Consider Your Calling.

Last time we met on this blogpost, I shared about how Jesus has given gifted servants to the church to raise up all members of the Body of Christ into their own ministry. That means you! You are to minister to others by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Paul said that the outcome of effective pastoral ministry was “. . . for the equipping of the saints for the work of service [Greek diakonias], to the building up of the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:12). Did you notice the English word “deacon” in that Greek term? The English Standard Version translates this work “ministry.” All saints in the church, even you, are to be equipped to be ministers in your own God-given gift-mix.

You may recoil a bit from that thought. “What? Me? A minister?”

Please put your panic on pause. We are not talking about your own adequacy, but that investment that God in His grace is excited to display in you, His dear son or daughter. Let the Word speak to your cautious, humble heart. Here is a special layout of what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1:26-31.

26 For consider your calling, brethren, that there were . . .

 not many wise according to the flesh,

 not many mighty,

 not many noble; 27 but God has chosen

 the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen

 the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, 28 and

 the base things of the world and

 the despised God has chosen,

 the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are,

29 so that no man may boast before God.

30 But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us

 wisdom from God, and

 righteousness and

 sanctification, and

 redemption,

31 so that, just as it is written, "Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord."

Personally, I see myself so clearly in verses 26-28. On the last Sunday of my ministry at my former church, I went into great detail about my inadequacies. The list was long and would raise the question in anyone’s mind, “Why would God ever choose a guy like David to use in ministry?” But He did! And I urged everyone in the gathering with these words, “If God could use a guy like me, He can use anyone in this room!” So, don’t sell yourself short. Or rather, let’s not discount the power of God to call, gift, and anoint any one of us. Let’s let God be magnificent in His capacity to bring out the best through the worst by grace. Then, we will boast together in the Lord throughout eternity.

Be encouraged. You are capable in Christ. The local church is a school of obedience, a safe place to learn how to walk and to flow in the Holy Spirit, and a launching pad for effective ministry to this dark world.