{"id":31270,"date":"2022-09-10T15:23:45","date_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:23:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/when-youre-discontent-with-your-ministry-assignment\/"},"modified":"2022-09-10T15:23:45","modified_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:23:45","slug":"when-youre-discontent-with-your-ministry-assignment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/when-youre-discontent-with-your-ministry-assignment\/","title":{"rendered":"When You’re Discontent With Your Ministry Assignment"},"content":{"rendered":"
Joshua Earle photo – Unsplash <\/p>\n

By Luke Holmes<\/em><\/p>\n

In the countryside of Idaho sits the J.R. Simplot Company farm. It\u2019s a corporate feedlot that employs more than 100 people who care for more than 150,000 cattle.<\/p>\n

Everything about this farm from the size of the pens to the volume of the feed trucks is massive.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a \u201chospital\u201d pen for sick cows and three full-time vets who work there. Like any big organization, they do things on a large scale, and it\u2019s an impressive sight.<\/p>\n

The average family farm may seem small and even insignificant compared to this large-scale organization. But no matter how big or small a farming organization is,  the work they do matters and makes a difference.<\/p>\n

This is also true for pastors and churches. Churches come in all shapes and sizes. Some seem to be like \u201ccorporate farms\u201d with their own vets, nutritionists, and a full staff. Meanwhile, other churches have pastors who do it all\u2014serving the feed, cleaning the lots, and tending to the sick in the flock.<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s easy to think that the bigger the ministry, the more important it is, but the truth is there\u2019s no such thing as a small work done for God.<\/p>\n

Be Willing to do the “Small Things”<\/strong><\/h3>\n

I don\u2019t think I know of any pastors who don\u2019t want to be used by God. I don\u2019t know any churches that would say, \u201cGod can use someone else.\u201d Almost every Christian desires to be used by God to do great things in the world.<\/p>\n

We all say we’d do anything<\/em> to be used for God’s purposes. Our actions, however, often seem to send the message, \u201cuse someone else.\u201d<\/p>\n

In order to be used by God to do great things, you first have to be willing to do small things for Him.<\/p>\n

The greatest changes that happen in our Christian life aren’t made at camps, conferences, or revivals but in early morning devotions, late-night prayers, and consistent obedience.<\/p>\n

Through these moments we bring our actions in line with the will of God and are made to be more like Christ.<\/p>\n

Everyone knows a person who has stood and given a \u201ctestimony\u201d of salvation at church but has then gone right back to living the way they did before. Many of us have been that person ourselves.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to make big declarations for Christ, but it\u2019s much harder to make the daily choices and decisions that help us follow Jesus.<\/p>\n

One Life Counts<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It\u2019s exciting to think God might use us to bring revival or awakening to our communities. But what if God has placed you where you are so that just one life can be changed? Would you still think it\u2019s worth the work and effort?<\/p>\n

All of us would say, \u201cOne life is worth it.\u201d But we also want God to do more.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know what God has in store for your life, but it\u2019s possible He doesn\u2019t want you to do big and grand things\u2014at least, not big by the world\u2019s standard and by the standards of many in ministry.<\/p>\n

There are some people called to cross oceans to share the gospel, but all<\/em> of us are called to simply cross the street and share the gospel with those who need it.<\/p>\n

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See also  What Sparks Evangelical Generosity? Discipleship<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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All of us are willing to do great things to be used by God. But are we willing to do small things for God too?<\/p>\n

The same question stands for churches. There are churches that loom large across the Christian landscape today, with outspoken leaders who exert influence over polity, financial decisions, and more.<\/p>\n

These churches sit at the crossroads of major interstates or downtown in urban centers, and their size is impressive to everyone who sees them.<\/p>\n

But there are many more one- or two-room churches that sit on dusty country roads and are never known outside of their community.<\/p>\n

No one calls these pastors to get their opinions on things, but they probably don\u2019t have time anyways. These pastors and churches are busy with food banks, Vacation Bible School, widow care, mission trips, and more.<\/p>\n

The Bible promises that those who are faithful with the little things will be faithful with the big things, too. But far too often, we aren\u2019t content to do the small things. We still long to do \u201csomething big\u201d for God.<\/p>\n

A Ministry That Matters<\/strong><\/h3>\n

When we take time to do the little things right for God, we\u2019ll find out there are no little things if God is in them.<\/p>\n

When the God of the universe inhabits our every action and decision, then every small action is full of endless possibility and potential.<\/p>\n

Suddenly we realize that every act of obedience can have eternal consequences. When we see the power of our small acts for God it enables us to have enthusiasm and passion to obey God even when we don\u2019t get to do the big things.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to get tired and burned out in the Christian life\u2014certainly in ministry. The small things every pastor and church leader has to do feel like they don\u2019t matter or aren\u2019t important.<\/p>\n

When you\u2019re in the trenches it can feel like you\u2019re just stuck doing the same thing over and over. Learning the power of simple obedience is one of the best things we can do to keep our calling fresh and exciting.<\/p>\n

You might be called to feed a thousand sheep or just a few. Whatever the number, God has given us a ministry that matters.<\/p>\n

We might never be called to stand on big stages, to usher in revivals that make the history books, or write songs that are sung for generations.<\/p>\n

But everyone is called by God to grow closer to Him through prayer, Bible reading, and worship.<\/p>\n

Every Christian\u2014whether or not in professional ministry\u2014is called by God to share the gospel with their neighbor, to show God\u2019s kindness, and to point others to Him.<\/p>\n

LUKE HOLMES (@lukeholmes)<\/strong> is husband to Sara, father to three young girls, and pastor at First Baptist Church Tishomingo, Oklahoma since 2011. He\u2019s a graduate of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and can be found online at LukeAHolmes.com.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Dig Deeper at Lifeway.com<\/div>\n
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Small Church Essentials: Field-Tested Principles for Leading a Healthy Congregation of under 250<\/h2>\n

Karl Vaters<\/p>\n

FIND OUT MORE <\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Related posts:<\/h3>\n
What Do Pastors Believe About the End Times? What Do Pastors Believe About the Book of Revelation? 3 Ways to Reach Non-Religious People in Your Community <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Joshua Earle photo – Unsplash By Luke Holmes In the countryside of Idaho sits the J.R. Simplot Company farm. It\u2019s a corporate feedlot that employs more than 100 people who care for more than 150,000 cattle. Everything about this farm from the size of the pens to the volume of the feed trucks is massive. … Continue reading “When You’re Discontent With Your Ministry Assignment”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31270","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31270","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31270"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31270\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31270"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31270"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31270"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}