MINISTRY AT HOME

 

MINISTRY AT HOME

Luke 4:24 "But the truth is, no prophet is accepted in his own home town." NLT

How true it is! I have been in the ministry for over 50 years of my life and I can testify to the fact that it is much easier to minister amongst a people who don't know you really well as it is to those who do. It's not too hard to understand why. Public figures have a certain image they portray. It is not usually the same image they have in their personal lives. When out of the public eye, we often act and speak differently. We aren't as careful in how we come across. Those who are a part of our personal lives see us as we are, warts and all. They judge us by how we live amongst them. They see us through different lenses than do those who follow us publicly. Therefore, it is harder for those closest to us to value our public ministry for what it is.

The best way to win over those who know us best is to strive to live consistent lives before them as much as possible. We must always strive to be the godly character we portray ourselves to be in public. We must strive to keep our motives pure so that whatever we do in public will be for the glory of Christ and not our personal gain. We must always stay in a right relationship with the Lord so that we can be the godly people He wants us to be, whether we are in the public eye or not. It is not an easy thing to do, but it is the thing the Lord wants us to do. It is the thing we must do if we are going to please Him.

In reality, there should be no such thing as putting on our Sunday best. If we strive to be righteous on Sunday and are not so careful the rest of the week, we are not right with God. If those who know us outside of church can't see the faith that those inside the church see, we are not right with God. We do not showcase righteousness; we live it every moment of our lives.