Category Archives: Reflections on Ministry

Use these reflections on ministry to focus on the equipping and empowerment that comes from lining up with God’s heart, priorities and ways through His Word.

Being Versus Doing: Which is most important in ministry?

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In God’s Book, both being and doing are essential.  However, God does make it clear that what we do grows out of who we are. So, when asking which is most important in ministry, being versus doing, we must conclude that being leads to doing.

Biblical Principles About Being Versus Doing

God clearly states that who we are inside tends to surface in what we say and do.

The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks. (Lk. 6:45)

God also makes it clear that if we don’t do what we should be doing, something is wrong.

As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. (James 2:26)

No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.  (Lk. 6:43)

Practical Application of the Need to Both Be and Do in Ministry

Guard against hypocrisy.  How easy it is for people in ministry to say one thing and do another.  This lack of integrity cuts into the effectiveness of ministry.  Jesus confronted hypocrisy in the religious leaders of His day.  A whole chapter (Matt. 23), along with other isolated passages, is devoted to His pronouncement of woes on their hypocrisy.

Solution:  self-examination and personal accountability.

You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.  (Matt. 7:5)

Guard against being a stumbling block.  When we do not model Christlikeness in all we do, we cut into the effectiveness of ministry.  Paul used his own ministry as an example:

We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited.  (2 Cor. 6:3)

Solution:  commitment and determination.

Make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way. (Rom. 14:13)

Being Versus Doing - Above All Guard Your Heart
Notice:  The solutions are all qualities of being.  Doing the right things grows out of being who we should be. So, to guard against hypocrisy and being a stumbling block, we must guard our hearts.

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What God Uses to Build His Kingdom

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We know, according to 1 Corinthians 1:20-31, that God uses people to build His kingdom who we wouldn’t normally think of as influential.  What I am also amazed at is how God uses what we do in ways we would never expect and beyond what we would imagine.  Let me give a personal example of what God uses.

Example of How What God Uses to Build His Kingdom is Often the Unexpected

Recently I tried to help a friend who was struggling with maintaining a healthy perspective to grab hold of some pertinent truths foundational to her struggles.  I wrote out a 40 day challenge for her.  She found it so helpful that only part way through the challenge, she told her sister living in a different state about it who also wanted to take the challenge.  Her sister in turn gave the challenge to others including a professional counselor.  The counselor has requested permission and proper documentation to use it in a speaking engagement to pass on to others.

Who knew??  What started out as simply helping a friend is being used by God to help more people than I ever imagined.   I have now reformatted it, made it into a PDF, and put it up on the MinTools.com site as a tool for others who might also benefit from it.

40 Day Challenge to Maintain PerspectiveDownload a free copy of Foundational Pillars of Truth for Maintaining a Healthy Perspective for yourself.  (Print and fold it in half keeping the printing on the outside.) Or, order the Foundational Pillars of Truth Discussion Guide that uses this resource.

Click here to pass it on to a friend.

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