Ministries That Run Deep

“For the deep church the Gospel is at the center of all we do—our worship, discipleship, community groups, mercy ministry and cultural renewal. It moves us from belonging to belief. It matures us individually and corporately."

~Jim Belcher, Deep Church

There is an old cliché that ministry is like a tree. However cliché it may be I believe that this statement is true. In the book of Jeremiah the prophet is exhorting the tribe of Judah for sinning against God and trusting in their own mortal strength. He is using very figurative language, like a bush in wastelands saying they will live in a desert where there is no water, in a salt land, and that eventually no one lives. (Jer. 17:6). This is what happens when we turn from God’s will for us and pursue our own gains in our own strength.

Oftentimes, I feel like that is the direction our ministries head in. We feel like we are the rescuer who can take away all of the hurt from the world. We view ourselves as the savior. We feel like we are the protector, who keeps people out of trouble and focuses their hearts on good. We view ourselves as the superhero. We feel like we are the comedian, who makes people laugh and have fun despite their struggles. However, when ministries are built from human strength we find that the roots we are attempting to build are often stunted and lack the ability to penetrate to water level to find the nourishment to grow and thrive. We all have the tendency to gravitate towards one of these possibilities if we are not careful.

However, there is a change in the verse with one three-letter word: but. “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him” (Jer. 17:7). We are blessed when we hope in the Lord! When our eyes are fixed on ourselves there is death. When our eyes are fixed on God there is Christ, eternal life.

There is a stark difference there. When we fix our eyes on the wrong things we are left without nourishment without life and without joy. When our eyes are fixed on Christ and the truth of His Word, it is there that we find joy, life, and peace. In the frenetic and busy pace of life in ministry we must take the time to reorient our lives and our ministries where the Gospel is the center.