Growing My Faith, Not My Platform
At the end of every podcast, we like to ask our guests to share what God has been teaching them in this season of life. This week’s guest is Jeff Parker , he helps guide the pastoral care team at the Watermark Community Church Plano campus, including their re:generation ministry where he gets a front-row seat to the transforming power of Christ.
Jeremiah 26:2
This is what the Lord says: Stand in the courtyard of the Lord’s house and speak to all the people of the towns of Judah who come to worship in the house of the Lord. Tell them everything I command you; do not omit a word.
I've been reading Jeremiah of late. And, you know, look, I'm not without struggle any longer. There's still a temptation for me to fall in love with ministry. Ministry can become my new idol.
Talk bout it in an FDE community group.
And the reason why Jeremiah has been so encouraging to me is because that brother was faithful for 40 years in the ministry and he watched his country just fall. No one listened to him, but he did what he was supposed to do, which was to speak all the words of God.
Jeremiah 26 is where I was recently, which was thus, says the Lord. You stand in the court of the Lord's House and speak to everyone. And then that verse ends with: do not hold back a word. It’s a reminder that my job is to be faithful and not to build a platform, not to build a certain quantity of followers
That little passage in Jeremiah ends in verse 14. You know, it’s Jeremiah finally saying after the people were persecuting him and he just says, y'all do with me is what seems good and right to you. But as for me, I'm going to speak to you all the truth that I'm supposed to do.
There's a lot of times even going back to every time I share my story. I just know I'm supposed to steward these words and I leave the results to the Lord. And, you know, for me, the temptation is always to go check out people. You know, are people celebrating me on social media or this or that? Right now. I'm just recognizing that that stuff needs to die in me. It died in Jeremiah.
So God's been doing a good work in me to just go, your job is to be faithful. What happens around you? That's up to me. And so God's been using the whole book of Jeremiah to encourage my heart with that truth.