Through the good news of Jesus, God can and does create radical changes over a short amount of time—in us, in others. Praise God for such moments! But often, no less powerfully, God by his Spirit works little by little, like an artist perfecting his painting, one careful stroke at a time. This is part of what makes God and his kingdom seem so weak: the fruits of ministry often seem to take so long to arrive—although, not that long when you realise the one at work has time in his hands.
God’s work through the message of his Son is inexorably steady and powerful.
However, in our time-bound current reality our confidence is that, while slow, God’s work through the message of his Son is inexorably steady and powerful. God’s mustard seed will become a spacious, glorious tree; God’s leaven will work throughout the flour (Matthew 13:31-33). His kingdom will keep growing, as more people are added. And his people will keep being changed and transformed into the image of the Son. And, at the end of history, Jesus will certainly return.
I work as part of a larger ministry team and the below formed part of some encouragements I recently shared with my fellow harvest workers. Hopefully it can likewise provide edification to gospel workers in other parts of the harvest field. So, this year as we labour in God’s kingdom—wherever it is that he has placed us—it is healthy for us to remember and reflect on the reality that often God’s work takes time. This can then spur us to patient perseverance and faithful consistency in at least three areas, as we minister in word and prayer.
Here are three areas where we can play the long game under our faithful, always-working God:
1. The Long View in Ministry Is Good for Our Own Growth
Slow growth sets us up to prayerfully keep leaning into God.
God wants us to grow, as those in Christ. But it won’t always be in leaps and bounds. It might be; but often it won’t. And so, this sets us up to prayerfully keep leaning into him for the changes and maturity we want to see in ourselves. It keeps us from:
- The false guilt that Satan loves to stoke, ‘but you still struggle with sin?’
- Quick fixes that don’t last, often turning to religious reasons and fuel for godliness (Colossians 2:20-23).
Instead it encourages us to keep stepping into God’s grace as we flee sin and pursue righteousness (Titus 2:11-14). And because we are not finished products it means we can have an openness to rebuke and correction as people seek, and God uses them, to be means of grace to us. So, reflecting on the long work of God can be good for our own continued growth.
2. It’s Good for Those We Disciple
Remembering that growth often takes time also affects how we disciple others, as we prayerfully disciple the long game. We aim for patience and perseverance, faithfulness and consistency in how we treat those God gives us as we open up the gospel and our lives to them.
That God takes time means we can take time.
Practically, it flows into how we follow-up people, continue to follow-up, and how we pray for them. It tempers disappointment when they ‘fail’ us. It fosters sincere love that can overlook a multitude of offences and stupidities. Understanding God sometimes works over long periods of time gives us eyes to notice the smaller brush strokes of God’s grace.
That God takes time means we can take time, allowing time with and for others over the longer haul.
3. It’s Good for Those We Minister Alongside
Some of my favourite passages are at the end of the New Testament epistles, where the parting salutations reveal a close-knit and genuine partnership in the gospel. It’s so deeply and relationally rich. But not without issues! There are always issues. We see it in Paul’s encouragements for so and so to patch things up (Philippians 4:2). We see it in Paul’s own conflicts—whether it is rebuking Peter (Galatians 2:14), or parting ways with Barnabas and Mark (Acts 15:36-41). And we see it most strongly in how most epistles spend chapters spelling out life together, applying God’s grace to God’s people. Life together as saints, or as kingdom workers, will be messy.
Life together as saints, and kingdom workers, will be messy.
These tensions might exist with fellow paid ministry workers or lay leaders; in partnership with other churches and Christian organisations; or even at a denominational level. Whoever it might be, hardly without exception, we’ll all have other people we minister alongside in harvest work. And as we do so, knowing that God works over time is crucial to our shared labours and efforts.
Because just as we personally aren’t finished products, neither are our fellow gospel workers. We must realise this! For it engenders patience with one another and the pursuit of working things out. It’ll help us to not want to shoot the wounded and struggling. Rather it’ll enable us to notice and praise God for the good; pray for the bad; and to persevere in working alongside one another in our shared desire to see Jesus proclaimed.
Minister Over Time, Under God
As we work in God’s harvest field, there are gracious benefits to reflecting on how God’s work spans time, and often moves slower than we want. But how, as we minister over time and under this God, it can be good for our own growth, and for the way we serve others, and for how we minister alongside fellow kingdom workers.
Questions to consider, in closing:
a. Where are areas where I wish God moved more quickly in my own progressive sanctification?
b. What would it look like to patiently and faithfully persevere in these areas?
c. How does or might my desire to ‘hurry things up’ spill out in my discipleship of others, and in my work alongside and with other kingdom workers?
d. How might I need to prayerfully minister to and with others in a way that prayerfully plays the long game of God’s work?
