Mechanical Ministry…Running on Empty

Mechanically living our Christianity as a series of events can eventually lead to becoming weary in well doing (Galatians 6:6-9). Evangelism, discipleship and spiritual growth should be more than events filling prescribed time slots; they should be a part of our personal DNA.

Two of the greatest perils to ministry are; just going through the motions and just meeting expectations. If ministry is not “who we are” rather than “what we do,” we can eventually lose vision and heart.

Our goal is to maintain fresh spiritual lives through an intimate relationship with Jesus. Working on the “inner man” (2 Corinthians 4:16), should be the priority of each day. There are no time constraints for our personal devotions, as the Bible speaks of both morning and evening worship. I don’t think the time of day for our personal devotions is the focus: the idea is to give God our best time, not our left-over time.

Think about filling a bucket with water until it overflows – spilling over onto its surroundings. This is a word picture of our lives overflowing onto others within our sphere of influence. Cultivating our personal walk with the Lord empowers us to do more than go through the motions, it enables us to truly minister to people.

Spiritually anemic lives produce negative consequences, both personally and ministerially. The words of Jesus are revealing. Matthew 22: 29 says, “Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.” Notice the strong correlation between the Word of God and the Power of God for our lives. 

When I refer to “spiritual anemia” I am referring to living a life that is the result of the lack of time in the Word and personal worship. Let’s examine three dangers of ministering while spiritually anemic:

1. We make decisions lacking spiritual discernment which is produced through the intake of God’s Word. 1 Corinthians 2:15
2. We find ourselves more vulnerable to temptation as a result of not knowing how to use the Word as a defense against sin. 2 Corinthians 10:5
3. We tend to depend on our own insight rather than guidance from the Holy Spirit. Psalm 73:24

All three of these can be negated by a life lived in close harmony with Christ and His Word each day. This is not a magic formula but think about how foolish soldiers would be going into war without their weapons. The Word of God not only fortifies us personally but provides the weapons we need for spiritual battle (Ephesians 6:10-20).

Do you find yourself just going through the motions? If so, why not make a fresh commitment to the Word and personal worship?