Mission, Ministry & the Minister In the Bible, the fivefold ministry gift is given to equip, train & build up saints for the ministry. “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love” (Eph. 4:11-16). If you are a child of God, you are already called and sent by God. Every believer is called into the ministry. The divine accreditation was given when you got saved. The Holy Spirit is within you as a witness. “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Therefore, every believer must respond to stewardship. What is stewardship - biblical stewardship? Biblical stewardship is about life and living. A steward is someone who manages another’s wealth himself. He does not own it but has the privilege of enjoying it and using it for the profit of his master. In His portrait of the Prodigal son, Jesus described two opposite philosophies of life: the Prodigal son wasted his life while the elder brother only spent his life as a faithful drudge. Both attitudes are wrong (Luke 15:11-32). True stewardship means thanking God for all that one has (Deut. 8:11-18). It is also about using the wealth and resources at your disposal as directed by the Master. The Christian approach to life is the investment of life for the good of others and to the glory of God. The riches around the believer (minister) must be used in a way that will please and profit the Master. The most important thing in stewardship is faithfulness. “Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful” (1 Cor. 4:2). A steward must be faithful. Talking about faithfulness, the illustration below will certainly help your understanding: •The Thief says, “What’s yours is mine – “I’ll take it!” •The Selfish man says, “What’s mine is mine – I’ll keep it!” •The Christian says, “What’s mine is a gift from God – I’ll share it.” It is sad to see how God’s wealth is being wasted by Christians who live as though Jesus never died and judgment is never coming. But one day, everyone will give account of all he/she has done in the body while on earth. Life is a mission – a stewardship. Therefore, we must use our God-given opportunities faithfully.
Posted on: Fri, 12 Jul 2013 18:56:26 +0000
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