Being in ministry isn't what it used to be! Years ago, priorities were clearer, black and white were more easily seen. The Gospel was a thing both hated and respected. People had real needs and the answers were there in the Word of God if you looked…knocked…asked.

Today, everything is upside down, backwards, inside-out and lost in space. For any thinking, truly seeking Christian, America is clearly a bizarre mix of Disneyland, Hell and the Twilight Zone. To survive is to fight hard and brutally. To survive and be truly effective warriors, God has to strip you of all the illusions, all of the delusions and teach you to walk with your heart and head in another Kingdom.

Today, you must fight to keep your priorities clear. Into the gray of compromise, God calls you to paint life with strong colors - not just black and white, the colors of truth, but also sunset reds, forest greens, brilliant yellows and sky blues, the colors of grace. God calls you to break the spell of evil and delusion and walk out of Disneyland, taking captives with you. In a world where the Gospel is no longer hated and respected but rather amusing and mocked, (God-bashing is in) God calls us to an integrity, a nobility, a royalty that exposes darkness and by its nature demands a strong reaction for or against our God and Savior Jesus Christ.

Today there is a mass deficit of true servants of Jesus. Those I know who have crossed Jordan, who have prayed to be used cost what it may, are overloaded. Why? - Supply and demand. The demand for true servants and true service is far greater than the supply, so the overflow goes to the few who serve. (Forgive my long explanations. After taking 5 minutes to explain this theory to a friend, he condensed it to, "So God has a management problem." I wish I were so brief and clear. But then, I have both sides of this page to fill.)

Then, those who ARE servants are faced with challenges of time, energy and anointing that are unbelievable, because for so long people's needs have been unmet by secular psychology, social Christianity and the Band-Aid counseling of this generation of "care bear" Christians. When servants are called along these hurting people they realize that they cannot heal with just a nice bunch of words or a few pat scriptures. "Social servants" quote a verse or two, pat people on the back and say, "Be warmed and filled" feeling good that they have done their good deed far the day. Bond Slaves are willing to commit to the person for Jesus' sake. They dig in for the long haul. They make the person's healing as important as if it were their own. They cry for them, they weep for them. They are willing to lose a little sleep if it means bringing the other person into His rest. They are willing to let their house be a little more empty that His might be fuller. They are willing to give you their heart, no matter how you hurt them, so you may receive the love of the Great Heart of God.

I was recently telling some friends about the tremendous increase in responsibility and work we're facing. Someone joked about being fired, and I said, "You can't fire me. Slaves have to be killed off or die to quit."

Suddenly the joke became a dead-serious revelation. I saw so clearly the difference between a hireling and a shepherd, between a career oriented professional preacher and a true Jesus-servant, between a social servant and a Bond Slave of Jesus.

We're always faced with the contradiction, the huge gap between where we are and where we need to be. The truth is hidden. Selfish motives are something even the most committed Bond Slaves must keep in check. After all, being raised in Disneyland means we've been raised on media trash like, "You deserve the best" and "I'm worth it" (Some have even built churches on these premises!) But if we're gutsy enough to face the lies, God will deliver us and make us the true servants He needs. Our greatest enemy is selfishness. It comes in two forms: Doing nothing unless it's convenient, or the way many churches have developed, letting the pastor and a few elders do it all while you pay them 10% to do so. "Pastor Cork." We put him at the top and we remain bottled up until out of frustration we blow the cork out (usually into another job) and the people just lose their fizz! Funny, how Monday morning commentators set up the heroes then shoot them down for failing to meet our expectations.

In God's true order, pastors and leaders are not elevated heroes but just servants. And the purpose of service is to mature other servants. The problem is, most of us don't WANT to be servants. We want to pay PASTOR to serve!! Part of the reason leaders are stressed out, burned out, fed up and sometimes even quit is because they are doing the work that should be done by ALL the people. It's time for God's people to stop playing "poor, weak little lambie me, helllp meee!", stop expecting others to wait on you and please you, grow up and start serving! Technically, according to Acts, leaders should be giving themselves to the Word and prayer. That's their primary job. For the church to grow, for the Good News to spread, you must relinquish your padded pew privileges and DO IT!

If you're willing, here's a few guidelines to help you exit Disneyland and enter the real battle, helping you to see the difference between social servants and Bond Slaves.

1. Social servants say, What's in this for ME?" Bond slaves say, "What can I give?"

2. Social servants say, "I'll do it if it's convenient." Bond Slaves say, "I'll go when God calls, convenient or not.

3. Social servants say, "Why should I do it? No one else volunteered!" Bond servants say, "No one else volunteered, that's why I'll do it."

4. When the going gets tough, social servants get going - far, far away, and FAST.

5. Social servants become "cruisematics" - when a church "stops meeting their needs" they move on to get fat and lazy elsewhere. A Bond Servant, when their needs stop being met, realizes they have what they need and they start meeting OTHERS' needs, right where they are.

6. A social servant excuses self, blames others for failures and lack of involvement. A Bond Servant says, "Search ME, O God" and "Create in ME a clean heart."

7. A social servant is blind to their own faults, but considers themselves an excellent judge of the faults of others. A Bond Servant realizes they are responsible that they themselves walk uprightly, and should they see a fault in others, it has been shown by God so they may PRAY for them or lovingly correct them if necessary.

8. A Social servant does the minimum required to get by while making every effort to receive the maximum credit for the job done. A Bond Servant EXCELS in ALL things, especially serving, and if possible without getting attention or praise for it, for they do it to love Jesus.

9. You have to drag, bribe, or draft a social servant into battle. You have to kill a Bond Servant to get the sword out of their hand.

10. Social servants are "excitement addicts" who attach themselves to new and exciting works of God, pledging their loyalty, until things get boring or costly, and they move on quite quickly, searching for the next "fix". The Bond Servant MUST serve. They are grateful to be chosen to serve. Excitement or not, they serve steadily and consistently. Social servants plant a tree and get mad if there's no fruit in a week. Bond Servants know that good fruit takes time, lots of water and sunshine, and even if no fruit is seen soon, it may just mean the roots are going deeper down.

As time passes, the fruit of the heart becomes known. A social servant becomes increasingly meaner, prouder, more petty, selfish, critical and eventually bitter, lonely, empty and barren. But a Bond Servant becomes the Living Tree of the fruit of the Spirit: kind, selfless, constructive, sweet, full of love and greatly blessed.

You can remain a social servant. You'll get to heaven empty-handed. You can expect, claim and demand blessings. But at the end, you'll know what Jesus meant by; "They have their reward already." Even here, you will understand the stark pain of Psalm 108:15: "God granted their requests but sent leanness into their souls." And you will never understand the true blessings only Bond Servants know: To enjoy God's friendship; to know God is trusting YOU; to have God share with you His secrets, His heart, His longings and burdens; to be so confident of God's favor that you dare to speak the truth in love without fear of being disliked or rejected (social servants are trained in flattery); to be blessed with lifelong relationships with other Bond Servants that time, distance and circumstance does not dim; to have your capacity to love be ever expanded, deepened, enriched, and finally, to know God's "thank you" far letting Him love through you!

You may not measure up. Few do. We're not there yet, but like Paul, we don't consider ourselves to have arrived, but we press toward the high calling. But you're willing! As you grow in grace and understanding of these things, you will see changes that assure you that you're getting there. You start thinking of others' needs more than your own. You actually go out of your way to comfort and be a friend. You begin to feel others' pain. Your prayers are less you-centered, more for others, and just praying to bless God and love Him. You even start losing sleep praying for others. Instead of trying to get others to meet your needs, you're beginning to lead others to, and back to, Jesus. You no longer need to be asked or bribed to help. You do it with joy. You're no longer asking to be a better Christian (which is often disguised selfishness - you know, if I'm more holy, I'll get my prayer answered and people will think highly of me) - but rather asking to be a better servant, by which being a better Christian is produced. Your priorities become His - heal the sick - take care of the oppressed and orphaned and widowed - seek justice and extend mercy.

May God give you the grace to understand and obey. Goodbye, Disneyland. Welcome to the real world.

Gregory Reid is the founder of YouthFire Ministries and has authored numerous books. He travels throughout the world fulfilling the Great Commission and resides in El Paso, TX.