## Why No Ministry?

## Proverbs 29:18

- We have talked about the importance of ministry
- We have discussed how ministry needs to be focused on fulfilling our mission as a local church
- We have talked about what we need to be prepared to do ministry
- We have noted the motivation for doing ministry and the eternal benefits of faithfully ministering.
- But still, there are many who have no ministry.
- Why is that? Tonight I want us to consider three possible reasons.

I. Lack of Vision for Ministry

(Prov 29:18) "Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he."

A. No ministry will just happen.

B. We each much see the need to do ministry or we will not do it.

C. Jesus challenged us to lift up our eyes and look.

(John 4:35) "Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest."

1. What is the significance of 'lifting up our eyes'?

2. I believe that this goes far beyond foreign missions.

3. This is applicable to every area of our Christian life…we need to lift up our eyes.

4. But this is especially necessary when it comes to ministry.

II. Procrastination of Ministry

A. This same verse brings us to another reason why some people have no ministry.

B. Procrastination.

1. Let's take a closer look…

2. It is not just putting off what we know we ought to do…

3. But it is allowing other things to steal away our opportunities.

(Eph 5:15-16) "See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, {16} Redeeming the time, because the days are evil."

(Col 4:5) "Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time."

C. Redeeming the time = taking advantage of every opportunity…using our time to its fullest potential.

D. Our lives get filled up with things that are not necessarily bad, but they tend to steal our time away from that which is most important.

E. The biblical word is 'expedient' which describes what is the best way for us to use our time.

III. Discouragement

A. The third thought I want us to consider may be the one that is keeping more people from ministry than any other.

B. Discouragement.

1. It can be discouraging to us if we do not see immediate results of our ministry.

2. But that is because of our sin nature…we are geared to see instant results.

3. Illustration of $1 million on April 1st or $.01 on the first and then double the amount each day.

4. By April 30th you would have over $10 million!

5. We get discouraged in ministry, because we don't look at the 'big' picture.

C. God's perspective on ministry:

1. Nothing we do for the Lord is wasted.

(1 Cor 15:58) "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord."

2. God did not call us to be successful; He called us to be faithful.

(1 Cor 4:1-2) "Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. {2} Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful."

3. How many servants of Christ have given up ministry, simply because they became discouraged with the lack of results?

4. Now, it is good to see results, but we must be careful that we do not minister 'just for results'.

5. Listen to a story about Mr. Jenner.

6. As I read this account, keep in mind the fact that God calls us to be faithful, not necessarily successful (in human terms).

Dr. Francis Dixon is a well-known pastor in England. One night in church he asked a man named Peter to share his testimony. Peter got up and said, "This is how I was saved. I was in the Royal Navy. I was walking down George Street in Sydney, Australia and out of nowhere stepped a little old gray-haired man and he said to me, 'Excuse me, sir, but could I ask you a question? I hope that it won't offend you, but if you were to die today, where would you spend eternity? The Bible says that it will either be in Heaven or it will be in Hell. Would you think about that, please? Thank you, God bless you, and Toodle-oo!' Then the man left I had never been confronted with that question - I couldn't get it out of my mind; I got back to London, I sought out a pastor, and I became a Christian.

Several weeks later they had a revival in the church and Noel, one of the visiting revival team, shared his testimony, "This is how I came to know Christ. I was in the Royal Navy and I was walking down George Street in Sydney, Australia and out of nowhere stepped a little old gray-haired man, He said to me, 'Excuse me, sir, but could I ask you a question?

I hope that it won't offend you, but if you were to die today, where would you spend eternity? The Bible says that it will either be in Heaven or it will be in Hell. Would you think about that, please? Thank you, God bless you, and Toodle-oo! 'What he said bothered me and later, I sought out a Christian and I was converted to Christ."

Several months after that Dr. Dixon was in the city of Adelaide in eastern Australia and he thought that he would share the testimony of Peter and Noel. A man in the congregation jumped up waving his hands and said, "Well, I'm another - the same thing happened to me. I couldn't get what he said out of my mind and I became a follower of Jesus."

Dr. Dixon went to western Australia for a revival meeting and shared this story and afterwards a deacon of the church came to him and said, "Dr. Dixon I'm another, I'd never been asked that question and later I prayed to receive Christ."

Pastor Dixon went home to his church in England and shared about Peter and Noel and the man in Adelaide and the deacon from the western part of Australia. When he finished a young lady came up to him and said, "Pastor Dixon, I'm another, this man said the same thing to me and later I became a believer."

Several weeks after that, Dr. Dixon was attending a conference in northern England where he shared this growing story. Afterwards, a man came up to him and said, "Dr. Dixon, well, I'm another, several days after hearing the little man's question, I made Jesus my Lord and Savior."

A year later Dr. Dixon went on a world tour and one of the stops was India. He was at a missionary conference and spoke on the topic of personal evangelism. Dr. Dixon thought, "What a perfect illustration!" He went through the story and afterwards a missionary come up to him and said, " Dr. Dixon, I'm another, it happened the some way for me and trusted Christ later."

After India he went to Jamaica. He was meeting with a group of pastors there he shared this story with them. A pastor came up afterwards and said, "Excuse me, Dr. Dixon, I'm another, the exact same thing happened to me and later, I was converted and went on to seminary."

Well, do I need to tell you where Dr. Dixon went? He went to Sydney, Australia, He sought out a Christian friend of his and told the story and asked if he knew a little gray-haired man on George Street? "Oh, yes! Everybody knows him. That's Mr. Jenner. He did that for twenty-three years! But he's very old now and he's in the hospital confined to his bed."

Dr. Dixon asked his friend to take him to Mr. Jenner. They went to the hospital and Dr. Dixon introduced himself and as he was giving specifics of each story Mr. Jenner began to weep. And he wept and he wept. Dr. Dixon asked, "What's wrong?" And Mr. Jenner said, "Sir, this is the first time in my life that I have ever known of anyone coming to know Christ through my witness."

D. People quit on God…

1. They quit serving Him…

2. They give up on doing ministry, often because they see no visible results for their efforts.

3. Jeremiah the prophet was referred to as the weeping prophet.

4. There is no record of anyone responding to his message during his ministry.

- Lack of Vision for Ministry
- Procrastination of Ministry
- Discouragement in Ministry