'happy' to die in our place, but his mission gave him joy at the deepest level of his being.  And he prayed at the Last Supper that His joy would be in us, and that we would share in His joy.

If we would know our mission in life, we must ask the Spirit of God to identify for us and in us that point at which we experience our deepest joy.  When I see Jesus during His earthly ministry, I see Him embracing with joy the 12 who were drawn to Him, the beggars, the blind, the theives, the prostitutes who had been cast off by the world.  I see Him embracing the children, the "little ones" of God who were counted as nothing by the rich and the powerful. 

Going into politics does not give me joy; making money does not give me joy; having power and influence over others does not give me joy --- but helping others to recognize the Spirit that is at work within them does.  I remember one night at a prayer meeting "seeing" the Spirit of God "fall" on one of the women who was standing there.  I told her what I had seen in the Spirit, and she said, "I felt something, but did not know what it was."  As it turned out, she had experienced the Spirit some months previously and had been searching in several churches for an explanation of what she was experiencing.  She had gone with a friend to a Baptist pastor, asking for explanations of what was happening to her, but had received no answer that satisfied her.  When I "saw" the Spirit descend on her during the meeting, the Lord told me to "stay close and teach her."  What joy I experienced when she told me of her search.  She had experienced the Spirit, but did not understand what was happening.  I understood, because I had previously experienced the same thing.  I "had the words" to explain her experience. 

God is at work today in the lives of many people.  He does not need us to "create" the experience of the Holy Spirit; but He does need us to explain what He is doing in people's lives.  In the 8th chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, an Ethiopian eunuch was riding in a carriage, reading Isaiah.  The Spirit of the Lord said to Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it."  As it turns out, the eunuch did not understand what he was reading, but Philip did, because he had met Jesus Christ, the fulfillment of the Old Testament words and prophecies.  Philip's greatest joy was in being able to explain what the eunuch was reading.  And the eunuch's greatest joy was in hearing Philip's explanation.  Scripture says, "he went on his way rejoicing."

St. John the Divine, as an old man, said, "I have no greater joy than to know that my children walk in the truth."  Seeing people come to know Jesus as the Source of Life, watching them grow in the Spirit and recognize the gifts of God given to them through Him, gives me the greatest joy.  Seeing my own children walk in the truth is the greatest joy I have.  What is the source of your own joy?  There you may find your God-given ministry.