Discover Your Ministry

  I attended church most of my life, but like so many others that sat in a pew, listened to the sermon, and went home, seemingly unchanged. Sadly my lifestyle did not reflect my beliefs. I lived for myself, and only myself. Needless to say, living for myself  led to unhappiness.  No matter how hard I tried nothing ever seemed to work out. My business, financial, and personal relationships were in ruins. I finally reached the point I couldn’t take it anymore. Fortunately I   had the answer inside of me, and on November 8th, 1997, I surrendered my life, my will, my emotions, and my possessions to Jesus Christ.  Not once have I ever looked back.

As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all people, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. Galatians 6:10

 The change Christ made in me was nothing short of a miracle. I went from a self indulging individual to a servant of Jesus Christ, and a son of God. Today I spend my time thinking of others and how I can lead them to a closer relationship with God. This is one of the secrets of Christianity. The more you think of, and care for others, the more God thinks of and cares for you. One of the greatness revelations I know to mankind is the more you give the more God gives to you. I am in a contest with God. I try to out give Him. It is a contest I can never win. In the past 20 years He has blessed me beyond my belief. He has been there for me every step of the way, and I have to tell you, it is a wonderful feeling. I am never alone. He is always there beside me wherever I am and whatever I am doing. During times of struggle when I can’t bear the burden He carries me bearing the burden for me.

My ministry started when I was walking to church one day, a young nine-year old boy named Billy Ray asked me where I was going. I said “ To church, do you want to go?” We sat up in the balcony at Pritchard Memorial Baptist Church. The next week, he brought a friend. The next week, his friend brought a friend, and so on and so on. In time we bought a 8 passenger van that I would fill with so many kids, it’s a wonder I didn’t get in trouble. I will always remember Kamari sitting in between the seats because he was the smallest. We moved on to a 15 passenger van with the same results. When people ask me how many kids came to church that day my answer is usually, “I don’t know” because there are more kids than seat belts. I drove a van for 18 years, and took hundreds of kids to church. A few years later we added  a clubhouse where we meet before and after church for fun and Bible study. We feed the kids breakfast and lunch on Sunday, then take them home.

We estimated that over the past 18 years I drove over 300,000 miles, and we cooked and cleaned our way to 20,000 meals in 10 years. I started writing booklets in 2005 . To date we have published a dozen pamphlets and a book. I have written and published 106 articles on our 2 websites millennialchristian.com, and kidsnchrist.com. I have produced some 200 picture verses on our website picture-verse.com, and have published 21 power points on our website soulworks-smallgroups.com. These power points coincide with the book I wrote Soulworks. Last year we had over 560,000 people on our websites. Through their support we sponsor 3 small churches and have mailed Bibles throughout the world. We provided 109 kids with Christmas this year.

 He will show you, what is good; and what  the LORD requires of you? To act justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8

Please believe I am not trying to brag or boast. I am simple trying to show you what a very average person can do with Christ’s help. I would  never have done these things on my own. I am not capable of it. It is very important for you to understand the good things you see me do is not me. It is Jesus Christ living through me. I am of average education. I am of average intelligence. I have average means of employment. I am a roofer. I did all these things in my spare time while I continued to work and support my family. One of the things I am proudest of is that I have never taken money for my own benefit. I have volunteered everything that I have done. I have focused my ministry on the principles that Paul the Apostle established in his letters to the New Testament churches. He worked as a tentmaker, and I work as a roofer, taking money I earned and putting it towards the ministry.  One person can make a difference. You can make a difference, and I am going to show you how.

 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. Mark 11:24

  The first thing we need to do is clear a pathway to our mind so we can communicate with God. Ninety nine times out of a hundred He is already there trying to have an influence in our life. To get an open field of communication we need to clear our heart of all our sins.  I know it sounds complicated but it’s not. Thanks to the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ we have an open avenue to our Heavenly Father through prayer.  The best approach is to create a prayer journal. Take a notebook, sit down and write out what you want to say to God. Be specific. Start from the beginning, and go over your entire life. Things that have separated us from Him is just the beginning. We can go in detail about how we are thankful, about concerns we have for others, and how God wants to use us in Christian service.  We should persist in our prayers because we don’t get clear directions for our ministry in a day, a week, or a month. Paul and Moses spent years in the desert searching out the will of the Farther. When you have completed a prayer, read it to God. When you are finished, put your prayer journal in a very secure place, or shred the pages you wrote. This is a personal letter to God and it is no one else’s business.

   Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints. Ephesians 6:18

 A lack of communication with God prevents us from developing an effective prayer life, and an ineffective prayer life leads to a life of mediocrity. Prayer is the key to unlocking the heart of God. When you walk out to your car at night and get in to drive off you turn your headlights on.  When you first turn them on you are lucky if you can see to the end of the driveway. When you drive off you can, maybe, see a couple of blocks ahead of you. This is how God works. He may give you an overall picture of your ministry, but He reveals the details a little at a time.

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28

  The next step is a comprehensive Bible study program. The Bible is the mind of God, or at least a little splinter of it. This splinter, the Bible, is a lifetime of study. You can read it over and over again learning more the last time than you did the first. It is kind of like peeling an onion. Every time you peel another layer, you learn something else. I have been studying it most of my life and am amazed when I read and discover something I had not noticed before. To get started we pray to our heavenly Father to open our spiritual ears and eyes. Let’s ask Him to reveal to us the message He has for us that day. There are numerous study guides that will help us further understand the Bible. Some of my favorites are Billy Graham, J. Vernon McGee, Oliver Green, R. A. Torre, Charles Spurgeon, H. A. Ironside, and, last but not least, Dwight L. Moody. The Word of God is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. Through daily Bible study and prayer God will show us the way.

Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Mathew 5:13-14

  When you first accept Christ as your Savior there is a learning period where you spend time with Him on a daily basis. For some this might only be a few months before they go headlong in their ministry. For many it is a life time, because without Bible study and prayer we do not grow as Christians. We stay “babies” in Christ and spend our time at church sitting in the pew watching others. Without Bible study and prayer we do not grow in faith, so it will be difficult for us to grow a ministry. Without Bible study and prayer the Holy Spirit doesn’t have a work inside of us, and we never produce fruit. We become the branches that are cut down and thrown into the fire. We become the one whose seed falls on rocky ground. We hear the Word and receive it immediately with joy, yet we have no firm root because we have neglected our studies. Soon affliction and persecution arises, and we immediately fall away.

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.  And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation.

2 Corinthians 5:17-18

 Have you known people who move from job to another, whenever conflicts arise because they have not mastered the art of conflict resolution. The same result can occur spiritually in our everyday lives. When you neglect Bible study and prayer we find ourselves constantly fighting a losing battle, instead of engaging in the good fight of faith. When you continually try to work things out on your own without the assistance of God, you become frustrated, fatigued and worn down. This causes you to give up, or just accept the falsehood of “ that’s just who I am.” You accept being “average” as a way of life and never reach the fullness of His plans for your life. You fail to overcome.

Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. John 16:24

  The next step is to find a church where you can get involved. This will not happen in the Sunday service. To fully benefit we have to attend Sunday school, Wednesday prayer service, and other occasions. Eventually you will meet the people who make the church work. Hang out with them, and soon you will be serving Christ. Don’t be afraid to join the choir, help out with kids during Sunday school, or Wednesday services. One of the greatest rewards I ever received was working with kids. I tried sharing Christ with adults, but most would not listen. With kids their eyes and ears are wide open. They are receptive to the Word of God. They haven’t closed off their minds to the basic principles of being a Christian.

As the Spirit of the Lord works with us, we become more and more like Him and we reflect His glory even more. 2 Corinthians 3:18

  When you go to school or work  you are a minister. The people you talk with everyday that have not had an opportunity to accept Christ as there Savior are your responsibility. You are obligated by God to respond to their needs. God has chosen you to share the Gospel with them the good news. As Christ leads you, you lead them. Be prepared so you know what to say. If you apply these principles, the Holy Spirit will lead you in the direction of your ministry, and God will bless you beyond your belief. It is an amazing thing this living for Christ. Christ in you and you in Christ. There is no greater experience on earth.

The Cracked Pot 

There was a water bearer who provided water for the King everyday. He had been doing so for many years. He had one good pot and one cracked pot. He walked a mile to and from the well and when he returned to his master’s house the good pot was full of water and the cracked pot had leaked half its water on the journey back from the well. The cracked pot became depressed because he felt like he wasn’t providing his full share of the water. As they were coming back from the well one day the bearer told the cracked pot not to be distressed because all along the side of the path where the cracked pot was carried were beautiful flowers that brightened up the kingdom. What the cracked pot did not realize is that the water that was lost because of his crack made the flowers grow. You see everyone has a ministry in Christ.

The Cracked Pot – author unknown