I AM WRITING THIS BLOG ENTRY IN UPPER-CASE LETTERS SO THAT YOU’LL KNOW HOW IMPORTANT THE MESSAGE IS.

I AM SHOUTING AT YOU SO THAT YOU CAN’T CLAIM YOU DIDN’T HEAR ME.

HERE’S THE MESSAGE:

IF YOU’RE NOT ACTIVELY MINISTERING OR PREPARING TO MINISTER GOD’S WORD, YOU’RE NOT FOLLOWING THE EXAMPLE SET BY JESUS. YOU’RE NOT DOING GOD’S WILL. YOU’LL BEAR NO FRUIT. AND IF YOU BEAR NO FRUIT, YOU’LL BE TORN FROM THE VINE AND BURNED, AS SCRIPTURE WARNS.

REMEMBER THAT JESUS TELLS US THAT THE WORD IS A SEED THAT NEEDS TO BE SOWN. FRUIT CANNOT BE GROWN WHERE NO SEED IS SOWN. YOU NEED TO SOW THE SEED AND THEN WATER AND TEND THE PLANTS THAT GROW. THAT IS THE WORK OF MINISTRY. YOUR JOB, AS WAS JESUS’ JOB DURING HIS TIME ON EARTH, IS TO SOW THE WORD AND TO WATER AND TEND THE PLANTS UNTIL THEY GROW ENOUGH TO BE ABLE THEMSELVES TO SOW THE WORD.

YOU DON’T NECESSARILY HAVE TO TEND THE PLANTS THAT HAVE GROWN FROM THE SEEDS YOU’VE SOWN. YOU TEND WHATEVER PLANTS ARE AT HAND. IF THE PLANTS AROUND YOU NEED WATERING, WATER THEM. IF THEY NEED PRUNING, PRUNE THEM. IF THEY NEED TO BE REMOVED FROM THE OTHER PLANTS BECAUSE THEY ARE DISEASED OR UNPRODUCTIVE, REMOVE THEM. GOD WILL DEAL WITH THEM FROM THAT POINT ONWARD.

MOST ORGANIZATIONS THAT CALL THEMSELVES CHURCHES DO NOT SOW SEEDS. THEY HALF-HEARTEDLY DROP A STUNTED SEED HERE AND THERE, BUT THE SEED IS STERILE. IT PRODUCES NOTHING. IT WAS NEVER MEANT TO PRODUCE ANYTHING, AS THE AIM OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS IS TO KEEP YOU COMING BACK TO THEM, NOT TO PREPARE YOU TO LEAVE THEM. THEY WANT YOU TO BE DEPENDENT ON THEM FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. THEY NEVER WANT YOU TO GO FORTH AND PLANT SEEDS YOURSELF.

WHEN JESUS APPOINTED THE 12 AS HIS DISCIPLES, THEY BEGAN THEIR APPRENTICESHIP. THE PURPOSE OF THE APPRENTICESHIP WAS TO PREPARE THEM TO TAKE JESUS’ PLACE. THEY WERE LEARNING HOW TO BE LIKE JESUS. WE ARE, ALL OF US, THE FRUIT OF THE LABOURS OF JESUS AND HIS FIRST DISCIPLES, AND WE ARE, ALL OF US, LEARNING TO BE LIKE JESUS SO THAT WE CAN TEACH OTHERS TO BE LIKE JESUS.

BUT NOTE THAT THE 12 STARTED THEIR MINISTRY WORK ALREADY DURING THEIR APPRENTICESHIP. UNDER JESUS’ WATCHFUL EYE, THEY WERE SENT OUT WITH INSTRUCTIONS ON WHERE TO GO, HOW TO GET THERE, AND WHAT TO DO WHEN THEY ARRIVED. THEY DIDN’T WAIT UNTIL JESUS LEFT THEM TO START THEIR MINISTRY WORK. THEY STARTED ALREADY WHEN THEY WERE STILL LEARNING HOW TO BE LIKE JESUS. AFTER JESUS WENT HOME, THEY CONTINUED THE SAME WORK THEY WERE DOING BEFORE, BUT WITH GREATER POWER.

ALL OF YOU READING THIS SHOULD EITHER BE ACTIVELY MINISTERING GOD’S WORD OR PREPARING TO DO SO. IF YOU ARE GENUINELY BORN-AGAIN, YOU ARE IN GOD’S CHURCH, NOT IN THE WORLDLY CHURCH. THE WORLDLY CHURCH WANTS YOU TO BE A PERPETUAL SEAT-WARMER SO THAT YOU NEVER LEAVE, SO THAT YOU KEEP SHOWING UP TO GIVE IT MONEY. THE WORLDLY CHURCH EQUATES SOWING MONEY WITH SOWING GOD’S WORD. THIS IS A LIE. JESUS SAYS WE CANNOT SERVE GOD AND MAMMON. A CHURCH THAT EXPECTS YOU TO GIVE IT MONEY IS NOT SERVING GOD.

GOD’S CHURCH WANTS YOU ACTIVELY MINISTERING GOD’S WORD. THERE ARE NO SEAT-WARMERS IN GOD’S CHURCH, AND NO MONEY IS REQUIRED TO BE IN IT.

IF YOU HAVEN’T YET STARTED TO MINISTER GOD’S WORD, CONSIDER THIS A NOT-SO-GENTLE REMINDER AS WELL AS A WARNING. THERE ARE NO SEAT-WARMERS IN GOD’S CHURCH. IF NOTHING ELSE, START A BLOG. IF NOTHING ELSE, START A BIBLE CLASS. JUST DO SOMETHING. THE MINUTE YOU STEP OUT TO MINISTER, GOD AND JESUS WILL GUIDE YOU. GOD SAYS THAT HE WILL NEVER LEAVE US OR FORSAKE US, AND JESUS TELLS US HE WILL BE WITH US UNTIL THE END OF TIME. IF YOU ARE BORN-AGAIN, GOD AND JESUS ARE WITH YOU AND THEY WANT TO HELP YOU SOW THE WORD.

BUT YOU NEED TO TAKE THE FIRST STEP.

IF YOU HAVEN’T YET TAKEN IT, TAKE IT NOW.

THE TIME FOR BEING A SEAT-WARMER IS OVER.