Acts 6:5,8 And the statement found approval with the whole congregation; and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch. And Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people.
I love how Stephen expressed Christ to everyone around him! He was content to serve and to allow the Lord to flow through him to minister to others.
If you research the word ‘ministry’, you’ll see that it means a servant; a waiter; an attendant and any other service type position. Please see my post ‘Christ the Head’ for more on this.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
Christ Jesus is our example. He had His eyes on others, ministering in word, deed, touch, rebuke, and admonishment. He wants to continue this through us. We are His hands, feet, eyes, ears and words; all vessels of ministry.
Matthew 20:28 “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Ephesians 3:7 of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me according to the working of His power.
1 Timothy 1:12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service…
Jesus loves greatly. He is love! Check out 1 John 4:7-21. In a nutshell: God is love, He loves us, walk in love and love others.
1 Peter 4:8-11 Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaint. As each one has received a special gift, (Him) employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Whoever speaks, let him speak, as it were, the utterances of God; whoever serves, let him do so as by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Romans 13:8 Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.
Here are some examples of when people were Him or we were Him to others.
My husband was thousands of miles from home with the military. He had just met the Lord a week prior so he found a Men’s Group to go to. He went and tried to make acquaintances, but no one was interested. They were too busy arguing about which wood Ezekiel’s wheel was made of. Ron began to cry and said, “Lord, I just want to see You.” Well, a guy walked up to him, stuck his hand out and said, “Hi. I’m Don. Is it okay if I pray for you?” They are still buddies to this day!
We were living in far northern Maine and Ron was heading to working at 5 AM. The roads were bad and he went off the road and got high centered on a snow bank. Out of nowhere, a guy came along with a tow truck, hooked a chain on Ron’s truck and pulled him out, waved and went on his way.
Another time in Maine, I was taking Gabi to school and got stuck in our driveway because we’d had a snowstorm. I had a Highlander, which is a pretty tall vehicle, and I still couldn’t move forward or backward so I ran back to the house for shovels and Gabi and I got after it. Along came a young man with a plow on his pickup and plowed us out, waved and went on his way.
When Ron was stationed in Saudi Arabia, he and his crew had gone out to work in the desert and got their huge vehicle stuck in the sand. A lot of the guys were worried because they were in the middle of nowhere and no one else was around, and they had no weapons. Ron told them he would ask the Lord to help them. He did, and along came a truckload of Filipino workers, who dug them out, waved and away they went!
Ron went on a mission trip to Ohio. It was a really hot and humid day, and my husband can sweat on a mild day! He was pouring sweat and sat down to rest for a minute. Along came this little girl with a cold bottle of water. She walked up to him and put it on his forehead to cool him off.
I worked at a Braum’s fast food place here for a while. I was working the grocery store part. A little old woman came up to my register and I don’t remember what I said or did, but she started to cry and said I was very kind and that no one had been that kind to her in a long time and that the Lord was going to bless me richly. I hugged her and told her I was blessed already because of her.
Colossians 1:25-29 “Of this church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God, that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations; but has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. And we proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, that we may present every man complete in Christ. And for this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.”
I love how it says, “every man”. All people are important.
Colossians 2:9-10 For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority.
We are fully equipped to minister because He lives in us.
Acts 20:24 “But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, in order that I may finish my course, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.”
May I present that it’s not about having ‘a ministry’. You ARE the ministry! Allow Jesus to flow through you to others, always loving and serving and encouraging others. Ask Him to show you people. Notice them and love them word and deed.
Ephesians 3:14-21 For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man; so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.
