There is a whole lot of shaking going on today in the Church as well, of course, in the world. In the world I heard the other day that the average retirement age is now determined to be 80 and no longer 50, 55 or 60. People simply cannot financially make it unless they continue to work up to the age of 80. And then, just the other day, I heard the China will be buying a substantial portion of the outstanding debt of a number of Euro Zone countries so that the Euro, the currency of most of Europe, remains strong. This means that we are another step closer to the Yen (Chinese currency) becoming the base for all nations which role the United States dollar plays today. Things are being shaken, not stirred.

In the Church world we see the Holy Spirit shaking each and every church as well as every attendee whether a true disciple or simply a nominal Christian. Part of this shaking is the Lord teaching His people an old truth that needs to be re-established. Let me remind you of this truth: “It is not about me, it is not about you; it’s about the mission.”

Think about it for a minute. What a change it would make in the church and in ministry if you and I took this simple statement to heart. Ministry and the life of the church would not be about what we want or need, it would be about what God has prepared us to be and to do.

I am convinced that the majority of Christians today, both lay and clergy, are not involved in the kind of ministry for which God created them. Either they have drifted away from their original call, or they are unaware that God has called them to actually do some specific form of ministry. Many Christians are going through life totally unaware that God is calling them to some form of ministry. Sitting in a worship service on a Sunday or on a committee or team is certainly not the essence of ministry. To not know one has been called to some form of ministry or not respond to God’s call is to die without ever really living!

I am equally convinced that many pastors are unhappily going through the motions of ministry. Somewhere along the way many have given up on living out their call. Some are confused about why they signed on for one type of ministry and now the churches they serve force them to do another kind. Some are bitter because of the congregational environments in which they find themselves. Others are so demoralized or angry they are looking forward to retirement and they haven’t even reached the age of 50. Statistics show that 30% of North American pastors would do something else with their life if they thought they could make a decent living.

There is a whole lot of shaking going on and this is going to change. Leaders are going to be moved about – their true callings are going to be discovered and they will come into the fullness of that calling. For some this will mean moving geographically – for all of them it will mean moving spiritually. Disciples of the Lord are about to hear the call to ministry and recognize that they too are ministers and that their ministry is to be exercised where they work and where they live. Ministry to others is going to become the focus of the church worldwide as the Spirit of the Lord shakes everything that can be shaken.