The Mystery Of Ministry
My Life's Activity
Ministry??
The word ministry, as a word used in connection with "church work", is a misnomer. Ministry is the personal life of every believer and it is to be lived before the world. Read the New Testament.
The "church" has taken this way of living from the members of a congregation and has adopted it as the work for those who volunteer for it and for those hired to serve the congregation in this manner. Ministry, today, is not thought of as the way every Christian should be living but ministry has been chosen by the leaders to be their activity to be involved in to fulfill the law of Christ. Those in the congregation can set back and toss in their two coins and let the others make sure the "ministries" are done. The more ministries that a congregation can think of and get set up the better it is.
The conscience is soothed. We are doing what the Lord wants but "I" don't have to be living the way Jesus demands me to live. A person setting in the pew gets no credit for any "church ministry" done by others. A person setting in the pew does not get to ride in on the coattail of those doing the work. God judges each individual on what his hands do, what his words say and what his heart meditates upon.
The elders and the hired preacher must teach each member to recognize his God-given gift to live his life before others using that gift to the glory of God. God's gifts to those in the pews are given so that others in the world may be drawn towards God in love and obedience. When a person lives his life the way Jesus teaches, that person is worshiping God.
I did not put my name of this article but it sounds like what I would have written. If you know for sure this article was written by someone else, let me know. I will try to contact that person so I can put their name on this piece.
Thanks for reading and God bless you and your ministry before God.
If one can grasp that the "Great Commission" was spoken by Jesus, not to just the Apostles, not to just those who have ministry as a vocation, but to all of us who claim to believe; then we are more likely to consider our own participation level in the process of ministry. Besides, if we can get and be excited about this gift of salvation we have received, nothing should be able to shut us up about it. Just ask a vegan, or someone who just got the latest version of a smart phone, or someone whose favorite sports team won, or in my case, my son of whom I am most proud. We will talk to everyone about the things that are most important to us. Maybe we all should carry a picture of Jesus in our wallets ... you know ... just in case.
Yes, we are all to minister to one another.