Playing the numbers game

I’m not a big fan of numbers.  Numbers mean math, and math and I have never really gotten along.  It’s not like we haven’t tried, we’re just not compatible.  Numbers are so concrete, specific, inflexible.  I’m just not like that.  I like options (but not making decisions…hmm…).  I like gray areas.  I like to “think outside the box”. 

The relationship just has not worked out well for either of us.  I’d love to walk away and make a clean break of it, but unfortunately, it’s not an option.  Even when it comes to ministry.

Like it or not, those of us who are in any sort of ministry live in the world of numbers.  How many people came to services this weekend?  How many kids accepted Christ at VBS last week?  How many readers and comments does my blog get?  Did the numbers go up or down compared to the last time we checked?

It’s a vicious cycle, this numbers game we play.  Sometimes, it’s a necessary evil.  We need to adjust for increases and decreases in attendance, giving, or discipleship.  But more often than not, it’s just evil.

Numbers, while very straightforward, can be deceiving, and they can easily distract us from the purpose of ministry.  They can give false hope or they can bring discouragement.  We can get so focused on what the numbers seem to be saying that we forget the reason we went into ministry in the first place - God called us there.

A few years ago, the church was fascinated by the Prayer of Jabez:

Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request. (1 Chronicles 4:10)

This prayer turned up everywhere – on coffee mugs, in sermons, in books, on blankets.  Christians the world over prayed this prayer as an antidote to everything from their failing ministries to their lack of a bigger house.  But I think too many people missed the point of the prayer.  They saw that God had answered the prayer for Jabez and they assumed that He would answer it for them too.  They didn’t give a whole lot of thought to why God may have answered it for Jabez.

I think the reason Jabez got the answer he was looking for was because God knew he could handle it.  God increased his territory because Jabez was honorable (see v. 9) and he wouldn’t waste the blessing or grow proud from it.  God knew Jabez’s heart.  And He knows your heart and mine.  He knows how we will handle success.  He knows how we will handle an increase in numbers.  And until He thinks we’re ready to handle it well (and give Him the glory) we, and our ministries will stay where they are.

So what do we do in the meantime? 

1. Repent of playing the numbers game and trust God to bring the people to our ministries who need them.
2. Focus on the ministries we have, rather than the ministries we want, and be grateful for them.
3. Ask God to change our hearts as needed so that if and when He does bless us with an increase, we’ll be ready to accept it humbly.

I think if we take these three steps honestly – without an ulterior motive – we’ll find that God will, in fact bless us.  But even more than that, I think we’ll find that those numbers we’ve been chasing after will become less and less important until they no longer even matter.  And then, I think we’ll be right where God wants us.

Have you struggled with the numbers game?  What suggestions do you have for recognizing God’s blessing in your life and your work?

 

3 ways to win

For centuries, Christians have asked one question over and over again: How do I know I’m doing God’s will?  Having been involved in various ministries throughout my life, I’m getting pretty good at figuring out when I’m exactly where God wants me.  A pattern emerges when I look back: Whenever I’m where God wants me to be, serving Him the way He wants me to serve, I pop onto satan’s radar.  Once that happens, I know I’m in the right place at the right time. 

How do I know I’m on satan’s radar?  Strange things start to happen: 

Recently, I taught a series on Revelation to my high school Sunday School class (you know, the book that is all about how satan is defeated and Christ wins once and for all).  Like clockwork, every Saturday evening or Sunday morning, I’d become either depressed or angry for no reason at all.  Little things that wouldn’t have merited a second thought earlier in the week would suddenly become reasons for me to be frustrated or sad.  In a word, I would feel defeated. 

More recently, I’m finding myself tempted by sins I haven’t dealt with in years.  And when that doesn’t work, I’m tempted by things I’ve never even considered doing before.  To make matters worse, not only am I tempted, I see opportunities to give in to that temptation.  And when I do give in, my accuser goes into high gear telling me that no one who did what I just did has any business serving God.  Even after I confess my sin and claim forgiveness through Christ, satan still tries to bring it up at the most inopportune times and drown me in regret.

And if those two things don’t work, satan preys on my insecurities.  Lately, he’s been dangling numbers in front of me: “There were fewer kids in class today.  What did you do last week to drive them away?”  “Your reader numbers on your blog are pretty low.  Maybe you shouldn’t bother writing anymore.”

I know I’m not the only one who deals with this in ministry.  I know because some of you have told me that you deal with it too.  So what’s a Christian to do?  How do we reclaim our God-given purpose and serve Him victoriously?  Whether satan uses these three particular weapons against you or if he’s got some others that work better in your case, there are three things you can do to hit back:

1. Hit your knees: Spend time with the One who gave you your mission.  Give some energy to praising Him and worshipping Him for who He is and what He’s done for you.  Give Him the glory for the successes, and trust Him to redeem the failures.
2. Hit the Book:  Ephesians 6:17 tells us that God’s Word is our sword.  Just like Jesus did when satan tempted Him and tried to throw Him off His game, hit back with the Truth.  Don’t just read the Bible daily, study it.  Take it apart.  Meditate on it.  Memorize it.  Like any tool, take the time to learn how to use it.  God’s Word is powerful.  Use it.
3. Hit up your friends: If you’re embarking on a new ministry (or even if you’ve been at it for years), surround yourself with praying friends.  Ask people to pray with you and for you.  Remember the hedge of protection thing from a couple of weeks ago?  Get some people together and pray a huge concrete-wall-topped-with-razor-wire around you, your ministry, and the people you will serve. 

God has given each of us a mission.  He has a purpose for each of our lives.  He wants us to serve Him, to serve His people, to serve the world.  So whether you’re teaching English and spreading the gospel in Russia, mothering abandoned little girls in Belize, pastoring a church in Florida, leading a Bible study or worship in New Jersey or trying to raise godly children in Texas or Tennessee, you are where God has put you for His purpose.  Your life and your mission are for His glory.  Don’t surrender to satan’s weapons.  Fight for it.  You have the power that raised Christ from the dead (Ephesians 1:19-20).  And you have this:

“See, it is I who created the blacksmith – who fans the coals into flame and forges a weapon fit for its work.  And it is I who have created the destoryer to work havoc; no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you.  This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me,” declares the Lord. (Isaiah 54:16-17)

How does satan like to attack you in your work?  What other tips do you have for hitting back?