The Work Of Ministry

And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service.
–Ephesians 4:11-12

We are looking at three practical principles from Nehemiah 11 that apply to all of us. First of all, each of us has a unique purpose in life. Second, we are not to do the same thing, but we all are to do something to further God’s kingdom. Every one of us is to be involved in some kind of ministry, regardless of where our paycheck comes from.

Let me ask you a simple question: In the 168 hours you are going to have over the next seven days, what is one thing you are going to do to expand God’s kingdom, to either help somebody come to know Christ as Savior through evangelism or to help Christians grow in their faith in Christ? What are you doing over the next seven days to further God’s kingdom? You might say, “Well, I am going to church.” That is great, but going to church in and of itself does not further God’s kingdom. There is a reason we go to church, and it is not just to sit and soak in the truth of God’s Word. Ephesians 4:11-12 says, “And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service.” That word “equip” refers to loading up a ship with supplies before it sets out on a long journey. The reason you go to church is to get the spiritual supplies you need to go out and do the work of ministry. What is the work of ministry? Paul added in verse 12, “To the building up of the body of Christ.” That word “building” refers to the building of a structure. We are to go out and build the kingdom of God. That does not refer to strengthening the body of Christ; it means expanding the body of Christ. Just as you build a house brick upon brick, we build the kingdom of God life upon life as we introduce new people to Jesus Christ.

Our ministry is first of all evangelism, winning people to faith in Christ, but Paul did not stop there. He went on to say, “Until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ” (v. 13). We are to help people grow, to mature, to become like Jesus Christ. That is discipleship. That means every one of us ought to have at least one ministry we are involved in that either adds people to the kingdom of God through evangelism or helps Christians grow in their relationship with Christ.

The truth is we cannot all do the same thing. We cannot all do everything. But we can all do something. Maybe God is calling you to be a greeter or an usher or work behind the cameras or sing in the choir or teach a Sunday school class or do a thousand other things that are possible at your church. Every one of us has a unique purpose in life that is tied to God’s purpose of building His kingdom. Although we are not to do the same thing, we are to all do something.

***

Today’s devotion is excerpted from “Declaration Of Dependence” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2010.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org