Are you called to ministry?
While not every believer is gifted for missionary service or for a vocational livelihood within the church, all those who follow the path of Christ are called to ministry in its most fundamental sense- sacrificial service offered to God through service to others.
Perhaps a limited definition of ministry and an often hyper-specific concept of calling have contributed to the framing that unintentionally creates two classes of disciples- some as “professionals” and others as “just everyday Christians.”
Many of us may have been raised as believers by believers, and our personal narratives may lack the moments of coming to ourselves in the gutter or having a specific Damascus Road-style encounter. We don’t need a dramatic testimony of our personal brokenness to equip to minister to others- we simply need the realization that the best moralist and the most public sinner are both in desperate need of salvation in Christ.
In 1 Peter 2, Scripture reminds us that all believers are given roles and functions in building up the spiritual house of God. Paul notes in Romans 12, as well as in 1 Cor 12, that believers are to give their lives as living sacrifices through diverse ministries including preaching, giving, encouraging, leading, and showing mercy.
Whether we come to Christ through a dramatic turnaround or a more slowly developing movement toward embracing Christ’s will, all who come to share in Christ’s family are likewise called to use our lives in service to build and extend His kingdom.
We are told to use whatever we have for the building up of the body of Christ (Eph 4:12). For some, it may be advanced academic training in theology- after all, we need Bible translators, apologetics experts, and Christian professors. For others, the lessons of Christianity will be experienced less in a classroom and more in the streets- whether as people in recovery, people in the helping professions, or both.
We need believers who possess a deeper knowledge of God’s Word, and we need believers who have experienced those timeless truths directly in their own lives. No single disciple and no single body of believers will be a perfect blend of every attribute, but together we unite to form a worshipping community that can better display the fullness of Christ to the watching world.
We need believing farmers, school teachers, factory workers, salesmen, bankers, law enforcement officers, medical professionals, and stay-at-home parents. We need wealthy believers who use their financial blessings for good, and we need to recognize our brothers and sisters among the most poor and marginalized folks in our communities. We need believers who focus on offering more Christ-centered teaching, and we need believers who share in serving and seeking justice for the most vulnerable people who stand in need of the hope of Jesus and the healing relationships found most fully in Christ’s church.
As we read about earliest Christians, we can appreciate that Paul and Peter, Mary and Martha, Barnabas and Stephen, Lydia and Timothy were all faithful to the Lord, but each one was faithful using his/her own particular gifts and talents. Like them, our own stories are not identical as we work out the ministries God has placed before us.
No two people have the same exact skills and gifts, but we must come to see that the gospel’s call to salvation in Christ is always accompanied by the call to serve in Christ’s kingdom.
will norrid writes 