The Heart Attitudes: Part 6Sample

  

Heart Attitude #5 – Participate in the Ministry

Ephesians 4:11-12 “And He personally gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, for the training of the saints in the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ,”

Ephesians 4:16 “From Him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building up itself in love by the proper working of each individual part.”

Do your part! Participate in the ministry!

This heart attitude also has a warning. Do not think or attempt to do everything by yourself. There are no “lone ranger” churches or ministries. The body was never meant to function that way. We need each other but we also need to be doing our part individually. That is the meaning of verse 16. When we each do our part properly, the entire body grows in love!

As you are learning your spiritual giftedness, it is important that you do something. We often discover our gifts through trial and error. We make ourselves available for opportunities to serve in many areas and with various ministries and in the process discover what we are good at and what really excites us. Start by volunteering to do the tasks that others may not want to do if you have no idea what you are gifted to do. The Lord will guide you as you ask Him what your part is!

Realize that your assignments may shift over time. Your season of life may dictate how much you can serve based on how busy your life is. You may also move to a different local ministry and the need may change. Just make sure you are committed to building up the body in some capacity.

Also realize that no one has time to do everything, but we make time to do the things that we want to do. You may have to shift some of your priorities to serve in the ministry. If it is important enough to us, we will find the time in our schedule to get it done.

Finally, some folks need to be reminded that you are not responsible for doing everything. If you find yourself burning out, maybe you need to be reminded of that principle. The Lord never intends any of us to do all the work. We just need to encourage others to find their place and start to do their part for the ministry to move forward.