The Challenge: Spend the rest of your life

A number of SWACers spent this weekend just gone on the MTS Challenge conference. Basically, MTS is Ministry Training Strategy; aiming to train up people to be workers for the gospel, whether that’s going on into full-time paid ministry or simply gaining experience and training.
It was a great time of fellowship, learning, and, well, being challenged. This challenge was clear and, at times, pretty hard-hitting. Philip Jensen gave three talks on “Seek First The Kingdom”.

I’ll spare you from a detailed recount of the talks and minute-by-minute analysis of the conference, and focus more on what I think we can all gain from what I and the others heard.
‘Ministry’ is not a function restricted to those ‘called’ to ministry positions. If you belong to Christ, ministry is for you. Sure, you may have heard this before, but hear it again loud and clear, and think about: where can you minister?.

It is a temptation to sit in our chairs at church each week, see the same old people up the front, or leading youth/kids ministry and think to ourselves “oh, they’re much better at it than I am. I’m not needed”. Yes, you may not be suited to up front teaching, or pastoring, but one thing I stress to you: if you belong to Jesus, you have gifts, and those gifts are there to be used to build up the church and the Kingdom.

If we are Christians, a number of things fall into place under the idea of “Seeking First the Kingdom”.
Firstly, we need to follow the call of John the Baptist in Matthew 3: “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance”. Repent, for the Kingdom of God has come with Jesus, and is yet to be fulfilled (which we were reminded of in the sermon on Joel last night). Receive salvation; avoid judgment. Change your minds. Change your hearts. Change your life. Stop thinking the way that the world thinks, consumed by the drive for that perfect career, perfect marriage, security. Live like God is King.

Secondly, seek the Kingdom on Earth as in Heaven. Our prayer lives and lives as a whole should be characterised by our seeking of the Kingdom first. We looked at the Lord’s Prayer, but in a far different way than I’ve ever really considered it. Prayer is one BIG characteristic of us seeking the Kingdom. To seek the Kingdom is to be a distinct people, set aside for God. The question is, if I am claiming to be someone set aside for God, part of “a royal priesthood, a holy nation”, what am I seeking after? What’s driving me? What am I striving for?

And from the last talk, we seek the Kingdom by putting “to death therefore what is earthly in you” and “seek[ing] the things that are above, where Christ is”. As Christians we have died with Christ and have died to the things of this world. We seek things of our new spiritual life in Him, the things of heaven. We live such lives that we do the will of God with our hearts; we enter the Kingdom humbly like a child, acknowledging God’s supreme authority and submitting to it; we participate in the Kingdom, being so different in this world that we are rejected and disliked, being sent out by Christ into this needy world; and we live for the now and the then.

In our lives, we should be working to live, not living to work. We work so we can minister. We tailor our work so we can minister. Or, for some, we give up work to devote our lives to ministry.
Regardless of whether you’re considering working in a ministry position or looking to work in the secular world, the call and challenge is straightforward. All Christians are to minister. All have been given different gifts to build up the church and the Kingdom.

I put the challenge to you; seek first God’s Kingdom. Look for how you can be serving him and his body. Don’t fall into the trap of letting the same few take the burden. Work as a body, each part with its own purpose and function. And let us all do this for the equipping, building up and strengthening of God’s Kingdom, looking forward eagerly to That great and terrible Day of the Lord when Jesus will be glorified, and Christians with Him.