Dear all.
Greetings in the name of Jesus.
The following is an extract I read just recently. I trust you will all
enjoy.
Called
A close friend of mine has an exceptional ministry. He is able to read
the winds of injustice and speak eloquently and prophetically. His
passion for the poor, and in particular, the Australian Aborigine has
made him a notable prophet.
His criticism of conservative Australian governments once became a blind
vendetta to him. There was nothing the Government or Prime Minister
could do right and suddenly his message became more political and
personal. The failure of the PM and the Government started to consume
him. It coloured all he said and the major issue became secondary.
My rebuke to him was difficult and even confrontational as I was trying
to point out the change of direction in his prophetic ministry. It had
become more personality centred and obsessive rather than objective and
prophetic. My point was that his passion for the cause had digressed so
much that he had lost his belief in the possibility of change. It had
become a subjective and destructive mission of attack. The cause he was
fighting for had become misplaced.
None of us are Messiahs. The whole world does not rely on us as being
the Saviour of the world, although there are many �radical disciples� I
know, who seem to think so.
Living and acting prophetically does not mean we have to be continuously
in conflict with the establishment, or the church, fighting to keep our
adrenalin high That can be a dangerous condition as Arch Hart states. It
can be a hidden addiction that needs healing within.
Every one of us must examine our calling and motives and answer the
question of whether we are driven or called! Called people have the
hidden strength that comes from the Christ within, who provides the
inbuilt strengths that enable survival from the blows without!
It can be lonely being an advocate for the poor. It has a high price.
Someone has said, �To be an urban mission worker, one needs a huge
capacity to fail. Especially when results do not appear, when success is
absent, when there is no longer praise or kudos for what you do.�
To survive and combat potential failure, one needs, with the inbuilt
mechanisms of spiritual survival and understanding, the clear call of
God. Preparation for God�s touch and call on our lives starts a long
time before we are aware of it, but we most certainly need to train that
inner listening ear to identify the call.
MacDonald draws out the example of John the Baptist as a called man.
John had resolved the internal issues of his ministry. Competitiveness,
recognition and achievements were not driving him. When he saw Jesus
coming, he pointed to the Lamb of God and said, �A man is coming after
me, but He is greater than I am.�
John�s sense of mission and call was equalled by his understanding of
stewardship. His understanding was such that he was able to give his
gift without seeking kudos, striving for recognition and seeking
applause. The quality of his calledness is seen in his understanding and
awareness of his own identity. His inner life and world had been
established and was together. He wasn�t striving with a competitive
spirit, rather he was steward of his call, not seeking to have his
imprimatur on the occasion or have his ego fed!
How many of us, who are called in ministry, still have not resolved the
question of our identity and who we are, alongside our motives and
calling)
In a media oriented world, publicity, profile and recognition be-comes a
major issue. We become hooked on reading our own publicity releases.
Messianic fantasy can affect personalities and can destroy many a
ministry. Forgetting who we are not, we can easily begin to distort who
we are, and you see this too often in the context of mission.
Obedience, as it is embodied in Jesus, requires us to listen and be all
ear to the spirit; to give attention with no hesitation. For those of us
who are task oriented, intimacy and the importance of tuning the inner
ear to listen to God becomes a struggle, but it is an essential
discipline. If not, �the well� will empty and we will dry up. Stress
will increase and bum out will result.
Without an understanding of our calling alongside our inner relationship
with the Spirit, our ministry becomes vulnerable and we will be joining
the list of casualties of burnt out ministers of the Gospel.
Tragically, the real victims, if we avoid these rules will be those who
we are supposed to be ministering to!
The Best Antidote to Burn-Out
There are many precedents that demonstrate withdrawal in the Scriptures.
Elijah identifies the broom-tree syndrome on the occasion when he
chatted to God about his crisis. His withdrawal was a healthy discipline
of bearing his soul honestly to God concerning his feelings. His energy
had suddenly become dissipated and he was dry. He had seen the big
�build up� but he was suddenly feeling let down and he sought to be
released from this lonely and unsavoury role.
God sent the wind, the thunder, the fire, but He wasn�t in any of them.
But then God spoke with the still small voice and Elijah was able to
discover the real centre of his life. God reminded him that this was His
work and that there was a divine plan, and even though Elijah had been
stacked up against thousands of the enemy, God was in control. It is an
irony to note that Elijah was directed in this conversation to look for
a successor! He was not indispensable.
We are called to be servants of humility to the humble. Persecution and
discouragement is tolerable, even possible when we walk with the humble
God who was persecuted for us. For God becomes the source of all our
confident consultation, the centre of our lives. He is the centre of
servanthood and compassion.
Urban ministry is not an enterprise where we surround ourselves with as
much misery as possible. It can be a joyful way in which we obediently
serve in partnership with Him who chose the way of servanthood to make
himself known.
Ten Commandments for the Urban Missionary
I .Thou shalt NOT be perfect, nor try to be.
2. Thou shalt NOT try to be all things to all people.
3. Thou shalt leave things undone sometimes that ought to be done.
4. Thou shalt NOT spread thyself too thin.
S. Thou shalt learn to say NO.
6. Thou shalt schedule time for thyself, and thy supportive network.
7. Thou shalt switch off, do nothing regularly.
8. Thou shalt be boring, untidy, inelegant and unattractive at times.
9. Thou shalt NOT even feel guilty!
10. Especially, thou shalt NOT be thine own worst enemy, but be thy
best friend.
(Source Unknown)
John R Griffiths
Co-Chaplain
QLD #1
Brisbane
Queensland
Australia
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