That was how I viewed Christian ministry early in my faith walk. I know, OUCH.
I avoided anything related to ministry for over 20 years. Playing on a continuous loop in my head during that time were images of me on a bike handing out “Christian stuff” somewhere on the globe’s other side.
As my spiritual maturity increased, God erased those images and helped me understand that a minister is a servant. In the Greek it’s the word diakonos–one who executes the commands of another. He also taught me this powerful and life-changing truth: Our salvation through Christ automatically includes a call to ministry that makes every believer a minister!
It’s true. Every believer is created, saved, called, gifted, authorized, and commanded to minister. In fact, ministry is the heart of the Christian life. Whenever we interact with the body of Christ, we are ministering to one another in some way.
God backs up his “every believer is a minister” truth by giving everyone gifts that can be developed and used in ministry. The Lord of our universe wants all of his children to know they have something to offer others. These gifts are discovered through performing your ministry, not after identifying your ministry. It is a myth that our ministry call will somehow fall out of the sky with a thunderous arrival to our doorstep. It simply doesn’t work that way. The ministry pathway is all about exploration and “trys” to see what God does with the experience.
IT’S OUR RESPONSIBILITY
Along with these ministry gifts comes the responsibility for believers to care about the things that matter to Jesus, and have a heart that is broken by those very same things. When Christians look at their city or village and see the lost and confused, they must care. It’s a responsibility of their faith. That’s the heart of our ministry challenge. The engine is becoming more and more like Christ in order to do what he did. Spiritual growth leads to broken hearts for the least and lost. It leads to a focus outside of self. It leads to ministry.
Who God made us to be determines what he “demands” us to do. Matching up our purpose with ministry service is an imperative because believers cannot be pressured or persuaded to serve. A positive response comes from identifying where a believer’s heart aches and then summoning their inner passion to serve.
For me, that passion is helping Christians love God more and fear less in their life. The ministry coming out of that passion is Love God Fear Nothing.
“Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:28
We need to ask God for help finding the spot where our broken heart intersects with our spiritual gifts, heart, attitude, personality, and experience…all to his glory.
Where does your heart ache?
