Church as a Gift

Even though I haven't been "doing ministry" for that long, over the past 9 years of pastoral ministry, I have seen in my own soul the best of serving the Lord and I have seen the worst.  And one of the greatest challenges to every person in vocational ministry is to find the balance between self-effort and God's activity.  One of the most common traps that is so easy to fall into is to buy the lie that any "success" or growth in a ministry is due to your own hard work, natural talent, and/or personal effort.  You will often hear at pastor's conferences, "Yeah, I started out with only a handful of people and then I grew it to hundreds or thousands."  Really, you grew it.

I have been reminded and humbled in this regard recently by my most recent job change and ministry assignment.  As most of you know, I just moved up to Olympia to pastor a church that is bit over 2 years old with about 200 people in the downtown area.  

And here's the beauty of it right now for me- this church is a gift of God by His grace... period.  I was saying to my wife the other day.  I have done absolutely nothing to earn, deserve, or merit this church.  I can't even be tempted right now to take any credit because I haven't done anything but show up.  The people aren't there because of me- they don't know me.  They aren't gathering because of my great sermons- they've heard only a couple.  I didn't plant this church, I haven't "grown" this church, and I have no claim to it.  It belongs to Jesus.  I am grateful for those who have gone before and labored to get it to this place, but again, it wasn't me.

Every day I come to serve and every chance I get to preach, I do so with thankfulness and joy because it really isn't my church at all.  And I pray that as the years go on, I would remember that.  When I am tempted to take credit down the road, may I remember that this is a gift.  It doesn't belong to me and if anything of spiritual worth comes from it, all credit, glory, and honor must go to One who really is building His church... and that's Jesus.