Ministry Is . . .

Dave Earley, Ben Gutiérrez

• Publisher: B&H Books
• Year: 2010
• Print ISBN: 9781433670589
• eBook ISBN: 9781433672491
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Ministry

What is ministry? Ministry is casting crowns at the feet of the Worthy One. It is the overflow of your relationship with Jesus. It is washing feet, loving people, making disciples, and more.In dozens of brief yet powerful chapters, Ministry Is... presents an actionable Bible-based guide to serving God in the local church. The insights here from authors Dave Earley and Ben Gutierrez are perfect for those considering church ministry as a vocation and applicable to anyone desiring to serve intentionally through the church.With every entry, they stay laser focused on making the reader "a spiritual change agent, a difference maker, and impact player for Jesus Christ." Endorsements "This book is like a pastoral pep talk. It'll challenge the way you think and lead." Mark Batterson, author, In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day "I can't think of two young men more qualified to write a best-selling book on the topic How to Serve Jesus with Passion and Confidence." Elmer L. Towns, vice president, Liberty University"The authors are in 'Game On!' mode in every chapter.They know that a great church isnÕt about having great big talent, but leaders whom have great big servant hearts." John Hull, president/CEO, EQUIP

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Part 1

The Meaning of Ministry

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1

Ministry Is . . .

Leaving a Trail of Dust

Dave Earley

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True greatness, true leadership is achieved not by reducing men to one’s service, but in giving oneself in selfless service to them.

—J. OSWALD SANDERS¹

When I (Dave) was a little kid, I loved to read the cartoons in the Sunday paper. One of my favorites was Peanuts. First printed in 1950, Peanuts is one of the most popular syndicated cartoons of all time and is still in Sunday papers today. One reason it is so well loved is because it has such a fascinating collection of characters. This cast of characters includes Charlie Brown, the ever-unfortunate boy; Snoopy, his beagle dog; Linus, the boy with his blankie; Linus’s mean sister, Lucy; the piano playing boy named Schroder; and Pig Pen, my favorite. The thing I especially loved about Pig Pen was that wherever he went he was followed by a cloud of dust.

Real ministry is not about being so dirty that a cloud of dust follows us. But it is about being so busy getting our hands dirty serving God that we leave a trail of dust in our wake.

Leaving a Trail of Dust

The most common Greek term used in the New Testament for the verb “to minister” is διακονεω (22 times, plus 10 times it is rendered as “to serve”). Diakonos is the most common Greek term used in the New Testament for the noun “minister” (20 times as “minister,” plus eight times as “servant,” and three times as “deacon”). In Phil 1:1 and 1 Tim 3:8–13 it denotes an office in the church. But almost everywhere else the word is used in a more general sense.

It indicates not just “work” in general but primarily “work that benefits someone else.” Paul used the word diakonos to describe himself as a servant of the Lord (1 Cor 3:5), “God’s ministers” (2 Cor 6:4), “ministers of a new covenant” (2 Cor 3:6), “a servant of this gospel” (Eph 3:7), and ”a minister of the church” (Col 1:25).

Paul noted that many of his coworkers were also servants: the woman Phoebe (Rom 16:1) and the men Tychicus (Eph 6:21; Col 4:7), Timothy (1 Tim 4:6) and Epaphras (Col 1:7). Jesus said that His followers should be servants (Matt 20:26; 23:11; John 12:26). All Christians must do the work of a servant or minister. We are all servants or ministers of Christ, servants of His message and servants of one another.

While we are not certain of its origin, it could be the product of compounding the words δια(“spreading”) and κονις (“dust”), to mean, properly, “raising dust by activity.” Hence, being a “minister” is not merely having the title “minister” or “deacon” or “servant” but “serving so actively that a trail of dust follows in our wake.” It is about doing what needs to be done. It is not about the title we are given but rather the work that we do—we serve. It is about getting dirty in order to make others clean. Wasn’t that what Jesus was all about anyway?

I once spoke at a church that was exploding in growth by reaching public university students with the gospel. I was somewhat surprised to see several obviously postcollege age adults diligently serving the students as they arrived. The pastor of the church pulled me aside and commented that the cheerful man carrying the chairs was the city manager, the smiling gentlemen at the door welcoming every guest was a downtown lawyer, the grinning man taking the offering was a distinguished professor, and the happy lady running the nursery was a nurse. Each was also a member of the leadership team.

Unlike some churches that nominate and vote on deacons in a sort of popularity contest, they had a different approach. They chose those who were the greatest servants. The pastor said that they looked for “a cloud of dust” and selected the ones who were so actively serving that they left “the cloud” in their wake.

Real Ministry Is Getting Dirty for God

After my freshmen year in college, I spent a summer with Teen Missions International. Their motto was, and still is, “Get Dirty for God.” We spent our first two weeks outside Merritt Island, Florida, living in pup tents in the jungle. The days were long, hard, and muddy.

I had heard about Teen Missions because the founder, Bob Bland, spent many years as a Youth for Christ director and as the recruitment director for the Christian Service Corps in my hometown. He founded Teen Missions with a group of men and women who were passionate about getting youth involved in missions. He wanted to get young people plugged into ministry before they had completed their college degree.

His innovative idea of involving teenagers in missions continued to develop from a single trip to Mexico and now boasts of more than 40 teams that travel to 30 countries each year. The goal of Teen Missions is to awaken teenagers to the needs in missions, acquaint them with the reality of life on the mission field, and give them an opportunity to serve the Lord through work projects and evangelism. The success of Teen Missions the last 40 years lies in the fact that teens get to experience real ministry.

My summer with Teen Missions was one of the most difficult in my life. The adventure of being far from home, sleeping on an air mattress in a church hallway, eating tomato soup, and bathing and shaving out of a bucket lost its novelty in a few days. Ten straight weeks of tough, draining ministry got tiring. Yet it was worth it because I had the opportunity to work with God and others in His kingdom. I was able to “get dirty for God” in order to clean others up for God. I led several young men to Christ and discipled them. It changed their lives . . . and mine.

Real Ministry Is Serving Others

Jesus’ disciples were competitive young men. As they traveled together, I imagine that they joked a lot, argued about many things, and jockeyed for position. One day James and John let their competitive natures get the best of them.

Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, approached Him and said, “Teacher, we want You to do something for us if we ask You.”

“What do you want Me to do for you?” He asked them. They answered Him, “Allow us to sit at Your right and at Your left in Your glory.” . . .

When the other 10 disciples heard this, they began to be indignant with James and John. (Mark 10:35–37,41)

Whoa! Did you catch that? James and John were seeking high positions, asking to be the number-one- and number-two-ranked spiritual leaders in the kingdom of God. They wanted to be great in God’s kingdom.

Also notice that they totally left the other 10 disciples out of the discussion. When the other 10 found out about it, they were not thrilled. Neither was Jesus.

Sometimes young leaders assume that Christian leadership is about titles and positions (sometimes older leaders do as well, for that matter). They assume that success is measured by the size of their office, or their paycheck, the name on their door, and how many people report to them. They think the trappings of success equal greatness. But they are wrong.

Jesus called them over and said to them, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles dominate them, and their men of high positions exercise power over them. But it must not be like that among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be a slave to all.” (Mark 10:42–44)

Notice that Jesus said real greatness comes from being a “servant” (διακονος) and a “slave” (δουλος). Jesus wanted His young followers to understand that unlike the world system, when it comes to Christian leadership, the measure of real success is service. It is being willing to get dirty in order to benefit others.

Real Christian minis...

Table of contents

• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Introduction
• Part 1
• Chapter 1
• Chapter 2
• Chapter 3
• Chapter 4
• Chapter 5
• Part 2
• Chapter 6
• Chapter 7
• Chapter 8
• Chapter 9
• Chapter 10
• Part3
• Chapter 11
• Chapter 12
• Chapter 13
• Chapter 14
• Chapter 15
• Chapter 16
• Chapter 17
• Chapter 18
• Chapter 19
• Chapter 20
• Part 4
• Chapter 21
• Chapter 22
• Chapter 23
• Chapter 24
• Chapter 25
• Chapter 26
• Part 5
• Chapter 27
• Chapter 28
• Chapter 29
• Chapter 30
• Chapter 31
• Conclusion
• Index