After His resurrection, Jesus ascended back to heaven. Those who put their trust in Jesus for their salvation have been raised with Him spiritually, and one day physically. Certainly then, we should encourage both paid and volunteer staff to set their minds on things above, where our resurrected Lord sits. Then they will have the power needed to effectively do ministry.
With this reality in mind, we read,
“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” (Col. 3:1-4)
Why Encourage Staff to Set Their Hearts and Minds on Things Above
In ministry people will face obstacles, conflict, and temptation. Jesus told His followers, “In this world you will have trouble” (Jn. 16:33). We live in a fallen world, the effects of which follow us even into the Church and ministry.
Jesus continued, “But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (Jn. 16:33). Through His death and resurrection, He conquered sin and death “once for all” (Rom. 6:10). In Him, we too can rise above as overcomers in our everyday lives but also in ministry. That won’t happen, however, if we focus on our circumstances. We must set our hearts and minds on things above. Thus, if we want effective ministry workers, we need to encourage them to do that.
The Starting Point for Encouraging People
To set our hearts (Greek word, zeteo) on things above is to seek after a heavenly perspective. If we don’t seek, we won’t find. Through Jeremiah the prophet, the Lord said, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jer. 29:13). That’s the starting point. — What can we do to encourage staff to seek after God’s perspective? What can we say and do to spur them on in that direction?
More than finding words of wisdom, when we set our hearts on things above, we find the Person seated on the throne who is enough, able to handle anything and everything. His position shows His authority over life and death and all that pertains to it. We thus encourage people, “Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people” (Eph. 6:7). That makes such a difference when troubles come.
The Means of Continuing with a Heavenly Perspective
Once we find that perspective in our Lord, we need to set our minds (Greek word phroneo) there. We must keep our focus “on things above, not on earthly things” (Col. 3:2). “… transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Rom. 12:2) — What can we do to encourage staff to keep their minds focused on things above? What can we say and do to remind them to hold on?
To begin, let’s not give people the impression we ever stop seeking. The Apostle Paul said, “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” (Phil. 3:12) As we seek and find the help we need in Him, we then need to continue to hold on, focused on Him. So, encourage people to keep seeking and refocusing.
Finding their sufficiency in the One seated on the throne, they’re then ready to replace natural reactions and tendencies with those that reflect Him. We thus encourage them “put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature” (Col. 3:5), ridding themselves of such things (Col. 3:8) and “put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator” (Col. 3:10).
The End Result of Encouraging Staff
Sometimes in trying to help people work through their ministry struggles, we reverse these steps. We expect them to act Christ-like before they’ve set their hearts and minds “on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God” (Col. 3:1). Not standing from their heavenly position with Christ, their efforts to do right are short-lived.
When, however, we first encourage them to seek and focus on Him, setting their hearts and minds on things above, they have the potential of gaining the kind of heavenly perspective that keeps them on track. Only when they can say, “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” (Phil. 4:13) will they be able to rise above the fray. Rather than rely on self-determination to react right, they will pull on “his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms …” (Eph. 1:19-20).
For More on These Topics:
All Posts about Staffing:
- Church Staff Expectations
- Communicating Expectations to Church Staff
- Church Staff: Expect Alignment with Church Purpose
- Church Staff: Expect Adherence to Body Life Principles
- Church Staff: Expect Pursuit of God’s Mission
- Church Staff: Expect Christ-like Character & Integrity
- Church Staff: Expect Reliance on God’s Power
- Church Staff: Expect a Partnership Mentality
- Encourage Church Staff to Grow in Grace
- Encourage Church Staff to Walk by the Spirit
- Encourage Church Staff to Use Their Spiritual Gifts
- Spiritual Gifts Best Suited for Staffing Ministry
- Encourage Church Staff to Pray Without Ceasing
- Encourage Church Staff to Regularly Feast on God’s Word
- Lead Staff by Shepherding
- Encourage Church Staff to Be Strong in the Lord
- Encourage Staff to Do Everything in His Name
- Encourage Staff to Set Their Hearts & Minds on Things Above