Calling to Ministry

In Matthew 9 we see Jesus going about his 9 to 5, touring, preaching, teaching the word of God and healing. And then in vs 37 of Matthew 9 we see Him complain that the harvest is rich but the labourers are few and he tells his disciples to ask the God of the Harvest to send more labourers.

 This exchange is one that is very interesting to me because what Jesus was basically saying, was that there is much work to be done. So many souls to save, many lives to heal and turn around to the glory of God but unfortunately there are so few willing Christians. I know often times, we tend to think of ministry as owning a Church, becoming a Pastor, Prophet or having some kind of evangelization mission but it’s not. I was listening to a sermon by my pastor and he said that Pastors aren’t even in ministry as it were, that their call was to prepare us as Children of God for ministry.

Remember when Jesus said in Mark 2:17 and Luke 5: 31 – 32 that He is not called to the healthy but to the sick’; not to the saved but to the lost, likewise it is redundant for ministry to stem and stay only in the body of Christ and in the Church. Jesus helps us understand this in Matthew 5:14 when He tells us that we are the light of the world. Light has no impact in daylight, so for us to be the light of the world implies that there is darkness in the world and what this means is that we ought to shine through all of that darkness (John 1:5).

I love how simply Matthew 5:16  breaks down our Job description as Children of God. We are called to further the gospel and the agenda of Christ which as the bible describes in Habakkuk 2:17 is a world that is filled with the knowledge of God’s glory. We have been entrusted with the gospel of Christ, that same gospel that has brought redemption to our lives and salvation to us. So the call upon each and every one of our lives it to not be stingy with it and to share it. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5: 18 that after God reconciled us to Himself in the person of Jesus Christ he gave to us the ministry of reconciliation. Jesus came not only to die for us but to entrust us with the Gospel of Christ so that as 2 Corinthians 6: 1 says we would become co-workers with Christ in the gospel.

Often times many of us maybe not in word but in deed or lack of, act like the gospel is going to spread itself or that the call to preach the gospel is for a select few individuals but it's really not. The great commission was handed down to as many of us that are Sons of God.

In Matthew 28: 19- 20 Jesus said to His disciples and in effect to us “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

One of the most effect ways we preach beyond any word that can come out of our mouths is through our lives. By the quality of lives we live.

"Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”  (Matthew 5: 16)

That right there is ministry. Beyond the words of our mouth what are our works of faith like? What’s your fruit saying? How we live our lives is our ministry. What this means is that even among our friends and our families, anywhere there is darkness; anywhere there is a life, system, company, relationship, business environment not transformed by the presence of God and we happen to find ourselves there, that’s where our ministry is in that season. That’s where we’ve been called to be the Light that puts out darkness and Salt that gives taste and makes everything better, not by our own strength but by the grace of God.

In a nutshell, ministry simply means witnessing for God not just in words but in deeds. Our calling? Wherever we find ourselves (witnessing) for the gospel at every phase of our lives and season .  

Finally, at any given point in time, wherever we are called, more than people know our face, where we are from or what chocolate or meal we like best, they ought to know whose we are and what we stand for.