“And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human[b]wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” 1 Cor. 2:1-5…………….
Once upon a time I made the very sad mistake of looking to the world, to churches, and to other ministries to figure out how to lead my LITTLE ministry. I never dreamed of starting a ministry; the Lord simply led me right into it. I never dreamed of becoming a Christ follower. I am a 100% Jewish woman with a background of agnosticism, atheism, and a host of other false belief systems that lead straight to forever apart from God in hell and the lake of fire. I never dreamed of even being alive past my 30s; I was so broken for decades I thought of suicide regularly for almost 20 years. I never dreamed if I even remained alive of ever having a sense of purpose let alone of being healthy and whole enough to be able to fulfill my life’s purpose. I never dreamed of one day living and breathing my every breath for Christ. I never dreamed of being out on the road full-time for the Lord and ministry – my LITTLE ministry for the Lord.
What was sad about turning to the world, to churches, and other ministries to learn how to have and lead a ministry? Tragically many churches and ministries now are using a worldly business model to head up their churches and ministries. They look to the world, to business plans, to advertising, marketing, publicity, to seminars and conferences, to books and growth plans, and a whole host of other tools to do church and ministry no differently than the world operates its most successful businesses. I got quickly caught up with this – for a very short while. Until the Lord led me to repentance and began to teach me how to lead my LITTLE ministry.
One day in the midst of my short visit into the worldly way to run a ministry, a woman I contacted to potentially help me with publicity and marketing incorporated what I believe to be a false teaching which is part of the false “prosperity gospel” I used to be under before the Lord delivered me from it and set me free. She told me I should not tell the world I have a “little” ministry because essentially it would not help me to have a “big” ministry. She believed if I wanted a successful ministry, I needed to think “big” and talk “big” and write “big” and act “big”. Of course, I would also need to pay “big” – to pay her for her services to help me to have the “big” ministry of course I should have. After all, didn’t I want to sell a zillion books I had written? I had hoped perhaps she could help me to start selling my books.
Today, I have a LITTLE ministry – tinier than it’s ever been. In the sense it’s NOT about me being or doing anything “big”. It’s about THE LORD and what HE does through me. It’s an international ministry now. People around the world are reached by the Lord through my writing and streets ministry work. I have no idea how many – or how few – people are reached. I sell no books at all. They are available for a donation. My tracts and devotionals are free. People don’t pay me to minister to them. I live on a tiny budget and live a simple lifestyle to be as available as possible to the Lord. If I stand out to anyone, it’s not because I wear fancy clothes and look beautiful and think or say or do anything “big”. The only reason I might stand out is I am overflowing with love for the Lord Jesus Christ and with a desire beyond measure to live to love and glorify God and to help people to find and forever follow Him.
I don’t concern myself with the “size” or “success” of my LITTLE ministry. It’s really God’s ministry, and is only “mine” in the sense that it’s the work to which He has called me in love and service to Him and to a world in dire need of Him. Any “success” I have in ministry has nothing to do with me. It’s all about Him. And any “success” isn’t about being “big” in any way. It’s about simply and humbly and lovingly reaching out with the Gospel message and helping people to follow Jesus – to those the Lord desires I meet and speak with, to those the Lord desires to read what He gives me to write. Whether it’s one lost sheep who needs to hear about Him or an entire nation across the world, or people all over, whomever they may be, no matter how few or how many, it’s not about how the world sees “big” and “success”. It’s simply about love for and obedience to God almighty.
I no longer look to the world, and to churches and other ministries, to figure out how to lead this LITTLE ministry. I look to the Lord, I listen to the Spirit of God as He leads me forth, and I stay diligently, devotedly, and daily at the feet of Jesus daily and never miss a day studying His Word and learning to live by it. How have I learned about evangelism and streets ministry and what to write for God? I rarely read commentaries, and I rarely study others’ writings to learn about the Lord and figure out what to write. I don’t go to seminars and classes and conferences on church and ministry growth and success. I open my heart to the Lord, I study His Word, and I learn how He wants me to live and how He wants me to lead the LITTLE ministry He has so graciously and kindly and mercifully and ever lovingly placed in my LITTLE heart and my LITTLE hands. ALL FOR HIS GLORY, hallelujah!
Is there a message in this for you?