EVERY CHRISTIAN IS A MINISTER--EPHESIANS 4:11-13
Since the time I was in the fourth grade, I always wanted to be a teacher. Prior to wanting to teach music, I inspired to be a classroom teacher. I always enjoyed school. Each year I would enter a new grade that became the grade I wanted to teach.
Although I never trained for the teaching profession, I’ve always had the opportunity of fulfilling the ministry of teaching as a pastor. In many respects the ministry of pastor and teacher is one calling. Paul tells us that “the gifts Jesus gave were that some should be pastors and teachers.” Apostles, prophets, and evangelists are separate offices Christ has given to His Church. Pastors and teachers is a combined office with two distinct functions.
The Greek word for pastor is also the word of shepherd. The analogy between those who shepherd sheep and those who are called to pastor Churches are not coincidental. The work of a shepherd has many parallels with that of a pastor. Shepherds care for sheep; pastors care for God’s people.
Just think for a minute how many characteristics human beings share with sheep. Sheep are affectionate, unaggressive, relatively defenseless, and in constant need of care and supervision. Doesn’t that description basically fit each one of us as well? Therefore, the way a pastor nurtures his or her congregation is not unlike the way a shepherd or shepherdess tends their sheep.
A pastor preaches and proclaims the Word of God. A teacher teaches the Word of God. Paul makes it clear in verse twelve that the pastor-teacher is commissioned by God to “equip the saints for the work of ministry.” Who are these “saints?” This term is used about forty-five times in the New Testament for all true believers in Jesus Christ. Paul addresses this letter: “To the saints who are in Ephesus and are faithful in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1:1).” All who are faithful in Christ Jesus in Ephesus and elsewhere throughout the centuries are called “to the work of ministry.” This includes each one of us.
To What ministry are we called? The word ministry literally means “servant.” We are all called to be servants who follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Jesus sets our example in His own personal testimony in Luke 22:27, “. . . I am among you as one who serves.” Then in Matthew 20:25-28, He commands us, "Whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.’” Jesus fundamentally portrayed the servant spirit by washing His disciples’ feet in John 13 and then explained, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example that you also should do as I have done to you.” Our ministry is that of serving others following in the example of Jesus, our Suffering Servant.
We serve others by meeting their needs. The opportunities throughout Scripture and in our world to do so are limitless. Servant ministry in Matthew twenty-five includes: feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, opening the door of hospitality to the stranger, clothing the naked, caring for the sick, and visiting those in prison. Servant ministry includes preaching, teaching, healing, nurturing, and giving. Servant ministry is laymen, laywomen, and teenagers from our Vermillion River District working countless hours building the Hispanic parsonage in Momence. Servant ministry is going to the Gulf Coast to help our brothers and sisters rebuild their homes, Churches, and communities after the devastation brought by Hurricane Katrina.
Servant ministry is donating blood to the American Red Cross or buying Christmas presents for needy children for the Salvation Army Angel Tree. Servant ministry is raking the leaves or mowing the lawn for your elderly neighbor. Servant ministry is becoming a big brother or big sister for a child or teenager that needs a godly mentor to show them the way. Servant ministry is sharing compassion and showing concern. Servant ministry is encouraging those who are discouraged. Servant ministry is giving financial support with a generous heart. Servant ministry is showing mercy.
Servant ministry is babysitting for a young Mother and Father so they can have “a Mom and Dad’s Night Out.” Servant ministry oftentimes is simply having open eyes to see and meet the most obvious needs of those around us who are hurting in some way. Servant ministry is our food pantries and Chatsworth United Methodist Church providing Thanksgiving Dinner for our community.
Servant ministry is not just inviting your unchurched family, neighbors, and friends to Church but bringing them with you to give them the opportunity to meet Jesus as their personal Lord and Saviour. Servant ministry is just being a friend to those in your circle of influence who do not know Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. We have a saying that we share on the Walk to Emmaus that expresses it so well, “Make a friend, be a friend, bring a friend to Christ.” All of these and countless numbers more are the opportunities Jesus gives us each day for servant ministry.
Vibrant Churches today are the Churches where laity and clergy are equal partners together in ministry. Those of us who are pastor-teachers are to “equip the saints, the laity, for the work of servant ministry.” Part of my teaching ministry is to encourage you in your own servant ministry. One of the ways I can fulfill my calling is by helping you discover your personal spiritual gifts for ministry, which I am prepared to do.
How long a commitment are we to give to servant ministry? How long does Jesus expect each of us to follow His example in servant ministry? We might answer in the words of the marriage vows, “Until death us do part.” There is no time line for retirement when it comes to servant ministry. Verse thirteen sums it up extremely well: “Until all of us come . . . to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.” Our goal is to be more and more like Jesus in all our relationships in the Spirit of II Corinthians 3:18, “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
The Holy Spirit continues to transform us to be like Jesus, according to Colossians Chapter Three by clothing us with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, and love. He enables us to “bear with one another and forgive one another as Jesus has forgiven us.” These are the characteristics of our servant ministry when we walk in the footsteps of Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit!
I know the thought of being in ministry is terrifying, but take heart! “God does not call the powerful, He empowers the called.” Peter, Andrew, James, and John were just common fishermen. We are heirs to the same promise Jesus made to them in Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” At the end of the Babylonian Captivity God called Zerubbabel to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. The Holy Spirit used the prophet Zechariah in Zechariah 4:6 to remind Zerubbabel that he would accomplish the task “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.” Servant ministry is never achieved in our personal strength or power but always by the Holy Spirit working through us.
Every Christian is called to be a servant minister. “In American slang, a white elephant is something useless to its owner. Rummage sales have lots of white elephants, but in Thailand, the white elephant is a symbol of great honor. Some years ago, a medical missionary, Dr. Garland Bare, was given the "Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant" by the king of Thailand. He went there to serve the King of Kings, but the king of Thailand recognized his service to the country. Your service and mine may not be recognized here on earth, and we may not receive honors during our lives. But Jesus assures us that even the cup of cold water given in loving service will be recognized and honored in Heaven.” [--SOURCE: Robert C. Shannon, 1000 Windows, (Cincinnati, Ohio: Standard Publishing Company, 1997).] Offer that cup of cold water in His Name as God opens your eyes for opportunities to do so each day, and always remember: “As laity and clergy we are always partners together in ministry for His eternal Kingdom.”
