The work of the ministry could not be done without the combined efforts of many people. A church functions smoothly only when there are a number of individual Christians working together to achieve the common goal of exalting God by evangelizing the lost and edifying believers.
But there is a danger that every ministry worker faces, that of neglecting the first and most important ministry of all Christians. The most important ministry of the individual Christian is their ministry to themselves. There are other very important ministries, such as one’s ministry to his spouse and children and the ministry of winning souls. But those ministries are not the most important ministry. How a Christian leads himself will affect every other ministry for good or bad. Paul put it this way in 1 Timothy 4:16: “Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.”
It is easy for Christian workers to become so involved in ministering to others that they neglect their personal walk with God. Christian workers who neglect to “take heed unto” themselves will be less effective in their ministry, and possibly even become a detriment to the ministry. To be effective ministers of the gospel one must make their personal walk with God a priority.
Here are four aspects of your personal walk with God that require constant attention if you are going to be an effective Christian worker.
Personal Communion with the Lord
The work of the ministry is busy, and sometimes the busyness becomes a substitute for personal fellowship with God. This was the mistake that Martha made in Luke 10.
Luke 10:38-42 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. [39] And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word. [40] But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. [41] And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: [42] But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.
Many Christian workers struggle in the same way that Martha did. Martha looked at Mary and compared what Mary was doing to what she was doing. She came to the conclusion that Mary was not doing anything useful and that she had left Martha to do the real work alone. Yet Jesus said that Mary had chosen “that good part,” the one needful thing and it would not be taken away from her. Mary chose to spend time in personal communion with Jesus. She sat at Jesus’ feet and listened to Him speak.
The cynic says, “If everyone were to act like Mary, then nothing would get done.” Jesus was not promoting idleness and slothfulness. He was teaching Martha that it was more important to spend time with Him than to do things for Him, but He never said we had to choose one or the other. We should do both while putting priority on the one thing that is most needful. Personal communion with the Lord must be the priority over the busyness of ministry.
Personal Study of the Word
The next aspect of our personal walk with God that requires our attention is our personal study of the Word of God. Especially if your ministry involves teaching the Bible to others, it is easy for your approach to God’s word to become merely academic. You hide God’s word in your head so you can repeat it to others, but it no longer penetrates your heart as it should. Paul’s words to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:15 are a command we must all follow. “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
If Timothy was to be an unashamed workman of God, then he had to study to shew himself approved to God. Again, Paul said in 1 Timothy 4:16, “Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them.” We must study the word of God for our personal growth and benefit.
The Word of God is unique among books because it reveals to us Who God is. When we study the Bible, we are learning about God Himself. Our approach to the study of the word must be unique also. We should not study it like a textbook. It is a living book that the Holy Spirit uses to change us into the image of Christ as we learn from its pages the character and the nature of God. If we neglect the ministry of the Word to ourselves, then we are not fit to minister the Word to others.
Personal Holiness in the World
Christian workers must also give attention to their personal holiness in the world. We are representatives of the “thrice-holy” God. (see Isaiah 6:3) To accurately represent the Holy God, we must live holy lives. Holiness is not an option for the Christian worker. It is an obligation. 1 Peter 1:15-16 commands us, “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”
Personal holiness is vital for the Christian worker because our testimony will affect how some people perceive the gospel and whether some people will receive the gospel. We have the treasure of the gospel in an earthen vessel, and we must keep that vessel clean so that we do not contaminate the message. That means separation from sin and sinful influences, wherever may be found.
But beyond the effect that unholy living will have on our testimony, failing to live a holy life can prevent us from receiving the personal blessings that God wants to give us. Jeremiah 5:25 says, “Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you.” If we would experience God’s fullest blessing on our life and ministry, we must live holy lives.
Personal Faithfulness in the Work
The last area of our walk with God your should consider is your personal faithfulness in the work of the Lord. When Paul instructed Timothy to find men he could entrust to teach others, he told him to find men who were faithful. “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” (2 Timothy 2:2)
The word “faithful” can have two meanings. It can mean “to be full of faith,” and it can mean “to be dependable.” It is that second meaning that we have in mind when we refer to faithfulness in the work of the ministry. God puts a premium on faithfulness in the ministry. “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.” (1 Corinthians 4:2) “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 15:58)
Everyone can be faithful. You may not think that you have a lot of talent or intelligence, but everyone can be faithful, and every Christian worker must make personal faithfulness in their area of ministry a priority.
If you have flown recently, you are probably familiar with the pre-flight talk that the flight attendants give as the plane is taxing to the runaway. At some point during their talk, they will discuss the oxygen masks that will fall from the compartments above your head in the event the cabin loses pressure. Their instructions are always the same: put the mask on yourself before you help anyone else. Why is that? It is because you cannot help anyone else if you have fainted from lack of oxygen.
The same principle applies to ministry. Most Christian workers are hardworking people who genuinely want to do something for God that will matter for eternity. They want to see people saved and grow in their Christian life. That is why they volunteer to serve and why they put so much time and effort into their ministries. But if they neglect their own spiritual health, they will not be effective in ministry and could even become a detriment to the ministry. We cannot neglect our most important ministry, the ministry to ourselves.
