True Ministry!

Matthew 20:25-28

25         But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.

26         But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;

27         And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:

28         Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

Years ago as a young minister, I received as a gift, a book by Warren Wiersbe entitled, “On Being a Servant of God.” It was not a large book; in fact the first time I read it only took probably a couple of hours.  But it is a book that I have now read and reread several times.  One quote in the book is what I consider to be one of the best definitions of true ministry if have found: "MINISTRY TAKES PLACE WHEN DIVINE RESOURCES MEET HUMAN NEEDS THROUGH LOVING CHANNELS TO THE GLORY OF GOD."

It is obvious that such a definition is not embraced by today’s “prosperity” preachers. In fact, their whole attitude of self- importance and self-promotion revolts against the idea of doing something “hidden”  or “unrecognized” in the Kingdom. Instead of being involved in real ministry of serving people, they have become spiritual snake oil salesmen. Through their seductive and charismatic presentation, they convince those that fall under their spell that only through their anointing can God’s blessings flow into their listeners’ lives. They may even offer a piece of special prayer cloth, miracle oil, anointed spring water, or some other trinket as a “Point of Contact” for a price, or as they say a love gift or a seed that will supposedly bring about a 100 fold blessing. The result is that they end up with your “gift” and you are left holding the bag.

A friend recently shared with me an interview with Pastor Donnie McClurkin that I believe was posted on ESSENCE.com. Pastor McClurkin is a tremendously successful gospel recording artist and also is the pastor of Perfecting Faith Church in Long Island, New York. As I read this article, my respect and admiration for this man rose steadily.  I applaud him for his boldness and honesty!

Here are some of Pastor McClurkin’s comments:

The [Black] church has always been the face of the community. Now we have to take on the responsibility of becoming true servants to the people from all walks of life. I get so mad when I see these pimpin' preachers driving Rolls-Royces, Bentleys, flying around in their private jets, and making it seem like prosperity and money is the way of God when 90 percent of your congregation is on Section 8 or can't figure out how they are going to keep their lights on or feed their kids. I'm big on perception, and what would it look like for me to live so lavishly if the people in my church are struggling?

So when I hear other pastors say, "My people take care of me," I'm thinking, But you're supposed to be taking care of the people. I just don't get it.

I don't have a church, but I do have a church that I pastor. I can't name something the Donnie McClurkin Temple because the people do not belong to me and if they did that would mean I have slaves. I am simply a vessel to deliver God's word. At the end of the day, it's God's church, not mine.

Ministry has become all about how important the minister is.  How much money or materialistic things can I get!  How can I be served? How can I be pleased and pleasured?

The result is that we have a world that has been turned off to anything that calls itself a ministry. The desire for recognition and importance has turned what was once a powerful, anointed, delivering channel for God’s glory to be revealed, into an impotent, hollow shell of what it was intended to be.

God never called us to be important! God never called us to be wealthy or materially endowed.  He called us to do His will!  His will is not some hidden creed or some mysterious ideologue.  It is simple – TO SERVE! God’s will for every believer is to do their best to minister – to serve - where they have been placed when the need arises.

True ministry is encapsulated in what took place at the Last Supper when the Lord knelt down, girded with a towel, and washed the disciple’s feet. He humbled Himself to the lowliest of positions and performed the lowliest of tasks.  And here is the amazing thing - He washed all of the disciples feet, even the feet of Judas. He did not wash just the feet of those that would go on to serve him faithfully; He washed the man’s feet that was going to betray him.

That is what ministry really is. It is serving the Judas’s in your life. It is serving even those that betray you. It is ministering to those that desert you.

Michael Card has a song entitled The Basin and the Towel. It goes like this:

Verse 1              An upstairs room, a parable is just about to come alive,

And while they bicker about whose best,

With a painful glance He’ll silently rise,

Their Savior Servant must show them how,

By the will of the water and the tenderness of the towel.

Verse 2              In any ordinary place or any ordinary day,

The parable can live again,

When one kneel and one will yield,

Our Savior Servant must show us how,

By the will of the water and the tenderness of the towel.

Bridge               And the space between ourselves sometimes is more than the distance between the stars

By the fragile bridge of the servant’s bow,

We take up the basin and the towel.

Chorus              And the call is to community,

The impoverished power that sets the soul free,

In humility to take the vow,

That day after day,

We must take up the basin and the towel.

There are many that are willing to call the Lord their Savior, but few that are willing to call Him their Master. Being a true servant will remove any vestige of self importance from our lives because servants are not important. The Master is important! Servants have no rights.  The Master has the rights to their lives!  Servants don’t receive much recognition. Their Master receives recognition! Servants are at the disposal and command of the master. Servants have no personal agendas or aspirations of greatness. Servants do not amass great amounts of material possessions. 

Here is what makes ministry ineffective and impotent – when we are not willing to serve the Lord and those around us with anonymity! When desire for recognition and recompense takes center stage, God is grieved and the Kingdom is delayed.  But when we serve with true humility and are willing to do the “hidden” things, we please the Lord and we advance the Kingdom.

The Bible is full of nameless people that paved the way for great miracles because they were not worried about recognition. The servant girl that waited on Naaman’s wife, the Shunamite woman that ministered to Elisha, the four men that tore the roof off of a house to get their palsied friend to Jesus, are all examples of those anonymous servants that believed that "MINISTRY TAKES PLACE WHEN DIVINE RESOURCES MEET HUMAN NEEDS THROUGH LOVING CHANNELS TO THE GLORY OF GOD."

The reality of true ministry is this: when we stoop down to the role of serving, of washing the dirty feet of humanity, great power, great humility, great purpose slowly seeps into our lives. We become increasingly aware that spiritual greatness comes from serving and with increasing anonymity and from pouring out of ourselves into the lives of others with no expectations of any recompense in return.

Matthew 6:1-2

1          Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

2          Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

Matthew 6:3-6

3          But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:

4          That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.

5          And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

6          But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

Matthew 6:16-18

16         Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

17         But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;

18         That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.