My primary ministry activity is teaching English to adults. It has proven to be an effective tool to meet numerous people from all walks of life, and it’s also something I enjoy doing. My classes, which are in the evening, have continued for many years, and I’ve gotten to know some of my students quite well. So, what is the danger of being involved in such a ministry? 

We can serve people in the name of the Lord in so many ways to meet their physical, emotional, medical, educational, or family needs. We want to display God’s love to a world that so desperately needs it. All such efforts are good, valuable, and necessary, but if we’re not careful, we can forget the most crucial ingredient: sharing the Gospel. 

Okay, maybe we don’t actually forget about it, but we can get so caught up in the other aspects of ministry, especially when we’re involved in acts of service, that sharing the Gospel is put on the back burner. I’m speaking from personal experience. I’ve missed opportunities to talk about salvation because, at that particular time, I was focused on something else. 

A famous quote goes like this: “Keep the main thing the main thing.” We could apply it to ministry as well, with the “main thing” being sharing the Gospel. In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul describes believers as being Christ’s ambassadors, and they have one message to the world, “be reconciled to God.” So, no matter our job description, our goal is to lead people back to God.

Of course, we don’t go around banging people on the head with the Gospel or trying to shove it down their throats. I’m addressing our attitude most of all. I’ve raised this topic because when we focus on doing good and serving people, we can run the risk of losing sight of the reason why. Let’s always be faithful to the purpose for which God called us in the first place—to proclaim salvation to the world.