Our Freedom in Ministry

Yesterday I had the privilege of talking with Donny Parrish, Director of Church Ministries for the BMA of America about church ministry today. My heart and eyes were opened to some great principles concerning reaching the lost today. I was also reminded to lay down my own preferences in ministry so that I might be as effective and flexible as possible to see what the Holy Spirit wants to do next.

This morning, I preached from Romans 8:1-4 in which Paul talks about some of our great freedoms “in Christ.” The phrase the Scriptures use is a thrilling one – “now no condemnation.” When I arrived home, I flipped on the television to a Calvary Chapel pastor from Florida who just happened to be preaching on the same theme. I had tuned in at just the right moment to hear his closing prayer thanking God that there is “now no condemnation to them who are in Christ.”

Amazingly, this pastor’s approach to ministry was obviously different from my own. His church practiced a very contemporary form of worship, he was dressed in casual clothing, and the background of the stage created a much different atmosphere than my stained glass background in my home pulpit. Nevertheless, the content of our messages was essentially the same message – “now no condemnation to them which are in Christ.”

I want to thank God for the freedom we enjoy to differ slightly and yet remain true to the Scriptures. They will always provide our content in preaching and our context for ministry, but our methodology, within reasonable and biblical limits, must remain flexible if we are to reach each new generation of people with the life-changing message of the gospel. More on this generational shift in our ministry later…