A Personal Reflection About Christian Ministry

 

            As I sit quietly today to reflect on my journey and understanding of Christian ministry, I am reminded of the greatness of God, which has kept me until this very moment of my life. I give God much praise and am thankful that He has chosen me to be His very own child. 

 

            My journey into ministry began in 1981, about a year after I invited Jesus Christ to be my Lord and Savior. It was a very exciting and blessed time for me, as we traveled from cost to coast sharing the message of Christ via crusades and camp meetings.  During that time however, I was not directly involved in ministering the gospel message because I did not understand much about the Bible.  All I understood then was here is a living God and a wonderful Savior who died on the cross for me; it is the biblical Story which I embraced and shared with much joy and enthusiasm.  

 

            I was very well respected in my community because of my family background and many people were happy to listen to my story of how I became a Christian and the biblical Story of a Savior who died on the cross in order to save us from our sin.  I realized back then that I needed to be educated in order to be more effective in presenting the biblical Story and I prayed that God would make it possible for me to attend Bible College in the future. I was so hungry for God’s Word and eager to learn about the Bible.  

           

            I attended my first Christian church from 1981 to 1986. However, in 1987, I felt God’s direction towards another church which was closer to my home and I became involved with Youth Ministry and leading worship services.  As I continued reading the Bible, the Holy Spirit enabled me to understand much of what I was reading and was able to communicate those messages to the youths in my community and on few occasions, to the church as well. 

 

            It was during that time that I felt a deep desire to be more involved in Christian ministry and ministering the gospel message because of my love for God’s Word and wanting to share of His divine grace and love. What I did not realize between 1987 and 1989 was that God was preparing me to embark on the best journey of my life yet. 

 

            In 1990, I was blessed with the wonderful opportunity to immigrate abroad and it was the best moment of my life because I know I was going to have exposure to the church and ministry. Personally, I did not look at this glorious opportunity for bringing glory to myself; it was an answer to a prayer nine years ago. Finally, I was blessed with the opportunity to be integrated with many different cultures and at the same time educate myself. 

           

            What was my understanding of Christian ministry before immigrating abroad? I am a Christian and I was committed to sharing the message of the saving grace of Christ with my family and my entire community. 

 

            What was my understanding of Christian ministry after arriving abroad?  First, I finally began my ministry journey after several years of working abroad and saving for my tuition fees in order to attend Bible College.  I was also blessed with the opportunity to attend a Theological Seminary in order to obtain a ministry degree. I understood then that in order to be effective in ministry, I must first spend quality time learning how to communicate what God has to say in His word.  I also understood that I am not only attending Seminary to learn how to communicate God’s Word but also how to shape my own life for ministry.  

 

            In order to be effective in ministry, I realized that it was important for me to spend quality time with God, to know Him more intimately as I spend time daily reading and studying His word.  I was also very “careful to lead a blameless life and to walk in my house with a blameless heart” (Psalm 101:2) so that others can “glorify my Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). However, I made many mistakes on my journey and there were many times when I felt like giving up but each day I pressed on like a good solder.  God was continually teaching me how to be more loving and kind, how to care and reach out to those around me.  Most of all, God was teaching me to listen and to wait patiently on Him, be less of me but more of Him. 

 

            Today, ministry means much more to me. Ministry means being set apart to serve God and His people.  It means developing one’s character in leadership, character qualification is being obedient and humble before God at all times and it is about reading and studying God’s Word with passion. Ministry is learning how to forgive and have the grace of God as I relate to those around me and in the church.  It is living by faith and being generous to those who are seeking to know God in a meaningful way; it is giving and not taking.  It is Christ living me, which is the hope of glory! 

 

            Ministry is also about community; it is about leading God’s people in the right direction and at the same time, becoming effective in the community.  It is facing challenges and knowing that God is always there!  Most of all, ministry is about arriving at that place where I was able to give over completely to God and to accept His program as the program for my life.  Because God’s desire is for us to do His will and think His thoughts after Him on behalf of the entire creation because we are image bearers of God the Father.  

 

            For this has become my journey in Christian ministry; therefore, I will serve God with “all my heart, my soul and my mind”.  I will forever lift up His glorious name and be always ready to serve others around me.  

 

            May God richly bless you as you set out on your ministry journey; may your life reflect the beauty of Christ as you “let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16 NKJV)

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