Shared this at the recent combined YM Sub-ministry retreat 2011 with the Crosstrainers! As I was preparing this sharing, I was reminded myself at how I started serving my first ever ministry in YM, & it went back all the way at the end of 2005 after my first YM Camp which transformed my life! Experiencing God's love just compels one to want to step up & serve. And with some influence from vyan too, that was what prompted me to be involved in my first ever subministry, The Crosstrainers which was serving for the last 6 years & now taking a step back for the new leaders to take the baton!
Sharing base on book, “On Being a Servant of God” – By Warren W. Wiersbe
Why do we serve in crosstrainers?
1) Christ Love Compels Service!
2 Corinthians 5:14 - 21
New International Version (NIV)
14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. 16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
It’s because of Christ love for us that compels us to serve others! It’s because of His reconciliation to us, and he wants to reconcile the World back to Him!
“Ministry takes place when divine resources meet human needs through loving channels to the glory of God.”
God has freely given to us – so we should freely give to others.
We don’t deserve grace; you simply receive it as God’s loving gift & then share it with others.
What’s the difference between channels & reservoirs?
In ministry we are Channels of God’s resources, not reservoirs. Ministry is a wonderful opportunity for making life that’s loved for others. It’s an opportunity to be like the Lord Jesus Christ.
“… true Christian Ministry can put grace in the hearts so that lives are changed and problems are really solved”
A godly leader once told me, that when we minister to others, we must be careful when giving personal advices & trying to solve other people problems. We are all imperfect beings and what we advice may only be a stop gap measure. Instead we should point them to Christ and allow God’s grace to minister to their needs.
A lot of us think fall into the trap of being manufacturers when he called us to be distributors.
Manufacturers are like the story of 5 loaves & 2 fishes, when disciples thought it was their responsibility to come out with the food, however Jesus just took the lad’s food, looked up to heaven, bless the food, and ask His disciples to distribute to the multitude. And it just multiplied before their eyes! Once you accept yourself as a distributer of God’s riches and not a manufacturer, you will experience a wonderful new freedom and joy in service. Once we accept ourselves as a distributor of God’s riches. You won’t be afraid of new challenges because you know God has the resources to meet them.
2) Spiritual growth in Ministry
Instead of asking “How can I get out of this?, we should ask “what can I get out of this?”
As you grow in your spiritual life & step into the world daily, you will inevitably face challenges along the way. It can be true pressure in school, pressure from family, and even as you serve in the ministry. However, I want to assure you that each challenge will help you to grow if you face it with a godly attitude towards it. There will be times where you will be stretch, and times you will be tested.
But remember to ask God, “what can I get out of this?”
One of the bigget faith building moments came in my time serving with the crosstrainers.
Testimony of Ubin event @ Destination Again 2008
Was looking back at an old email which Adriel sent to the crosstrainer comm after that event, Breakthrough 1 & 2 was added by me, the rest was from Adriel's email.
The amazing BREAK THROUGHS!
Break Through 1- 19 Jan 2008- God Revealed to us Pulau Ubin from that rainbow after we prayed at YM GAP the day before our first recce on where to hold our march event.
Break Through 2- Second recce 17 Feb 2008- Called the manager of ubin resort, shocked us with a budget of $18 000, the Xts gathered to pray, call again on same day. Brought it down to $10 000.
In the midst of these planning, was rushing a school assignment, and at the back of my mind was this event, I decided to take a break from my sch work, & get some encouragement from the Word, and God just showed me this verse…
Romans 4:20-21
New International Version (NIV)
20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.
(Below extracted from Adriel Email's to the Crosstrainer games comm In 2008)
Breakthrough 3 - The event was still too expensive as the guy initially wanted a minimum of 300 pax for $10k. YM Comm then took the decision that if could not get at least 150 signups by that sunday, we would not go to ubin. We polled the ministry last sunday and got 180 replies. We then spoke to the manager and he agreed to reduce the minimum sum to 200 pax. The final figure at ubin yesterday was 208 persons.
Breakthrough 4 - Next then the ferries broke down, and God provided the ferry through Emmeliene's parents.
Breakthrough 5 - By thurs, we still had no port for the ferry. And God again, God provided the port arrangements.
Breakthrough 6 - Then it rained. I remember as I was driving to punggol yesterday morning and it started to rain. A YM leader who was with me said, "Its raining!" I said, "Dont worry, it will stop." He replied, "You sure are confident". I said, "Yes, the number of breakthroughs God has given us over the past 2 weeks, I am absolutely confident the rain will stop." The moment we stepped foot on ubin, as we all saw, God stopped the rain.
Breakthrough 7- After the event, Sandy and I met up with the manager and we pressed him, and guess what, we got a 10% discount on the price! So you guys are well within budget!
Amazing right! Like what warren wiersbe said “If you can explain what’s going on, God didn’t do it”.
Right till today, that has been the greatest faith building testimony serving in crosstrainers!
Like Wiersbe says: “If you can explain what’s going on, God didn’t do it”
And through such tests, this is where spiritual growth builds Godly Character.
Many Christians think they can get by in spiritual ministry because they have charisma and can attract and hold an audience, but it takes more than a wining personality to influence people for Christ; it takes godly character.
It’s been said that people are like trees: the shadow of the tree is reputation, the fruit of the tree is personality, but the roots of the tree are the most important partcharacter!
Another thing we need to know is we are called to be Holy. But we should remember to channels that to others.
Holiness is a very practical thing.
Romans 5:5
New International Version (NIV)
5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
This verse, reminds us that the Holy Spirit can empower one to take on any ministry challenges!
1 Cor 10:31 “whatever you do, do all for the glory of God”
Serving God with the Spirit of Excellence
Gladwin use to share with me this...
“Why give God’s kingdom the crumbs when we are capable of giving Him our best?”
Dangers of service in Ministry
Having said all this, one danger in ministry which I believe I have fall a lot of times, is when we serve people more than God. And that’s one danger which we need to be very careful. We try to please people with what we can do. Like making it the best crosstrainer game possible, not saying that’s wrong, but it’s wrong if we are doing it for ourselves!
And I want to highlight this, that some of us see ministry as a place to fill our emotion needs or as a club to make us popular or in the “in” crowd! We serve because of the people our friends are there! That’s an issue which we must be very careful not to fall into, as if pride sips in, this is where it will give the devil a foothold to bring us down. And another extreme is we live for the ministry. If the ministry is taken away from us, we will collapse with it. We need to remind ourselves that none of us is indispensable. At the end of the day, everything belongs to God! And all this is His ministry.
Philippians 2:3-4
New International Version (NIV)
3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
3) Stepping up & out to serve in Ministry!
“When God put us in a situation for which we feel totally unprepared & in which we aren’t at all comfortable. His actually giving us room to grow!”
1) Each job prepares us for the next one.
2) The Lord may move us when He see’s we are ready.
Looking back the last 6 yrs since God transformed me, I see God’s hand in the areas he led me to serve in. And each job & task has prepared me for the next one. E.g. in my time in crosstrainers, had many opportunities to plan games at retreats, camps & big events. Serving in campus crusade for Christ in TP, organising events for the Christians on campus. Even in my time in army, where I’ve probably grown the most, being challenge in many areas in ocs & in the unit, being exposed to planning for real operations. And all this has actually prepared me to this day, to actually prepare for my biggest challenge yet like in the upcoming YM camp. A task which I would never imagine being able to take on if you ask me 2 yrs ago, as even right now a lot of it has been on the job learning. But yet I’m so excited as I have seen God’s faithfullness countless of times & I know that I know that He will never put one in situation he cannot handle.
So my challenge to you all, if your leaders challenge you to step up, either in this ministry, task you to plan an event, and you feel you are unprepared, unequipped! Do see it at how God is preparing you for the next!
Do your work by faith and leave the results to God!
God wants us to be players not spectators!
God want us to be distributers not manufacturers!
God wants us to be channels not reservoirs!
It’s all our job to always prepare the younger generations, to step in and take over.
2 Timothy 2:2
New International Version (NIV)
2 And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.
It’s such a Joy in Serving Jesus, and it’s a greater joy to seeing God blessing the younger ones to bless others!
“Even people in authority can’t do much about changing the world. But I can do something bybringing God’s presence into the world in which He has put me, & that’s what ministry is all about.”- Warren Wiersbe.
My Challenge to you!
Can we bring God’s presence and be that ministers for God wherever you are! Take opportunities toallow God to use you as loving channels to serve others, minister to their needs.
After hearing all this,
Let me ask you all that question again? Why are we serving in crosstrainers today?
Can you be that true minister for Christ where ever you are?
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