Develop in Serving God
BE A VERSATILE, MULTI-FACETED LEARNER; AND DEVELOP IN SERVING GOD
When I first started in ministry 48 years go, it was in street ministry with a Jesus People group. I ministered mainly to drug-users and witnessed and shared the Gospel with "regular" people in many different settings: streets, door-to-door, schools, etc.
Then later on in Sweden after attending Bible School, I started my own Bible School in Linköping. We were small, with only 32 students. It was during this time that I learned to systematically prepare and structure courses on different subjects in the Bible, and teach them as a proper Bible teacher should. For example, I prepared 21 hour courses on healing and on the life and the ministry of Christ, 15 hours on the Holy Spirit and the gifts, 15 hours on faith, and several other courses on different subjects.
I was then asked to help start the Word of Life church, and to help start and teach at the Word of Life Bible Training Centre in Uppsala, Sweden. I closed down my Bible school, took a few of my students with me, and moved to Uppsala.
I taught there for four years, and during those four years we saw the Bible school grow to many hundreds of students (if I remember correctly). In any case, we were the largest Bible school in Europe at the time. During those years I grew in my own capabilities at teaching subjects systematically as a Bible teacher. I also travelled all over Europe as a guest teacher in different Bible schools. I still have my notes from that time, and I am still capable to teach as a Bible School teacher. That experience stays and never goes away.
During those years I was also developing in missions work, as well as travelling overseas and teaching, holding seminars, and doing evangelistic work - starting in Roman Catholic churches in Poland. They were the only ones who would receive me! I taught priests and nuns in monasteries and churches, and preached to ordinary people.
Then came our Gospel crusades in Asia, Africa, South America....and the rest is history.
In addition to teaching in Bible schools, I have taught Bible courses to thousands of pastors and people all over the world, I have trained ministers, held large open-air Gospel crusades, started Bible schools, and together with my teams, planted churches (I stopped counting at 1500 churches. Keeping accurate count is a daunting task!) I have even done quite an amount of counseling with people in need, and for others, I have been a "pastoral" figure in their lives.
My point is this: as you seek to grow, develop, and find your place in God's plan, NEVER LET PEOPLE PUT YOU IN A BOX. By this I mean, do not let people label you and tell you that you are "THIS" and therefore you cannot do "THAT."
Do not let anybody tell you nonsense like, "you are an evangelist, so you should not try to be a teacher" or vice versa. I have done both and God has used me in both. If God has called you to do both, you can do both. Just stay with God's calling upon your life, whether it is to do one or multiple things.
Everybody has a "niche," or thing that they "specialize" in, where God uses them the most, but do not let that mean that God cannot use you in anything else if you make yourself available to Him. Be versatile. You may be a pastor or an evangelist, but learn to teach and to do other things, because the Lord can use you in other areas too where people around you may have needs.
DO NOT run after "titles." The names of the five-fold ministry gifts are "job descriptions" rather than titles. At the same time remember that the five-fold ministry gifts do not always have crystal-clear demarcations between them, but they often "intermesh" with one another. Paul said to Timothy, "do the work of an evangelist" although Timothy was not an evangelist. So learn, grow, and be multi-faceted. I consider myself to stand in the office of a "spare tire," available to the Lord wherever He may need me, and I have developed in that manner.
That is why I encourage all pastors to go on missions trips, and evangelists to help out in churches whenever possible. Young ministers: study, watch, and follow older ministers and learn from them. Learn from different kinds of ministers. Take every opportunity you get to do different kinds of ministry where you can be involved, serve, and where you can grow. Take every such challenge as a learning experience. Never park yourself in one place as a "besserwisser" who thinks that he or she has it all figured out.
I have always been a "curious" and "adventurous" kind of person, always wanting to learn more. This has helped me, and I am still in the learning process of life as I serve the Lord.
So, never stop learning, growing, or stretching yourself outside of your comfort zone as you serve the Lord. It will benefit both you and the people you minister to.
Originally posted on Facebook by Pastor Christopher Alam