The last couple of months I have been studying the life and ministry of Noah. I decided to look at the story from a different perspective. I looked at Noah’s ark building as him pioneering a ministry.
As I studied the story I saw that Noah had a mission (save the world) and a method (the ark). Ministers should all have a mission and a method. A lot of times we have a temptation to let the line between these two things blur.
Over the next week I am just going to give a couple of the things that I learned from Noah’s mission vs. his method.
1. Noah was God’s man because he walked with Him not because he was the best ark builder. (Gen. 6:5-8)
We see that God is upset with the state of the earth. He decided that it was time to start over. But instead of destroying the earth He finds one man that is righteous. Noah. Noah, it says, finds “favor” with God. I believe he found favor not because he could build an ark but because he walked close with God.
Many times we think we have to have all the tools (methods) before God will call us to a mission.
We don’t know if Noah had ark building skills, but we do know that he was righteousness.
God doesn’t call the prepared, He prepares the called.
Our first priority is to walk close to God! Then we develop our skills.
In the Midrash (Jewish Method of Biblical Interpretation) Noah explains he was no better or different than anyone else. It says that Noah was saved because he was the only one who understood God’s grace (favor).
God doesn’t call us because of our great gifts or talents, he calls us because of our willingness to serve. The minute we think we are anointed because of our gifts and talents instead of because of God’s grace that comes from walking with him we are moving into dangerous waters. (Pun intended)
