The Church At Brierfield

Ministry is not just for preachers.  Every believer has a ministry from God.  What is a successful ministry?  How do we determine whether we are succeeding in our ministry?

In the Bible, our ministries are compared to a runner running a race.  In order for a runner to run well, she must run on the predefined course.  If she runs on a difference course she will be disqualified.

Our ministry is the course to be run.  God has laid it out ahead of time and expects us to run on His course.  (Eph. 2:10)  A successful ministry is one that finishes the course God laid out.  To do so we must continually look for the course markers, the things God wants us to do, and follow them.  Success in ministry has nothing to do with the usual measuring sticks, i.e. numbers of people, money given, buildings built, et cetera.  It is all about following Jesus and the results are completely up to Him.

Running God’s course well requires complete focus on Jesus.  “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us.  We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish.”  (Heb. 12:1, 2a, NLT)

We can never give up and we have not arrived at the finish until we are face to face with Jesus.  “No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven.”  (Phil. 3:13, 14, NLT)

Not only will a runner run poorly by getting off course, but a lack of discipline can ruin him as well.  “Remember that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize. You also must run in such a way that you will win.  All athletes practice strict self-control. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.  So I run straight to the goal with purpose in every step. I am not like a boxer who misses his punches.  I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.”  (1 Cor. 9:24-27, NLT)

If we run with discipline the race God laid out for us, one day we too can say with Paul, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”  (2 Tim. 4:7)  This is the mark of a successful ministry.