What motivates you to do ministry?
It’s an important question to ask yourself as the semester begins.
You have probably heard a lot about how crucial these first few weeks of campus are. You hear so much about meeting people, sharing the gospel, starting small groups, etc. A lot goes into the planning, preparing, and praying for fruitfulness
At first…it’s exciting. You anticipate what God might do. You think of the impact He might make on your campus and in your world through YOU. Hopefully, you are fired up right now to go take campus by storm.
But I want to warn you a little bit. Over time that passion can wear off and you can lose motivation.
I see it all the time.
I’m always excited on day 1 of campus. By weeks 3-4, though, I can be exhausted. Discouragement has set in.
It’s common for you if you are a staff or student leader. You come back from a summer project or mission trip and you can’t wait to share the gospel.
You’re ready!
But what happens when you first share the gospel boldly with someone you are expecting to come to Christ…and it falls flat?
Maybe that first gospel appointment doesn’t go the way you expected. Maybe the guy gets offended or thinks it’s weird or something and you question to yourself…”well I wonder why that didn’t work?”
As you start to process the experience you might think, “Wait a second, why am I doing this to begin with??? Now that I think about it, that was kind of aggressive!! Why is this staff girl or leader asking me to do things that might offend people??! That’s what THIS IS ALL ABOUT? They just want me to go out there and grow this organization…don’t they??? I’m out!”
That might sound a little extreme…but that happens!!
What could cause you, in a matter of weeks, to go from fired-up laborer to discouraged and disgruntled and giving up on doing ministry?
Usually, it’s bad motivations that are fueling that ministry.
There are 3 poor fuels that will break down your motivation. Like putting water, or diesel, or Koolaid in a V8 engine, these fuels will destroy your motivation for ministry.
1. Fueled by competition
Some of you just want to win. You have a competitive nature that can’t help but turn everything into a competition. When it comes to ministry, you’re constantly comparing yourself to other leaders. Who has made the most contacts? Who has shared the gospel the most? How many people do others have in their Bible studies? And on and on. You want the most!
This is a powerful, yet dangerous fuel for ministry because it works…for a while. You can always justify more effort in ministry. And you don’t always recognize you’re doing this until it catches up to you.
Eventually, you’ll start to notice pride or despair as you compare yourself to others. You’ll be tempted to do “what works” for the sake of growing your ministry.
Competition might motivate you to perform outwardly in ministry for a season, but it’s dangerous, self-centered, and displeasing to God.
2. Fueled by recognition
The other fuel for ministry is praise from people. You love the feeling you get when others notice you and your ministry’s success. In the campus ministry leadership world, you can find it. If you go work hard on campus there will be people in the ministry who will celebrate you.
This is an addictive fuel.
The problem is you can’t seek the praise of people and the praise of God at the same time (Galatians 1:10).
This is the spirit of the religious leaders who, Jesus said, did “all their deeds to be seen by others” and loved “the place of honor at feasts” (Matt 23:5-6). They were addicted to recognition.
Jesus warned against a heart that does this in John 5:44…
“How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?”
John 5:44
This fuel is fleeting and can’t sustain you long in ministry.
3. Fueled by obligation
The last unhealthy fuel that can motivate laborers is one of duty.
When your ministry casts a big vision for laboring and trains in how to do it it’s easy to feel like they NEED you to do ministry for them.
Sometimes it feels good to be “needed.” But that’s an unhealthy burden to carry. God doesn’t “need” any of us. It’s a privilege He invites us to be a part of what He is already doing.
Other times you feel an obligation to do ministry as a means to stay a part of the group.
You might subconsciously think, “I like these people. I want to be included. They all want me to labor so I’ll do it to stay a part of the group.”
So you labor for the organization to perform or to belong. It feels like a requirement.
Eventually, this fuel only leads to bitterness because we were never called to build a man-made organization. We are called to build God’s kingdom.
Are you feeling pressure to be a part of the group? Do you think they “need” you to do this? That could be a sign obligation is taking root.
Replacing Negative Fuels with Good ones
Competition, recognition and obligation are terrible motivators for ministry, but they are so common. We’re all fueled by these are some point or another.
When you discover them in yourself you have to combat them.
It’s healthy to evaluate your heart and see if you could be drifting towards one or more of these motivations. If so, it’s time to confess and remind yourself of truth.
The reality is, you ARE a part of something big. You are part of the body of Christ universally and need to join with the body of Christ locally to build God’s kingdom for His sake and His glory.
Motivated like Jesus…
So how do you stay centered? How do you keep your motivations right as you are kicking off ministry this fall? We need to look to Jesus’ example.
Jesus left us an example of how we are supposed to be fueled in ministry. You can’t let competition, recognition, or obligation motivate you.
You need to be fueled by compassion for the lost
Matthew 9:35-38
35 And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
Matthew 9:35-38
Fueled by Compassion for the Lost
Jesus was fueled by compassion for the lost.
You might have heard the word compassion described before. In the original language, it means “stomach ache.” When Jesus saw these people He was sick to his stomach. He hurt for them.
You’ve likely seen videos from Afghanistan and all the horrible things happening there. There have been little babies being passed over crowds to the front of the line so that they might be able to get out of the country. When we see that our reaction can be, “Oh that makes me sick.”
That is Jesus’ response to these people.
Is that how you feel when you look at your campus?
Do you feel compassion when you look at the people living next to you in your dorm? In your neighborhood?
Likely not.
I wasn’t usually tearing up at the tailgate with my pledge brothers.
But I want to see people the way He does. And I believe if you want to stay motivated for ministry you have to be fueled by compassion for people the same way Jesus was.
So how do you grow that compassion?
It says, first, Jesus…
1. He SAW the crowds
“When he saw the crowds…” (Matthew 9:36)
The main reason I don’t feel compassion for the lost is I don’t even SEE THEM at all!
Think about it. You can go about so much of your day IGNORING the people around you. You go to class, pass 100 people on the way, sit by people, grab lunch at the union, go workout…and never have a conversation.
For us, it could easily read…
“And he went throughout all the classes and areas of campus, never seeing the crowds because he was scrolling through his phone with his AirPods in.“
We don’t see people.
One reason is we are too consumed with ourselves.
Have you ever met someone, shook their hand and then 2 seconds later you cant remember their name?! It happens all the time. Why? You are so focused on yourself (making a strong handshake, saying your name clearly, etc.) that you ignore the person.
You can do this in evangelism itself. When you’re talking to someone about the gospel you can be so focused on “doing it right” or looking like you have all the answers that you ignore the heart of the person.
If you want to be fueled with compassion for the lost you have to SEE THEM — into their heart.
A “Seeing” Experience
An activity our team did on a recent mission trip opened my eyes to Jesus’ heart of compassion for people. We were in a country that is less than 1% Christian. We had heard all the statistics about the lost. But statistics don’t do a lot to move me emotionally. It’s just a number.
So we did this exercise called “1000 faces.”
We went out into the city by ourselves one afternoon on a day of prayer. Our assignment was to make eye contact with 1000 people (the fact that you even think of that as potentially creepy shows how uncommon it is to really see people).
I went to the subway station, sat in the train, and walked through the streets. Everywhere I went I made eye contact with people. Just briefly. But I realized even more, every person I saw has a story — a life, family, hurts, hopes. They are going through life searching for what they hope will bring them joy. It was sobering as I realized, statistically, there is a legitimate chance I never once looked into the eyes of a Christian.
I was filled with compassion.
Guess what? That next week it was easier to initiate and reach out to people. I was more motivated. I wanted people to know the hope of the Gospel through Jesus Christ.
If you want to be filled with compassion, you have to lift your eyes up and see the people around you.
Second, it says WHY Jesus was filled with compassion:
2. He saw the state of their souls
“because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.“
Jesus was filled with compassion because he saw the state of their soul. They were harassed, helpless, and shepherdless. They had no one to guide them.
In America, we’re trained to see faith and religion as a personal decision. Each person gets to decide for themselves what they want to believe and focus on. Our culture teaches, “If it works for them, great.”
That’s not Christianity. Jesus’ compassion demonstrated the truth.
Proverbs 14:12 says,
“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.”
Proverbs 14:12
Paul, in Ephesians 2:1-4 reminds us that before anyone is saved they are ”dead in their trespasses and sins…” and “by nature children of wrath.” Judgment is all that awaits.
The reality is, apart from Christ, every single person you know is headed for an eternity separated from God in hell.
That’s why Jesus was filled with compassion.
We like to ignore hell or pretend that it doesn’t exist. But Jesus was hyper-aware of the reality of hell. He spoke about hell more than he did about heaven.
If you want to be filled with compassion, you need to think about hell.
Jude calls it a “punishment of eternal fire.” Jesus uses the image of darkness to emphasize its total separation from God. Another image is that of a lake of fire. Most believe these are symbolic of the terrible, literal reality people are experiencing there.
And to think after 10,000 years of suffering in hell, people there will not be 1 second closer to its end. It’s eternal.
It’s enough to make you sick to your stomach.
Seeing Hopelessness
When I was overseas in Southeast Asia I was living in this neighborhood that was fairly busy. One afternoon on a walk I heard a commotion and went over to see what was happening. It was a parade filled with drums, flowers, and singing. It was impressive and looked fun, so my friend and I ran over to see what it was celebrating.
As we got closer, we saw a stretcher being carried with a body on it. Flowers and colors decorated the casket.
It was a funeral procession.
At that moment, knowing the nature of the country I was in and the family’s chosen form of funeral, it was almost certain that this man was in hell.
I was filled with compassion. I was remorseful. It created motivation.
Motivated with compassion
We gain compassion when we truly 1) SEE people and when we 2) recognize the STATE of their soul and hopelessness apart from Christ.
Are you fueled by compassion for the lost? Is that your motivation for ministry?
Adrian Rodgers, a pastor, once said, “Perhaps the worst thing is not that we don’t win people to Christ; perhaps the worst thing is NOT that we don’t share; the worst thing is that we don’t even care.”
The fuel of compassion and care for the lost is what will keep you motivated.
- Don’t fall into a competition.
- Don’t seek recognition from people.
- Don’t let obligation motivate you.
This is about the harvest of lost souls that desperately need a savior. Your harassed and helpless friends need a relationship with Jesus. God, in His grace, has invited YOU to be a part of this mission — to be one of the laborers that get to introduce people to their Shepherd.
Will you be fueled by compassion?
Put it into Practice:
Is there a name or two of people with who you specifically feel burdened to share the gospel?
Compassion might mean initiating with them this week.
Maybe you can’t think of someone specific right now…that’s okay!
Jesus was filled with compassion for total strangers. When you go meet people for the very first time on campus the next few weeks you can have that same heart of compassion for them to know Jesus.
Those are the types of laborers Jesus prays for. He tells us to beg God to send out laborers into the crowds who have that same compassion for the lost that He does.
Let’s ask God to fuel us with that type of compassion.
