Welcome to Brian's Bits, where Brian gets to share at length about various topics stirring inside of him. What's My Ministry? 10 July 2013 ![]() It all started back in April when I applied for a photography course at a Christian college. In a set of essay questions I had to answer, in encountered this one: "What is your current ministry and how do you envision your future involvement?" Here's the answer I gave: After 30 years of being deeply involved in many Christian ministries — like the Vineyard, Last Days Ministries, YWAM / UofN, the Healing Rooms, and the ElijahList — and living by the standards of modern Christian teaching and expectations which put a lot of emphasis on finding one's ministry and measuring the worth and value of a believer by the ministry aspect of their life ... after ALL that, I am pretty burnt out on that whole religious system.
Then last month someone I didn't know, who had heard that I had been part of the ElijahList, e-mailed me and asked to hear more about my "prophetic ministry." I suppose they imagined that I sat around the ElijahList all day writing down "prophetic words" I was receiving from God. In reality, I was doing computer programming and video production work. When I replied that he must be mistaken, because I didn't have a prophetic ministry, he apologized, and then he asked, "So, what IS your ministry?" This was my reply:
In the modern Christian religious meaning, I don't have a current ministry, and I'm not seeking any future ministry. My goal is to follow Jesus day by day for the rest of my life, and to be doing the things He wants me to be doing, whether that looks like "ministry" in the modern Christian religious sense or not. ![]() From now on, I want any "ministry" to flow naturally out of my relationship with Jesus and my following Him, and not out of any sort of religious expectation to "have a ministry." For the past three or four years, I've been seeking God earnestly about what my next step in life is, and what He has for me in the future. And during all that time, He has not been showing me anything at all. This has been hard and frustrating, but I believe He is doing a deep work in me to have my value and worth based upon "being" in Him, rather than on "doing" for Him. The doing will come in His good time and way. ![]() Brian's Bits — Where I write occasional articles about modern Christianity and the Church, my journey with Yeshua (Jesus), American politics and culture, and other topics. Some notable articles include God Is Not Rejoicing and Billions and Billions of Dollars Ago... Your Islamic Future — 60 articles (and counting) informing Christians about the true nature of Islam, the dangers of believing the all-too-popular view that Allah and Yahweh are the same God, and warning everyone to prepare their hearts for the coming worldwide Islamic takeover and Islamic antichrist. Why Islam Will Win is just one of the thought-provoking and informative articles to be found there. Women in Islam and Women in Christianity are consistently the most-viewed articles month after month. Inasmuch as these articles speak forth the heart and mind of God, then in that sense and measure I suppose they could possibly be considered a "prophetic ministry." ![]() There is a scene early in the film where the father, Peter Karena, is explaining his way of life. It is a prime example of what I have been sharing on this page:
I think the answer to both questions is exactly the same: "I live!" THAT is my ministry! It's the same ministry that Adam and Eve had during their long lives as the parents of the human race. It's the same ministry that billions of their descendants have had throughout human history all around the world.What I do for a living? I live for a living.
What I do for income ... is whatever I can without compromising my integrity.
If can combine the two — the living and the income — then that's good.
It's the same ministry those with Alzheimer's disease have. It's the same ministry severely autistic people have. It's the same ministry the unborn have. In all these cases, as well as the case of every human being who has ever been conceived, it is enough to simply EXIST without having to "have a ministry." Can't we simply be human without being religious? ![]() ![]() Feedback
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