Paul reminds us in his letter to the Corinthian Church that we have been entrusted with “this ministry,” meaning Christ’s ministry. God has graciously entrusted us with Christ’s ministry. (2 Corinthians 4:1)  Therefore, to answer the question about ministry being risky, we must look to Jesus. Did He take risks?

We don’t walk very long with Jesus before our eyes widen in astonishment as he turns water into wine at a marriage feast, an act that still causes heated discussion. He went on to touch lepers, speak with a woman of disrepute in broad daylight in the center of town, visit the home of a tax collector, allow a prostitute to wash His feet, disregard the swarming crowd to reach out to a women considered unclean, stop at the beckon call of a blind beggar on the side of the road, choose uneducated peasants, zealots, Levites, and commoners as the leaders of His movement, praise the single dime a woman gives in offering while virtually ignoring the large gifts given by the movers and shakers, turn the social structure upside down by elevating the poor, disenfranchised and lowly to places of honor, clear out the temple with loud shout and a makeshift whip of cords, publicly weep at a friend’s grave, wash His disciples’ feet including His betrayer’s, choose not to defend Himself when falsely accused, just to name a few things. No doubt about it, Jesus took risks and as hard as it may be for us to fully understand the magnitude of the risks, we can at least be conscious that they were huge!

This is not risk taking for risk’s sake. Nor is it risk taking for personal challenge, the thrill of taking it, or personal gratification.  It is not calculated risk made for the good of the movement. In fact, it might even appear that Jesus was either ignorant or, at least, unimpressed with the enormous risk He was taking. What therefore is this risk all about? The risk was not taken into consideration because it flowed out of something far more majestic than the usual motivations for risk taking. Jesus loved! And love does not weigh risk before acting.  Rather love recognizes need and reaches out to meet the need so that God’s purposes can be accomplished in the recipient’s life.

Yes, ministry is risky business. Jesus modeled it and has entrusted it to us, His disciples. Beloved, it is time for us to love as Jesus loved and minister as Jesus ministered. When risk is involved we will entrust it to the Father, asking only that His grace will flow through us as we minister in Jesus’ name.

Keep Close to Jesus
Pastor Gerry