What Does The Bible Say About Ministry? Series

Second, we minister to believers. The writer to the Hebrews says, “For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do” (Hebrews 6:10). One way in which love is shown to God is in our service to one another as believers in Christ.

And third, we minister to unbelievers. Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet” (Matthew 5:13). Salt, in Jesus’ day, was primarily a preservative, and it was used to prevent food from decaying. Jesus is saying that Christians are to engage the culture in order to prevent its decay. And that is one way that we minister to unbelievers.

So, we minister to the Lord, to believers, and to unbelievers.

III. The Areas of Ministry

When we minister to people—believers and unbelievers alike—we minister to four areas of needs.

First, we minister to people’s physical needs. When Jesus was speaking about the Day of Judgment in Matthew 25:31-40 he said, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’” Clearly, ministering to people’s physical needs is extremely important to Jesus. Moreover, Jesus will reward us as we minister to people’s physical needs.

Second, we minister to people’s emotional needs. The Apostle Paul said to the Thessalonians, “And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all” (1 Thessalonians 5:14). We minister not only to people’s physical needs but to their emotional needs as well.

Third, we minister to people’s intellectual needs. Sometimes people struggle to understand God’s truth, and so we have an opportunity to minister to them. The Apostle Peter said, “But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15).