“I have planted,
Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth
any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Now he
that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own
reward according to his own labour. For we are labourers together with God…”
1 Corinthians 3:6-9 KJV
It is
important to understand that God’s call to salvation is not a call to merely come
sit in a church or religious gathering to solely soak up some spiritual
teaching. Learning how to walk in the newness of life in Christ is a must, for
therein one learns about how to live for God and how to serve others. But one major
aspect of salvation is our responding to God in service.
God not only calls us by grace into salvation, but He also empowers us to serve, within the community of faith and the community around us. Thus, God's call to salvation is also a call to service or doing “ministry.” Ministry is most often understood in the technical sense of the term, meaning work of those called to what is known as “ordained” ministry. But doing ministry is the work of all (Acts 8:1, 4; Ephesians 4:11, 12).
God's call to salvation is also a call to service.
In the Gospel of Mark 2:1-12 is the story of a paralyzed man who received forgiveness of his sins and healing of his physical ailment. It is a theologically rich story contrasting the faith of four persons in Jesus' ability to heal against the skepticism of the Scribes of Jesus' authority to forgive sins. Because Jesus is the Christ, he has both, the authority to forgive sins and the ability to heal sicknesses.
You may say, "Ok, I get that; but what does this passage have to do with ministry?" Embedded in this story are a few points about ministry and the magnitude of its possibilities:
1) Ministry is bringing people to Jesus – the central
aim of ministry; they brought the paralyzed person to Jesus (v. 3)
2) Ministry is bearing people and their
burdens – the crux of ministry; they carried the paralyzed person
(v. 3)
3) Ministry is teamwork – the cooperation in
ministry; the four worked together (vss. 3-4)
4) Ministry is turning obstacles into
opportunities – the challenge in ministry; they resourcefully worked
together at removing the roadblock (v. 4)
5) Ministry is fueled by faith – the cause for ministry; Jesus saw their faith (v. 5)
This paralyzed person's life was totally changed with his encounter with Jesus Christ because these four people were willing to serve. I'm sure the no longer paralyzed man was glad they did.
Sin and life have a way of paralyzing people. Someone is waiting on your service of ministry so their life can be changed for the better. Don't deny them the opportunity of experiencing an encounter with Christ by not being willing to do your part in serving the Lord.
Copyright © 2023 Johnson Beaven III. All Rights Reserved.
Johnson Beaven III
is Principal of Johnson Beaven III Ministries LLC. He serves in the Church Of
God In Christ (COGIC) as Executive Secretary and Education Director in the International Department of
Evangelism, and Chairman of District Superintendents in the Indiana North
Central Jurisdiction. He's also a religion columnist for the Indianapolis
Recorder Newspaper. He's a former pastor, local site coordinator and
instructor for the Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC) Certificate in
Theology Program. For information, check Linktree. Follow
him on X (formerly Twitter) @jbeaven and @jbiiiministries.
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