True Ministry

 

Friends,

True ministry is when That of God within one speaks to That of God in others.

This is a message I received in worship over the week. As I laid in bed contemplating this message the profound understanding of what it means to bring people the word of God led me to a question. Was I letting That of God in me lead the ministry so That of God in others could hear it; and if I'm being honest the answer is no.

It's not that I have said something contrary to God. I have not said anything to which That of God within me objects. But rather than allow That of God within me to convey things I took leadings that were given to me through my reading and contemplation of scripture and gave them my own voice. This does not make one a false prophet, as the first review of this podcast states, but it does make them an arrogant minister and, in their arrogance, ineffective.

Let me therefore repent — to turn from my arrogance and offer only ministry based on what I receive from the Divine Presence which is clearly for outward ministry. To this end, I have changed the name of this podcast to reflect this aim from The Emancipated Ministry to Letters from an Inner Light. With each letter I will bring you a message received from That of God within me and offer what it has come to mean to me.

I invite you to sit with this message and let That of God within you measure if it holds meaning for you and, if so, what that meaning is. If so moved, feel free to share that meaning in the comments and reviews or leave a voice message on this podcast's anchor.fm page. I started this ministry with the hopes of advancing God's kingdom by strengthening the fellowship of those who hear it and deepening their sense of the Divine Presence in their lives — comments, reviews, and messages are a great way to let me and others know it is doing so.

The humbling revelation of my own arrogance and the changes to the podcast are the first things this message on true ministry brought me to but there's more.

As I consider these words it dawns on me how each and every one of us are called to ministry. We Quakers affirm there is That of God in everyone and it is the attentiveness to the Divine Presence, Agape, or whatever name your have for it that unites us as a faith community. Part of that attentiveness is acting, saying and doing, what that still small voice within each of us urges.

This is true ministry and it has nothing to do with standing at a pulpit reading and pontificating on scripture. True ministry is carried out in your everyday life and is in the things we don't think of at all as being ministry. Recognizing true ministry is one of the keys to feeling the Divine Presence in your life every day.

True ministry is "I love you" said while looking deep into the eyes of your significant other. True ministry is allowing tears to drench your shoulder as someone deals with sorrow. True ministry is cooking and sitting down for dinner with your kids. True ministry is giving the hungry person on the side of the road your last ten dollars. True ministry is not just forgiving someone for something but exploring why they did whatever needs forgiven and allowing yourself to feel compassion for them rather than just forgiveness. True ministry is when That of God in you speaks to That of God in others.

Thank you for listening to this Letter from an Inner Light — seeking to strengthen the fellowship with and deepen your sense of the Divine Presence in your life. If you found this message helpful or inspiring please let me know in the comments, reviews, and voice messages. I'm Raymond Repass saying, may God's everlasting peace, light, and love be with you. Amen.