Have you ever heard when someone "goes into the ministry"? Have you ever really considered that question? It implies that there are some Christians that minister, and others that don't.
Often times we consider our weeks like this: On Sunday, the family heads to church. On Monday, from 8-5, we'll all head to work to make some cash. From 5-6, we'll head home, and be the jerk on the road in traffic. From 6-10, 8 if you have a baby, we'll play with our kids or enjoy time with our wives, husbands if your a lady. But that often times consists of turning on the TV, turning the brains off, saying one or two things to each other every hour, then heading to bed.
What if we considered our own life as our own ministry for the sake of Christ? What if everything we had, money, time, family, job, houses, what if it all was set for His sake?
Sometimes I think we get too wrapped up in this church atmosphere. I tell people I go to The Village Church and they instantly picture something out of me. Others will say Prestonwood, and still others will say First Baptist Fill-in-the-blank. What if, instead, we considered Sundays as a day of really digging in to an expert of the Bible whom you have decided to be under for a season, then digging in during the week on our own and really viewing everything as our own ministry? Would it be a different atmosphere?
What if we quit caring where people get their teaching, so long as it is Christ-centered and driven by the message of the Gospel?
The truth is that The Village Church will not be responsible for my growth in Christ or my sharing it with others. God will not look at Matt Chandler and ask why Ben Taylor was a loudmouth when it came to sports but didn't say a word about Christ or live out the Gospel.
He put us here to cultivate. I think it's time we only cultivate everything for the message of Christ. Church is a good thing, if we don't think it's just a Sunday hobby, followed by an afternoon of lunch, golf, football, shopping, etc.
He's called us to follow Him. Let's quit studying it and actually take it to someone. We don't just study how to mow the yard, we mow it. Let us do that with our walk with Christ.
