Okay, excuse the language, and let me explain…
How can Kevin Hart teach us all a lesson about ministry? So many ways. Everything about this clip speaks to being both a good and a bad messenger of God. Let’s pretend Kevin’s is you, me, us, the messenger and his mom is God.That would make the teacher the person we are meant to minister to. I am going to break this down in way that might seem far-fetched, a bit bizarre, and potentially overreaching, but bear with me and try to follow along.
Kevin’s teacher had a need, so she sent a message home to his mom stating what she needed. Her basic need was for Kevin to behave himself in class. She figured his mother was both the cause and most likely the solution to her problems. Kevin delivers this message via the written note to his mother. Mom reads it and relays a message back to Kevin. When the moment presents itself, he delivers the message, but he added his own thing, put some extra spin on it, and ultimately ends up suspended and in trouble with his mom because he went above and beyond the message he was supposed to deliver.
We have a lot to learn from this clip… so much to learn from this clip. How often as Christians do we hear “God told me to tell you…”? How do you feel when someone says those words to you? Do you get excited hoping that message is an answer to a prayer? Do you hope against all odds that it’s the comfort you’ve needed for so long? Or are you like me and I’m assuming a few others that roll their eyes at that statement? Do you cringe when a stranger implies that they have a word for you from God? When you are low, do you question why God told them and not you?
Now, be honest with yourself, how do you feel once you’ve heard what “God told me to tell you…”? I can’t tell you the number of times I have been let down by the on-time message of God from the mouth of someone who doesn’t know nor have they ever known my situation. I laugh sometimes because I will listen with every intent to receive and once they walk away, I chuckle because I have what I like to call a “Black Jesus” Moment. I get this vision in my head of a darker hued Jesus with the same silky straight hair with His lips turned up and eye brows raised. Then I hear Him say in a voice that I truly hope is not His,”I ain’t say that.” When this happens, I wonder if its me just not being willing to receive, or if this person is truly and intentionally operating outside of God’s direction and advising any and everybody who will listen on what He told them to tell you.
But, back to Kevin as a messenger.
Believe it or not, He actually did a few things right:
1.) He made sure that he understood his assignment.
His mom told him to say some things he wasn’t sure he was supposed to. He asked her for confirmation. He was still unsure and he asked again. She confirmed again. If God is speaking to you regarding someone, how hard would it be to ask God to confirm that he wants you share something with them. Maybe He is telling you that the person needs to know everything is going to be okay, but instead of saying that to them, He wants you to ask them what they need. A person in need of gas money and food for the week isn’t always going to be comforted by the words, “God said everything is going to be okay.” Maybe God wants you to act instead of speak. Did you ask God any additional questions before you singled that person out and offered them no real help, but all positive vibes you could drum up? Let’s just say God does want you to tell someone something, would it be helpful to ask God if this person is ready to receive that message? What if He says no? Could the next question be, “Lord, after I tell them its going to be okay, what would you have me do for them?” I don’t believe that God would speak to you on behalf of someone else and intend for your interaction to be limited to such a shallow display of nothing.
2.) Kevin took his responsibility as messenger seriously.
Kevin did three things to prepare for the delivery of his mother’s message. He practiced/ prepared for it. He rested prior to delivering this message. Last but not least, he made every effort to focus on his task before the moment came and blocked out all distraction. If God is going to trust me to be a messenger for Him, to be the “face” of His brand, maybe I need to spend some time preparing to do so. Some of us want to talk to God’s people but we don’t know how to talk to people about their day let alone about their troubles and their burdens. Some of us are out here trying to fill God’s people from empty/ dry vessels. Some of us are claiming to hear from God, but we can’t even hear our own thoughts because we haven’t figured out how to drown out the world and it chaos. If you aren’t taking your job as a messenger of God as seriously as Kevin took delivering this message from him mom to his teacher, please SIT DOWN and BE QUIET!
Where did Kevin go wrong? Kevin let the “Oooohs” and “Aaaaahhhsss” of his friends deter him from the original message. He let the idea that he stood to gain something from changing the message, CHANGE THE MESSAGE! Kevin didn’t deliver the entire message because he got caught up in his own “glory”. There are people out there with titles delivering their own messages and telling us that God told them to tell you that. That ain’t what He said! We as messengers are out here not listening to the issues of the people God has sent our way and on top of that taking all the credit in our own stories giving God 0% of the glory. I was challenged to do this a couple of years ago, and I want to challenge you to do this in a slightly different way, as you listen to the next testimony, sermon, or story given under the “God is so Good…” premise, count the number of times you hear them say I, Me, or My. Trust me is it eye-opening. If you are someone who ministers, etc, I challenge you to count how many times you say it and compare it to the number of times you say God or Jesus.
We could be better ministers if we asked questions more often than we made statements. We would reach more people and show them the best of God if we listened more than we ministered through spoken words. God may have told you something about a person to cause you to act, not speak. If your “God told me to tell you…” leaves a person with more questions, you didn’t complete your assignment. God is not one of confusion, so why are we leaving people in a state of confusion. “Lord, I am struggling financially.” Do you really think the Lord wants you to say, “Your breakthrough is coming, Sister.”, more than He wants you to take that extra $20 in your pocket and put it in her hand? If God reveals that this young man is suicidal, does God truly prefer you quote Psalms 30:5, or would He rather you ask him if he has a safe place to go, and who he has to look after him?
If we are truly about our Father’s business, we NEED to be about HIS BUSINESS!!! God has charged us all with saving souls. How do you save my soul when you won’t take the time to touch my flesh? If you don’t know what when and how my soul has been lost and tortured, how do you save me? When did Jesus heal anyone whom He didn’t know their affliction. How do you claim an assignment to someone and remain a stranger to their dark places. You can’t bring me out of the darkness without first coming in it to get me. Did God tell you to tell me or did He tell you to do something?
What kind of God are we serving? A God of words, or a God of action?
