UN-IDEAL MINISTRY

Ministry is messy. It's messy because we're making disciples of people whose lives are a mess. They may have done things that were foolish, & even sinful. People may have done terrible things done to them. So the process of making disciples, which is what God has called us to do, is by default a messy business.

No big surprise. Jesus set the pace. He served, trained, & ultimately gave His life for people whose lives were a mess.

A part of our ministry here in New Mexico is serving people who need help with English. Not surprisingly, some of those people may be here illegally. God gives us wisdom & resources so that we can help them while maintaining integrity with the law. 

But the bottom line is this - ministry and making disciples brings us into situations that are far from ideal. Situations of injustice, situations for which there doesn't seem to be any simple resolution. 

Through Bible times people like Joseph in Egypt, Daniel in Babylon,& the apostles under an oppressive Roman regime faced and dealt with this reality. 

All through church history & even now God's people have faced  evil, lawlessness, & injustice. But they have continued to advance the Kingdom of God and fulfill the Great Commission.

We're not revolutionaries in the sense of overthrowing an evil regime and replacing it with God's righteous millennial reign. 

But we are revolutionaries who proclaim forgiveness & cleansing from sin in Christ, deliverance from demonic domination, & spiritual transformation to individuals, families, & communities.

Ministry doesn't take place in the bubble of ideal situations. But it is what the Lord has given to every disciple to fulfill in the power of the Spirit.