This Isn't My Ministry

By Andrew Cannon

Are you a pastor, preparing to be a pastor, or training others to be pastors?

This devotional is a resource for your own walk in any church leadership position and a tool as you train others. Use this devotional for internships, in training church planters, to mentor other pastors and for your own preparation in the ministry of Christ's Gospel.

This is an expository devotional, meaning that we begin with reading the Bible in context and the message of the Bible is exposed, not used out of context to justify the musings of the author.

Let's take a contemplative stroll through Scripture together. Let's reflect on God's words, not mine. - Andrew

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: May 17, 2019
• ISBN: 9780359669202

Book preview

This Isn't My Ministry

This Isn’t My Ministry

Andrew Cannon

Copyright 2019 Andrew Cannon. All rights reserved.

For further information and resources, please visit the author’s website.

Publication data:

ISBN: 978-0-359-66920-2

Published by Lulu Press Inc.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the HCSB®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. HCSB® is a federally registered trademark of Holman Bible Publishers.

Dedicated to my fellow servants and to all of those who did take the time to sincerely mentor me through the years. May God be glorified and may His word be the source and content of our encouragement and teaching.

Welcome to the Team

I remember playing soccer as an elementary schooler. I wasn’t really interested in the game, but I liked being part of a team. There is another thing that I didn’t really care for… conditioning. We ran and ran and ran and ran and ran, for seemingly no purpose. When game time came around, we ran and ran with purpose. I learned that if we hadn’t conditioned our bodies to facilitate running during the game, then our little elementary school sized selves would not be able to keep up with the demands of the game. Conditioning during practice had a purpose. It prepared us for what was next.

When I began preaching regularly at the age of 18 and then received my first ministry position at the age of 19, I was ill prepared for ministry. I was trying to run without legs. No one had, at that time, taken the time to teach me what it meant to serve in ministry. No one had warned me about the heartache. No one had taken the time to mentor me. No one told me that even when I’m the only one speaking, others are participating in the conversation. That is the responsibility of the church, and the youth ministry I participated in was less than adequate to truly prepare us for life in Christ beyond high school. It certainly could not prepare me for ministry. The music was good, though. I wasn’t conditioned. I spent my Christian life up to that point sitting at practice being entertained and was misled to see the ministry as some place for celebrated figures who were musically or homiletically inclined. Like everyone else in my generation, I sought fame. I perceived God’s calling on my life as a calling to draw people to my own ministry, and the way that I started reflects that mentality. I blame my shortsightedness. I also blame the youth ministry culture in popular religion. What I thought God was calling me to was oratory stage performance, and I don’t want you to fall into the same trap that I did. By God’s grace alone I get to see His ministry flourish and I get to participate in that. Brothers, we are servants. We are not celebrities. As Piper would say, we are not professionals. In fact, we are entirely insufficient to even think about this work that we have been called to. Take time to pray before continuing on.

You’ve fallen in love with Christ. Actually, that is a terrible way to state how this amazing relationship began for you, isn’t it? We didn’t fall for Christ. Jesus, in His lovingkindness, brought us to Himself even though we were lost in sin and slaves to our unrighteousness. We fell alright, but it wasn’t in love. No, Christ had to raise us from our fallen condition and clothe us in His righteousness alone. We love Him because He first loved us. As we live in the righteousness of Christ, being transformed into the likeness of Christ by the exposing power of His word, this life conditions us for the next. As new believers we are conditioned so that we become mature. We are conditioned for service on this earth. We are conditioned for the life to come. Where people failed to rightly condition us, Christ accomplishes His work in His own people. We will always be conditioned for the things that God, in His sovereignty, is working together for His glory and for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Conditioning is uncomfortable, and maybe even seemingly pointless from our perspective. When we see what we are being prepared for, we will realize the significance.

You are reading these pages because you serve in ministry or are called to serve in some capacity in the church. You feel that your place of service will carry with it some responsibility and you desire to be prepared. You want to condition yourself for leadership. Many of you will be working through this book because you will serve alongside me specifically. Some of you will work through this book because you simply want to be prepared. We will never meet or talk on this earth, but we are on the same team working for the same purpose: God’s glory- the multiplication and expansion of His image, and the right stewardship of His belongings. This is an introductory devotional for pastors, deacons, and other servants within God’s church- especially those who aspire to do such good work before our Lord. Unfortunately, there are many more who will not willingly be conditioned. That was me. Those brothers and sisters will step into ministry ill-informed about the heartache and difficulties that God warns us of in His Bible.

As we were running, aimlessly according to our perception at the time, up and down the soccer field, there were two conditioning exercises I particularly disliked. We referred to one using the term suicides. We would begin at the foul line, run one quarter of the field, run back to the foul line, turn and run half the field, turn and run back to the foul line, and continue this process until we ran to the other end of the soccer field and back. We referred to the other as Indian Sprints. As politically incorrect as the term was, and would now be considered offensive by many, that is what we called them then. We would line up single file and jog around the field. When the coach blew his whistle, the person at the end of the line would break formation and sprint to the front of the line where he would then lead the team. The coach would blow his whistle again and the person at the end of the line would sprint to the front and lead the team.

The second of these conditioning exercises becomes a fine illustration for what it means to be a part of God’s ministry team. Christ is our coach. He places us in formation. He has someone leading. If this person runs too quickly, the rest of the team is left behind. If the person runs too slowly the team isn’t conditioned to accomplish the purpose it is given. When it is time for one member to sprint and lead, he takes on the leadership responsibilities for the good of the team and to honor the coach. Serving in the church holds this beautiful balance for the good of the body. So, we lead to follow. We serve those on our team. Our goal is not self-glorification. It is to raise up all of those who are on Christ’s team as Christ raises people for Himself. Christ alone is our coach. He will guide us into our sprint, He will encourage us as we experience that conditioning pain just below our floating ribs, and He will produce endurance in us.

So, whether you currently serve or are preparing for your aspiring dream of servanthood, take in the words