(This article also includes a podcast discussion. Click the play button below, or subscribe and listen on your Apple or Google podcast app.)
(This is part of an ongoing series. Check out part one and part two)
In reading and listening to other commentators on this subject, *I heard an interesting point: Ravi Zacharias may have been in ministry around the world, but from what we can tell he didn’t have a home church. If he did, it doesn’t appear that he served a body of local believers, nor was he under the regular authority of a pastor. Many were blessed by his ministry, but he didn’t seem to have a home church that he focused on.
This small point actually has major implications.
In our advanced age, things like travel and technology allow us to reach people around the world in ways our ancestors couldn’t have imagined. We’ve grown so used to it that we simply assume if we can reach the world, we should reach the world.
And while that’s an incredible thing, especially when we think about what it means for the gospel, we can often get so focused on the width of our reach that we forget God’s primary calling for all believers.
and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near. (Hebrews 10:24-25)
We are called to love and serve the Christians in our local body. We are to stir them to good works, use our gifts to grow them, and in turn allow them to serve Christ by using their own gifts for our growth and encouragement.
There’s a certain assumption that authors and speakers should travel the world, holding conferences or speaking at other churches. And that’s certainly a good thing to do. However, a ministry to the world isn’t meant to come at the expense of our ministry to the local body of believers God places us in.
By traveling the world and serving others, teachers become out of sync with how God has designed us to function. They lose access to the strengths and weaknesses of those in their church, and instead only surround themselves with paid staff. They don’t submit to the authority of an elder (as commanded in Hebrews 13:17) and instead must answer to those in charge of public relations. They serve the universal body of Christ but aren’t really invested in any particular individuals.
In any ministry, we must never forget our calling to serve those God has placed directly in our lives. This calling is on all believers, even those without a ministry. We can’t obey God’s call to serve the body if we aren’t part of a body. Our local church, with all its imperfections, is key to our lives, our spiritual health, and our service to God.
*I’ve tried to find the source of this, but can’t remember who said it. If you know, please contact me so I can properly credit them.
(Why does anyone with fame or power seem to fall into sin? Check back next time for “The Depravity of Our Leaders and Teachers”)
