Kingdom-minded Ministry

One of the most notable parts of the Lord’s pattern of prayer is, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). For a Jew, this prayer means asking God to bring back the glorious Davidic kingdom, with all its material prosperity, power, national security, etc., to Israel. However, “the kingdom of God is not meat and drink” (Romans 14:17a). Jesus’ prayer wasn’t for a political kingdom to come for He knew that “the things which are seen,” that is prosperity, power and security are temporal, but the “things which are not seen,” that is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost are eternal.

Those who do not know Christ, seek for temporary things. They give most of their lifetime to give an answer to their recurring questions and doubts, “What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?” (Matthew 6:31). They look for a political kingdom because they want to secure meat, drink and clothes for themselves.

The Gentiles seek for a political kingdom to get what they need, but Jesus teaches us to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness “and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33b, emphasis mine). These things, referring to what the political kingdom offers, aren’t the centre of attraction in the Kingdom of God; these things are just by-products of seeking the spiritual kingdom first.

We are not made to follow the blessings; God designed the blessings to follow us. “The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee” (Deuteronomy 28:8) if we will seek the spiritual Kingdom of Jesus Christ. Which kingdom do we want to come on earth? Are we confined to the false security that a political kingdom offers? As ministers, are we primarily concerned about the “these things” of the people whom we are serving? Or are we focusing on expansion of the Kingdom of God in their lives?

A Kingdom-minded Minister is Soul-oriented

Now while Peter doubted in himself what this vision which he had seen should mean, behold, the men which were sent from Cornelius had made enquiry for Simon’s house, and stood before the gate.

Acts 10:17, KJV

Peter was a devoted Jew. He revered the law so much that he refused God when He asked him to kill and eat the forbidden animals in his vision.[i] Apparently, both clean and unclean animals were present in the visionary representation – those that the Jewish law allowed to be sacrificed to God, or proper for food; as well as those which that law had prohibited in both cases. The message that God wanted to convey was clear, “What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common” (Acts 10:15). After Calvary, “there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek” (Romans 10:12a) for we are all “one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28b).

While Peter was trying to figure out the interpretation of his vision, the men whom Cornelius sent were standing at the gate of Simon’s house. While he was still adhering to the “political kingdom,” that is religiosity and legalism, of the Jewish people, there was a man waiting to hear the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Woe unto us if we neglect the souls that are already at the gate just because we are still deep-seated in our own little kingdoms!

Effective ministers are kingdom-minded, and kingdom-minded ministers are soul-oriented. What they see in every person is neither their race nor their material possessions but their precious souls that need the saving gospel of the kingdom. They are persuaded that souls have no colour and that differences should never become a hindrance in reaching the lost.

Souls are God’s heartbeat. He said, “Behold, all souls are mine” (Ezekiel 18:4a), and it is apparent that He moved heaven and earth to take back what He owns. He endured the cross, the rejection, humiliation, pain and death, for the joy that was set before Him. Such joy didn’t come from seeing His defeated enemies after the resurrection but from a torn veil through which precious souls can enter again. Calvary’s primary purpose wasn’t to give us a joyous life on earth, but to bring our souls into God’s eternal rest.

We miss the whole point of Calvary if we are not soul-oriented in the ministry. If our hopes and dreams have nothing to do with the welfare of the souls of other people, we should not be in the ministry. If our motive is anything other than souls, we will certainly fail!

The church and its ministries must be in the redemption business. Our first ministry is the ministry of reconciliation – to restore the souls back into the hands of the One who created them. Each activity of the church, whether it is a preaching, ushering, teaching, music, etc., must aim to reach out for souls and souls alone. Vesta Mangun said,

Why is it that most of our preachings is to the first three rows – to the same ones hearing the gospel again and again? And they become very touchy and critical how you give it to them.

“The temperature is too hot, too cold.”
“The sound system too loud.”
“You preached too long.”
“The choir sang too fast, too loud and too repetitive.”

Does that bother you? Do you weep about that? Does anybody even care? Where are the soul-winning churches? We don’t have other reason to exist but to be in the redemptive business!

Vesta Mangun

The world in which we live today is hell-bound. It doesn’t need another politically minded, achievement-oriented ministers who are always hungry for recognition. We need ministers who don’t care who gets the credit and whose primary concern is the salvation of the lost.

When the sun comes out, it doesn’t make the slightest difference which star shines the brightest – they all fade into oblivion. Likewise, we need ministers who don’t mind being unrecognised as long as the Son comes out to shine in the lives of the people who are in need of God’s light.

There are only two things that will last up until eternity – the Word of God and souls. If our endeavours have nothing to do with these things, what we are doing is not worthwhile. Studd, in one of his famous poems, said,

Two little lines I heard one day,
Traveling along life’s busy way;
Bringing conviction to my heart,
And from my mind would not depart;
Only one life, ‘twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, yes only one,
Soon will its fleeting hours be done;
Then, in “that day” my Lord to meet,
And stand before His Judgment seat;
Only one life, ‘twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, the still small voice,
Gently pleads for a better choice
Bidding me selfish aims to leave,
And to God’s holy will to cleave;
Only one life, ‘twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.

CT Studd

Let us reassess our ministries. Are our programs designed to promote our little kingdoms? Do our day-to-day activities have something to do with the salvation of the lost? Does our heart beat the same heartbeat as God’s? This is one of the true tests of any enterprise. In the long run, did the activities actually promote the kingdom of God and the welfare of the souls? It is better for a ministry to die than to lose its purpose, that is, to win souls for Jesus. In His own words, the One who came to seek and to save that which is lost said, “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men” (Matthew 5:13).