Ministry is meeting whomever encounters you, listening for where they are coming from, and then speaking the Word the way they need to hear it, or better yet, getting them to speak it for themselves. - a comment from another blog
A truth that is often forgotten: ministry is saturated in relationship. Not good messages, not good Bible studies, not good fog-and-lights. At the core, it's about relationship. Ministry is delivering God's Word to those all around us, and not just by what we write or say. It is the Message we deliver with our love, with our compassion, with our care, with our mercy, with our acceptance. It is the Message we deliver when we laugh when they laugh, cry when they cry, and do so with no agenda. Ministry is allowing God to enter into the relationship and transform the relationship and those involved. Ministry doesn't necessarily mean delivering a five-point sermon on how to become a Christian. It is about bringing the Kingdom--the real, living, breathing, pulsating, organic Kingdom--to the doorstep of others' lives and inviting them in. And if they don't want to enter, we still hang out with them and share time with them because we genuinely love them.
1 comment:
You have highlighted the key issue about Christian life: relationships. God created us as relational beings, and we cannot live isolated. It is in friendship that we can be ourselves, lower down our walls, be vulnerable without the fear of judgement or rejection.
It is true that our actions will say more than our words. We can, indeed, relate with people that have different points of view, and bring them to the Kingdom, just by being honest, caring, loving, and not compromising our values.
Be blessed!
Armando
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