The Meaning of Ministry

“And now I am bound by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem. I don’t know what awaits me, except that the Holy Spirit tells me in city after city that jail and suffering lie ahead. But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus – the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.” (Acts 20:22-24 NLT)

What does the term “ministry” mean to you? How would you define it? To what emotion(s) does it give rise in your spirit? Too often believers immediately think of those who do church ministry as a profession – preachers, Pastors, ministers, but to do that is to miss the point of much of the New Testament.

Yes, of course, there is a place for those called to paid, professional ministry; however, that is a very small percentage of the Body of Christ. The fact is EVERY believer is called to ministry, that’s why the gifts of the Spirit are for ALL believers. Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 12:7: “A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.” Helping others is essentially what ministry is.

The word most commonly used in the New Testament for “ministry” is a word that means “service.” Ministers are “servers,” those who serve others. That’s the reality in our relationship with the Lord Jesus. Yes, of course, we serve Him, but we serve Him as His slave, not because He forces us, but because through His blood shed on our behalf, He has purchased us.

Paul clarifies this in Ephesians 1:14 when he writes: “The Spirit is God’s guarantee that He will give us the inheritance He promised and that He has purchased us to be His own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify Him.” If you are filled with God’s Spirit, you have been purchased by the Savior’s blood and you owe your life and allegiance to Him.

We may think we’re serving out of the goodness of our own heart, but to believe that is to misunderstand the meaning of ministry. Ministry flows out of a heart owned by the Lord Jesus, who not only calls us to ministry, He fuels our service through the presence and power of His Spirit. Why do you think the Lord gave us His Spirit?

Corky Calhoun helps us see this more clearly when he writes: “Our Ministry is always measured by the presence of Christ, and our proximity to those who desperately need him.” The presence of Christ IS the Holy Spirit’s presence in and with us. If the Holy Spirit isn’t leading, guiding, equipping, and encouraging us to praise and honor Jesus for all He accomplishes through us, we’re wasting our time and effort.

If all we desire is self-praise, a good feeling, or a pat on our back, we should get a job at the car wash and do a great job that will give us great feelings about ourselves. With our reflection in every car, we can breathe a sigh of relief that we’re really making a difference in our world.

Obviously, I hope you know I’m being facetious, but the truth is, we too often are more self-motivated in our ministries than Spirit-motivated. The meaning of ministry is derived from devotion to Jesus, a desire to exalt, honor, bless and please Him. He is the reason for our service, so all praise and honor go only to Him. Yes, of course, we want to help people, but our help should be designed to point them to Jesus, not just to us.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊