Monday

A Change of Seasons


I guess that there was a season where God was blessing it, but I think the blessing has moved on. I think we’re coming to the end of the season of the anointing being on those whose full-time work is “in the ministry.”

I suspect that the blessing was less on “full time ministry” than it was on “ministering in His name,” but it sure looks to me like that season – whatever it was – is now over.

There are still some people in “full time” ministry who walk in favor, in the midst of God’s move today. But if you look closely, they are mostly in the work of equipping others, sending out a new generation of “ministers” who generally have no title, have no ministry paycheck. They are spreading the good news, demonstrating the Kingdom at their “secular” (whatever that means) work, and the secular mission-field pays their living.

As a result, they have a credibility among the world that those who make their living from purveying the gospel never had.

I invite the saints of God to work hard, forcefully, to rid themselves of the religious heresy that “full time ministry” is better ministry. It’s not. It’s actually a hindrance, though it is a comfortable hindrance.

The best ministry nowadays, and generally the best anointing, comes to those who live and work and eat and sleep among the world to which they minister.

That means that those whose “day job” gets in the way of “their ministry” probably have the more effective ministry. And many of those whose “full time job” is ministry, find their work less effective, when measured by Kingdom standards. 

2 comments:

Shadley Wiegman said...

AMEN, AMEN, and AMEN! I could not agree more. One of the reasons I have sworn off of conferences is because I get tired of seeing those "full-time ministers" honored above the "laymen."

Anonymous said...

the fivefold ministry was always called to.Ephesians 4:11-12: “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ…”Corinthians 8:6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.one Lord, one faith, one baptism,Ephesians 4:13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. sheep produce sheep hence a disciple is born. I guess when the ministry encourages their vision and building program over the above listed scriptures and the ministry offices not only fail to discern other offices but lose one body mentality at the end of the age God will do things a little differently. I was thinking about this to day I have always considered the Spirit of Elijah but for the last day gentile church they may be trained the same way. in the wilderness young leaders sent to old leaders God testing how both respond and although not the majority valid older leaders looking for the younger. I think that's why prophets sometimes catch so much greif sometimes isolated sometimes in the wilderness until one day God says go. I myself have said Lord don't you know every ministry must be man approved and i'm supposed to have references and be accountable to someone other than you in mans religion. this doesn't mean there isn't safety in counsel and we don't work together but God uses foolish things.