Who Is Waiting to Step Up in your ministry?
Gator fans now know the value of the backup after our
starting Quarterback Jeff Driskell went down with a season ending break of his
leg in the first quarter of our game with Tennessee on Saturday. The Backup had
to go in and play the rest of the game. Now he will have to play the rest of
the season. His name is Tyler Murphy and until Saturday, he had never taken a
snap in a real game for the Gators. There were those who wanted him to after
Jeff didn’t play very well against Miami, but the coaches were not about to go
there. That is until the injury forced them to play him. He did well in relief
and in many ways was the reason the Gators won a very ugly football game on
offense. Now time will tell if Murphy is really ready to be the starting QB,
but unless something happens to him, he is going to be for the rest of the
season. Now the question becomes who is the new backup? The coaches will have a
plan and they will get either Skylar Mornhigweg or Max Staver ready should something
happen to Tyler.
A facebook post by my friend Kevin James about his episode
of a dislocated hip during the middle of his sermon made me wonder just who do
we have in place in our ministries if something happens to us? Do we have a
backup preacher or BCM director? Are we getting them ready in case something
happens to us and we can’t go? While I don’t think many of us think we are
indispensable, most of us don’t think we won’t be able to fulfill our duties
either. So often we do ministry as if we are the only one who could possible
get it done. That’s just not a smart way to approach it really. We all need to
be working ourselves out of a job. Could your ministry not only continue but
continue to thrive if you were absent for an extended period of time? If you
are not building up leaders underneath you to even do a better job without you,
then in my opinion you are not building up the kingdom and maybe you are just
building up your own. Maybe they can’t do it as good as you could, but are
helping them close that gap each and every week?
Yesterday, I was fortunate enough to be invited to the home
of Elna and Bert Harris after preaching about the Maguire State Mission
Offering and the BCM ministry at Faith Baptist in Lake Placid led by my old
friend Bill Cole. Bert is 94 and Elna is a young 85! She leads their WMU
organization and they always exceed their goals for all the mission offerings.
After meeting her, I can easily see why. She is charming, direct, tactful and a
true Southern lady in every respect. I doubt anyone could say no to anything
she asks! This morning as I was reflecting on the day and meeting this godly couple
who have served the Lord and His church so faithfully for so many years, I
couldn’t help but wonder who will take their place when the Lord calls them
home? Then I began to wonder not just about their church but in so many of our
churches we have elderly saints that have carried the load for many years and
who is going to take their places?
Young men and women who have served with me through the
years in the BCM, I believe it is you! So many of you are already serving faithfully
in your local churches and I am encouraged by that. If you aren’t, then why
aren’t you? Our role as a leader in the church is to make sure you are fully
engaged and equipped for ministry. If I have failed to prepare you, then I am
sorry. But you still have to get in there and do what the Lord needs done. Just
like Tyler Murphy stepped up for Gator Nation this past Saturday and will now
be looked on to carry the load the rest of the season, the Kingdom of God,
needs many of you to step up and carry the load for all those Saints who have
gone before you. I believe in our backups! I believe in you!
