WEBVTT - How to Have an Effective Ministry, Part 1 0:00:00.240 --> 0:00:05.200 Here's what he's saying. Here's how I serve. Realizing it 0:00:05.200 --> 0:00:09.239 was a privilege. Man, that sure brings everything together. When 0:00:09.240 --> 0:00:13.800 we understand to serve God is a privilege that God 0:00:13.800 --> 0:00:17.639 would use someone like me. What an awesome God. 0:00:25.160 --> 0:00:27.800 This is treasure truth with pastor and author James Ford, 0:00:27.800 --> 0:00:30.640 junior senior pastor of the Christ Bible Church in Chicago. 0:00:30.680 --> 0:00:32.880 I'm Steve Hiller. Glad you're with us. As today we 0:00:32.880 --> 0:00:35.960 begin a message from acts chapter 20 called How to 0:00:36.000 --> 0:00:39.720 Have an Effective Ministry and pastor. Before we hear the 0:00:39.720 --> 0:00:42.440 message and dive in and look at maybe some other things, 0:00:42.560 --> 0:00:45.960 maybe having a right understanding of the fact that God 0:00:46.000 --> 0:00:51.080 uses sinful people like us to accomplish his purposes. To 0:00:51.080 --> 0:00:53.800 be involved in ministry would be a pretty good place 0:00:53.800 --> 0:00:54.360 to start. 0:00:54.400 --> 0:00:56.880 Oh yeah, and all you have to do is just 0:00:57.160 --> 0:01:00.240 if you read your Bible, what you're going to find 0:01:00.280 --> 0:01:06.880 is Ideas. All gods, heroes and sheroes have flaws and 0:01:06.880 --> 0:01:10.399 God is like my pastor. He came to our church 0:01:10.400 --> 0:01:15.240 one time and he gave. He's a concert pianist. He 0:01:15.240 --> 0:01:19.400 has a doctorate in rhetoric and he played. He takes 0:01:19.400 --> 0:01:23.400 five random notes and makes a song. Afterward he said 0:01:23.400 --> 0:01:28.279 to me, he said, Beauford, he calls me by my nickname, Beauford. Uh, 0:01:28.319 --> 0:01:32.119 get your piano tuned up and fixed. You have two 0:01:32.160 --> 0:01:34.920 dead keys. And I said, wait a minute. You were 0:01:34.959 --> 0:01:40.919 able to play like that with two dead keys? He 0:01:40.920 --> 0:01:44.000 said something I'll never forget. He said, well, you know, 0:01:44.520 --> 0:01:50.040 I am a trained classical pianist. I said, oh, you're 0:01:50.040 --> 0:01:52.280 a master. He said, well, if you want to say that. 0:01:52.760 --> 0:01:56.720 And I said, wow. I said, you're a master who's 0:01:56.720 --> 0:02:02.960 able to transpose the music Showing the flaws. I said, 0:02:02.960 --> 0:02:07.840 I'm going to preach that. He said, I knew you were. Yeah. 0:02:07.840 --> 0:02:12.239 That's it. And so broken keys. Yeah. Beautiful music. That's 0:02:12.240 --> 0:02:15.120 our God. That's it. He takes us with the broken 0:02:15.120 --> 0:02:20.160 keys of our lives, transposes his power over them and 0:02:20.160 --> 0:02:24.919 makes beautiful music so that everybody can see that the 0:02:24.919 --> 0:02:25.959 Lord is good. 0:02:26.000 --> 0:02:29.359 Yeah, well, that's one of the things that I still 0:02:29.400 --> 0:02:32.200 marvel at sometimes, that God would choose to use broken 0:02:32.200 --> 0:02:35.120 people like us when he doesn't need to. But what 0:02:35.160 --> 0:02:37.200 a privilege it is to be used by him. 0:02:37.240 --> 0:02:37.840 Amen. 0:02:37.880 --> 0:02:40.799 So we have a lot of broken people who may 0:02:40.800 --> 0:02:43.840 desire to be involved in ministry. God has done something 0:02:43.840 --> 0:02:46.240 incredible in their lives and they say, now I want 0:02:46.240 --> 0:02:50.440 to serve him. I want to have an effective ministry. Um, 0:02:50.480 --> 0:02:53.480 help us get an idea of what, uh, or how 0:02:53.480 --> 0:02:56.000 you're defining what is an effective ministry, because that's what 0:02:56.000 --> 0:02:57.359 today's message is all about. 0:02:57.400 --> 0:03:01.230 Well, here's how I'll define that, Steve. Eve. There's a 0:03:01.230 --> 0:03:08.030 word teleos, and it's translated perfect. Mature. When is a 0:03:08.030 --> 0:03:12.030 person teleos when they're fulfilling that for which they have 0:03:12.030 --> 0:03:17.430 been created? These mikes. Uh, they can be more aesthetically 0:03:17.430 --> 0:03:19.109 pleasing to the eye. Would you agree? 0:03:19.270 --> 0:03:19.790 Oh, sure. 0:03:20.190 --> 0:03:23.109 Could there be more expensive mikes, even though these are 0:03:23.150 --> 0:03:24.350 very expensive? 0:03:24.389 --> 0:03:27.190 Yes they are. And yes, there are many more expensive mikes. 0:03:27.230 --> 0:03:31.030 But they're perfect because they fulfill that for which they 0:03:31.070 --> 0:03:35.750 were created. They magnify my voice. Yeah. You have to 0:03:35.750 --> 0:03:39.190 ask yourself, am I doing what God called me to do? 0:03:39.550 --> 0:03:42.670 Am I using what we talked about in earlier broadcast? 0:03:42.670 --> 0:03:46.710 Am I using my gifts? Okay, I'm going to have, uh, 0:03:46.710 --> 0:03:50.270 issues as I'm utilizing it, but that's why I have 0:03:50.270 --> 0:03:53.190 first John one nine. If I confess my sins, he's 0:03:53.190 --> 0:03:55.630 faithful and just to forgive me and cleanse me from 0:03:55.630 --> 0:04:00.470 all unrighteousness, to reestablish me so that I can continue 0:04:00.470 --> 0:04:03.590 to serve him. Yeah. Nobody's going to be perfect, and 0:04:03.590 --> 0:04:06.030 no one's going to be sinless. Even though as we 0:04:06.070 --> 0:04:08.790 continue to walk with him, we sin less and less 0:04:08.790 --> 0:04:09.350 and less. 0:04:09.390 --> 0:04:12.870 Yeah. Well, this is kind of a unique broadcast, because 0:04:12.870 --> 0:04:15.790 this is not a message that you preach to your congregation. 0:04:15.790 --> 0:04:18.390 This was a special DVD you did for your leadership. 0:04:18.390 --> 0:04:21.910 That's right. So that we weren't going to have a meeting. 0:04:21.950 --> 0:04:24.870 And I wanted them to have instruction. And so this 0:04:24.870 --> 0:04:25.470 is the result. 0:04:25.510 --> 0:04:27.510 All right. So if you don't hear the normal whooping 0:04:27.510 --> 0:04:30.429 and holler and that that's why. But man the content 0:04:30.430 --> 0:04:33.670 is great. It's from acts 20. Open your Bible. Join 0:04:33.670 --> 0:04:36.190 us there as we begin this message. How to have 0:04:36.190 --> 0:04:38.790 an effective ministry. Here's Pastor Ford. 0:04:39.470 --> 0:04:43.230 Well, when I was a student at the Moody Bible Institute, uh, 0:04:43.230 --> 0:04:46.310 a pastor came and preached to us at pastor's conference, 0:04:46.310 --> 0:04:49.870 and he said, listen, if you're going to be a pastor, uh, 0:04:49.870 --> 0:04:53.950 you need at least three things to have an effective ministry. 0:04:54.110 --> 0:04:58.110 He said, you've got to have the mind of a scholar, 0:04:58.510 --> 0:05:01.710 that you've got to have the heart of a child. 0:05:02.150 --> 0:05:05.670 And he said, you have to have the hide of 0:05:05.670 --> 0:05:09.110 a rhinoceros. Well, I've been pastoring a long time, and 0:05:09.110 --> 0:05:12.950 I guarantee you that that man was right. You need 0:05:12.950 --> 0:05:16.630 all three of those to have an effective ministry. Now, 0:05:16.630 --> 0:05:21.669 everybody wants to have an effective ministry. Uh, because God 0:05:21.670 --> 0:05:25.430 has gifted us and given us, uh, the ability to 0:05:25.430 --> 0:05:29.109 be able to minister to other people, and I, I 0:05:29.150 --> 0:05:32.430 don't know if you found it out yet, but ministry 0:05:32.910 --> 0:05:39.350 is hard work. And so in this text, Paul calls 0:05:39.350 --> 0:05:44.029 the elders of Ephesus down to an island called Miletus. 0:05:44.230 --> 0:05:47.070 And he says to them, let me recount to you 0:05:48.270 --> 0:05:52.910 the effect of my ministry among you, and the timeless 0:05:52.910 --> 0:05:58.590 principles are there. Uh, five marks of an effective ministry. 0:05:58.630 --> 0:06:02.070 Let's look at them and clothe ourselves with this text. 0:06:02.070 --> 0:06:05.510 It's powerful, especially if you want to be able to 0:06:05.510 --> 0:06:09.950 hear our Lord and Savior say, well done, thou good 0:06:10.110 --> 0:06:13.750 and faithful servant. And so then notice the first mark 0:06:13.750 --> 0:06:17.710 of effective ministry. In verse 17 of acts chapter 20, 0:06:17.750 --> 0:06:21.270 Paul says this. And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, 0:06:21.430 --> 0:06:24.310 and called the elders of the church. And when they 0:06:24.310 --> 0:06:27.109 were come to him, he said unto them, you know, 0:06:27.230 --> 0:06:30.390 from the first day that I came into Asia, after 0:06:30.390 --> 0:06:34.030 what manner I have been with you at all seasons, 0:06:34.029 --> 0:06:37.270 here's the first mark of an effective ministry. He says 0:06:37.270 --> 0:06:41.710 the first mark of an effective ministry is presence. Be 0:06:41.710 --> 0:06:45.910 with them. Uh, Paul, uh, this church, uh, is the 0:06:45.910 --> 0:06:51.710 longest running tenure of our famed apostle Paul. He pastored 0:06:51.710 --> 0:06:54.670 this church for three and a half years. You can 0:06:54.670 --> 0:06:57.830 go back to acts 18 to see, uh, where he 0:06:57.830 --> 0:07:01.710 founded it and where he he stayed there and pastor them. 0:07:01.990 --> 0:07:05.070 Now he's getting ready to go to Jerusalem. So he 0:07:05.070 --> 0:07:09.150 calls them to Miletus, which is approximately 28 miles south 0:07:09.150 --> 0:07:15.750 of Ephesus, southeast of Ephesus. And he begins to tell them, listen, 0:07:15.910 --> 0:07:18.670 I want you to know that the first mark of 0:07:18.670 --> 0:07:26.110 an effective ministry is presence. Be with them. Now, I remember, uh, 0:07:26.150 --> 0:07:29.950 one time, uh, a sister said to me, she said, pastor, uh, 0:07:29.950 --> 0:07:33.750 I won't be with you, uh, on Sunday, but I 0:07:33.750 --> 0:07:36.510 want you to know that I'll be with you in spirit. 0:07:36.510 --> 0:07:38.790 You know what I said to her? I said, sis, 0:07:39.070 --> 0:07:42.750 because you know I do. And I am facetious sometimes 0:07:42.790 --> 0:07:45.750 a little sarcastic every now and then. And I said 0:07:45.750 --> 0:07:49.670 to her, I said, sis, I sure appreciate the sentiment, 0:07:49.990 --> 0:07:53.350 but you know what? Uh, your spirit, uh, can't sing 0:07:53.350 --> 0:07:57.350 the songs of Zion. Your spirit can't smile and lift 0:07:57.350 --> 0:08:01.030 up a bow down head. Uh, your spirit can't reach 0:08:01.030 --> 0:08:03.870 into your pocketbook. Get your checkbook and write out a 0:08:03.870 --> 0:08:07.950 tithe checks to the church. So I appreciate the sentiment, 0:08:07.950 --> 0:08:11.950 but I would rather have your body there. Uh, than 0:08:13.190 --> 0:08:15.750 than your spirit. And of course, we laughed and chuckled 0:08:15.750 --> 0:08:18.990 about it. But that's what Paul says. He says, man, 0:08:19.030 --> 0:08:21.470 the the first mark of an effective ministry is you 0:08:21.470 --> 0:08:25.390 gotta show up. And so, I mean, when you begin 0:08:25.390 --> 0:08:29.429 to look at the church, uh, the, the empty pew, uh, is, 0:08:29.470 --> 0:08:33.750 is a a loud witness to the effect that many 0:08:33.750 --> 0:08:40.710 believers don't understand. Hebrews 1025 says, not forsaking the assembling 0:08:40.710 --> 0:08:43.390 of yourselves together, as the manner of some is, but 0:08:43.429 --> 0:08:46.950 exhorting one another so much the more as you see 0:08:46.950 --> 0:08:51.190 the day approaching. Acts chapter two, verse 41 and 42 says, 0:08:51.190 --> 0:08:56.270 they continue steadfastly in the apostles doctrine the breaking of bread, fellowship, 0:08:56.270 --> 0:09:00.860 and prayer that they gather together every day. And so 0:09:00.860 --> 0:09:06.140 it's important that you show up in ministry. I mean, 0:09:06.140 --> 0:09:11.500 isn't that what God did? Think about it. Uh, because, uh, 0:09:11.540 --> 0:09:16.020 God sent Adam, but his innocence wasn't enough to deal 0:09:16.020 --> 0:09:18.579 with sin. Sin came into the world. And then God 0:09:18.580 --> 0:09:24.220 raised up the patriarchs, which means first father or first leader. And, uh, 0:09:24.260 --> 0:09:27.580 they couldn't lead sin away. And then God raised up 0:09:27.580 --> 0:09:31.740 the judges to judge, but they couldn't judge sin away. 0:09:31.780 --> 0:09:34.620 And so God raised up the prophets to preach, but 0:09:34.620 --> 0:09:37.939 they couldn't preach sin away. And God raised up the 0:09:37.980 --> 0:09:41.660 psalmist to sing, and they couldn't sing sin away. And 0:09:41.660 --> 0:09:45.180 God raised up kings to lead, and they couldn't lead 0:09:45.220 --> 0:09:49.619 sin away. And so God said, uh, like the old adage, 0:09:50.220 --> 0:09:53.780 if you want something done, you've got to do it yourself. 0:09:53.900 --> 0:10:00.179 So our God veiled deity in humanity stepped down, as 0:10:00.300 --> 0:10:05.100 the old preacher would say, through 42 different generations and hung, 0:10:05.140 --> 0:10:09.579 bled and died on Calvary for our sin. Man that's powerful. 0:10:09.820 --> 0:10:12.660 It was his presence, as a matter of fact. When. 0:10:12.660 --> 0:10:16.500 When after 400 years of silence, uh, the first word 0:10:16.500 --> 0:10:19.860 that we get in Matthew chapter one, verse 22 and 0:10:19.860 --> 0:10:26.700 call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is God with us. 0:10:26.700 --> 0:10:31.179 The first thing that God did to seal, uh, the 0:10:31.220 --> 0:10:34.420 truth to our hearts, to wipe away our sins, to 0:10:34.460 --> 0:10:41.060 minister to us, was to be with us, man. Now, now, look, 0:10:41.100 --> 0:10:43.820 because Paul qualifies, he says the first mark of an 0:10:43.820 --> 0:10:48.140 effective ministry is presence. Be with them. Notice, he says 0:10:48.500 --> 0:10:53.300 that it needs to be a constructive presence. Uh, now 0:10:53.300 --> 0:10:56.939 notice what he says. And, you know, after what manner? Uh, 0:10:56.940 --> 0:11:01.620 the NIV says how I lived among you. In other words, 0:11:01.620 --> 0:11:04.500 there are some people who are with us in body 0:11:04.540 --> 0:11:10.340 we wish were with us in spirit. Don't shout me down. Amen. Amen. Uh, 0:11:10.340 --> 0:11:12.540 I mean, you know, they look like they got something 0:11:12.540 --> 0:11:15.500 in their mouth, and it's real nasty. And they just 0:11:15.500 --> 0:11:17.740 hold it and they can't spit it out. You know, 0:11:17.780 --> 0:11:22.260 folk who act as if their spiritual gift is criticism. And, uh, 0:11:22.260 --> 0:11:28.300 they've had a charisma bypass. That's what I said. Charisma bypass. 0:11:28.540 --> 0:11:30.900 And so he says, no, no, no. He said I 0:11:30.900 --> 0:11:35.580 had a positive effect on you as I was there. 0:11:35.580 --> 0:11:38.020 And that's what we need. We need presence, but it 0:11:38.020 --> 0:11:40.540 needs to be constructive. Let me ask you a question. 0:11:40.940 --> 0:11:47.819 Are you someone who develops the body or destroys the body? 0:11:48.420 --> 0:11:51.819 Are you someone who builds it up, or are you 0:11:51.820 --> 0:11:55.020 someone who breaks it down? Paul says no, no, no, no. 0:11:55.020 --> 0:12:00.020 You know that I had a positive impact on you 0:12:00.340 --> 0:12:02.980 while I was there. And. And that's what we want 0:12:03.020 --> 0:12:05.140 to be. We want to be present and we want 0:12:05.179 --> 0:12:08.020 to have a constructive presence. But here's the second thing. 0:12:08.059 --> 0:12:12.340 Not just a constructive presence. But Paul says, I also 0:12:12.340 --> 0:12:16.220 had a committed presence. Notice what he says. He says, 0:12:16.220 --> 0:12:20.420 after what manner I have been with you at all seasons. Boy, 0:12:20.420 --> 0:12:23.460 I like that. Uh, because he says, listen, I was 0:12:23.460 --> 0:12:26.260 there and I had a committed. There's so many people 0:12:26.300 --> 0:12:30.460 who are like, what Doctor Warren Wiersbe calls nomads. You 0:12:30.460 --> 0:12:33.780 say no, they get mad and off they go. There 0:12:33.780 --> 0:12:38.340 are too many people who say to you, pastor, I'm 0:12:38.340 --> 0:12:43.819 behind you, but they don't tell you how far behind 0:12:43.820 --> 0:12:47.740 you they are. So many people, uh, when things don't 0:12:47.740 --> 0:12:51.700 go their way, uh, when someone says something or does 0:12:51.700 --> 0:12:55.100 something and then, boom, they're out of ministry, uh, they 0:12:55.100 --> 0:12:58.980 leave the church. I mean, it happens all the time, 0:12:58.980 --> 0:13:03.260 but Paul says not with me. At all seasons in 0:13:03.260 --> 0:13:05.740 the good times and in the bad times. Uh, in 0:13:05.740 --> 0:13:08.699 the in the times where things weren't going right at 0:13:08.700 --> 0:13:11.540 all when we were on a mountaintop in the Valley, 0:13:11.540 --> 0:13:14.420 he says, listen, I need you to know I was 0:13:14.420 --> 0:13:19.100 committed to you. Now, it's amazing to me, uh, because 0:13:19.100 --> 0:13:25.540 the word seasons here refers to, uh, chronos, uh, man's time. Now, 0:13:25.540 --> 0:13:27.739 what would be the difference if the word was kairos, 0:13:27.740 --> 0:13:30.900 which is the word? Generally, we say it's God's time. 0:13:31.220 --> 0:13:35.540 Perfect time. Uh, then it would be, uh, he's there 0:13:35.780 --> 0:13:40.740 because that commitment then is is rooted and grounded in 0:13:40.740 --> 0:13:44.819 him from God. But he uses chronos, which is people time. 0:13:45.100 --> 0:13:48.059 And I think there's some there's some truth to be 0:13:48.059 --> 0:13:52.100 had here. Uh, that. Yes, that the commitment was based 0:13:52.100 --> 0:13:53.220 on who he was. 0:13:55.660 --> 0:13:57.740 Now we're going to have to pause the message right there, 0:13:57.740 --> 0:14:00.100 but we'll continue to look at how to have an 0:14:00.100 --> 0:14:03.820 effective ministry. In just one moment. You're listening to Treasure 0:14:03.820 --> 0:14:06.939 Truth with Pastor Ford, and if you ever miss a broadcast, 0:14:06.940 --> 0:14:11.500 come to our website Treasure Truth radio.org. There you can 0:14:11.540 --> 0:14:14.699 simply listen to programs by streaming them through your computer 0:14:14.700 --> 0:14:17.900 or mobile device. You can download MP3's for free, or 0:14:17.900 --> 0:14:21.060 you can order copies of this broadcast on CD. That's 0:14:21.100 --> 0:14:25.260 at Treasure Truth Radio. Dot back to the message. Here 0:14:25.260 --> 0:14:26.300 is Pastor Ford. 0:14:27.140 --> 0:14:30.060 So that's the first Mark. How you doing? First mark 0:14:30.060 --> 0:14:33.380 of an effective ministry presence. Be with them. Here's the 0:14:33.380 --> 0:14:38.020 second second mark of an effective ministry. Verse 18. And 0:14:38.020 --> 0:14:40.180 when they were come to him, he said unto them, 0:14:40.180 --> 0:14:42.700 you know, from the first day that I came into Asia, 0:14:42.860 --> 0:14:47.739 after I read that already, you know, you know, verse 19, 0:14:47.900 --> 0:14:50.660 serving the Lord with all humility of mind and many 0:14:50.660 --> 0:14:53.860 tears and temptations which befell me by the lying in 0:14:53.860 --> 0:14:57.740 wait of the Jews. Second mark of an effective ministry 0:14:57.980 --> 0:15:01.530 is participation. Be a worker. Here it is. Presence. Be 0:15:01.530 --> 0:15:05.730 with them. Participation. Be a worker. Now Paul was saying, listen, uh, 0:15:05.730 --> 0:15:09.770 you know, uh, that not only was I there, I 0:15:09.810 --> 0:15:13.810 rolled up my sleeves and I got busy. I began 0:15:13.810 --> 0:15:17.050 to work for the Lord. See, a whole lot of 0:15:17.050 --> 0:15:20.770 people talk a good game, but they don't walk a 0:15:20.770 --> 0:15:23.730 good game. And it's amazing to me that we fail 0:15:23.730 --> 0:15:29.130 to realize that Ephesians chapter two, verse ten tells us 0:15:29.130 --> 0:15:34.050 we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, 0:15:34.050 --> 0:15:38.370 that God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. 0:15:38.370 --> 0:15:42.810 We have been saved to serve. And so Paul here 0:15:42.810 --> 0:15:49.010 is saying, listen, listen, I have served the Lord among you. 0:15:49.370 --> 0:15:54.570 I worked, I worked, you know, I was reading, uh, 0:15:54.650 --> 0:15:59.650 the etymological construct for the word deacon. It literally means 0:15:59.770 --> 0:16:03.370 double worker. It is an amazing. Now I know not 0:16:03.370 --> 0:16:05.850 at your church and the church that I pastor, but 0:16:05.850 --> 0:16:09.850 at a whole lot of churches you have deacons who 0:16:09.850 --> 0:16:15.730 should be double workers doing no work. That's oxymoronic. If 0:16:15.730 --> 0:16:18.290 I ever heard it and Paul says, yeah, if you 0:16:18.290 --> 0:16:22.530 want to evaluate my ministry. No, I was there. But 0:16:22.530 --> 0:16:26.730 then notice I was a worker. No. Not now. I 0:16:26.730 --> 0:16:31.330 love the way he prefaces this because he tells us 0:16:31.330 --> 0:16:34.930 several things about his work. Notice, first of all, the 0:16:34.930 --> 0:16:39.410 motivation of his participation serving the church. Is that what 0:16:39.410 --> 0:16:44.930 it says? Uh, serving my ministry, uh, utilizing my gift. 0:16:44.970 --> 0:16:48.570 Is that what it says? No. He says serving the Lord. 0:16:48.570 --> 0:16:54.010 The motivation of his participation was serving the Lord. One 0:16:54.010 --> 0:16:58.210 thing that characterizes my ministry at Christ Bible Church, formerly 0:16:58.250 --> 0:17:02.170 South Shore Baptist Church is the fact that I don't 0:17:02.210 --> 0:17:05.609 ask people to serve. And when someone comes to me 0:17:05.609 --> 0:17:09.609 and they say, um, we need this, we need that, 0:17:09.609 --> 0:17:14.970 I usually ask them, Is God leading you to do it? Uh, well. Well, no. Well, 0:17:14.970 --> 0:17:17.290 then why are you telling me? Well, we need to 0:17:17.290 --> 0:17:19.690 do it. Well, see, I'm doing what I'm supposed to do. 0:17:19.930 --> 0:17:22.330 And so if God is leading you to do it, 0:17:22.609 --> 0:17:25.450 then I will help you and equip you so that 0:17:25.450 --> 0:17:28.290 you can execute what God has called you. I can't 0:17:28.290 --> 0:17:31.609 put anything else on my plate. I'm already doing what 0:17:31.650 --> 0:17:36.290 God has told me to do so that every ministry 0:17:36.290 --> 0:17:42.330 we have, someone was led by God to start that ministry. 0:17:42.330 --> 0:17:46.490 Every ministry. The only thing that I've started is our 0:17:46.490 --> 0:17:49.970 multi sites and I did that for church planting. You say, 0:17:49.970 --> 0:17:52.530 what's the point, pastor? Why are you telling us all this? 0:17:52.650 --> 0:17:57.129 Because uh, the reason I've done that is if I 0:17:57.130 --> 0:18:01.129 ask them and they get mad at me, Then it's 0:18:01.130 --> 0:18:03.330 easy for them to step out of it because they 0:18:03.330 --> 0:18:05.250 did it for me, and now they're mad at me 0:18:05.250 --> 0:18:08.250 and they don't speak to me anymore. But you got 0:18:08.290 --> 0:18:12.090 to realize that if it was God who told them 0:18:12.090 --> 0:18:15.490 to do it, then even if they get mad at me, 0:18:16.770 --> 0:18:19.370 they shouldn't leave that ministry because I'm not the one 0:18:19.369 --> 0:18:21.689 that put them there. I'm not the one who told 0:18:21.690 --> 0:18:27.370 them to do it. God is the one who told them. And, uh, 0:18:27.450 --> 0:18:29.890 that's the way it ought to be. And so he says, 0:18:29.890 --> 0:18:35.850 that's my motivation. Uh, a missionary was sharing, uh, that 0:18:35.850 --> 0:18:41.530 she was working in a leprosarium. American company came over, uh, 0:18:41.570 --> 0:18:47.010 to look for a site to take our jobs. He 0:18:47.050 --> 0:18:51.170 saw her cleaning out the aperture of where a nose was. 0:18:51.369 --> 0:18:54.370 And he said to her, ooh, I wouldn't do that 0:18:54.369 --> 0:18:59.010 for $1 million without losing a beat. She said, It. 0:18:59.050 --> 0:19:03.449 Neither would I. I do it because I love Jesus. 0:19:03.450 --> 0:19:06.330 And this is what he's commissioned me to do, man. 0:19:06.369 --> 0:19:10.250 That's it. That's it. That's it. No amount of money 0:19:10.250 --> 0:19:12.409 in the world can get her to do that. But 0:19:12.410 --> 0:19:15.250 Jesus said, I want you to go to India, and 0:19:15.250 --> 0:19:19.130 I want you to work in a leprosarium, and I 0:19:19.130 --> 0:19:23.609 want you to help these people who can't help themselves. Wow. 0:19:23.930 --> 0:19:27.930 That's the now, now, now motivation answers the question, why? 0:19:28.210 --> 0:19:32.090 Why are you doing what you're doing? Because if it 0:19:32.090 --> 0:19:34.930 isn't for the Lord, isn't what the Bible says the 0:19:34.930 --> 0:19:38.090 Bible tells us whatsoever you do in word and deed, 0:19:38.130 --> 0:19:42.730 do some, do most. No, it says do all to 0:19:42.770 --> 0:19:46.250 the glory of God. Why are you doing what you're doing? 0:19:46.250 --> 0:19:48.530 Why are you serving like you're serving? Why are you 0:19:48.530 --> 0:19:52.090 preaching what you're preaching? Why are you doing what you're doing? 0:19:52.090 --> 0:19:56.609 Why are you singing in a choir? Why are you ministering, greeting, ushering, 0:19:56.609 --> 0:19:59.129 whatever you're doing? Why are you doing it? Teaching a 0:19:59.210 --> 0:20:04.530 Sunday school class. Preaching. Elder. Deacon. Ask yourself why? What's 0:20:04.530 --> 0:20:08.129 my motivation? And I trust that it is what Paul's 0:20:08.170 --> 0:20:11.490 is when he says I'm serving the Lord. But notice 0:20:11.490 --> 0:20:16.810 not just the motivation of his participation. Notice secondly, in 0:20:16.810 --> 0:20:21.290 this text, uh, in this in this point, notice secondly, 0:20:22.090 --> 0:20:26.810 the manner of his participation. Now motivation tells us why 0:20:27.410 --> 0:20:30.609 we serve. Manner tells us how. Listen to what Paul 0:20:30.609 --> 0:20:39.850 says with all humility of mind. Wow. All humility of 0:20:39.850 --> 0:20:48.650 mind and many tears. Here's what he's saying. Here's how 0:20:48.650 --> 0:20:55.369 I serve. Realizing it was a privilege. Man, that sure 0:20:55.369 --> 0:20:59.639 brings everything together. When we understand to serve God is 0:20:59.640 --> 0:21:04.119 a privilege that God would use someone like me. What 0:21:04.160 --> 0:21:08.959 an awesome God. So with all humility of mine, I 0:21:08.960 --> 0:21:11.080 heard a story of a young man getting ready to 0:21:11.080 --> 0:21:15.960 do his trial sermon, and he he just, uh, was 0:21:16.080 --> 0:21:19.440 was like, fired up. And he was going to get 0:21:19.440 --> 0:21:22.320 them straight. He had studied this message. He was going 0:21:22.320 --> 0:21:25.200 to get them straight. So when it came time to preach, 0:21:25.200 --> 0:21:29.240 he mounted up to the pulpit. He stormed up. Tum 0:21:29.280 --> 0:21:32.840 tum tum tum tum. He looked at him and glared 0:21:32.840 --> 0:21:37.240 at him. He's getting ready to preach. And then he 0:21:37.240 --> 0:21:40.720 forgot his message and he forgot his notes. And he 0:21:40.720 --> 0:21:46.080 walked down with his head down. He walked down. And 0:21:46.080 --> 0:21:49.000 when he was on his way down, one of the teenagers, 0:21:49.000 --> 0:21:52.360 one of the senior saints, met him. And this is 0:21:52.359 --> 0:21:56.360 what she said. She said, young man, if you would 0:21:56.400 --> 0:22:00.560 have went up like you came down, then you would 0:22:00.600 --> 0:22:04.399 have came down like you went up. Now you think 0:22:04.400 --> 0:22:08.920 about that. That's powerful. If you would have had humility 0:22:08.920 --> 0:22:12.680 that you had going down, coming up, then you could 0:22:12.720 --> 0:22:19.120 have stepped down in boldness that God had used you. And, uh, wow, 0:22:19.520 --> 0:22:20.879 that's a powerful truth. 0:22:22.760 --> 0:22:26.400 Biblical insights on how to have an effective ministry from 0:22:26.400 --> 0:22:29.560 Pastor Ford. You're listening to Treasure Truth, and you can 0:22:29.560 --> 0:22:34.040 find us online at Treasure Truth radio.org. Hey, thanks for 0:22:34.040 --> 0:22:37.399 remembering that this is a listener supported ministry. When you 0:22:37.400 --> 0:22:40.479 support Treasure Truth with a gift, you're joining us as 0:22:40.480 --> 0:22:43.400 we present God's Word to anyone with a radio at 0:22:43.400 --> 0:22:45.959 no cost. And we do this because we want you 0:22:45.960 --> 0:22:48.920 to grow. We want the church to be equipped, and 0:22:48.920 --> 0:22:52.600 we want non-Christians to find Christ. Your gift of any 0:22:52.600 --> 0:22:55.399 amount means that we can continue not only on this station, 0:22:55.400 --> 0:22:58.480 but around the world. So give a donation today and 0:22:58.480 --> 0:23:03.679 call us at 886 44, 7660 or go online to 0:23:03.720 --> 0:23:07.560 Treasure Truth Radio.com. When you give a gift of any amount, 0:23:07.560 --> 0:23:09.399 we're going to send you a book by Pastor Ford 0:23:09.400 --> 0:23:13.439 called Seven Reasons Why God Created Marriage. You know, marriage 0:23:13.440 --> 0:23:16.359 is a beautiful thing when we learn to do it right. 0:23:16.720 --> 0:23:19.040 In a Pastor Ford's book, he's walking you through the 0:23:19.040 --> 0:23:22.520 Bible to show God's purpose in the marriage covenant. As 0:23:22.520 --> 0:23:25.719 you read, you'll discover how to strengthen your marriage God's way. 0:23:26.240 --> 0:23:29.200 Give a donation and request your copy when you call 0:23:29.240 --> 0:23:37.000 888 644 7660 or go online to Treasure Truth Radio.com. Well, 0:23:37.000 --> 0:23:39.800 I'm Steve Hiller. Our producer is Amy Rios. Join us 0:23:39.840 --> 0:23:42.439 again tomorrow for part two of this message, how to 0:23:42.440 --> 0:23:45.879 have an effective ministry that's here on Treasure. Truth. A 0:23:45.880 --> 0:23:50.480 production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.