Thrown Out, Left Out, or Sent Out?

Part 1 – Thrown Out  

These thoughts have been prompted by my recent conversations with a number of people experiencing transitions in, and out, of occupational ministry as well as reflections of my journey in ministry.

There seems to be three major approaches to occupational ministry change in churches today — thrown out, left out, or sent out.  I also see God using each of these three processes to move people into ministry where He wants them to be as I read the history of the early church in the New Testament.  I find this fascinating, because without the Biblical example of God using each of these methods to accomplish His purposes, my first reaction would be to think that only one of these approaches could be used by God effectively.  But that would limit God’s ability and sovereign nature, wouldn’t it?  To only be able to use one method would stand in stark contrast to a God who “causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.”

Not only that, I’ve seen first hand how God has used each of these methods to move me into the “work that He has prepared in advance for me to do.”  Let’s examine more closely some Biblical and personal examples of each of these approaches and determine to do transitions in a more excellent way!

The first approach is “thrown out”.  This is the most visibly harsh of the three methods of transition.  Often, this is used out of extreme hatred and ignorance.  You have various examples of the apostles being thrown out of the synagogues by the Jewish leaders, causing them to seek out listeners to the gospel message among the Gentiles.  Their ministry location would change because of being thrown out and barred from speaking to their original audience.  The persecution that spread throughout Jerusalem is another example of this.  Believers were scattered throughout the known world, thrown out of their hometown by religious leaders intent on putting a stop to Christianity.  This was slightly more subtle than the apostles being thrown out of the synagogues, but the actions of those opposed to Christianity made it clear — “You are not welcome here any longer.”

While God used the “throwing out” of His people to accomplish a greater spread of the gospel, those doing the throwing — even the religious leaders — tended to move farther and farther away from God.  Did it break God’s heart to see His servants treated that way?  I think so.  It broke His heart to see His Son treated that way.  But His desire is not to waste the pain and rejection that is experienced, but to use it for a greater good.  The lessons learned are often slow and painful but they can be of great benefit.  The key to growth when enduring the “thrown out” style of ministry change is to allow God’s love and mercy through others to bring healing and purpose. 

Being thrown out hurts.  Whether it is a physical persecution as the early Christians faced with all of its physical harm or just a simple, “You’re fired!”, the pain is real and the rejection can be overwhelming.  When you find yourself in that position, know that God wants to make something good come out of it and Satan simply wants you to become hard and bitter.  It becomes a battle for your heart and soul and it is critical that you allow God to bring healing, peace, and forgiveness into your life.  It takes time.  There is not a quick, easy, and painless “three steps to emotional healing” that can move you from thrown out today to healed and whole tomorrow.

For me, being thrown out of a ministry was one of the hardest things I have ever had to endure.  The healing and recovery process was long and hard.  I’m not even sure when it happened, but one day I no longer saw myself as the victim in the whole process.  The real victims were the lives that went untouched because people got so wrapped up in their own agendas that the only thing spread was hurt and confusion.

This isn’t unique to occupational ministry.  Most people have felt “thrown out” at some point in their life.  They’ve been “in” and told that have to get out.  We live in a throw away society and unfortunately that attitude infects the relationships that people have with one another.  If this job, marriage, friendship, or whatever other relationship doesn’t work out, that is okay — I’ll just throw it away and get another one. 

I pray that you and I would value people the way God values us.  If anyone ever had reason, God had all the reason in the world because of our sin to throw us away.  Instead, he redeemed us — bought us for His own and adopted us as sons and daughters.  What an incredible example when we begin to feel someone is of no use to us.  Don’t throw them away, guide them to a restored life in Jesus!

. . . next up, part 2 – Left Out.