Public ministry vs Private ministry

This blog entry is ( please note, just my opinion and thoughts) but if it helps my ministry friends, who find themselves on the platform week after week...then take it and do with it what you will. I havent written it to have a crack at anyone... neither have I shared it as a "preach"... its just that for me, I find life can get tough and sometimes by putting it out there I find strength from others who feel the same, and sometimes by sharing these things, we can help each other on the journey. Maybe thats why I am sharing it. And for those at Ringwood who think I am having a crack at them ? Nope !!! dont even go there.

Actually I am not having a go at anyone... I am just sharing a thought that came to me in my quiet time this morning as I prayed.

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“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.””

(Psalm 91:1-16 NIV)

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today as I ponder my life, and my present situation and feelings and circumstances..I was reminded again of the faithfulness and reliability of God in my life in past years and the promise for future years.

Ministry is a tough thing.

But should we expect it to be anything different to that ? Well no...but that doesnt nevertheless make it any easier.

Its not really your private ministry that cops criticism, it is the public ministry that is open for the critics.

Let me clarify the difference (in my mind) private ministry is the one on one stuff, where it is up close and personal, deep and life changing... it is the ministry to yourself in your quiet time, where it is intensely personal and private between God and yourself, where you are laid bare before Him ...and its just Him and you...and He knows all there is to know..and so do you..and the true and the authentic condition of your heart just sits there ...and He ministers to you deeply....

sometimes in pastoral ministry you get the chance to be a 3rd person in that process with another individual on the journey alongside you ... its them, and God, and sometimes you get to sit in.

In my experience, very rarely are you criticized in this context, its very personal and private and raw and there isnt much to criticize.

However the public ministry is very different to that... public ministry, from the platform or pulpit leaves you wide open, and the armchair critics have a free shot and most often take that shot... and usually land it right between your eyes.

AND YEP it hurts like heck.

AND YEP it is often unfair and untrue and uncalled for.

Have had my fair share of them as any pastor or preacher would have, it kind of goes with the territory, it shouldnt but it does.

In my experience of 20 years of pastoral ..platform ministry I have discovered that in most cases it is usually from a perspective of people not getting their own way or things going the way they would like...you know...singing their style of songs, or the music isnt their thing or your doctrine isnt exactly aligned to theirs...or (the list is endless)...

So...what is it really all about ?

Well it certainly isnt about us,

and it isnt about them

and it isnt about the songs or the style or the music or the doctrine,

it isnt about the uniform or the way you wear it,

or the way you carry yourself in public...

or the way you appear....

Our public ministry is fueled by our private ministry (one on one with Jesus and you) and if that is in trouble then basically you will always be in trouble in public.

The critics will always be there in public...but in private its just you and God and He ultimately is the only one to please.

I know ..that in itself is easier said than done when it feels like every man and his dog wants to have a crack at you....

But it is still true. God is our only real (major) concern as pastors/preachers.... get that bit right and the other stuff can follow on from it... if that bit isnt right you will never get the public stuff right either.

Yes He calls us to minister to His people and thats crucially important. But if it isnt right privately ...you will lose a battle before you even begin.

God is our refuge, our shelter when things get tough and rough.

Sometimes we may need to withdraw or retreat so we can advance.... to take stock and re adjust a few things....heal up, allow yourself to be restored and re-energized... to be fueled up again... sometimes the critics need to be ignored... and sometimes the opposition needs to be put behind you, so that you can be able to stand in confidence once again in public.

But for me... the only way I know how to do that, is what is going on in my private ministry, just me and Jesus ...

on the couch in my private and personal quiet time.

He is my Saviour.

He is my King.

I serve Him alone. He is my Lord.

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