But herein lies a critical, subtle problem - unlimited opportunities and our own burden for people often drive us to ministry far beyond the will of God for our lives into an extreme. Out of balance, we become ministry-centered, with catastrophic results. As Dr. Kenneth Boa has said, “God alone is the worthy object of our total commitment and if we direct our highest commitment to anything else, we commit idolatry.”

An endemic problem is embedded within our Christian culture. It is that we honor, reward, and present as a model, people who are driven in ministry. Often they are neglecting their own relationship to God and family, skimming over essentials. Knowing God and growing in character is less visible and measurable than service for God, and the Christian culture emphasize doing and accomplishing. Sometimes we are so busy in the Kingdom, we have no time for the King. Ministry has become to some an addiction, and we feed that addiction by our applause. The results are tragic. We are driven to do more and more, perpetuating a vicious cycle.

Dr. Bob Pierce, founder of World Vision was a compassionate man who began to make his love for children his deep passion. Burdened by overwhelming needs of children around the world, he burned out, running on empty too long. He never recovered. The history of Christian missions is strewn with such well meaning, but misdirected lives of people who thought of mission as primarily the task - crusading, preaching, ministering - and not a relationship to Jesus.

The probing question
How much ministry to people is enough? We often think that we can do a just little bit more. If we feel that just a little more ministry pleases God, then more ministry should really please Him. Wrong! God is not impressed by our doing His ministry without boundaries. We need to not only decide what to do, but also what not to do. Need does not constitute the will of God for our lives. Janice Wise has said, “It is not how much I have to do that determines how much time I spend with God. Rather its how much time I spend with Him that determines how much I am to do.”

Jesus is a great model of having boundaries in His ministry. He often said “no” to people’s needs, even those in desperate need and open to listen to Him (Luke 5:15-16). At the end of His three short years on earth He could say, “Father I have glorified you upon the earth, and finished the work that you gave me to do (John 17:4). Jesus did not heal everyone; He did not meet every need. He did not minister throughout the world. He did not please everyone. But He did finish what the Father gave Him to do. The key questions are: what does the Father want me to do, and who are the people the Father has given me to minister to?

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