00:08:13
And in the midst of feeling that way, I have to remember the truth. Man didn’t call me. Jesus called me. And what is a calling? A calling is simply Jesus saying, number one, you’re called to my father, you’re called to me, you’re called to the Holy Spirit.
00:08:25
And you’re called to a unique position in the Body of Christ, to be an undershepherd, to shepherd the flock of God. And in those hard times, you have to remember your calling. The apostle Paul in Ephesus, is getting ready to leave the elders at Ephesus, and he says this to them, but I consider my life of no value to myself. My purpose is to finish my course. And the ministry I receive from the Lord Jesus to testify to the gospel of God’s grace.
00:08:57
So let me say it really loud for you. I know some of you right now are going through it. Jesus called you Jesus himself. So you stand in the grace of God and be who he has called you to be. And one of the ways that you know you’re called, and one of the ways you know you stand in the grace of God, is that you are gracious in the midst of adversity, in the midst of betrayal, in the midst of difficulty, you stand with a beautiful cruciform life saying, I know who I am, and I know whose I am.
00:09:37
Number three, how do we cultivate ministry or pastoral grit? Remember, Jesus indwells you so you can accomplish what he’s called you to accomplish. Jesus dwells in you. I remember in the early days of getting ready to plant Transformation Church. And so before then, I was primarily a evangelist where I would, I would travel the country and I would speak.
00:10:05
I started out speaking to youth as a former NFL player. I primarily spoke at, like, FCA camps, you know, after school type things. And I began to sense God calling me to be a lead pastor to plan a multiethnic church. So a couple of hurdles I had to overcome was one I grew up as a compulsive stutterer, and I remember being invited to go speak at an event right after I retired from the NFL. And I remember being in a shower, and I was just crying like, God, why would you ask me to go speak at this event?
00:10:40
I’m a compulsive stutterer. Why would you ask me? I’ll give money. I’ll pray, but why do you want me to go? And I just sense God gently saying, if I can raise my son from the dead, I can raise your tongue to talk, but you have to go in faith to see it.
00:10:56
And 23 years later, he has been faithful. So here’s the deal. Jesus indwells you and what he calls you to. Jesus will see you through what Jesus gives you, the vision for. He will give you the provision to carry it out.
00:11:14
Galatians 2:20 says this, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who lives, but Christ lives in me the life I now live in my body. I live by faith in the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.”
So here’s the deal. I’m inadequate, you’re inadequate.
00:11:33
But Jesus is our adequacy. He is sufficient enough. His grace is enough. Remember, he indwells. You.
00:11:44
He called you. And number four, how do we develop ministry or pastoral grit? Remember this. Jesus will last tough times will not. Jesus will last tough times will not.
00:12:01
Something that has struck me since pastoring a church. Man, it’s been beautiful, and it’s been messy, and it’s been hard. Often say to people, because I didn’t grow up in the church, I didn’t really know what I was getting into. And if I did, I kind of would have been like, hey, Lord, can I play a few more years in the NFL or maybe go into something? Because tackling Barry Sanders is often easier than pastoral ministry.
00:12:28
But here’s what I’m learning is Jesus will last tough times will not. I’m going to read from 2 Corinthians 11:23- 2 Corinthians 12:8-10.
00:12:50
And I want you to listen to what the apostle Paul went through, and it really emphasizes to us that Jesus will last: tough times won’t. Let these words baptize you.
“Are they servants for Christ? I know I sound like a madman, but I have served him far more. I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, have been whipped times without number, faced death again and again. Five different times, the Jewish leaders gave me 39 lashes. Three times, I was beaten with rods. Once, I was stoned. Three times, I was shipwrecked. Once, I spent a night and day adrift at sea. I’ve traveled on many long journeys. I’ve faced danger from rivers, from robbers. I faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as the Gentiles. I have faced dangers in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I face danger from men who claim to be believers but are nothing. I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and often gone without food. I have shriveled in the cold without enough clothing to keep me warm. Then besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern for all the churches.”
Wow. And he finishes that section, and he says, this… “God, the father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is worthy of eternal praise, knows I’m not lying.”
00:14:27
So how was he able to have grit, of passion and perseverance for this long term goal of testifying to the gospel, building this beautiful multiethnic church in the midst of discipling, in the midst of betrayal, in the midst of all that he went through? How? Because of this, he knew Jesus would last, but tough times wouldn’t. He says, God the Father of our Lord Jesus, who is worthy of eternal praise, worthy of eternal praise. And ultimately, our grit is found in our praise.
00:15:02
So in closing, how do we cultivate ministry and pastoral grit? We remember Jesus is good even when circumstances are not. We remember, Jesus called you, not man. We remember Jesus indwells you so you can accomplish what he’s called you accomplish. We remember Jesus will last tough times, will not.
00:15:27
When the church is transformed, the world will be transformed form. This is Dr. Derwin Gray. Marinate on that.
00:15:41
You know, if you listen to the podcast, you know that I love research. Used to lead a research company. So I love when research helps to illustrate a question we have. And one of the questions a lot of people are having is how do we look to the decline of a family, maybe the relationship around fatherhood and issues of faith and church? Well, again, the Communio nationwide study on faith and relationships actually points to the collapse of marriage, where resident fatherhood fits into that, and how they all point ultimately to a relationship to Christianity and decline in the church. So visit communio.org study to download Communio’s nationwide study on faith and relationships. Thanks for listening to today’s episode of Transforming the church.