This morning we will be continuing our series entitled: "You Did That On Purpose." We have been examining the 5 foundational purposes of the church, each of these purposes also being seen as necessary in the life of each Christian. Over the past 3 weeks we have looked at the areas of evangelism, discipleship, worship and today we will examine the area of ministry. I have affectionately borrowed the title of my message today from a telephone ad from years ago: "Reach Out And Touch Someone."
Our background scripture today comes from 1 Corinthians 12:5-7, let’s take a look.
1 Corinthians 12:5-7
“There are different ways to serve the same Lord, and we can each do different things. Yet the same God works in all of us and helps us in everything we do.
The Spirit has given each of us a special way of serving others.”
Before we can truly talk about what ministry is, I think we need to realize some common misconceptions about ministry. Most of us have some pre-conceived notions of what ministry is about...let’s see if we can’t eradicate a few of these.
1. Ministry is something the pastor does. Of course you know how much I love to minister...but I’m only one man...and what I can do myself is limited in comparison to what we all can do corporately.
2. You have to know a lot about the Bible to
minister. Knowledge of the Bible is not criteria to minister. Granted a knowledge of the Bible will make you more aware of ministry opportunities, and will give example to live by. But the key ingredient to effective ministry is a willing heart.
3. You have to have been a Christian for a long time to minister. Unlike most job interviews where the length of time in your field is important, in the area of ministry the qualification is a personal relationship with Jesus.
4. Someone else will do it. You’re right...God will always find someone to do His work. However, if that work was intended for you...you are living in disobedience and God will judge you accordingly.
You know the great thing about ministry in the church is this thought. We are all separate, but yet equal. As we will see the Body of Christ has many parts to it. Look at 1 Corinthians 12:12:
1 Corinthians 12:12
“The body of Christ has many different parts, just as any other body does.”
The human body has somewhere in the neighborhood of 200+ bones if my memory sereves me correctly. Even with all of those different individual pieces, it is still one body. And each piece fully relies on the next. Think about the makeup of our church for a moment. We as a church are made up of many different parts as well. Consider this, we are diverse because we have
- different background - some grew up rich, some poor
- different professions - white collar, blue
collar, etc..
- different personalities - introvert, extrovert
- different talents and abilities - music,
teaching, mechanical
Yet even in spite of this diversity there is a common thread. That common thread is Jesus. Look at what Ephesians 4:15-16 says:
Ephesians 4:15b-16
“Then we will grow in every way and be more like Christ, the head of the body. Christ holds it together and makes all of it’s parts work perfectly, as it grows and becomes strong because of love.”
Did you catch that...Jesus is the common denominator. There’s something else....the end result for each of us is that we would grow and become strong as we become more like Christ.
Now we’re getting ready to blow some of your excuses clear out of the water. A common thing I often hear is this, "I just don’t have any talent or skills that I could share." Bite your tongue...God’s word disagrees with you. Each of us is uniquely gifted to serve. God has given each person a gift for ministry. Not only is it a gift, but it’s a gift uniquely crafted for you and you alone. Take a look at these following two passages of Scripture.
1 Corinthians 12:5-6a,11
“There are different ways to serve the same Lord, and we can each do different things…But it is the Spirit who does all this and decides which gifts to give each of us.”
1 Timothy 4:10
“Each of you has been blessed with one of God’s many wonderful gifts to be used in the service of others. So use your gift well.”
Are you catching that. Ministry doesn’t come in cookie cutter shapes. There are as many ways to minister as there are people. The important part is that our gifts be used. It is expected that our gifts will be used. Our gifts are to be used in the service of others. Ultimately we were given these gifts to bring glory to God and draw people to Jesus...that is the Holy Spirit’s work within us.
Look at 1 Peter 4:11:
Are you called to be a speaker? Then speak as though God Himself were speaking through you. Are you called to help others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then God will be given glory in everything through Jesus Christ. All glory and power belong to Him forever and ever. Amen.
I think of gifts this way. I’ve known folks over the years who had some really beautifully restored classic cars. These things were jewels to say the least. However some of these folks would never take them out of the garage, never drive them around, never even show them to anyone. What a waste, no one ever gets to benefit from what they have...it just stays locked away. So many of us do that too. God has gifted us beautifully, but instead of sharing with others...we just keep it locked up in the garage of our lives and no one benefits...what a waste, what a tragedy.
The next thing that we need to realize, is that our ministry is evidence of Christ’s presence within us. Look at John 13:35:
John 13:35(CEV)
“If you love each other, everyone will know that you are My disciples.”
Our service towards one another is our demonstration of God’s love. It is the outward acknowledgement of God’s presence in our lives. You see many of the things we’ve discussed can be imitated, but ministry comes from the love of the heart.
Why else do we get involved in ministry. Because that was the example Jesus set for us. Let’s talk about a few prominent areas of Jesus earthly ministry.
1. Healing the sick – Matthew 8:2-3
Matthew 8:2-3(NLT)
“Suddenly, a man with leprosy approached Jesus. He knelt before him, worshiping. "Lord," the man said, "if you want to, you can make me well again."
Jesus touched him. "I want to," he said. "Be healed!" And instantly the leprosy disappeared.”
One thing I want you to see with this passge, and that’s why I’ve used it. Why didn’t Jesus just tell this guy..."be healed." That would have been enought wouldn’t it? Think about it this way. As a leper, this man was outcast...he had to live outside the city, he had to announce himself as unclean, he could not touch others. Realistically, it may have been years since this man had been hugged, touched on the back, extended a hand. You see this man didn’t just need healing of the skin...he needed healing of the heart and the emotions. Jesus knew fully what this man needed. The touch was the touch of love.
So what part do you play in healing the sick? Have you ever been in the hospital? What did it do for you when someone came to visit? You received a card? You got a phone call? Didn’t you feel better? You may have still been sick...but love touched your soul and your emotions...and in turn, you felt better, stronger.
Not only that, but prayer works. I was fascinated by a recent clinical study that was conducted over a 10 year time frame, comparing patients who were prayed for and those who weren’t. The recovery times, relapse occurences and overall health was markedly better as a whole for those who had been prayed for faithfully.
2. Casting Out Demons – Matthew 8:29-32
Matthew 8:31-32(NCV)
The demons begged Jesus, "If you make us leave these men, please send us into that herd of pigs."
Jesus said to them, "Go!" So the demons left the men and went into the pigs. Then the whole herd rushed down the hill into the lake and were drowned.
So am I saying we need to go exorcising spirits...well yes and no. What I want you to see is that you know people who are afflicted with demons all around you. Let’s talk about some of these demons...alcoholism, drug abuse, pornography, failed relationships, marital strife...starting to recognize some of these? You see the power of Jesus still sets men free from their demons. One of the greatest things we can do is help those around us find that freedom in Jesus Christ.
3. Feeding the hungry – Matthew 15:32
Matthew 15:32(CEV)
“Jesus called His disciples together and told them, “I feel sorry for these people. They have been with Me for three days, and they don’t have anything to eat. I don’t want to send them away hungry. They might faint on their way home.”
Jesus was concerned not only for the spiritual well being of these people, but for their physical needs as well. It’s awful hard to hear the good news of Jesus, when you can’t hear over your growling, empty stomach. Let me bring it home to you this way. It’s awful hard for me to tell you how much Jesus loves you, when I don’t show compassion for your physical needs. It’s very hypocritical for me to talk about the glory of Christ in my life, but neglect the need in yours.
4. Calming fears – Mark 4:39-40
Mark 4:39-40(CEV)
“Jesus got up and ordered the wind and the waves to be quiet. The wind stopped, and everything was calm.
Jesus asked His disciples, ‘Why were you afraid? Don’t you have any faith?’”
Jesus calmed fears. Shouldn’t we be striving to do the same. There are people all around us who are fearful about what the future holds. Fear of death, fear of failure, fear of loneliness. As the hands and feet of Jesus we have a responsibility to calm fears allowing others to see the power of Jesus working in us.
Let’s spend a few moments talking about the benefits of ministry. First of all by meeting the physical need, we can touch the spiritual need. When we show compassion for others, they are much more open to hear what we have to say. Ministry is a natural doorway for personal evangelism. Secondly it makes us feel good. I personally can think of few things in life that bring me near the warm fuzzy feeling that helping someone out does. I’m addicted to it. One of my prayers daily is that God allow me opportunities to minister to others in His name. He’s very faithful to answer. Most importantly it allows Jesus to be seen in us. We have been chosen to share the good news of Jesus Christ with all men. If actions speak louder than words...guess where Jesus does alot of talking. Our actions in ministry will show more of Jesus than anything we could ever say.
As Christians we do need to realize that our ministry will be judged. Read these words of Jesus:
“When I was hungry, you gave Me something to eat, and when I was thirsty, you gave Me something to drink. When I was a stranger, you welcomed Me, and when I was naked, you gave Me clothes to wear. When I was sick, you took care of me, and when I was in jail, you visited me…The King will answer, ‘Whenever you did it for any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did it for Me.”
Matthew 25:35-36, 40
Now this passage also goes the opposite direction and begins to talk about when we failed to do these things, we failed to do them for Jesus. You will be judged by how well you served...make no mistake.
So what do you need to do? First of all get involved. There are two classes of people...spectators and participants. The Christian life was never meant to be a spectator sport. Unfortunately way too many of us are doing nothing more than sitting in the pews taking up valuable oxygen and space. Ouch...kind of rough I know. But had God intended you to be a "pew potato" He would have made you a house plant and not a vessel of His glory. It’s time to get involved and get in the game.
Use your gifts, talents and abilities. Don’t hide them from the world. Let God be glorified in them daily. Meet needs as they are presented to you. If a need is made known to you...God intended for you to do something about it. Don’t wait for the next guy, because you were put in that position for God’s glory. Ask God for opportunities to minister and watch in amazement as your life becomes a life of empowerment in ministry.
