Ministry Vision
“Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.”
Today’s Text: Romans 14:13-23 (Living Life Daily Devotional)
I think we could replace the word “food” here with “ministry,” and the lesson would still be relevant—maybe more so. In this passage, Paul is repeating what he had already said earlier:
Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.
— Romans 14:13
The “Therefore” always points us to a response that is determined by what God wants of us. Verse 12 says, “So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.” Verse 18 says, “because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.”
Paul’s letters are to the churches. It would not be wrong to say that Paul’s letters are written especially to church pastors and lay leaders. And it is significant that Paul rarely tells pastors and leader what to do. And even if Paul tells church leaders what to do, Paul always, always, always prioritizes the theological principles that govern how to lead our churches and our ministries.
We tend to assume that those theological principles are at work in ministry—because, you know, we’re Christians!—and so we don’t really focus on them. But Paul talks about them all the time. And that is because those theological principles are what are important to God. Those theological principles are what God cares about for our lives, for our families, and for our churches.
In the final analysis, the bottom line, practically speaking, where the rubber truly meets the road—the theological principles that the word of God teaches us are not merely the values that guide our ministries. The theological principles we find in the Bible give us the vision, the mission, and the goals of ministry.
That is why Paul says, “make every effort.” The vision, mission, and goals of every ministry must be to foster peace and mutual edification. The vision, mission, and goals of every ministry must be to never cause a brother or sister to stumble. Whatever it is that we actually do for ministry.
And if peace and mutual edification is not the result of any ministry, then we are not meeting our God-given goals—probably because we are pursuing secondary goals as being the primary goals—even if those secondary goals are good goals.
I wonder if that last statement pretty much summarizes the history of many dead churches and churches that have closed their doors.
In what ways am I making primary ministry goals secondary and secondary ministry goals primary? Am I fostering a culture of making every effort to foster peace and mutual edification? I need to ask myself these questions every time I do ministry and plan for the ministry ahead.
Father, Your love, Your grace and patience toward us, is beyond understanding. Forgive me whenever I do not make every effort to do what You call me to do. In a room full of sinners, of whom I am the worst, fostering peace and mutual edification is so hard. But You know that. It cost You Your Son. Change my heart, O, God. Give me wisdom, understanding, and humility to do Your will and glorify Your name. In Jesus’s name. Amen.
