How You Can Be A Minister

How YOU Can Be a Minister.

What can I do? I don’t have any useful skills. I’m not smart enough. I’m too old. I’m too young. I have a disability. I don’t have enough time. Isn’t that someone else’s job? Have you ever had some of these thoughts or questions when thinking about ministry? It is unfortunate that many of us are either unaware,

or too naive, in thinking that we do not have a role to play in ministering to others.

All too often, the word minister has various mental images attached to it, which may make its true meaning not quite as clear. Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary defines minister" as the following:

A servant; a subordinate; an officer or assistant of inferior rank; hence, an agent, an instrument.i

So in order to make the meaning of the word easier

understood, let’s call the words "minister" and "ministry" by the following: servant and service.

How then can you be a servant? A good place to start serving is at the local fellowship you attend. Physical acts of service can be done to enhance greatly the spiritual experience of others. These could include helping with the parking, door greeting, ushering, food preparation. operating audio/visual equipment, setting up and taking down tables and chairs, sweeping and vacuuming floors. and maybe even security. These may not seem like important jobs, but they are really the critical framework that makes a church service operate.

Can you play an instrument or sing? Music is an important component in worship and sometimes the

focal point of many services. Even singing hymns with the church body is a form of service. Do you have widows, orphans, or anyone who is in need at your local church and could use some form of support? Hopefully. it is becoming apparent that the physical forms of service in which you can provide are almost endless.

Spiritual forms of service can also be provided at your church. Fellowshipping is one of the most commonly overlooked forms of service. "Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name" (Malachi 3:16).

Try spending some time talking with your brothers and sisters in Christ about spiritual matters. not only about your job or the weather. Tell others of an exciting Bible verse that you read the other day, or share what Christ has done for you recently. Explain the things that have helped deepen your relationship with God. Help those in spiritual need. Paul states

in Galatians 6:2, "Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." If you see someone depressed, then go and hug that person. If someone has fallen back into a particular sin, help him or her get back up by providing words of encouragement. We all need the support and encouragement of fellow brothers

and sisters, so be willing to lend an ear and give a voice when needed.

Prayer is another important form of spiritual service. James 5:16 declares, "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." If people in your congregation

are sick or discouraged, pray for them daily. Request your congregation to pray for them. The New Testament gives numerous examples of the early Christians praying for someone who was in need. Acts 12:5, for example, states, "Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him." Maybe you are wheelchair bound, or perhaps have

lost some mobility, you too can participate in ministry by becoming a prayer warrior. God can and will use anyone who comes to Him, and God does and will always answer prayers of sincerity.

Another form of spiritual service is preaching. Just because you are not a pastor does not mean you cannot preach. Many fellowship groups allow their lay members to give a message sometimes. If you have prepared a particular study, show it to your pastor and ask him if he thinks it is appropriate for a Bible study or a Sabbath morning message. People will appreciate the insight you have on a particular subject.

Serving our fellow brothers and sisters is an important task that we should do on a regular basis, but we must be sure that we do not just limit ourselves to serving other Christians. Luke 6:32-34 says, "For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. And if ye do

good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again."