What can you do today?

Well I’ll be honest yesterday’s sermon at the Thread certainly gave me a lot to think about.

It struck me last night that with the Holy Spirit’s backing on just our everyday lives mighty things can be accomplished. On the opposite side of the coin a ministry without the holy spirit’s backing could very well reach no one. I don’t know about anyone else but this struck me as kind of odd to think that maybe my everyday life could possibly reach more people than my being in full-time ministry.

The question I walked away with last night was one David bought up, “What have we been called to do now?” Now as in where we are right now, sitting at the computer on June 8th, 2009. If we focus too much on the impact we’re going to make years from now we miss out on the impact that we could be having today! It is all well and good to plan for the future and I encourage people to do it within reason, but there is a here and now and we should be focusing on it.

If a church has small numbers they shouldn’t be thinking “Well, in a year from now, when we have more members we’ll be able to make a bigger impact.” Wouldn’t it be wiser as a community to be asking/saying “Well we have these people now, how can we make an impact now?” The needs that people have today are probably going to be very different than the needs they have a year from now and if we aren’t meeting their present needs wouldn’t that somewhat alter their future needs?

Last night I also was struck by this idea of suffering for the gospel. Often times in my own life I find myself thinking that I’d be so much more willing to suffer for the gospel if I was doing something really cool like being a missionary in Africa, or really being a missionary anywhere but in America. When I think of “suffering” for the gospel I think of people like William Tyndale who was strangled and burned at the stake for translating the bible into modern English (circa 1530.)

I think of Pastors in China who are regularly imprisoned and beat within an inch of their life for preaching the gospel.

I would like to think that I would be willing to endure that pain and suffering for the gospel but that’s only because it’s distinguishable and venerable. But what if my suffering for the gospel is no more than just doing the monotonous things that need to be done that I‘d rather not do? What if my suffering for the gospel means that I live in a place that I would rather leave? What if my suffering for the gospel means that I give up the big dreams I have for my life and live the smaller life that God would want for me?

Then what?

Are we as willing to suffer for the gospel when it means that our dreams are made smaller? Are we as willing to suffer for the gospel if it means that our suffering isn’t physical but rather emotional?

I’m not looking for glory by any means but it should be noted that we view people like William Tyndale and Pastors in China with high regard. Let’s face it, there are not a lot of books being written about the ministries of people who arrive on time to work, who push paper in a cubical, who through their work ethic and love minister to their co-workers and bosses but this type of ministry is just as needed and just a meaningful and distinguishable as any other.

I am not meaning to say that there isn’t a place for people to go into full-time ministry because obviously there is I’m just saying that I believe for most people, the ministry we’ve been called into is the ministry of living the lives God gave us. No matter if that means writing a best selling book, working at a coffee shop, climbing the corporate ladder, being a good student, serving as a worship leader, pushing paper, volunteering at a homeless shelter, or helping with a children’s ministry part time. If God has called you to do it then it better get done.

Just like if God calls you to go to China and preach, then do it.

Just like if God calls you to stay at your present job and love the people there, then do it.

I have to imagine that if God calls someone to do something then there must be a need for it and we would be doing a grave disservice to God if we tried to live above our calling or tried to make our calling something else.

So… I guess what I want to end with a few questions:

Where are you at today? What’s your job? What do you believe is your calling?

Ultimately-

What has God called you to do today?