Keep Pressin' On

So how do you keep your faith alive as a minister through the hard times? How do you keep writing ? How do you keep going when you see others falling away? How do you sustain the strength to keep going when people who once travelled with you turn aside? How do you survive the disappointments, the criticisms from people who should know better. How do you continue to minister when there appears to be such an increase in secularity both within and without the church. These are questions that I am often asked by younger ministers or even by friends or members of the congregation. My answer is make sure that your not looking at yourself, or looking at others, judging them. Keep your eyes fixed on the Lord Jesus. In the wonderful story of Peter walking on water, he begins to sink when he looks at the precarious situation he is in. The more precarious the situation the greater the need to keep looking ahead at the one who is travelling along with us. More and more of us need to keep our focus and hold our nerve. I love the passage in Philippians chapter one, I think it is verse 6 where Paul seeks to remind the Philippians not to lose heart but to remember that "He who has begun a good work in you is faithful and He will complete it and bring it to a conclusion." Its too easy to beat yourself up when you work hard and see little return. Its too easy to take all the failure into yourself. Its too easy to allow yourself to think that success or failure depends on you as a minister or an elder or a church leader. Its also very dangerous to begin to transfer your anger and disappointment on to the congregation. I have seen too many godly people isolated only to find that they turn in on themselves and then develop a critical spirit towards those who they should be seeking to encourage and upbuild. I have learned to realise that I make mistakes, I know that sometimes like everyone else I get things wrong, I also know that I can have a wrong perspective on things. I have further learned to be less critical of those in the congregation who may appear to some to be less spiritual than they feel they should be. The truth is God has often pulled up me when I have a disposition to be judgemental. I don't always see the full picture too often i've been humbled when I have encountered true Christian discipleship in the life of a saint that silently is living out the gospel through very trying circumstances. So if your feeling the pressure, if your feeling judgemental, if your feeling disappointed. Its time to turn around and focus on Jesus the author and finisher of our faith. I must confess that I have found Dylan's gospel Song "Pressing On" from his 1980, "Saved" Album inspirational. I can't find the original on Youtube but here is a brilliant cover by a [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTOOHCoBAeE[/youtube]

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3 Comments
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Posted By: Mike Munro   On: 4 Jan 2011   At: 8:20pm

Totally agree, you can only influence change from within, and it been given and received in love and grace by all.

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Posted By: italker   On: 4 Jan 2011   At: 6:03pm

Thanks Mike for your contribution and the reminder to all of us who profess Christ that we are called to live in the power of the Spirit. I guess what I was alluding to in this post was a plea for more Christian maturity to be exercised by some. I’ve had to deal with the fall out of what I can only call unfair criticism. Where a leader has been hounded by an individual or even a group in a church ending up with the minister a bundles of nerves.

Equally you are right there are times when we all say things and it sounds critical and even personal when in fact at the bottom of the criticism is a real desire for the best. I guess this is where the maturity comes in. How do we turn about attitudes and hearts so that we are able to speak the truth and receive the truth in such a manner that God is glorified and the church is encouraged?  I think we can only change organisations from being within them and being prepared to see what is good as well as what needs reformed.

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Posted By: Mike Munro   On: 4 Jan 2011   At: 2:09pm

It irks me at times when people are labelled “charismatic” or seen as “spiritual”.John 3:7 tells us that we need to be born again and later, in Acts, be baptized in the Holy Spirit. Both these acts result in us been spirit-filled, and as this should happen to all who have been saved,why look on some as spiritual, thus making the assumption that others are not.All are and just need to use the gifts that have been given. I also believe that criticism sometimes comes from just wanting to give Him of our best.

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