Jonathan Evans

Your God-Assigned Sphere of Influence: Your ministry has boundaries

What is your favorite show? I am sure that, like me, you wait every week for the next episode to air. The day arrives, the hour comes, you lock the door, turn off your phone, get your favorite snack...you get everything ready only to turn on the TV and find that your show is not in the assigned slot of the schedule. It’s been delayed, or worse, postponed until next week because something “more important” has been assigned to its slot.

  

We each have a God-assigned sphere of influence. A slot, if you will, of ministry from God. Consider Paul’s words: “But we will not boast beyond limits, but will boast only with regard to the area of influence God assigned to us, to reach even to you.” (emphasis mine, 2 Corinthians 10:13, ESV) 

 For the sake of clarity, consider these other translations of verse 13:  

NIV: We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the sphere of service God himself has assigned to us, a sphere that also includes you.

THE MESSAGE: We aren’t making outrageous claims here. We’re sticking to the limits of what God has set for us. But there can be no question that those limits reach to and include you.

NEW REVISED STANDARD VERSION: We, however, will not boast beyond limits, but will keep within the field that God has assigned to us, to reach out even as far as you.

THE LIVING TRANSLATION: We will not boast about things done outside our area of authority. We will boast only about what has happened within the boundaries of the work God has given us, which includes our working with you.

A sphere of service. Limits set by God for us. A field of service. An area of authority.A sphere of influence. 

 

BOUNDARIES

It’s crucial that, first and foremost, we see and understand that our God-assigned sphere of influence is fixed by God. It has boundaries. In other words, your ministry and my ministry are not without limits but have pre-determined parameters established by God. 

Psalm 74:17 says, “You have fixed all the boundaries of the earth; you have made summer and winter.” God has created, established and fixed every boundary of the earth and season upon the earth. Seasons may begin earlier or end later than expected, but they have an established beginning and end.

Acts 17:26 says, “And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place...” God has purposefully chosen and precisely placed each of us upon the earth. Where you are living is no accident. Furthermore, God has determined and given you and I an exact and allotted amount of time. We will not live one day more nor less that what has been given to us by God.

God has boundaries for seasons and lives and, according to Paul (2 Corinthians 10:12-16), God also has boundaries for ministries. 

This may or may not be welcomed by many of us, depending upon how we feel about ourselves, our “potential”, and our calling to ministry. We tend to think highly of ourselves and, in particular, concerning “our” ministry, we tend to believe we’re unstoppable in our zeal and passion to accomplish all that is in our hearts for God. True as that may be, it is good to be reminded that I am ONLY called, yet FULLY equipped and empowered, to fulfill the ministry given to me by Jesus, the Head of the Church (Colossians 1:18). And for simplicity’s sake, let’s define ministry as serving the church God has placed me in and reaching the lost God has placed within my sphere of influence, as small or as big as it might be. 

But when I forget that God has established boundaries to my ministry, some of the dangers I may face include:

 

COMPARISON

When I feel that my ministry is either bigger or smaller than another’s, I begin to compare myself, either elevating myself in importance and position or despising myself in discouragement and passivity. We each have a ministry. Each sphere of service, field of labor, limit of reach will look different than another’s. This is by God’s design. To grade ourselves or others on the “success” or “failure” of our own spiritual walk and ministry will only serve to ensure that we will not faithfully serve Jesus in the ministry He has assigned to us.

Similarly, to view other Christians or churches with a competitive eye is prideful. There can be no such thing as the “best” church in town or the “best” Christian in the church. There can only be those churches and Christians who are faithfully serving within their God-assigned spheres of influence.

 

BOASTING BEYOND

Paul states in this passage that he cannot and will not boast beyond his sphere of influence. Quite simply, Paul refuses to take credit for what God is doing in another’s sphere of influence. And Paul will not be jealous of what is happening in another sphere. To support and encourage one another in ministry is essential. But we must give honor where honor is due. None of us as ministers are God’s only choice. And none of our churches are God’s only church. He is using and empowering others and building and blessing other churches and we should rejoice in what God is doing here, there and everywhere.

 

OVEREXTENSION

Paul was very careful to identify his God-assigned area of service and ministry and to stay within those limits. He was not interested in overextending himself into an area God had assigned to another. Likewise, he was careful to protect the sphere God assigned to him, not in a selfish or immature way, but in a fatherly, shepherd-like way. 

Without question there are those self-called, self-appointed and self-made who feel they have the right to enter into a sphere not assigned to them and to demand audience, to impose counsel, to force change - in essence to undo everything other ministers, other churches and Christians have labored faithfully to accomplish and build, all in the name of “ministry” or “the kingdom of God”. But we would do well to remember the following: In ministry, God calls you, but people invite you. We can't use our "calling" to invite ourselves in.

As individuals, we do this all too often. We take our God-given desires and passions and use them as a license and permission to speak into spheres we have no business in. It is ministry-meddling. What we fail to understand or regretfully ignore, is that ministry is not simply about making yourself known. It’s about making yourself available. The context of a God-assigned sphere of influence is critical to the successful operating within and reaching of the boundaries God has fixed. When I fail to take into consideration your relationship, investment, sacrifice - your ministry - into someone’s life, and overextend myself into your sphere, I not only hurt myself, but hurt others, and I not only slow my own growth, but also the growth of others. I am not called to reach everyone. You are not called to reach everyone. We are each called to reach particular people within our particular God-assigned spheres of influence.

THE GRACE POINT

Have you ever noticed that God seldom describes or discloses what He is doing? What is always clear is what He wants us to do. 

 

In Psalm 127:2, Solomon writes that God “gives to his beloved in his sleep.” (NASB) These words are in contrast to our building what God isn’t building, guarding what God isn’t guarding and taking what God isn’t giving to us (verses 1-2). In other words, when we are doing everything, God may in fact be doing nothing. Yet when we are doing nothing, like sleeping, God may in fact be doing everything. 

 

In Mark 4:27, Jesus tells a parable describing the kingdom of God as “if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how.”  (ESV) What is God doing? Growing His kingdom. How? In ways we “know(s) not how.” We scatter, we work, and we then lay down and sleep. The part that we can’t do, God does when we’re doing nothing. Apart from sowing there is only waiting and trusting. 

 

In Matthew 11:28, Jesus invites us to “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Our part is to work, but it is also to receive rest from Jesus. 

 

Sleeping, waiting, trusting, resting. These things are, honestly, more difficult than waking up, working hard, and making “good” things happens. Still, what happens if we don’t get enough sleep in a night? Naturally, we will have less energy and strength to get our work done the following day. Sleep makes effort possible. Sleep reminds us we are not self-sufficient nor self-sustaining. Sooner or later I need sleep and rest, because without it I will become weak and useless. But sleep also reminds me on a deeper level that I need grace and I cannot ignore that either. We were created to sleep, in the same way we were created to rest and trust in God’s grace.

 

Grace makes effort possible. Grace means you couldn’t, but Jesus could. Grace means you can’t,  but Jesus can. The point between laying down my efforts and lifting up my burdens is what I call “The Grace Point”. It is the lowest point you can go as a man, yet the highest point you can go in God. It is the point of rest, of trust, of surrender, of doing nothing, and therefore, of doing everything in order to receive the grace of God.

 

You cannot go deeper in God than your willingness to lay down your efforts as the source of your accomplishments. And you cannot go higher in God than your willingness to lift up your burdens as the confession of your trust.

 

A sure sign you are relying more and more upon your own effort and/or trusting more and more in your own control is that: 

• you are spiritually forgetting more and more about the cross
• you are spiritually depressed, losing hope, joy, peace, etc
• you are spiritually frequently sick, meaning you are quicker to fight with others, to hold on to grudges, bitterness, and anger, etc.
• you are becoming spiritually prone to doing things you never did before, like mocking other Christians, ignoring spiritual disciplines, separating yourself from your church, etc

 

In the end, grace makes effort possible, but equally important is that grace brings rest from our effort and in our effort.

 

When I feel I am doing everything, God may in fact be doing nothing. When I feel I am doing nothing, God may in fact be doing everything.  It’s not about me and my efforts;  it’s all about trusting in His grace.

STAYING ABOVE REPROACH: The Measure of a Life of Character

LENGTH: A Life

There are no overnight successes or failures in the kingdom of God. Rather, our character is built or torn down over time with one decision, one action, one thought, one word at a time. At his farewell speech to all the people of Israel, the prophet Samuel said, “I have walked before you from my youth until this day...”(1 Samuel 12:2). He lived each day before the eyes of others. And now looking back and measuring his entire life, he stated, “...you have not found anything in my hand.” 

Samuel lived his life in such a way that no one could find blame in him or accuse him of anything. How? He mentions two things that he will CONTINUE: pray and instruct. As with Samuel, the goal is to keep steady, to live a life of integrity, a life above reproach. How? First, by prayer. It gives perspective to our lives as a whole and connects us to the God of our character, a God who is “Holy, holy, holy” (Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8). Second, by God’s Word. Psalm 119 says that by it we are given protection (vs. 9, 133), light (vs. 105, 130), and wisdom (v. 98).

 

HEIGHT: A Sense

Every day we must have a sense - an awareness- of God and His presence. Who He is and what He has done can never be forgotten. We must listen closely and not lose His whisper in the roar of our vision, our busyness, and our zeal. We can miss His kind conviction, His loving correction, and His faithful guidance. 

God saw Samuel before Samuel heard God (1 Samuel 2:26; 3:10). God sees everything, knows everything, controls everything. So when He, the sovereign God, speaks, He knows what He is talking about! God spoke to Samuel and Samuel obeyed. God honored Samuel’s obedience and “let none of his words fall to the ground” (1 Samuel 3:18-19). That doesn’t happen overnight; that happens over time in the lives of those who have a holy reverence for God and a heart united to fear His name. 

 

DEPTH: A Purity 

Is there anything in your life you don’t want anyone to know about? When it comes to character, we cannot stay private. We cannot keep hidden what impedes our relationship with God, our marriage, our family, etc. We cannot keep secret that which if shouted from the rooftops would ruin us. We must have a passion for living for God by living above reproach. Somehow we forget that integrity is holiness and that the power of God comes to a pure heart.

Samuel prayed to God and God sent thunder and rain (1 Samuel 12:16-18). That’s something we’d all like to do! But we can’t  be amazed at the thunder and despise the other thing that Samuel also did, “Whose ox have I taken? Or whose donkey have I taken? Or whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed? Or from whose hand have I taken a bribe to blind my eyes with it? Testify against me and I will restore it to you...you have not found anything in my hand.” (12:2-5) Thunder, gifts, and competency will all make room for men. But purity, holiness, and character will make room for God. What we need MOST is a pure heart.

 

WIDTH: A Confidence

How wide is your sphere of influence? It may be a home, it may be a church. It may be a corporation, or it may be a private business. You may have one person in your life or be overseeing thousands. You have a sphere of influence. Can your character go public? Are you ready for your private life to be brought into the public light? 

The prophet Samuel and the apostle Paul (Acts 20:33; 2 Corinthians 7:2) made wide-sweeping statements regarding their character. But they didn’t get up and leave quickly before people could disprove them. They stuck around and gave plenty of room and time for those under their leadership and in their sphere of influence to call them out. Yet none did. Not because Samuel and Paul were perfect, but because they lived a life of character - of repentance and forgiveness - and the proof was in the people around them. 

Jesus said to His disciples, “the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me” (John 14:30). There was nothing in Jesus that the devil could accuse Him of: Jesus was perfect. We are not. But He who lived and died above reproach lives in us.  ^“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).  We can live a life of character, with a sense of His presence, a pure heart, and spiritual confidence, through Him.

STAYING ABOVE REPROACH: Why you need more than a role model

You can have all the information for a recipe and put it into practice, but it’s not your own. I’ve watched my wife cook a new dish by following a recipe only to turn around and cook it again, but this time make it her own. She puts her own dash of creativity and measure of experience into it. The result is that it is better than the original! 

 

There can be two men with the same information, with the same role model and mentor, yet with two completely different lives. Why? Because knowing what is right, seeing what is right, and even doing what is right is not enough.

 

KNOWING THE RIGHT INFORMATION

Knowing the difference between what is right and wrong, what is sin and what is righteousness, is no mystery for the Christian. First, there is the Word of God, given to us for our instruction, as it reveals the heart and character of God. Second, there is the Spirit of God indwelling our hearts. His role is to teach us what the will of God is and to lead us in that way.

For those men and women who serve Jesus Christ, knowing what is right is an easy task. But it is not enough.

 

DOING THE RIGHT THING

Here is where most make the mistake of assuming that change happens. Doing what is right based on the right information is commendable, even necessary, but it’s less of an anchor in times of testing than you might think. 

Many base their actions upon the actions of a mentor who is living out what he believes. The false assumption is that by imitation, my life can be changed too. But Martin Luther once said, “It is not imitation that makes sons; it is sonship that makes imitators.” In other words, acting like a person doesn’t make you that person. We call that pretending. “Doing” can’t create “being”. Being creates doing. You can go a long time continually doing the right thing, but it is not enough and sooner than later the cracks will be exposed in the crumbling foundation of your character and who you are. You need more than a role model.

 

HAVING THE RIGHT HEART

If our hearts are not right before God, no amount of right Biblical information or right Biblical action will be able to keep us afloat. What we need is a new heart, a clean heart, a repentant heart that is after God and is being conformed to Jesus Christ. 

The Psalmist says, “May my heart be blameless in your statutes, that I may not be put to shame.” (Psalm 119:80) What you know won’t keep you from being ashamed. What you do might not keep you from being ashamed. Why? Because without the right heart that information has no root. The sun and heat of temptation will scorch and kill what you know. And those actions are like shifting sands. The tide of indwelling sin will wash them all away. 

 

We must stop putting our trust in the right information and in the right actions and instead begin to seek first and foremost a right heart (Psalm 51:10). Make it your own and you will be a person of character. 

 

QUESTION: How often has the right information and the right action led you right back to where you were? When did things begin to change for you? 

Your _____ is not enough

I can have Moses’ rod, but without the Spirit of God I’m as any other leader.

 

I can have Bezalel’s skill (Exodus 31:2; 35:30; 36:1-2), but without the Spirit of God I’m as the other craftsmen.

 

I can have Samson’s hair, but without the Spirit of God I’m as weak as the next man (Judges 16:17).

 

I can have David’s sling, but without the Spirit of God I’m as the other shepherd boys.

 

I can have Elijah’s cloak (2 Kings 2:8), but without the Spirit of God I’m as those standing around me. 

 

We have no power apart from the Spirit of God who was purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ and now dwells within us (John 16:7). We may have gifts and talents, a reputation and a following, a position and a title, but without the Holy Spirit and His power we have nothing capable of making an eternal difference.

 

Yet many of us feel that our gifts, our name, and our position are the source of our power. As a worship leader and musician, there have been countless times when I touched the piano and thought to myself, “Now the presence and power of God is going to come. Get ready!” Of course nothing happened. Yet, at other times while feeling that nothing was going to happen, surprise, the presence and power of God flooded my heart. There is no inherent power in the piano or in your skill, gift, talent, etc. 

 

Three times we read in Judges of Samson that “the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon him” (14:6; 14:19; 15:14). If the source of Samson’s power was his hair why was it necessary for the Spirit to rush upon him? Because the Spirit of the Lord was the source of Samson’s power, not his hair. Samson’s hair was but the outward sign of Samson’s inward commitment, devotion, obedience, worship, and love to God. 

 

Jesus said it best, “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5) and “all things are possible for God” (Matthew 19:26; Mark 10:27). But Jesus was not stating anything new. Rather, He was reiterating what has always been the truth for any man or woman saved, called and equipped to serve God: “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.” (Zechariah 3:6)

 

In Jesus Christ, we have been given the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5; 1 Corinthians 6:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Ephesians 4:30). So, take your God-given skills, gifts, and talents and consecrate them to the Holy Spirit. Remember that your heart is the altar upon which your skills, gifts and talents are laid. And your heart is the altar upon which God will send His holy fire - His holy power - to consume you and everything you’ve been given, so that you might walk and live in His power for His glory. 

 

A rod, a sling, or a cloak has never been enough.

10 WAYS DISCONTENTMENT (CONTENTMENT) CAN DRASTICALLY CHANGE YOUR LIFE AND MINISTRY

You can be discontent with who people think you are and what people think you do or you can be content in who God is making you to be and what He is calling you to do. 

 

Here’s the question: Do you believe that who you are, where you are, and what you do is the perfect will of God for you? 

 

Discontentment and contentment can drastically change the direction and destination of your life and ministry:

One arms arrogance like a bomb. The other diffuses it.

One leads to self-preservation and self-promotion. The other leads to abandonment of self and the exaltation of Jesus.

One leads to stepping on people to prove your worth. The other leads to serving people to show their worth.

One leads to an abuse of the Holy Spirit’s power. The other leads to submission to the Holy Spirit’s power.

One leads to anger. The other leads to kindness.

One leads to decrease in ministry and reputation. The other leads to increase in opportunity and fruitfulness.

One leads to grumbling and complaining about small things. The other leads to faithfulness and thanksgiving in all things.

One leads to an attraction to the spotlight. The other to a familiarity at the altar.

One leads to a hardened heart. The other leads to a happy heart.

One leads to feeling you deserve more. The other leads to worshipping Jesus.

A LIFE WE CAN'T AFFORD TO KEEP

“But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” (Acts 20:24)

 

These are the words of a man who turned a city upside-down. That man was Paul and that city was Ephesus. In under three years, his life impacted the lives of thousands (Acts 19). But how? By abandoning his life to Jesus Christ and to the preaching of His gospel to all peoples.

 

We haven an infinitely powerful message

Paul sums up his ministry in one word: testify. Paul’s ministry was to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. The church has been given this same ministry: testify. This message, this gospel, this grace, prevailed in the city of Ephesus. It turned sinners away from sin and dethroned false gods, stripping them of their so-called magnificence (Acts 19:26-27). It was the Word of God that prevailed mightily (Acts 19:20). It was the Lord Jesus who added to His church (Acts 2:41, 47). It was His name that was being extolled (Acts 19:17).

We have an infinitely powerful message.

 

We have an infinitely joyful course

Paul’s ministry to testify took place wherever he was sent. This was his course, to follow the will of His Lord and Savior. From the very beginning Jesus called His disciples to follow Him (Matthew 4:19). But He also commanded them to go. Our course is both. To follow Jesus is to go for Jesus.

This course costs us what is most precious to us (Luke 9:57-62), constrains us to go to those who need to hear the gospel (Romans 15:20), and compels us by the sacrificial and saving love of God (2 Corinthians 5:14). For the church of Jesus Christ, there are no regrets in running this way.

We have an infinitely joyful course.

We have an infinitely glorious Lord

Paul considered His life to be valuable in so far as he finished his course and ministry. He derived his value from nothing else. As a result, his life was more breathtaking than the temple of Artemis and his simple, total devotion to Christ was more convincing than all the worship offered to her.

His abandonment was non-negotiable: “For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” And since he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, “Let the will of the Lord be done.” (Acts 21:13-14) Like Paul, we must be persuaded AGAINST keeping our lives. When we are, Jesus Christ is revealed, proclaimed, and magnified.

Lives are transformed and cities are changed all because we have an infinitely glorious Lord.

STAYING ABOVE REPROACH: What is the question above all questions?

Is there any area of your life you don’t want anyone to know about?

 

That’s the question above all questions.

 

There are areas in all our lives we’re unhappy with, but not unwilling to talk about. But there should be no area of our life that we refuse to answer for, are afraid to make known or, worse, love to keep hidden.   

 

So take a moment to consider your family, your ministry, and your reputation...and now ask yourself a second, but very important question: Am I willing to lose all this? 

 

It depends on your answer to the first question.

 

“Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.” (Proverbs 10:9)

 

The Starting Point Of Leadership

“I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of God then dwell in the tents of wickedness.
Psalm 84:10

 

For many pastors, Monday morning rolls around (or rolls over you) and you find yourself questioning whether or not you have been “successful”. After preaching to a full congregation, you’re now vacuuming an empty hallway and sweeping your office floor and ministry feels more like being lost in the woods than storming the castle gates.

 

For every pastor, for every leader, there comes a moment where we need to remember where our contentment lies. Isaiah was called to preach to a people even though he knew their heart would only be hardened as a result (Isaiah 6:8-10). And Joshua was called to lead a people even though he knew that one day they would rebel and suffer for it (Deuteronomy 31:14-23). 

 

For such leaders, what is their motivation? Where is their contentment at the end of a long “fruitless” day of ministry? Is it not in the God who called them and in their obedience to His will? Is it not in His presence which is better than life, more than ministry, and greater than success or failure? 

 

Would not the absence of His presence be worse than our greatest defeats and make our greatest victories pointless? 

 

Where does our contentment rest: in Christ or in our performance? If we are to lead a people we must first and always find our contentment in Christ and His presence. We must be so satisfied with His presence that to be a doorkeeper in His house would be immeasurably better than a thousand kingdoms without Him.

 

Leadership begins at the gates of the presence of God in worship. It continues in the passionate pursuit of Jesus Christ and His presence. And it ends in eternal joy in the eternal presence of God.

 

THE POWER OF GOD’S LOVE FOR GOD’S GLORY

Your flesh wants to be rid of guilt, not sin.

Your flesh loves sin, but hates guilt. Guilt motivates out of fear and shame, but not forever. It will lead you away from sin, but not into righteousness or any sort of transformational change. And temporary change is not transformational change. Sin will find you again, tempt you, draw you out, and ensnare you again. You can lock yourself away - far, far away - and it will still find you. The love of the flesh for sin is greater and stronger than the shame of sin and the fear of guilt. 

 

The renewed heart, on the other hand, wants to be rid of sin, not just guilt. It’s not that the guilt of having sinned against God is little, it’s that the desire to love God and the motivation of His glory is greater and stronger. The sorrow of not upholding the glory of God is precious, not bitter, because it always leads to our repentance and our return to the joy of seeking and upholding the glory of God in everything and above everything. 

 

To this end, the Spirit of God searches, convicts, and conforms our heart to the heart of the Son of God, Jesus Christ. His love for the Father and the Father’s glory was greater and stronger than the lure and power of sin. And because of His life, death and resurrection, His love for God, the very love of God Himself, has been poured into our hearts through the indwelling Spirit of God (Romans 5:5). 

 

The power of God’s love for God’s glory is undefeated. This love will lead you away from sin and your misery to God’s glory and your joy.