Wednesday, July 20, 2022 Some material taken from Everyday Ministers
Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. Matthew 9:36 NASB
Everyday Ministers
As believers, Jesus has called us to be ministers all the time, wherever we are and to whomever we are with, or cross paths with. We should have our eyes, ears, heart, and hands open, ready and willing to rise to the occasion when the opportunity presents itself. And it will present itself through the orchestration of God. On any given day we can find it all around us if we are paying attention.
You may not think of yourself as a minister. Here are some definitions of a minister that would apply to all Christians: a person or thing used to achieve or convey something; attend to the needs of (someone); act as a minister of religion. We are ministers in all of these ways. We convey something very important when we share the gospel with others – family, neighbors, friends, etc… We most likely attend to the needs (spiritual, physical, and emotional) every day. Mommas, taking care of your children and spouse is ministry. If you are in that season, that is your most important job as an everyday minister. We also act as a minister of religion when we share the Gospel, teach, pray, and walk with people through difficult times. So, yes! We are all everyday ministers in some capacity – or we should be.
What does an everyday minister look like?
Here are some characteristics of everyday ministers:
The HEART of Jesus – Compassion - All ministry begins in the heart, not the head. You can minister – or meet needs – without engaging your heart, but true ministry engages your heart. Caring about the ones we minister to will bring about an authentic ministry.
The EYES of Jesus – Sympathy – An engaged heart will lead to open eyes. There are opportunities all around us every day, but it is so easy to miss them because we get caught up in the chaos of our own lives. Jesus exampled for us how to be attentive to the needs and circumstances of those around us. When we have the eyes of Christ, we see the needs around us. If we see and choose to look the other way, our heart is not engaged and not guiding our eyes.
The HANDS of Jesus – Service (acted out their love) Love is a verb and if we are to really wanting to serve, we will serve out of love for others. This can get tricky. We may be ministering to someone who is participating in sin. Not to be cliché but it is important in ministry to love the sinner, not the sin. Jesus did all the time – and He still does it every day with you and me. He loves us, but not our sin.
We can love others with the love of Christ. What that means is that we care about those in need, and we show the love of Christ to them. If we take the privilege of ministering seriously, then we will treat those we minister to with concern, care, and give them the attention they deserve. We will show them that they are important and worthy of our concern. We are all so unworthy, yet Jesus says we are worthy of His love and concern. This is what we are to pass on to others in our everyday ministry. If we are committed, we must open our hearts, our eyes, and our hands to be willing and ready when we get the opportunity.
Ministry out of convenience seldom accomplishes the proper end. There must be a willingness to let your life be interrupted for another.
LC
