Everyone knows about community. Raw, gritty, community. Family with all its pleasures and its pain.
Before you stand up and declare that you will be in ministry – make sure you’re here to give. Please – there are enough takers in the world already – we don’t need more in the Church. When you come to Church with the mentality “What can the Ministry do for me” you do more harm than good. You subtract rather than add. You cause the ministry to lag, to limp. Everything becomes about what you can receive: what spiritual high will I get today, what spiritual food will I get today, what gift, what message, what will I get that I am supposedly owed, what payment, what rest, what holiday, what fleshly gratification can you ensure I get from being here?
We need more givers: “What can I give here?” …and if it doesn’t hurt – it’s not real giving. Stop taking from the very community that should be reaching outward and not inward. There is no place in Ministry for entitlement. Put on your humble boots and walk in the mud every now and then – for the good of the Kingdom. Who cares if you don’t get the recognition – aren’t we here for God’s glory at the end of the day? You will be surprised how when you help others that God will bless you in your needs. But you can’t just snap your fingers and expect the Church to wait on your needs – not when you’re in community. You become a we and stop being a me, me, me.
If we saw you in a new light, in another realm, what would your soul look like? A decorated soldier in the good fight? or a lazy fat-cat that took all they could from the community in which God planted them?
Ask the hard questions – look in the mirror – self-assess – and just be real. Stop taking and start the real ministry of giving. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you – and start the walk towards eternal value. It’s time. Rise Up!