The Cross Changed “the Ministry” (The Grammatically Correct Church Series)

Prior to the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus, “the ministry” was delegated to a small percentage of people. These included Levites, Priests, Prophets, and a few other leaders in Israel. The cross of Christ, however, changed that. The ministry responsibility was expanded exponentially- to every believer in Christ.

Believers are a volunteer army that has been deployed for duty. A significant process occurs in the life of a soldier between enlistment and deployment. The soldier has to be trained and equipped for service. In the life of a believer, this process is called discipleship. Discipleship occurs as a person yields to the leading of the Holy Spirit in his life.

The work of the Holy Spirit in a person’s life is comprehensive. He begins drawing one toward God before salvation. He works during salvation, as the agent of regeneration. He is the primary means to a believer’s sanctification. The Holy Spirit also empowers and motivates the believer for service. Jesus’ last words before the Ascension were, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8, HCSB)

This power enables every believer to serve and minister with miraculous potential. Unfortunately,  a consumer, “serve me” mentality has infiltrated the ranks and threats the effectiveness of the unit to train and deploy.  The expectation upon many pastors is a reversal back to Old Testament concepts of ministry. But we live on this side of the cross.

What if more believers would embrace the mission of God and submit to the power of God to change lives? How many people would it take to reach the world with the Gospel? 100, 1000, one million, 100 million?

Next Post- Embracing an “All In” Mentality in Ministry