The NIV version of II Corinthians 5:18-20 says, "18All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God."
As I read this passage today, I was really impacted by the notion that the moment an individual receives Christ into their heart, they instantaneously become a minister. The main purpose of the ministry is intended to be sharing the message of reconciliation. In essence, because I have become reconciled, I then should share the opportunity of reconciliation with everyone else.
Does this responsibility scare you? Do you feel that you are not possibly up to the task? Maybe you are too shy, too ignorant of the Word, too afraid to be rejected by your friends or made fun of, or maybe you just don't know how to get started?
What I came to realize today was that none of that really matters. If you are a Christian, you are, by default, a minister of the message of reconciliation. If you happen to be not actively seeking to minister, it doesn't change the fact that you are a minister. You just happen to be a fairly inept minister.
My next thought regarding this matter occurred after speaking with a friend about the above topic. I asked the question, "Could the idea of instantly becoming a minister discourage someone from becoming a Christian?" The answer that we came up with was, "Probably yeah." I could see someone thinking that not only are they not good enough to be saved, they definitely aren't ready for ministry. Of course a response to that could be, "No one is. There is none perfect. No not one. However, through Him we are able." But, after I walked away from the conversation, it occurred to me....being afraid of becoming a Christ Follower because you are afraid that you cannot live up to the standards or that you will be a poor minister of the faith is an extremely illogical thought. My reasoning, regardless of whether you are a Christian or not, you are a minister of something. If you are not ministering to your friends about Christ, you are encouraging (ministering) them to do something.
So, take a good look at yourself today. What is your ministry about? Reconciliation? TV? Food? Sports? Material interests? Laziness? Depression? Fear? Gossip? Road rage?
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2 comments:
Past failures ministry wise definitely have an affect on my courage to minister to others.
-Cooter
I understand fully. But the core point is that, much like Jonah, it is impossible to run away from your ministry. Your life is a ministry: What you say, or don't; What you do, or don't; How you act when things are going great; How you act when things are not going great. If it is observed or perceived by someone/anyone, it is ministry.
So to say, "I am not good at ministry, so I will stop trying" is just deceiving yourself. Maybe your were a failure at that particular form of "ministry", and maybe you should avoid that form. However, it is well worth your efforts to evaluate your life from a "How is my ministry doing" point of view. You may be suprised to find that there are multiple aspects of your life that are tremendous ministries to others.
Cooter, for example, has ministered to me multiple times over the past 3 years with his consistent positive attitude, love for his family, love for his Savior, participation in Camp Nathaneal, guitar playing, kind words, scripture/prayer presentations and sense of humor.
Now, do you see any failure in that?
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