Like many, I grew up in a time when ministry was from the pulpit….or going to Africa. Or at least that was how I often perceived it. The dream of being “in the ministry” was one of special choosing by God of the person. Ministers were somehow more special than “the common folk.”
Before this entry goes to the negative, or I lead a train of thought that I don’t intend, let me hit closer to my point about ministry and the role we each have as ministers. I’ve come to approach all areas of life as being “in the ministry.” As a Christian, no matter what I do, I should view it as being in the ministry/as an opportunity for ministry. While I have a vocation to which I firmly believe God has called me, my end goal is to do God’s work to reach the lost for Him. Were I a mechanic, plumber, stock trader, astronaut, banker, trash collector, or pulpit minister, my end goal would be the same. That I don’t don the vestments and ascend the pulpit makes me no less a minister of Jesus Christ.
In Matthew 4:19, the gospel reads:
Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!”
While it sounds a bit odd, this is ministry: we follow Jesus, He shows us how to reach people using our particular gifts and calling, and we go do it. I’m on a rescue mission using the calling God gave me to reach people for Him. That’s what Jesus wanted us to do.
How has God called you to be a minister?
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