A Heart Alive
Over the last few weeks, I’ve found myself sitting with Paul in 1 Corinthians 9—not just reading the words, but listening to the heartbeat behind them. Paul is talking about ministry: what it looks like, what it costs, and what it requires of those who say “yes” to Jesus.
And while the chapter is framed around his relationship with the church in Corinth, it speaks powerfully into the world of ministry today. As Paul unpacks his thinking, three tensions emerge—tensions that quietly shape the kind of ministry we offer, the kind of people we become, and the way the Kingdom moves forward through us.
They’re subtle. They’re stretching.
And they matter more than we often realize.
Let me share them with you.
1. When Ministry Becomes a Calling, Not Just a Career
One of the biggest questions anyone in ministry has to answer is why they’re in ministry at all.
Is it because God called us?
Or because ministry felt like a meaningful, stable, honorable career path?
Paul acknowledges that treating ministry as a “career” can bring benefits—security, stability, and support. There’s nothing inherently wrong with those. But they can soften the edge of faith. They can make us a little less willing to risk, to step out, to follow God into the unknown.
Paul doesn’t follow Jesus because it’s a good job.
He follows because he must.
“Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” he says.
Why? Because anything less would betray the calling God placed deep within him.
And the Kingdom has always advanced through people who choose calling over comfort.
2. Leading With Holy Fire Instead of Just Finishing the Task
The second tension revolves around motivation.
Are we driven by passion for Jesus, or by the need to complete a project?
There’s nothing wrong with projects—churches need structure, systems, and strategy. But projects alone can become mechanical. Predictable. Responsibility-driven rather than Spirit-led.
Passion, on the other hand, keeps ministry relational, dynamic, courageous, and alive. It pushes us to pray boldly, love deeply, dream big, and trust God beyond our blueprints.
Paul’s ministry wasn’t fueled by checking tasks off a list.
It was fueled by a deep, personal devotion to Jesus.
The most meaningful ministry usually happens where passion leads and wise structure follows.
3. Serving Everyone Without Becoming Owned by Anyone
This third tension might be the hardest, but it’s essential.
Paul says, “Though I am free and belong to no one…”
He isn’t claiming independence. He’s claiming allegiance. There is a difference.
A mentor once told me something that reshaped my understanding of ministry:
“I am your servant, but you are not my master.” We are called to serve people wholeheartedly—but not to be mastered by them.
Jesus alone is our Master.
When we allow the expectations, opinions, or demands of people to drive our decisions, we slip into a subtle form of slavery. It weighs us down. It complicates our calling. It drains joy and clarity and courage.
Freedom in ministry is not the absence of accountability—it’s the presence of Christ as our true authority.
And when He is our Master, serving others becomes joyful again.
Simple again.
Pure again.
Holding These Tensions While Following Jesus
These tensions—Calling vs. Career, Passion vs. Project, Freedom vs. Slavery—aren’t theoretical ideas. They shape the kind of ministers we become, and by extension, the kind of churches we build.
There is overlap among them, and ministry rarely fits neatly into categories. But Paul’s point is clear:
And that’s the way the Church flourishes.
Wherever you serve—on a team, in a ministry, in your workplace, or in your neighborhood—may these three words guide and steady you:
Calling. Passion. Freedom.
They are the quiet anchors that keep our hearts faithful and our lives responsive to Jesus’ voice.
And while the chapter is framed around his relationship with the church in Corinth, it speaks powerfully into the world of ministry today. As Paul unpacks his thinking, three tensions emerge—tensions that quietly shape the kind of ministry we offer, the kind of people we become, and the way the Kingdom moves forward through us.
They’re subtle. They’re stretching.
And they matter more than we often realize.
Let me share them with you.
1. When Ministry Becomes a Calling, Not Just a Career
One of the biggest questions anyone in ministry has to answer is why they’re in ministry at all.
Is it because God called us?
Or because ministry felt like a meaningful, stable, honorable career path?
Paul acknowledges that treating ministry as a “career” can bring benefits—security, stability, and support. There’s nothing inherently wrong with those. But they can soften the edge of faith. They can make us a little less willing to risk, to step out, to follow God into the unknown.
Paul doesn’t follow Jesus because it’s a good job.
He follows because he must.
“Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” he says.
Why? Because anything less would betray the calling God placed deep within him.
- A career will keep your ministry safe.
- A calling will keep your ministry alive.
And the Kingdom has always advanced through people who choose calling over comfort.
2. Leading With Holy Fire Instead of Just Finishing the Task
The second tension revolves around motivation.
Are we driven by passion for Jesus, or by the need to complete a project?
There’s nothing wrong with projects—churches need structure, systems, and strategy. But projects alone can become mechanical. Predictable. Responsibility-driven rather than Spirit-led.
Passion, on the other hand, keeps ministry relational, dynamic, courageous, and alive. It pushes us to pray boldly, love deeply, dream big, and trust God beyond our blueprints.
Paul’s ministry wasn’t fueled by checking tasks off a list.
It was fueled by a deep, personal devotion to Jesus.
- Projects get finished.
- Passion keeps moving.
The most meaningful ministry usually happens where passion leads and wise structure follows.
3. Serving Everyone Without Becoming Owned by Anyone
This third tension might be the hardest, but it’s essential.
Paul says, “Though I am free and belong to no one…”
He isn’t claiming independence. He’s claiming allegiance. There is a difference.
A mentor once told me something that reshaped my understanding of ministry:
“I am your servant, but you are not my master.” We are called to serve people wholeheartedly—but not to be mastered by them.
Jesus alone is our Master.
When we allow the expectations, opinions, or demands of people to drive our decisions, we slip into a subtle form of slavery. It weighs us down. It complicates our calling. It drains joy and clarity and courage.
Freedom in ministry is not the absence of accountability—it’s the presence of Christ as our true authority.
And when He is our Master, serving others becomes joyful again.
Simple again.
Pure again.
Holding These Tensions While Following Jesus
These tensions—Calling vs. Career, Passion vs. Project, Freedom vs. Slavery—aren’t theoretical ideas. They shape the kind of ministers we become, and by extension, the kind of churches we build.
There is overlap among them, and ministry rarely fits neatly into categories. But Paul’s point is clear:
- True ministry is birthed from calling, fueled by passion, and lived in freedom.
- That’s the way Paul served.
- That’s the way Jesus led.
And that’s the way the Church flourishes.
Wherever you serve—on a team, in a ministry, in your workplace, or in your neighborhood—may these three words guide and steady you:
Calling. Passion. Freedom.
They are the quiet anchors that keep our hearts faithful and our lives responsive to Jesus’ voice.
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