Irrelevant and Truly Self-Confident

What's at the heart of Christian ministry? If you are a Christian, and you do any kind of serving, caring, helping, praying, etc, you are doing ministry. That makes you a Christian minister. A little Christ ministering in the way of Jesus. What is central to ministering in the name of Christ?

Henri Nouwen puts it like this:

Before Jesus commissioned Peter to be a shepherd he asked him, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these others do?" He asked him again, "Do you love me?" And a third time he asked, "Do you love me?"

We have to hear that question as being central to all of our Christian ministry because it is the question that can allow us to be, at the same time, irrelevant and truly self-confident.
~In the Name of Jesus, p23

To be irrelevant is to be free. Free from unrealistic expectations. Free from legalistic burdens. To be irrelevant is to be free to be led by the Spirit of God. And to be self-confident - most of us can only dream of becoming such. To be self-confident in our serving, in our caring, in our helping, in our listening, in our correcting, in our mentoring, in our loving...such is the way of Jesus.

Let Jesus ask you the question he put to Peter. Listen to the probing interrogation. He is looking into your eyes - that strong, steady, gentle, intense gaze: Do. You. Love. Me?