In this episode of Now Is the Time I share with you 3 ways ministry can endanger your family! I also give you a little update on our “Minister’s Family” conference that we held this month.
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1. Ministry demands too much time
He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive 1 Timothy 3:4
- All ministries are bottomless pits of time and energy
- Few church members understand the demands placed on a pastor
- If I come home empty how can I minister to my family?
- If I come home empty what example am I setting?
- If I come home empty how what attitude will my wife and children develop towards the church?
- Limits on time must be set and followed
- Rest is not an option, you must take it or it will take you
2. Ministry activity replaces Gospel actuality
For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. 1Ti 4:8
Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers. 1Ti 4:15-16
- The success of church ministries take priority growth in gospel truths
- The doing of ministry supersedes “being in Christ”
- Spiritual growth is put aside and replaced with ministry activity, planning, meetings, etc…
- I can’t expect to be a spiritual leader of my family if I am not being spiritually led
Pastor, make sure you are being pastored the entire time you are pastoring others. Seek out a mature and reliable person with whom you can share your heart. Work to build with that person a sturdy bond of trust. Refuse to live without this kind of person in your life. Meet with this individual as frequently as possible. Share your struggles with him and be humble enough to listen when pastorally spoken to. Paul David Trip ‘Dangerous Calling’
“When you forget the gospel, you begin to seek from the situations, locations, and relationships of ministry what you have already been given in Christ. You begin to look to ministry for identity, security, hope, well-being, meaning, and purpose. These are things you will only ever find vertically. They are already yours in Christ. So you have to fight to give the gospel presence in your heart.” Paul David Trip ‘Dangerous Calling’
3. Ministry steals our treasure
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Mat 6:19-21
- We treasure ministry success
- We treasure what others say or think
- We treasure the volume of our work
- We treasure buildings, parking lots, and pews
- We treasure well planned and well executed ministry
- We treasure numbers
- We treasure offering plates and budgets
- We treasure individuals and make compromises to keep them
When we treasure anything above God it will always do damage to our families.
Children have an uncanny way of seeing and feeling what we really treasure.
Also, it is critical to understand that your ministry will always be either propelled by or victimized by what you treasure. When you treasure what God says is truly valuable, your ministry will be protected and enhanced by the treasure commitments of your heart. But when you treasure things that God doesn’t say are important, you find yourself in the way of, rather than part of, what God is doing in your ministry at that moment. Paul David Trip ‘Dangerous Calling’
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:50 — 25.5MB) | Embed
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