I was at a Skateboard Ministry Conference (The GRIND) this last weekend. Wait I thought you did ministry with swords, not skateboards? I do but I also volunteer at a local skateboard ministry. The aspects of ministry that I heard are able to be used in any ministry setting

Most of these ministers (skaters) love a sport and all of them love the people in the sport. Some of them were frustrated by not being able to reach more and having greater numbers. I have felt this way about my Swords of Truth ministry for a while and thought it was just me, but I see that all ministries can and do feel this way. God has been showing me how the Bible looks at this dilemma.

God was showing me that for year the church has focused on having a big event to gather as many people efficiently. We can see this modeled with Peter after the day of Pentecost he led 3,000 people into the Kingdom. The other model seen throughout the bible is by investing in a single individual at a time, it may seem to be less productive or efficient but is more effective.

Gather small reap big

In the book of Ruth, there are three main people, Naomi and Boaz and Ruth. The book starts with Ruth losing her husband and two sons in the land of Moab. Ruth was married to one of her sons. Naomi desired to move back to the land of Israel and Ruth decided to go with Naomi, stating that “Your God will be My God and your People will be my People”.

Once back in Israel Ruth would go out every day and pick up kernels of grain left in the fields, so that they would have food. Boaz was the owner of the field that Ruth was working in, seeing her he told her to stay with workers and gather from what the workers missed. Near the end of the harvest season, Boaz desired to redeem her for her social status and proceed to give her a greater number of seeds, that she could gather in a day. Boaz was able to redeem Ruth by marrying her.

Ruth spent day after day gathering seed after seed. She invested time and effort and never complained about how little she gathered. She was doing this just for her but for Naomi. Ruth could have got into a pity party and felt as if it was not worth anything, that she would never get ahead. Until a point when Boaz poured out a greater amount of seed then she could have imagined.

I don’t believe that there are any farming implements, today, to collect the grain that the harvester drop or misses. It takes individuals to collect the seed that is lost. We are to go out into our spheres of influences (the field) and began to collect those forgotten people (the seeds) to invest time and relationship in them. This will cause the advancement of the Kingdon, in God’s timing He may pour out on you a greater amount of people then you could imagine.

I see this is how Jesus collected His disciples, he called them one and two at a time. Jesus did not create an event and go around promoting that everyone needs to come to the conference or go through this course to be in the kingdom. Jesus had fellowship and relationship, teaching them along the way.

While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him.

Matthew 4:18-20 CEV

Jesus did minister to the large crowds, sermon on the mount, and when feeding the five thousand, but is gather the twelve to follow Him and then, in turn, He built a relationship and taught them of the Father. Jesus was never focused on the size of his ministry, but from those twelve God poured out and still is, a great harvest.

Application

• Find your field (skateboarding, fencing, comic books, etc)
• Gather, build the relationships, and teach about the Father
• Do not look and the size of your group allow God to give the increase