Philip K Stone

Radial Living? Whats that?

Being different can be hard work, doing things to please others isn’t always simple, in fact it can become a little stressful at times, trying to please your co-workers all the time, family members, friends and then as well as that trying to live an example life that blesses others and points them towards God.

Jesus really was radical, He had a charisma that lit a spark in people to follow His lead, everywhere He went He was followed for those three years of public ministry, but what about the silent years, we never really know to much about the years from his late teens until His entrance to ministry is introduced by John the Baptist and confirmed by the Voice of God in the Words ‘This is my Son with whom I am well pleased”.

Over the past number of years I’ve become concerned about the number of younger people who expect to be leading a ministry in their churches from a very Young age, its nearly as if their dedication to the ministry has put enough points in the bag to be nominated a leader. The truth is that while they are youthful they are full of passion, full of Fire, full of energy which are all very important characteristics in a leader, but they haven’t been exposed to the world, its systems, deceit, lies etc. In a nutshell they are living life in a ‘protected environment’.

Growing up i always had dreams of one day leading, maybe teaching etc, but at present I feel totally under-educated, not ready, sometimes feel that if I can’t live out my life for God in the workplace then I’m no-where near the stage for any form of full time ministry. Learning to keep the plates all spinning has been a tough one for me in the past five years, At the point of getting married I decided with Amy that we had to pull out of some things, for me at that time co-leading the kids work was the big one, while at the time it wrecked me It was definitely the right decision and so were the others.

Sometimes I feel detached from church life, simply because apart form the odd mid week meeting, Sunday is the Only time I’m about church, But I’ve learned to have things prioritised in life. I’ve stopped feeling guilty (only quite recently) for not being as involved in Church life, because in this era of my life I’ve chosen to invest in family, my Job and to try to get My Roots in God to grow as deep as possible, in some senses you could say I’m wanting to Learn now, pick up tips, methods, experience from watching others who do such a professional Job. I see older people lead ministries with such Godly leadership and that has not just happened, they have spent years saturated in God’s word, in prayer etc.

Don’t get me wrong there are many Young Leaders in the Global Church that are in wisdom terms, well advanced for their years and I believe God has placed those people to train up those younger and in some cases older. They are vital to the Body of Christ.

So What am I saying….. If your feeling guilty for not being involved in church life, but you have a young family, spend time daily in Gods word, have a Job then I don’t think you need to be feeling guilty.

If your leading a ministry and enjoy the status it gives you more than the role your meant to be fulfilling then I think you need to check your motives.

If your not a busy person and not involved in church life then you have serious issues that need addressed.

I once heard someone say, if you need something done, your better to ask a busy person to do it, for me I’ve found that to be a true theory.

In closing, God wants us all to be involved in the Body of Christ, His Church. Believers are not meant just to be seat warmers, you have a role to play in Gods house, you need to find it, then work towards it, it may take a year, it may take 20 years, but you need to work with God!

Leave for a Holiday in the morning, so no more blogs til next week – God Bless