Ministry...What Is It?
The Ministry: A Calling for All
"17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.
21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him' (II Corinthians 5:17-21).
I have heard so many messages, read so many books or articles about being used in ministry. Our world today seeks the comfort of labels. We look at what we or others are doing and attempt to categorize what is and what is not befitting each label. For instance, often when we say someone is in the ministry, we are saying that they fit into the ministry of preaching. However, ministry reaches far beyond the pulpit if we use the bible as our point of reference.
We all have a ministry. First, let us define the verb 'to minister':
** To minister is to furnish or supply a need;
** To give service, care, or aid to someone or something;
** To attend to the needs or necessities of someone;
** To contribute to the well-being of another.
According to II Corinthians 5, we each have the potential for great ministry if we have a heart toward bringing reconciliation!
True, there is the five-fold ministry mentioned in Ephesians 4: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers, but that does not limit the saints' ministry. We are all called to be witnesses of the gospel!
Today, we are going to cover the preparation needed for ministry; I strongly suggest you follow up by reading the post on the Ministry of Reconciliation to understand the rationale or reason for ministry.
Any undertaking--whether secular or spiritual--requires preparation and forethought if it is to be successful. There must be a vision or a clearly defined goal if anything is to be accomplished!
We see this preparation in King David's ministry. Before he ever faced Goliath, God prepared him by having him face a bear and a lion. But while many refer to the killing of Goliath as the greatest feat David ever accomplished, it was only a stepping stone to even further ministry God had for him. Goliath was training ground for David's reign over Israel--a reign that endured countless battles.
Just a side note: Notice that David, even after defeating the Philistine Goliath, had to face the Philistines many times afterward. Satan knows our weaknesses and what tempts us. Don't be deceived that just because you won a battle again an enemy today that he will not resurface! We daily fight!
Throughout these battles, however, God was working a greater good in David. There are several definable moments in David's life that we should take note of.
Step One: Calling to Ministry
David was anointed king long before he saw the promise fulfilled. God called him through the prophet Samuel anointing him with oil. We are called by the Word and by His Spirit. John 6:44 says, "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day."
Furthermore, not only are we called to serve God, but Isaiah 44:8 proclaims, "Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any." This commission continued in the New Testament! (See Acts 5:32, Acts 10:39, Acts 13:31)
God used these battles to train David to defend the weak. As Christians we are to "warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men" (1 Thessalonians 5:14).
Furthermore, David was prepared for servanthood by being the youngest son of Jesse. He learned like Paul to " how to be abased, and.... how to abound: every where and in all things.... to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need" (Philippians 4:12).
In fact, he was so young and of such little consequence in man's eyes that when the prophet Samuel came to choose the next king, David's own father left him in the field tending sheep while he invited all of his brothers to the meeting. Even his own father could not see ministry potential in him--but God sees much deeper than those around us ever will!
David was also prepared to minister to people's emotional needs. He was gifted with a talent for playing the harp and was given the opportunity to calm King Saul with his music.
Besides being a servant and having compassion, David also needed leadership skills. God provided those skills through his experience on the battlefield with Goliath. He experienced being the people's champion as they chanted "Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands!" (1 Samuel 18:7).
Finally, God saw that a man cannot lead where he has not been. Due to the jealousy of Saul, David was forced to flee for his life into the surrounding kingdoms. While this was a harrowing experience, it prepared David for the battles he would face as king for, you see, he learned the terrain of the enemies' kingdoms! In future, he would have memories of where different cities, land formations, and possible ambush encampments would be!
God always prepares us with what we need! Sometimes, it simply seems that we are going through trial after trial, but there is a bigger picture we must trust--even if it doesn't make sense in the moment!
Step Three: A Vision for the Ministry
"Where there is no vision, the people perish" (Proverbs 29:18). God will always give you a vision for what will come, but don't get too impatient if it doesn't happen right away. David was anointed as Israel's next king by Samuel; shortly thereafter, he was invited to play his harp for a troubled Saul. He ate at the king's table and became friends with Saul's son, Jonathon. He saw all that was to be his, but could not touch it until God opened the door and his training was complete. Often, we want to jump into the thick of the promise and make it happen before we are ready. Abraham did this. In Genesis 15, Abraham received the promise that he would receive a biological heir, but by Genesis 16, he became impatient and took his wife's handmaiden instead. God had Isaac in his plans all along, but Abraham's impatience brought about a separate nation of descendants, causing strife throughout history between the two men's seeds.
** "those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth" (Ps. 37:9).
** "they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint" (Is. 40:31).
** "Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the LORD, until the day that I rise up" (Zeph. 3:8).
** Like the parable of the nobleman who went away to establish his kingdom, God asks us to "Occupy till I come" (Luke 19:13).
Step Four: Inherit the Promise
David stepped into his promise through faith and perseverance in the ways of God.
We are not only called, but we are being prepared daily for greater and greater ministry. Countless numbers of saints take the training course for granted and never develop beyond a pew warmer, but the first step in preparation is to truly put away the old things. "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (2 Cor. 5:17). "When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things" (1 Cor. 13:11).
Scripture likens our spiritual walk to that of the cycle of human life. When first we receive the Holy Ghost, we are babes. We cannot endure any more than the milk or simple, surface things of truth. We are not to stay in that state, however; we are to grow to be able to eat the meat of the Word: the deeper things in Christ. Many times we ration ourselves and become stagnated.
We are to walk in the light as we see the light. We cannot advance until we conquer the obstacles we now face. It's like walking around in a forest on a moonless night with only a flashlight in hand. You can only step into the space where the light shines; leaping ahead of the light might lead to pouncing on a snake or into a hole. However, if we do not step into the light but stay still, no further ground will be illuminated. Furthermore, if we do not like what the light (God's Word) reveals to us and we back away, we lose ground. Note: There is never a time we should let go of a conviction God has given us and there is never a time to relinquish the knowledge we've learned of God. In Malachi 3:6, God proclaimed, "For I am the Lord, I change not."
Ministry in a Nutshell
We are all called to be ministers of the gospel! Teaching Sunday School, greeting and following up with visitors, having new church members over to our homes, teaching bible studies, preaching, singing, playing an instrument, keeping the church financial books, guiding church decisions by serving on the board, cleaning the facilities, praying for the sick, interceding for the lost, evangelising, being hospitable: there are countless actions that fall into the general term, ministry. Whatever God has called you to do, it is important that (1) you not despise your calling, (2) you don't compare yourself or your ministry with others, and (3) you do it with all your might!
