Your Ministry Begins
Right Where You Are
Have you ever given thought to the fact that as a
Christian, you are called to ministry? In fact, you are already in ministry.
If you have become a child of God, through putting
your trust in him and being saved by grace through faith, you are now in
full-time ministry!
You no longer have to wonder at your purpose in life.
Your job is to share the love of Christ and to preach the gospel to every
creature.
It’s no longer about your agenda. You are not your
own. It’s no longer you who lives, but Christ who lives in you.
Galatians 2:20 KJV - I am crucified with Christ:
nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I
now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and
gave himself for me.
Now, you may think, I’m not a Pastor, or a Youth
Worker, or a Missionary. I’m not on the staff at my Church. I don’t teach a
Sunday School Class or work in the Outreach Ministries of my Church.
Stop thinking that just because you don’t fill one of
these roles, you are not in ministry!
Stop letting people tell you that working for the
government, or running your family business, or driving a truck for a living,
or enjoying your job as a day care worker or a myriad of other things is not
God’s plan for you in this season of life!
Stop letting the opinions of man keep you from being a
light in your current workplace, no matter how insignificant your job or
position may seem.
Your job title doesn’t matter, but how you use your
time does!
Just because you are not a paid staff member of your church
or have a degree in Theology or serve in one of the ministries in your church,
doesn’t mean that you, as a Christian, are not in full-time ministry.
Your humble, every day life can make a difference
to God and his Kingdom.
Jesus himself was not paid by the church. He was a
carpenter’s son who most probably worked alongside his father before setting out
on his mission by God.
Priscilla and Aquilla were tentmakers who helped Paul
on his missionary journey by letting him live and work with them in order to
provide for himself. Acts 18:1-4.
We often believe the lie that tells us that in order to
be someone in God’s eyes, we have to serve in some noticeable way in our churches.
We seem to think that the Pastoral role and Missionary
role is way up high on the list of ministries and that anything other than a speaking/teaching
role in the church is somehow less.
Now, don’t get me wrong, they are very important
God-given callings and much needed.
But what a sad and sorry state of affairs when we
forget that God has gifted everyone differently and given each of us talents
and abilities that we can use in our unique walks of life to further his
kingdom and ‘preach’ the gospel to those in our spheres of influence.
Stay at home mum, with little ones running around, busy
with laundry and dishes and ABC’s, you are no less important in your service to
the Lord than the Pastor that preaches the Word on a Sunday morning.
You are in ministry! Your ministry is right in front
of you. You are training the next generation of leaders. As you teach them the
stories from the Bible and read the Word of God with them, leading by example,
praying with them, loving them, you are teaching them more than you know or
realise. Your testimony is the light they see and hear.
Your ministry begins right where you are!
Busy career woman, commuting to work, sitting at your
desk, putting in long hours in front of a computer screen, you are in ministry!
Start with those around you. Your ministry begins where
you are!
Sadly, we often begin to believe the lie that in order
to make a difference in this world, bigger is better. Be an influencer! Get
1 million followers! Reach more people!
Yes, it would be awesome if we could reach more people
with the gospel, but if you’re not willing to do it where you are, what
makes you think you’ll do it somewhere else, or when you have a bigger following?
God has called every Christian to begin where he/she
is.
Do you remember the story of the man with the unclean
spirit in the country of the Gadarenes? Mark 5:1-20 Luke 8:26-39.
This was a man who had not one, but many devils living
inside him and the Lord Jesus miraculously healed him and cast them out of him
and into a herd of pigs who then ran violently off a cliff into the sea.
It is a very impressive story but let me draw your
attention to something interesting.
After the man was healed and clothed and sitting in his
right mind at the feet of Jesus, the people of that country were so afraid at
what had taken place, that they pleaded with Jesus to leave and get out of town.
Now, we have a man who has been healed and is so excited
about it that when Jesus is ready to depart, he asks to go with him.
Mark 5:18-19 KJV - And when he was come into the
ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be
with him. Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy
friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath
had compassion on thee.
Luke 8:38-39 KJV - Now the man out of whom the
devils were departed besought him that he might be with him: but Jesus sent him
away, saying, Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath
done unto thee. And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city
how great things Jesus had done unto him.
This is where it gets interesting.
What did Jesus tell him to do?
Firstly, he refused him. And then he sent him away with
a new mission. A new ministry.
Go home and tell your friends. Go home and tell everyone
what has happened to you. Tell them how great God is.
Now, I’m sure the man was a little sad at hearing that.
He wanted to go with Jesus and possibly see more miracles. Greater things.
Bigger ministries. More exciting adventures.
But God said your ministry begins right where you
are (my paraphrase).
Jesus didn’t tell him to go and start a church. He
didn’t tell him to become an Evangelist and preach to hundreds. He didn’t tell
him to start a Youth ministry or a Sunday School.
No. He simply said, start with your friends. Your
own house. Your own people. Your own sphere of influence that you currently
have.
Begin where you are, with what you have!
And that’s not the end of the story. As we read on, we
find that when Jesus did return, the people gladly received him. They marvelled
at all the man had told him and they were ready to hear more.
Luke 8:40 KJV - And it came to pass, that, when
Jesus was returned, the people gladly received him: for they were all waiting
for him.
Mark 5:20 KJV - And he departed, and began to
publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did
marvel.
This man had faithfully fulfilled his calling. He had shared
what the Lord had done for him. He had shared with his family and friends. He
had begun where he was.
Does that not speak volumes to you about where you
find yourself right now?
Does it encourage your heart that you can stay faithful
in your job, sharing the gospel as you have opportunity, serving the Lord in
where he has placed you for however long the season is?
You don’t have to feel inferior because you don’t have
a job title in your church. You don’t have to feel less because you work long
hours and can’t always make it to every service and every meeting your church holds.
As long as you are putting your relationship with the
Lord above all else and making him top priority in your life, fellowshipping
with other believers as often as you can, you are already in full time ministry
for him, sharing his love with the circle of people he has placed in your life,
those he cares deeply about.
You may never get 1 million subscribers or lead a
Bible Study that reaches more than 10 or fill a role that has a specific title
in the church.
You may feel small and insignificant and think that
your contribution is meagre, but you can make all the difference in someone’s
life.
If you don’t reach them, who will?
God has placed you where you are with the people that
surround you, at this time, for a purpose. It is your job to be a light in a
dark world.
It is your job to be all there, wherever you are!
Don’t be discouraged thinking that you are too small
to make a difference. If only one person is helped by something you were able
to share, if only one person is encouraged by your testimony, if only one
person remembers you because there is something different about you and they
are drawn to it, then rejoice. Be excited that God chose to use you right where
you are.
Don’t feel like Christian ministry is an unattainable
height left for those more experienced and knowledgeable and mature in the Lord.
Your current situation and workplace are your mission
field. You’re on the front lines!
Don’t let anyone tell you that full-time ministry is
only found in the confines of a church building. God is much bigger than four
walls.
There is a lot to be said for friendship evangelism. Start
by being a friend and let the Lord lead and guide you and give you
opportunities to witness.
Support those that are in roles in the church that
have a title and particular function but don’t ever feel like you are not important.
You have a job to do just as they have. Wherever you are, be all there! Be
all in.
If you are a believer, you are in ministry. And yes,
it is full-time ministry. Part-time is not an option!
Every day that you are alive and breathing, you are in
ministry.
God has called you to go out and share the gospel. Get
busy being a shining light wherever God has put you.
Ministry
begins right where you are!
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