Luke Galloway

We are not called to ministry contained in some time in the future, we are called to ministry now, today. We may not have been put through the tests of this world and the studies, both personal and academic, nor have we been denoted as wise or mature by our peers or elders, but we are called. 

When a speaker speaks they usually save the best point for last. The big idea. Conclusion. They may touch on it throughout the message, even saying “This is the big idea” at the beginning, but it is precedent in any form of speaking that the message comes last.

Jesus, who’s a pretty cool speaker if you haven’t read any of his sermons yet. (They may be a little hard to understand at first if you don’t understand metaphors though, if this is you, promptly contact a 5th grade or higher language arts teacher for further instructions). But listen, I know Francis, John, Louie, Andy, etc. are all pretty cool guys, but they don’t really seem to be doing much apart from quoting what Jesus once said in relevant context. And in the context of our recorded and bound leather gospels the last thing Jesus leaves us with is pretty striking…

¹⁶ Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” - Matt 28 New International Version

 ^16-17Meanwhile, the eleven disciples were on their way to Galilee, headed for the mountain Jesus had set for their reunion. The moment they saw him they worshiped him. Some, though, held back, not sure about worship, about risking themselves totally.

 ^18-20Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: “God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.” - Matt 28 The Message

¹⁶Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.

 ¹⁷And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.

 ¹⁸And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

 ¹⁹Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

 ²⁰Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. - Matt 28 King James Version

A note to you: I will rarely put up a single verse passage. there’s a reason ideas are formed in paragraphs. yeah there’s more words to read, it may not fit on twitter, but we need to hold true to reading things the way they may have meant to be read. feel me?

So there it is. Jesus didn’t say, go sometime, go when you feel like it, go when there’s lights and music and people lifting hands, go when you graduate from seminary, go when you’re in a foreign country, go when you’re with your friends, go when you’re with your pastor, go when you’re, etc. etc. (examples can go on forever). He simply says, Go. Like a traffic light.

Picture yourself sitting in your car at an intersection. You’re on your way to work, your boyfriend’s house, your kid’s t-ball game, and some jackass is just sitting there in front of you while the lights green. He’s not gonna go until he feels like going, he’s not gonna move until he feels like he is being called to move or that it’s “My bosses will for me to move forward in this intersection.” (Sound familiar, Buhler?) 

No, what do we do. When the light turns green. We go.

A note to the metaphorically challenged…

• Jesus is the traffic light. 
• This mountain the apostles were standing on is an intersection. A time in their life when they are presented with a command. 
• We are the apostles in this story. 

Jesus says “HEY I’M GREEN” and we sit back and say, “Yeah… when then next mission trip pops up I’ll sign up, when the Passion conference comes around I’ll figure out what to do with my life, when I can lead worship I’ll be all ready, when my friends are behind me I’ll start preaching” No, none of these things are mentioned. Never. Nada.

When Jesus gives a command it’s usually pretty simple and flexible to meet you where you are. Right now! He says, “Go.” He tells Matt in Matt Ch. 9 “Follow me”. A whole separate message in that right there, but for our purposes understand this, Jesus doesn’t give us callings with specific roadmaps each time. Ex. At this time, I will light this bush on fire and you will take this staff and say these words. He prepares us in spirit for what we are about to do, now. Again, something to be looked at in the magnifying glass at another time. 

He says, Go. He says, Follow. He says, Serve.

Where you are right now, it doesn’t matter what you do for a living, what state you’re in, where you grew up, what talents you have. You have a role in this command. This commission heavenly risen Jesus is saying as the last thing he chooses to say to his closest friends on that mountain top that day in 0ish AD. You have a role. Just as much as Peter, just as much as Paul.

So let’s stop making excuses and putting up walls around our own God given purpose. Literally our God breathed command. Stop trying to figure out when the time is right. The right time is the time at hand. The now. The future never did anything, we can only act in the present and reference the past for our present action.

But wait, please please please don’t think what you just did. Don’t think I’m asking you to jump out of your chair and grab your bible and head down to your local corner and start yelling at people. I’ve been called a whore, homosexual, “sinner”, almost everything by non-relational speakers (And I’ve kinda been some of those things at one point in time, yes) but trust me, for our point, it’s doing nothing for the kingdom and it’s doing nothing that reflects the speaking, style or mission of Christ. Argue away at its effectiveness. But one simple solution is to just avoid it. Please.

Just Go. Simply. I think we need to refer to the scripture again…

¹⁶ Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” - Matt 28 New International Version

To really get the meat of this we need to dive into what Jesus is actually saying…

• make disciples of all nations
• baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (or Ghost if that’s what you’re into)
• teaching them, specifically teaching them to obey everything he has commanded us.

All three of these are important and necessary steps of Christian action, but I will focus on the last.

What has Jesus commanded us? Thousands of sayings, status worthy, quote worthy, commandments, Pluck out that plank in your eye, turn the other cheek, tie a millstone around your neck and throw yourself into the sea (um, what?)… Are there more important commandments? What does Jesus think is the most important think to do?

In fact, Jesus believes two things sum up the whole of his and past commandments.

Let’s set it up…

  ⁹ “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? ¹¹ If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! ¹² So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. - Matt 7 New International Version

To get a good gist of how Jesus calls us to live, read up on the famous Sermon on the Mount. Matt 5-7. If sermons had a “Greatest Hits” album, it would probably be number 1, 2, 3, and 4, etc… you get what I mean.

Or my favorite phrasing of this… When Jesus is being bullied by the bigshots of the temple he trumps them with a simple answer to what was supposed to be a question that caused a pot-stirring episode…

³⁴ Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. ³⁵ One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: ³⁶ “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 

³⁷ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’^[c] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^[d] 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” - Matt 22 New International Version

Please, Go and Love. Today.

It’s clear, almost screamingly jumping off of the pages of the Holy Words, the red letters dripping sweetly from the lips of our savior, “Go and Love”.

My Fellows, this is the calling, the purpose of all who believe. Yet we seem to take these words and pass over them for some time in the future. Some idea of once this is complete we will feel safe enough to start. My brothers and sisters, dearly know this, for it is stated throughout the scriptures, Christ does not call us to comfort. Following Christ in our fullest capacity calls us to not only a dangerous life but THE most dangerous life. Yet THE most fulfilling life, because it is a purposed life. It is a life built for THE purpose of THE creator God. What else could be more worthy?

When we believe, as above, we are called. When did we decide to let those “ordained” be the only ministers? This doesn’t mean quit your pre-med program and take your talents to south beach seminary, but it does mean to be a minister and make disciples where you are. Now. The best way of doing all of this… your life, centered around Christ. Doing all in excellence. Being a minister to all where you are, when you are.

Imagine a body, endlessly being filled with food, taking in all it can. Good, wholesome food energizing it to go out and do. I recently had been taking a protein shake as part of a fitness program, but found that the workout I was doing wasn’t adequate for using up the amount of protein that I was taking in. All that extra I was taking in, wasn’t being used. Nor was it being saved up for later, it was turning to fat and sugars. 

Now I know this metaphor is a bit stretchy, but think about it. You know you keep going to Church, keep getting fed wonderful messages, but then weeks later once you’re out on your own, or as soon as troubles arise, you fall back into letting something else take Christ’s holy spot of priority in your life?

Remember all those retreats you went on and then weeks later, all the kids who went to the front and gave a profession of faith are back to doing what they do as if nothing had changed? Though they claim to have been reading the word daily since leaving, even meeting in small groups, even worshipping every Sunday? 

Without action, faith loses its purpose for your life, and therefore its relevance, and therefore your desire is lessened and lessened. It becomes a theology, an inner ideal, a tradition and culture rather than a lifeblood and passionate purpose. And we wonder why our prayers seem to never be answered! We ask for miracles in our life but we rarely put ourselves in situations to where we need God to work through us. Always claiming, well if I saw a miracle, maybe I would believe more or believe better and my faith would be strengthened. Heck I go through a rough day and think, man if I could just witness a healing, If I could just witness a miracle, I would know 100% for sure that my faith is real.

Brothers and sisters, even Peter denied Christ 3 times after seeing a multitude of miracles performed. Do not base your faith in miracles, base your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and the sacrifice he has already made. “The war is over, love has come, his love has won”.

I’m not speaking out against Church nor retreats or “religious” traditions or culture or experience, all of this has an important place in a worshipful life. But believe me when I tell you, the only way to muster your faith is to act faithfully to the calling that Christ has commanded. You’ll find as you study and listen and are filled with knowledge and wisdom in your church, youth group, communities of faith, while mixing that with action of love in our world as ministers of Christ, flying the banner high, being strong and courageous and doing the work, your faith will grow tenfold. It is a cycle. One of the sweetest. As you exercise your courage, your courage will be bolstered as when you exercise a muscle, that muscle will become strong. 

But will this mean I have to change the way I live my life? Is being a minister going to make me weird? 

There are two answers to this question…

Yes and of course.

We Christians are weird people. Jesus was pretty much as strange as they come. 

“Christ will never be cool. Terrifying, life-changing, shocking, and iconoclastic, but never cool. Jesus is not my homeboy. The Gospel will always be “relevant” but never trendy.” - Jon Foreman

Relevant but never trendy.

The point of this is, what are you basing your hope in? We all hope to be accepted as humans, it’s natural, we hope to be cool, it’s natural. But we serve a supernatural God, so we are called to supernatural life; basing our hope in things eternal and not of this world. Hoping that we are cool as a minister is like hoping that something mortal can be immortal. It doesn’t happen. It is impossible. Let us strive then for real, blood washed, relevance in a world that desperately needs it. 

What is relevance? You. You are relevant. There is at least one person on this earth that will hear your life story and relate to it. There is something you have been through, something you are doing, something you will do, have done, something (and you may never know what that something is) that will be relevant to one person in a very real way. Don’t be the person who believes you have nothing to offer. You were chosen for a purpose. You were blessed, gifted to be who you are, where you are, when you are. All that’s needed is you to go and love with all that you have. Loving the Lord your God above all, and loving others above and as yourself. I know it’s repetitive, I know it’s simple. But ask yourself next time you’re afraid and burnt out and wallowing in meaningless doubt, when was the last time you exercised your purpose? Do you even feel like you have a purpose? 

As for me, I know what it is like to have a dream and completely run away from it in search of a lost identity. I know that is my story, and I know I have hurt people, people whom I have been blessed to remain friends with through the hurt. People who I have forgiven and from whom I have received forgiveness. But that is my story, and I am not ashamed of what God has put me through. 

We each have something to offer, if we didn’t God himself would have said on the mountaintop “Go and make disciples of some nations.” God is pretty efficient, he wouldn’t want his disciples wasting time on people that didn’t have a purpose. No, he said make disciples of all. That includes you. That includes me. If they hadn’t heeded this purpose, I wouldn’t be writing this today. 

We are all nations. We all have purpose. We are all disciples. We are all ministers. 

Now Teacher teach for the Glory of the Lord, teaching your pupils all he has commanded you through all you do. Wisdom and purpose for their lives based in the commandments of Christ himself. No greater wisdom is there. 

Doctors, heal with the love and power of Jesus Christ running through you and sustaining your spirit. Dive headstrong into the God-created science with which he has gifted your talents to drive out the forces of rot and decay from your fellow man. Always attributing and sharing testimony of the healing power of Christ through your God given abilities so that we may go forth and carry the Gospel to the nations. 

Soldiers, fight for truth that you know and can prove. Don’t take up arms for unwise men, or fight for leadership under command of evil and greed. But do your duty with honor and courage for the Lord, the Glory of his name over all the Earth. With the full armor of God, wielding love and righteousness for the people. 

Lawmen, revere the wisdom of the Lord and stand true to the policy of Christ. Do not sacrifice Love for Greed. Do not pursue worldly ends of justice and perverted definitions of truth. Seek the one truth above all. The truth of Christ the truth of the Living God of Love. 

Artists, express the Love of God through your work. Lavish the world with wonder and splendor of creation. Glorifying the name of God through your given gifts. All the world belongs to the Lord, including all of your art, all of your thoughts to create that art, so why should it be continually forced into the expressionless, earthly realms of self indulgence. Let your creation bring message and purpose to the people and in all things love.

In all you do. Glorify the name of Christ in your excellence. Be the life minister of love you were called to be, making disciples of all nations and teaching them to obey all that He has commanded. 

This is your true purpose.

Why are we afraid? The time is short and the love is real. The same God who empowered Abraham, Moses, Isaac, Jacob, David, Solomon, JESUS! Why are we afraid? Where is our hope? Where is our joy? Stop trying to decide in your doubt, and begin your ministry of Love. Now. Don’t fool yourself that you don’t have the skills to be relevant with your life. You don’t need a degree for this, you don’t need anything but your story and faith that the Holy Spirit will work through you. But if you feel you even lack this, just do it and I testify to you that it will come. It won’t be easy, but it will be sweeter than any and all purpose this world could bring. Therefore surround yourself with a Church and a group of close friends that can help you through this, being accountable to you, holding you accountable, but above all building you up in the Love of Christ. For all of this is impossible without Love both being expressed by you and to you. Always.

“Father, I am afraid. I know that you call me to go out and make disciples of all nations, but I just don’t know how. I don’t know what that means right now in my life. I honestly can’t remember the last time I shared Christ with someone who didn’t know you. I’m afraid of being different, I’m afraid of being laughed at or losing myself in something that I’m not even sure I believe all the way. I’m afraid of the life you have purposed me to live. So I choose to live a life of security and comfort. But, I want to want you to change my heart, because I cannot do this on my own. Search me and find what it is that needs pruning, and with your scalpel, cut away from me what is necessary for me to run ever harder and faster after you and your glory. Help me be relevant in spreading your Gospel through my life. Give me opportunities today to serve you and spread your glory. This life is meaningless without your purpose. Help me know what it is to be a minister, now. To not worry about the future but participate actively in your mission for me in the present. Allow me to know that and seek all your eternal glory as the utmost joy in my life. In Christ Jesus’ holy name forever, Amen.” 

-Luke

The opinions and statements made in these blog posts are from my personal study and meditation of the Bible. I am not an ordained minister, nor have I set foot in a seminary, I am a college guy who wants to Love the Lord and wants to simply expand upon the thoughts he has put into my head and heart through his word, Son and Spirit through Christ Jesus. Amen. ;) All replies, complaints, comments, corrections, rebukes, etc. are encouraged and will be taken in the best of spirits. Thanks!