Ministry

“God does not will that I should fashion the other person according to the image

that seems good to me, that is, in my own image; rather in his very freedom from

me God made this person in His image.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Christian community brings to light shortcomings within each individual. We must

acknowledge the tendency towards this seed of discord and make efforts to

remedy and avoid harming the community. As Bonhoeffer says, “from the first

moment when a man meets another person he is looking for a strategic position he

can assume and hold over against that person” (90). By doing so we look for means

of self justification. We must battle our sinful nature by using what Bonhoeffer calls

ministries.

The first ministry is the ministry of holding one’s tongue. If we spend time looking for

ways to lord over others in our community we will ultimately break the community

apart. The primary way we split the community is through our words. When we hold

our tongues we stop judging the people around us and allow those around us “to

exist as a completely free person, as God made him to be” (93). Holding our tongues

gives us the chance to see how the community needs each other.

Next we must learn meekness. As Bonhoeffer says, “he who would learn to serve

must first learn to think little of himself” (94). If we are trying to change those around

we put our desires above the community. We can’t lord ourselves over others and

maintain a healthy community. Meekness comes from viewing others as more

important than ourselves.

When we exercise meekness and the ability to hold our tongue we create the space

and desire to listen. Listening is how we show our love and value for our brothers

and sisters. This is a piece of how God shows His love for us. He gave us the Word

and lends His ear to hear our pleas for help. If we stop listening to our brothers we

will eventually stop listening to God’s voice as well.

The fourth ministry is the ministry of helpfulness. This is realizing that our time is

best spent helping others. Helping is part of the discipline of meekness. When we

value others as more important than ourselves we “allow ourselves to be interrupted

by God” and by others (99). Helping others builds them up and creates a strong

bond of unity in the community.

As we help others we also learn to bear each other’s burdens. This is what we are

called to in Galatians 6. The moment we bear burdens with a person is the moment

they become a brother and not an object to be manipulated. God bore our burdens

when he sent his Son to the cross. He lifted our burdens and guides us through

the trials of life.

In bearing with each other we should also proclaim truth through the trials. God

has given us His Word that is full of truth that applies to all trials and joys in our

lives. Our brothers and sisters need the same encouragement we do. In community

it is so easy to become a flatterer and ignore truth. This causes more harm than

good. We should instead speak truth in love and grace.

The final ministry is the ministry of authority. This incorporates all the previous

ministries and can only occur when “the ministry of hearing, helping, bearing, and

proclaiming [are] carried out” (108). We all desire some authority but this desire for

authority cannot cause us to forget the other ministries. The church is full of people

in authority. What we need is not “brilliant personalities but faithful servants of

Jesus and the brethren” (109).  

When we learn to embrace and grow these ministries we shift our focus to the

wellbeing of others. This how we reflect the love of Christ. By fostering these skills we

allow our brothers and sisters to become the image of God instead of forming to our

opinion of them. This can be summed up by Philippians 2:3-4, “Do nothing out of

selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not

looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others” (NIV).  

Alone/Together

“Let him who cannot be alone beware of community. Let him who is not in

community beware of being alone.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Fellowship is an intricate part of the Christian walk. As we learned last

week there are many ways to grow spiritually with the people God has

placed in our lives. We must work hard to create fruitful community that

flourishes in the word and Spirit of God.

There is another part of the Christian life that is just as important as

fellowship. This is the concept of spending time alone. Many people can’t

bare to spend time alone, but it is important for our personal growth and

fellowship with the Lord. In our time alone we become better equipped to

live in community and grow together. We cannot use community as a

distraction from loneliness or personal issues. As we spend time alone

we have the opportunity to exercise some disciplines that we cannot in

the realm of community.

The first discipline we experience during our time in solitude is the

discipline of silence. We must be mindful, however, that “dumbness does

not create solitude and chatter does not create fellowship” (Bonhoeffer 78).

Spending time in silence is not to muse about our sufferings or talk at God,

but rather to experience the Word of God in a new way. In Bonhoeffer’s

Words, “silence is nothing else but waiting for God’s Word and coming from

God’s Word with a blessing” (79). This type of silence is a skill that must be

learned and we must have patience with ourself as seek to understand how

to be silent in the presence of God.

The second discipline we get to experience is meditation. When we spend

time alone we get the opportunity to personally meditate. This time “is to be

devoted to the Scriptures, private prayer, and intercession” (81). This

meditation allows us to be alone with the Lord. Our personal scripture reading

can focus on only a few verses or concepts that stuck with us. The Word will

linger in our minds, influencing our behavior,  and helping us become more

like Christ.

When we spend time in solitude we are given the opportunity to spend time

in prayer and intercession. This is a time to communicate needs to God, to

confess our sin, and pray for others. Intercession is crucial to the health of

the Christian community. Spending time bringing others before the throne

of God helps resolve conflicts and move our eyes beyond ourselves.

Our time of solitude greatly impacts our time spent in community. Being

alone gives us time to grow in our personal relationship with God, pray

for others, and meditate on His Word. We are members of a body,

though we are part of a whole we are also individuals who will ultimately

stand before the Lord and be judged for his life. Bonhoeffer finishes this

chapter by saying, “blessed is he who is alone in the strength of the

fellowship and blessed is he who keeps the fellowship in the strength of

aloneness” (89). Christian community strengthens us as iron sharpens

iron but also prepares us for time spent alone. When we grow and are

refreshed personally in the word of God we can use this knowledge to

Help our community learn to do the same.

Daily Devotions

“Therefore, at the beginning of the day let all distraction and empty talk be

silenced and let the first thought and the first word belong to him to whom

our whole life belongs.” - Detrich Bonhoeffer

I’m not a morning person. I am not one to spring out of bed ready to tackle

the challenges of the day. Instead I usually wake up grumpy, sit in my

bathrobe while I eat breakfast, and contemplate going back to bed for the

rest of the day. This week I was challenged by Bonhoeffer’s outline for what

the Christian day should look like. Let’s take a look.

The day begins with morning devotion, which should be divided into five parts.

The first part is the reading and praying of the Psalms. The Psalms were given

to us as prayers to pray in all phases of life. When a believer prays the Psalms

“he learns to pray the prayer of the Body of Chris” (Bonhoeffer 49). Bonhoeffer

argues that even if we cannot connect with the prayers for ourself we ought to

pray them for our brothers and sisters whose hearts cry these things.

Next the believers should read the scriptures. This should be more than reading

a few selected verses, but rather include portions of scripture from both the Old

and New Testament. Especially in a family setting it can be difficult to maintain

focus for the entirety of the reading, but it is an important habit to train in

yourself and in your children. We cannot avoid reading the scripture for fear we

won’t fully understand its meaning. Instead this fear of not understanding should

fuel our desire to dig deeper into the meaning of the Word of God.

After this, believers should engage in the singing of hymns to God. This made

me very excited as music is a passion of mine. I love that Bonhoeffer recognizes

the importance and impact of singing praise to our Father. Our song “is the simple

song of the children of this earth who have been called to be God’s children…”

(58). Bonhoeffer argues that all singing should be done in unison and only hymns.

I am of the opinion that praising God can take many different forms and that there

is a time for harmony and beauty in our praise to God.

Singing then leads to prayer. This is a petition for God’s mercy for the coming day

and should express the hearts of all present. Bonhoeffer warns the church to avoid

lofty prayers that draw attention to themself instead of humbly expressing our needs

to the Almighty. This communal prayer is different from the petitions we personally

bring to God every moment of the day.

The morning devotional should be finished by the sharing of the table. This nourishes

to the Christian family and gives them strength for the rest of the day. Eating together

encourages a spirit of thankfulness.

Right from the start I found this challenging. No matter the time of day I

struggle with keeping a consistent devotional time. I always have. I feel like I

have tried everything but nothing sticks for more than a month or so. The past

month I have been convicted of this. How can I expect to grow but not make

the sacrifices necessary to deepen my relationship with God? I encourage you

to, with me, seek God in the first moments of your day and thus commit

yourself and your day to the Lord.