While I enjoy reading magazine and newsletter articles, and I’m often inspired and challenged by them, I rarely remember them more than a month or two later. One exception would be an article in the Beacon some years ago entitled “Things I Would Do Differently” by Luke Yoder. Luke was a minister in CMC for close to 50 years until he passed away in 2009. When I was a young, new pastor, with very few friends among the preacher ranks, Luke would always take the time to talk to me, see how I was doing, and encourage me at our Conference gatherings. I had a great amount of respect for Luke. Before reading the article, I would not have imagined that he would have anything to say in response to a question of what he would do differently if he were starting over in ministry. But he did have something to say…
“I would pay more attention to my personal spiritual life.”
Number one on his list was, “I would pay more attention to my personal spiritual life.” He then quoted, “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” John 7:38 NIV.
Luke went on to say that the streams of living water suggest an abundant, overflowing, unending supply of the life and power of the Holy Spirit, and that effective ministry results from the overflow of God’s Spirit in our lives. Luke admitted to periods of spiritual barrenness as he reflected on his life. In essence what he was saying is that if he could do it again, he would do whatever it takes to avoid running on empty and to make sure that his ministry always came from the overflow of what the Holy Spirit was doing in his life.
As I reflect on what I’m most excited about in CMC right now – churches embracing the mature and multiply mission, pastors and leaders praying harvest-focused prayers, churches engaging with the vision to plant 50 new churches by 2030 – I’m reminded how natural it is to take matters into our own hands and try to make things happen in our own strength. But that is not what God intended. God doesn’t give us a mission and then say, “You run with it. I’ve got other things to do.” Rather he longs for us to carry out the vision and mission he gives us while remaining in constant, life-giving communion with him. We were not created to be buckets of blessing where he pours it all in, turns the spigot off, and then we go pour it out until we’re empty. We have been created to be channels of blessing – continually receiving and being filled with the life and power of the Holy Spirit, and then allowing that life and blessing to overflow to the world around us.
Make sure your ministry comes from the overflow of what the Holy Spirit is doing in your life.
So what happens? All too often, we settle for much less than God intended. Sometimes we dry up because we are so full of self that there’s no room for God’s Spirit. Other times, as Luke mentioned in his article, we are so busy doing good we end up neglecting the source of our spiritual life and vitality. So we settle for a trickle. We settle for a mediocre existence where we experience only a trickle of the life and blessing of God’s Spirit flowing in and through us. Let’s not settle! Let’s carry out the vision and mission he has given us, not in the absence of, but in the overflow of his life, power, and blessing in our lives.
One Response
Brian, thank you for that very encouraging word. I’m in the process of learning how to work with God and not merely for Him. May the Lord bless you and give you continuing strength and overflow as you lead!