According to the Gospel of Mark, the very first thing Jesus said to Peter and Andrew was: “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men” (Mark 1:17). This sentence contains a lot about what discipleship is. It is to follow somebody, to take on a humble attitude and be willing to change and gain new skills. This attitude is the beginning of ministry.
The more a person values preparation and is willing to learn from others, the more he will do for God. The apostles began their walk with Jesus knowing very little about God’s kingdom or what it means to be a fisher of men. But Jesus day by day and week by week taught them all they needed to know. Because they started as devoted disciples, they could one day become apostles.
When Jesus first met them, the disciples were not ready to take on any kind of leadership role. They lacked knowledge about God and His will, they did not have the compassion a spiritual leader must have, and their character was far from ready to be an example for others. And this is where we all begin. We need to mature spiritually before we can be leaders in the church.
In this chapter I will point out three important areas of spiritual growth: spending time with God, serving in the church and studying. I will speak more about character in the next chapter when we talk about what it is to have a personal ethical code.
Some parts of preparation occur among other people, but there are other sides that can only take place when you are alone. The foundation of any minister’s life is his personal relationship with God. And that relationship needs to grow not only while you are in church, but also in solitude together with the Holy Spirit.
I was fortunate to fall in love with the Bible when I was a child. When I was around ten years old, I collected my savings, went to the local book shop and bought my first Bible. And without any pressure from my parents, I started to read it daily. I remember the peace and comfort I felt as I made my way through the biblical stories, even though I did not always understand what I was reading. As the years went by, the Bible became more and more understandable and more and more precious to me, and the daily reading became a permanent part of my life.
THE FOUNDATION OF ANY MINISTER'S LIFE IS HIS PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP TO GOD. AND THAT RELATIONSHIP NEEDS TO GROW NOT ONLY WHILE YOU ARE IN CHURCH, BUT ALSO IN SOLITUDE TOGETHER WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT.
This habit might not seem significant, but to me it has been an immense strength. Good routines take time to develop, but they provide strength and stability that is very much needed in ministry. This is especially true of how you spend your time when you are alone. If a person can only worship and pray when he is in church, how can he help others grow spiritually?
When Jesus taught His disciples about prayer, He said that it is not the number of words that is important, but the faith and sincerity of the heart. He said that God is a Father “who is in the secret place” (Matthew 6:6). He wants you to come to Him in secret, when nobody else knows about it. There – in worship, prayer and meditation, He will meet you and fellowship with you.
To find time alone with God is therefore a battle every minister must fight and win. Every one of us knows the power of distraction. Busy schedules and annoying telephone calls are a part of our everyday life. But only you can set the standard for your daily schedule, and only you can set the priorities of your time. In all the noise of the 21st century God is still the God who is in the secret place.
IN ALL THE NOISE OF THE 21st CENTURY GOD IS STILL THE GOD WHO IS IN THE SECRET PLACE
This is the very center of leadership preparation. Ministry flows out of your relationship with God. You give to others what you possess yourself. If you want to serve God, you cannot make any better investment than spending time with Him in secret. Commitment and confidence will grow when you learn to listen to His voice and trust His word.
When we speak about things like this, it is so important to emphasize that you don’t compete with anyone. There is nobody you need to impress. Fellowship with God must be natural and personal, as with a close friend. Never compare yourself with others. If you read books about prayer, let them inspire you, but the authors of these books don’t know your realities. You must find joy in the daily rhythm that works for you.
Discipline is always a part of the picture. You were saved by grace, but you will never grow spiritually strong without personal discipline. Good habits will allow the Holy Spirit to shape you, and those habits demand daily commitment. Everything good in life is more difficult in the beginning than it is after a while. The first time I decided to pray for an hour I lasted 45 minutes. I had prayed for every need I could possibly think of, and I was totally exhausted. But it is not like that today. As you spend time in God’s presence, you gradually grow in spiritual discipline and willpower.
There is nothing greater than being a servant, and Jesus came to earth to teach us that. He demonstrated a life of servanthood that is a pattern for all believers to follow. Even as leaders, we will always be servants, and we learn these lessons by actively taking part in what goes on in the local church.
True servanthood begins with a willing and faithful attitude. Jesus several times spoke about the importance of being trustworthy in what is small before God will trust you with more.
“He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much”
And:
“Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.”
This principle runs through the whole Bible. Responsibility grows with our level of faithfulness. Joshua served Moses for many years before he could lead the people. David served his father and king Saul. Elisha served Elijah. Serving is the main lesson of discipleship.
I have so many fond memories from the churches I was a part of as a child and youth. Church was the place where I found my friends and spent a lot of my spare time. I very seldom spoke with anybody about my calling to ministry, because it was hard for me to see how that could take place. It remained in my heart as a thing between God and me. I simply had to trust that He would make it happen; someday, somehow.
But I always loved being in the church. I loved the songs, the fellowship and the strong sense of belonging to the body of Christ. It was therefore natural to me to engage myself in any place I could be useful. As the years passed by I believe I was active in more or less every possible church department. I remember being both usher and head usher, singing in the choir, leading a home group, and being a youth leader, driver and night guard. I did not think so much about it at that time, but later I realized that all those years God was preparing me for future ministry.
It is important to learn to be flexible and to be willing to do not first and foremost what you want, but what is needed in the church. Ministry is not picking what you prefer to do, it is saying to Jesus, “Here I am – send me”. To willingly do what you are neither fond of doing nor qualified to do, is a good and useful experience.
MINISTRY IS NOT PICKING WHAT YOU PREFER TO DO, IT IS SAYING TO JESUS, “HERE I AM – SEND ME'. TO WILLINGLY DO WHAT YOU ARE NEITHER FOND OF DOING NOR QUALIFIED TO DO, IS A GOOD AND USEFUL EXPERIENCE.
My church volunteer career brought me into many awkward situations. I remember when we rented the local sports arena to arrange a conference in the early days of the Charismatic revival in Norway. A famous female American preacher was head speaker and people from all over Scandinavia came to listen to her.
We had learned from America that those who kept order in the meetings were called “ushers”. This was a very cool expression, and though I didn’t know much about it, the pastor appointed me as “head usher”. I was placed on the corner at the front row wearing jeans and a pink T-shirt. Then the nightmare started.
After the sermon at an evening meeting, the American preacher invited