The Nature of Ministry

 

“For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness. Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.”

1 Thessalonians 2:5-8 ESV

 

We tend to think that ministry means giving to people what they want. We think that it means telling people what they want to hear.  And we think that it means telling them what they want to hear in the way they want to hear it.

 

We also think that it means seeking our own gain from it. We think of it as a job or a profession. We think of it as a means that we can use to gain for ourselves the things that we desire.

 

And we tend to think that it means growing and building our own influence.  We think that it means building a following for ourselves. We think that it means encouraging a devotion in others to ourself.

 

This, we believe, is how we build the church. This, we believe, is how we reach people for Christ. It’s all a numbers game. As someone once told me, it’s all about butts in the pews.

 

These things, however, completely contradict the true nature of ministry. We can see this above, in the words of Paul. He tells us that neither he nor his companions came with words of flattery. They did not come with a pretext for greed. And they did not come to the Thessalonians seeking glory from people.

 

Even though they did have a measure of authority, as apostles, they did not use that for their own advantage. Instead, their reason for coming was to serve. And the way that they conducted their ministry was in love.

 

Paul says that he and his companions were gentle among them. He compared their ministry to that of a nursing mother, taking care of her own children. They lovingly nurtured and tended to the people.

 

Because they affectionately desired the people of Thessalonica, they shared with them not only the gospel, but their very selves. They shared with them their very lives. In other words, ministry happened in the context of relationships.

 

This is something that’s largely missing in the church of America today. Church, for most of us, is about fulfilling our obligation. It’s about attending worship, but getting out of there as quickly as we can and interacting with as few people as we can. There is little, if any, desire for relationship with the other members of the church.

 

We, then, wonder why we leave church feeling so empty. We wonder why our attendance at church seems so meaningless. And it becomes easy for us to remain absent from the church.

 

Yes, it is by our faith that we are saved. Our forgiveness isn’t dependent upon church attendance. However, that being said, we both receive ministry and minister to others only in the context of relationship. We both receive ministry and minister to others only in the context of love.