Stay Teachable
While Jesus was walking on this earth, He was constantly teaching His disciples. And even when He was ready to depart, He told them the Holy Spirit would live in them and teach them. So I think that means we should continually be learning from Him! One of the ways I’ve been able to learn from Him is through traveling internationally on mission trips. Every trip is different, and the possibilities of learning are as varied as the cultures I experience.
In my most recent trip to Costa Rica, there was the opportunity to learn about ministry. Our missionary friends had asked us to help with school bags / supplies for the children, and we were happy to oblige. But I must admit, part of me wanted to rush into every church service and preach some power message, ask to pray for the sick, and follow the ‘outline’ I’ve seen a hundred times. Don’t get me wrong – preaching the gospel is important! And praying for the sick is definitely Kingdom work. But isn’t there wisdom in just slowing down a bit, and asking, “Lord, what do you want to do here?” Even though it’s easy for me to assume what should be done, it’s best I hear from Him, and let Him define what ministry should look like.
We learned that the Costa Rican people suffered greatly during the pandemic, and the need for school supplies is great. They simply can’t afford to buy them right now. Preaching a powerful message in the church might have been well received, but at the end of the day, there still would have been a great need among them. Yes, we had times of sharing the Word, and yes, we prayed with more people than I could count. But we also met a physical need with the school bags full of pencils, pens, scissors, rulers, and such. Every child was grateful and expressed their appreciation to us. They saw that 7 random people were willing to come from a different nation, just to bless them. They encountered the love of God through strangers who were willing to help. And I learned that Jesus can define ministry much better than I can.
Take a moment to review the story in Acts 6:
In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews[a] among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3 Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”
5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.
Now, our KJV or NIV Bible may not translate every word perfectly, but if you look it up in the Greek, you’ll find that the same word is used to describe “distribution of food” as “ministry of the Word”. Isn’t it interesting that God chooses to see both of these as ministry? And to emphasize it, these 7 men who were designated to distribute the food were chosen because they were full of the Spirit and wisdom, not because they were new…or baby Christians…or lacking in other giftings… I think that’s worth a moment to ponder.
The Lord can call us to a specific task, and He can equip us with everything needed. Still, we must seek His will for direction on how to accomplish it.
Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path.”
Lean not on your own understanding. Even when I think “I’ve done this before…I know what to do…” I still must submit to His ways and ask for Him to lead me. It’s my responsibility to remain teachable.
