Progressive Baptist Church's Website
In defining ministry, one simple explanation would be "meeting the needs of others", especially through the Church. Chapter 3 of Genesis is one of the most vital Chapters of the Bible because it presents the temptation of Adam and God's gracious provision to meet the need of fallen man.
We never have to look far to find temptation. Temptation follows the same pattern as the one experienced in the Garden of Eden when the snake seduced Eve into eating the forbidden fruit. The success of temptation rest upon the tempter drawing false deductions from God's spoken word. Had Adam and Eve believed God's word and not yielded to the temptations of the snake, there might not have been a need for God to send His only Son to restore the damage that humanity eventually did.
Even though it was generations later, before Jesus would be born, the damage and sin that followed the disobedience of Adam and Eve infected the earth like a plague. Oh, but how great is the God we adore! How wonderful is His love for us! With the occasion of man's sin, there came the announcement of a divine remedy. Our Father, in all His greatness chose to give us another chance by His promise of redemption. He sent His message through one messenger after another until our redemption finally walked the earth. Through Jesus, all believers are saved and have accepted the call to continue spreading the Gospel of the Lord, mainly through the ministries of the Church.
It is the life Jesus lived as much as the life He gave that teaches us about ministry. In every matter of Christian life and ministry, we should look at the background of Jesus' life. Jesus did exactly what He instructed us to do. Not only was the Son of God a Messenger, He was the perfect example for the Church. He took His message to the people no matter where they were. Through baptism, the disciples were sent out to preach to the nation, "baptizing others in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit."
It is the role of the church to minister to everyone through preaching, teaching, and pastoral care. Jesus was not only the example for His disciples, but for preachers, teachers, and all other servants of God. The role Jesus assumed changed according to the individual needs of the people and the instruction of God. To His disciples and many others, Jesus was Preacher, Teacher, Friend, and Counselor; to the Pharisees and unbelievers, Jesus was Disciplinarian. Jesus never had a second thought about going from Preacher to Servant because He was following the will of God.
Like Jesus, disciples should never be led by their own will, but by the will of the Father. As disciples, we must learn that the ministry of God is the serious business of doing His will. The church provides us with the training we need to minister to the world. Just as Jesus spent time with the Father, all members of the ministry must spend time in prayer and preparation. We must remain strong in the Word and in our faith and ask God to be obedient in whichever ministry He calls us to. No matter what area of ministry we are active in, we must always be mindful that we are servants of God.
As God gave all of us free will to make choices, one choice Christians make is to do something with whatever God has given us. When we stand before God, we will have to face the question, "What did you do with the life I gave you?" No one will be able to answer that question but you. We must always remember, "what God has for you, it is for you." God did not give everybody the same gifts in life. You must use whatever gift God gave you to further His ministry. I'm reminded of a disciple in Acts, Chapter 9, who made the most of the gift God had given her.
The Bible tells us that a disciple from Joppa named Dorcas was always doing good and helping others. Among her good works was that of fashioning coats and garments for widows and the needy of her church and community. The garments Dorcas made represented Christian faith and ministry in action.
After some time Dorcas became sick and died. Her friends prepared her for burial and laid her in an upstairs room. When they learned Peter was nearby, they sent two men to beg him to come to Joppa with them. As soon as Peter arrived, they took him upstairs where Dorcas lay. The room was filled with weeping widows who were showing the coats and garments Dorcas had made them. Peter asked all of them to leave the room, then he knelt and prayed. Turning to the body, he said, "Get up Dorcas," and Dorcas opened her eyes and sat up. Peter then presented her alive to everyone. The news raced through the town and many believed in the Lord. Dorcas was a devout committed follower of Jesus Christ. She was mentioned in the Word of God not because of money, fame, pleasure, or power, but because she was a woman of good deeds who followed the Lord and did something with her life.
A person can not build a life on money, fame, pleasure, or power, but you can build it on the Word of God and His love. We can see this in Dorcas because she followed Jesus Christ and ministered through her gifts to others. Jesus wants all of us to do something with our lives by blessing and helping others. You don't have to wait until you are older and wiser. God has no certain age limit when He calls a person to His ministry. The only criteria is a willing heart to be obedient to the will of God.
William Booth was the founder of the Salvation Army. One Christmas, he wanted to send greetings to Salvation Army workers around the world. He didn't have much money to send it by telegraph, so he kept his message short. He decided to send every Salvation Army worker a message which consisted of one word; that word was "Others." Mr. Booth was briefly saying, "Don't think of yourself, but think of others." Like Dorcas, Mr. Booth knew the priority of a ministry should be to others. This aspect of the ministry is instilled in us when we study the Word of God. Dorcas was a disciple who knew the Word of God and acted upon it. The Bible tells of the beautiful testimony she left behind through her ministry.
I'm also reminded of some Bible characters who had no ministry because of their selfishness. King Herod lived for himself and the memory of him is wretched. Jezebel and Ahab lived for themselves and the mention of their names denotes distain. Judas Iscariot lived for himself and his name became despised, even to this day. We should always remember that a part of us never dies. Our influence lives on for generations. Like Judas and the others mentioned, we shouldn't let selfishness be our legacy.
In closing, ministry is "meeting the needs of others." It's about letting others see the love of God in you. Each day is a richly blessed day to be in service for the Lord. Each day we live gives us another opportunity to use the gifts God has given us to carry on the ministries of the church.
