Ministry

Who are the people called to ministry? We typically think of ministry as the work of the apostles, prophets, pastors, evangelists, and teachers but that is actually the opposite of what the book of Ephesians tells us. Instead, we are told that these roles were given to equip all God's people for ministry: all of us! The Greek word here, diakonias, is translated as either ministry or service. It has the same root word as the word used in Acts 6 to describe the task of the seven who were chosen to serve at the tables and in Luke 10 to describe the work that Martha was distracted by in the story of Mary and Martha.

So what Paul is telling us in Ephesians is that, when the Church is fully functioning, everyone is involved in service in some capacity. That doesn't mean you all have to sign up for welcoming or communion preparation or serving as a youth leader. These roles are important and most churches need more people in these roles but what it really means is God has apportioned us all some kind of work to do for His kingdom. This work isn't just our career or voluntary service, this work includes every area of our lives.

It can be anything from raising the next generation of disciples as a stay-at-home parent to bringing the love of Christ into your industry at work or even reshaping your whole career towards making disciples. We are all called to give all of our lives to the work of ministry.

Now some of you might think this sounds demanding but that's why Paul reminds us about getting everything in the right order. We must "grow up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ". This work is not a result of working hard 24/7; it's an overflow of our devotion to Jesus. In those times when we get this right, we find ourselves growing in passion and motivation for building up the body of Christ and that passion becomes our fuel.

Thought Point

How are you building up the body of Christ? Are you growing up into Him?

Prayer Point

Spend time devoting yourself to Christ and find new ways and new words to worship Him. Ask Him to fill you with his love and passion for this world and His people.