My experience in ministry has completely changed the way I see people. I’m always looking behind the scenes, trying to find the motive behind the action. If we would be honest with ourselves, I think we could all find a few areas where we’re doing the right thing for the wrong reason. And while this may not be the worst sin around, I believe it is very dangerous to ignore it. Here’s why…
Let’s say someone has a glorious salvation experience, from total darkness, to radiant light. Twenty-four hours later, they feel like they are God’s gift to the world and they’ve been called upon to save everyone else. My first thought is (remember, those who spring up quickly can fall just as fast - Matthew 13:20-22), what is the motivation behind this? Why is this person so driven, so quickly? Why would they want to take a position only Jesus can fill? He is God’s gift to the world, and that position will never be given to another. I’m not questioning the salvation experience, I’m questioning why this person feels personally responsible for the salvation of the whole world (and it needs to happen by 5 o-clock tomorrow).
Actually, people feel this way for many reasons, and most of them are off base. Some feel like they have to impress God, or balance the scales somehow. The feeling is, “I’ve been so bad for so long, now I have to make up for it by being extra good. Perhaps God will smile upon me eventually.” In reality, God loves us unconditionally, no strings attached. When we’re looking good, and when we’re looking bad. Whether we are evangelizing, or scrubbing floors. It makes no difference to him.
Some people are driven by their nightmarish past. They are familiar with pain, and want to help others avoid it. But just because you can relate to someone’s story and you can “feel their pain”, that doesn’t necessarily mean you can help them. If you wish to help others find freedom, make sure you are personally free yourself. Otherwise, you’ll just be teaching people your own survival skills, thinking you’re doing them a real favor, when in reality, you’re only encouraging them to be plastic, or ignore their true feelings.
Then there are those who feel the need to be the hero. The answer man. The knight in shining armor. They love to be needed and affirmed (possibly from a lack of parental love). If this is the driving force behind our ministry, we are no doubt headed for a meltdown. I’m not saying we don’t play a very important part in reaching the lost, after all, Jesus called his followers “the light of the world”. I’m just saying that He is the star of the show, and we should be okay even if we are never affirmed by our family, friends, the church or the world. Our affirmation needs to come directly from Jesus. He offers a peace that can’t be found in anyone or anything else, and it is not doled out based on results.
So many people are trying to manufacture this on their own. This peace cannot be created by human effort. Fasting, praying, reading the Bible, attending seminars, etc, are all great, but they cannot produce this peace in and of themselves (we must be connected to the One who inspired the Book, not just the Book itself). I believe the thief who was saved during Jesus’ crucifixion is a perfect example of this (Luke 23:40-43). He didn’t possess a whole lot of Kingdom knowledge as he entered Paradise. In fact, he never even prayed the “sinners prayer”. Imagine that! I can almost hear him asking, “How did I get here? Was it something said?”.
At any rate, our motivation for helping others should only come from God’s love flowing through us, out of which comes a natural desire to share the Gospel with those who have yet to discover how wonderful He really is.