The Four-Fold Ministry

God wants each Christian to know that he is important in the total plan that He has for His Church. There are four areas in which every Christian can make a special contribution. lt is the personal responsibility of each individual believer to move into all these areas to their fullest extents. God says we are a ''chosen generation, a royal priesthood and a highly valued people" (1 Peter 2:9).

1. MINISTRY TO THE LORD

Our first and most important ministry is to minister to God Himself. He desires our fellowship and our worship (see 1 Corinthians 1:9; John 4:23). This is our top priority throughout all eternity. We are to:

express our love to our heavenly Father (Matthew 22:37).
bring pleasure to Him (Psalm 149; Revelation 4:11).
offer up spiritual sacrifices of praise to Him (1 Peter 2:9; Hebrews 13:15).
present our lives to Him (Romans 6:13; 12:1).

2. MINISTRY TO OURSELVES

As we minister to God He will always respond and minister to us. A relationship is always two-way. But we are also called to minister to ourselves, nourishing and feeding ourselves so that we might grow in Him (1 Peter 2:2; Ephesians 4:13-15). We can only truly love our neighbour, whether in the Church or in the world, as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:39). We need to:

accept ourselves as we are, not looking at the past but at what God has made us in Christ (1 Corinthians 1:27-31).
encourage ourselves in the Lord (Psalm 42:11).
let the peace of God rule in our hearts (Colossians 3:15).
let the word of God take root in our lives (Colossians 3:16; James 1:21).
allow the Spirit full expression (Romans 8:5-9,14; 2 Corinthians 2:12) .
confess daily the victory we have in Christ (1 John 4:4; Romansù 8:31,37).
be always positive in attitude, knowing our position in the Lord (Romans 8:31; Ephesians 2:6).

''As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? . . . Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Saviour and my God'' Psalm 42:1-2,11.

3. MINISTRY TO THE BODY

''From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work'' Ephesians 4:16 (see also 2:21).

We are not self-contained units but are directly related to one another in the Body of Christ. We need one another's love, and have a direct responsibility to each other (see Romans 14:19;15:1-7;1 Corinthians 14:26). We can minister to each other by:

encouraging one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11).
fellowshipping together regularly (Hebrews 10:25).
bearing each other's burdens (Galatians 6:2).
being an example to the believers (1 Timothy 4:12).
allowing the Holy Spirit to use us (1 Peter 4:8-11).
submitting to one another and living in unity together (Romans 12:10-18).
practising hospitality and ministering to physical needs (Romans 12:13).
praying for one another (Ephesians 6:18-19).

" . . as members of one body . . . let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God'' Colossians 3: 15-16 (see also Ephesians 5:18-19).

4. MINISTRY TO THE WORLD

Finally, we have a ministry to the people in the world - to bring the message of the Gospel to them (2 Corinthians 5:17-20). The Great Commission that Jesus gave us still remains:

''You have to go into all the world "and preach the Good News to everyone, everywhere'' Mark 16:15 (TLB).

We can get involved in this vital ministry by:

remembering the miracle of our own salvation (Psalm 103:1-13).
letting our light shine (Matthew 5:16).
praying continually (1 Thessalonians 5:17) for:
1. labourers to be thrust out (Luke10:2).
2. the seed to find good ground (Matthew 13:8).
3. boldness to speak out (Acts 2:1-2).
4. rulers and those in authority (1 Timothy 2:1-2).
giving of our time and possessions to see God's Kingdom extended (Philippians 4:18-19).
being involved practically (Acts 1:8; 8:4).
believing that God will show that He is with us by great answers to prayer (Hebrews 2:3-4).

''He said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. And these signs shall follow them that believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and if they drink deadly, poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well' " Mark 16:15,17-18.

CORRECT BALANCE IS VITAL

As Christ is fully revealed in us through all these areas, it is important that we are balanced in our ministry. We must not concentrate on any one of these areas so that the others are neglected. Each aspect is good in itself, but unless all are operating together, God's purposes in our lives cannot be fully realised.

''Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth . . . continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work'' 2 Timothy 2:15;3:14 -17 (see also Ephesians 4:11-12).

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Copyright © 1981,1996 Paul, Bunty and David Collins. All rights reserved. This study may be freely used and reproduced, wholly or in part, except for profit, provided copyright and contact information is included.

Unless otherwise stated, all scriptures quoted in these studies are from the New International Version of the Bible, © New York International Bible Society, used by permission. Other versions referred to are: KJV (King James Version), NKJB (New King James Bible), TLB (The Living Bible), Amp (The Amplified Bible) and The Message.

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