Ray Family Update from October 2021

Dear Praying Friends,

I have often thought it unfair to judge work done by anybody that you have not first done yourself. It is easy, for example, for someone who has never waited tables to sit in judgment and suggest that he or she would do better given the opportunity. The same thing could be said of the way we view the work of police officers, politicians, teachers, hospital workers, etc. In the end, all of these jobs have their share of difficulties or they would cease to be jobs. The same is true of the ministry. Outsiders, looking in, have mockingly said they would love to be in the ministry and only work one or two days a week and spend the rest of the time eating and playing golf. While some slothful men have contributed to this myth, I assure you that the truth is quite different and often overwhelmingly so. Concerning the cooperation of troubles coming upon the minister, Paul diversified them by saying, “Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches” (2 Corinthians 11:28).

I may be alone in this, but I have a bit of a different perspective on the ministry. The common message is that we need more men to enter the ministry. With that in mind, we sell the ministry like the door-to-door salesman pitching vacuum cleaners. The salesman knows there are shortcomings in his product, but he would not dare address those for fear that he would lose a customer. He would rather get a bad review a few months down the road when the misled customer figures out what the salesman already knew, the product was imperfect. In like manner, we are so quick to convince young men to become pastors, evangelists, and missionaries, commonly sold as going into “full-time Christian service,” that we neglect to tell them of the heartaches and difficulties they and their families will endure simply by enlisting in the fight. Sadly, months or years later, the once happy minister learns that what he was sold and what he got were two different things. In his naivety, he thought the ministry was simply preaching some good messages, making some hospital visits, and eating meals with friends. Some presently in the ministry might even read this and wonder what part of that statement is flawed.

The truth is that we do not need more pastors, missionaries, and evangelists. We need more FAITHFUL and EQUIPPED ministers. This does not happen by accident and it is not the mere capturing of a new “customer” in a pyramid scheme. Instead, it comes when men enter the ministry equipped with the word of God and with eyes wide-open, but do so because they cannot be satisfied with anything less than giving their lives (good times and bad) to God. We need men who can push through the urge to quit because they are overwhelmed and who realize that Christ pushed through any urges He had to quit on Calvary (Hebrews 12:2). Sure, this might filter out some of those joyfully marching to the pulpit or the mission field, but it might also filter out those who mournfully leave the same a few months or years later. God help us to focus more on the quality and less on the quantity. Some pastors do need to quit pastoring. Some churches need to close their doors and merge with others. Some missionaries need to leave the field. In fact, in many cases, we should applaud those who do so rather than going on robotically and habitually for money’s sake or because they cannot humble themselves enough to admit that they gave it a good try, but that God never had His hand on the ministry.

In reality, the ministry can be difficult for all who endeavour to fulfill it. The presence of troubles and burdens is not an indication that one has been forsaken by God, nor is it an indication of being out of the will of God. In fact, it could be quite the opposite. It is not enough for us to start our races but then bail out at the first sight of adversity. We must finish! In fact, anybody can start a race with or without training, heart, and skill; but it takes a man with some conviction to keep running when everything within him says otherwise. All trained and skillful runners have, at one point or another, been tempted to quit, but the truest competitors finish and do so with all their might. The ministry is no different. Some preachers have jokingly said that they quit the ministry every Monday morning but reenlist before the evening is up. At the end of the day, if I (or you) am doing the work that God wants me to do, I should refuse to quit on God as He has refused to quit on me. That thought is what keeps me going when nothing else will do.

Thankfully and graciously, God often lets “fall also some of the handfuls of purpose” that we may glean them (Ruth 2:16). These “handfuls of purpose” come in various forms, but they remind us that God can and will use us to accomplish His work in the lives of others. For me personally, in spite of all the struggles I have faced since entering the ministry, these “handfuls of purpose” have encouraged me to take steps forward when I might have otherwise thrown in the towel. Sometimes these have come in the way of one of my children telling me how thankful they are that their daddy is their pastor and favorite preacher. Sometimes it comes in the way of a child in the church trusting Christ and following Him in believer’s baptism. Sometimes it comes by way of an email, letter, card, phone call, or text message where somebody says, “Thank you,” for help received from your ministry. These “handfuls” are not required and they are certainly not deserved, but we thank God for them when they come and, more times than not, we realize that they come just when we needed them most.

All things considered, the difficulties in the ministry remind us of the importance of walking with God, not just on a daily basis, but on a moment-by-moment basis. Yet, this is not just true for the minister, but for all of God’s people. We get discouraged. We get tired. We get frustrated that things do not go as we would have them to go. Yet, the problem is never with the Lord, but with us. We need our hearts stirred afresh to live for and serve the Saviour. We need the reminder that the Christian life is not about us. Instead, it is our opportunity to please the One who gave His life so that we could have life and have it in abundance. Unfortunately, I find myself going through seasons of highs and lows, warmth and coldness, zeal and complacency. When you are on one end or the other, it is hard to imagine yourself ever being on the other side again. My instability brings me to an even greater appreciation for God’s stability.

That being said, I want to live my life in such a way as to please the Lord. In order for that to happen, I need the Lord to stir my heart and renew a desire within me to reach the lost, minister to the saints, care for and minister to my family, study His word and teach it or preach it to those who will hear it, and whatever other areas in which He could find a place for me to do His will and way. If that involves more writing, let me do it with joy in my heart. If that involves more preaching/teaching, let me do it with zeal. If that involves service in obscurity, let me do it with all my heart knowing that the most important eyes are on my heart and work. This is my desire, but how to fulfill it is going to require a great work from the great God and Saviour. And for this, I ask you to pray, not for me, but with me, and perhaps it would be fitting to pray the same for yourself.