Uniquely equipped for the work of the ministry

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God.  --Ephesians 4:11-13a

My father would have been 81 today.  He was a pastor/teacher with a heart for evangelism.  He always taught, however, that it was not his job to be a professional Christian--that we are all called to ministry in whatever capacity God gifts us for.  It is only the job of a pastor to teach us, train us, and motivate us to do the work of the minister.

See, we all have this pre-conceived notion that since we are not Ministers by profession (that is, we are not all called to be pastors or evangelists), that we should leave the work of real ministry to the professionals.  I believe that this is a misinterpretation of the word "ministry".

Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. (Romans 12:6-8)

Nowhere in that scripture does Paul ever say that all of these services are reserved exclusively for the clergy.  In fact, the terms "clergy" and "laity" are mentioned nowhere in the Bible.  Each of us is given a spiritual gift, and each one of us is encouraged to use it for God's glory. "Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs all glory and dominion forever and ever.  Amen." (1 Peter 4:11).

Let me give an example here.  I am a big fan of professional football.  Apparently I am not alone, because hundreds of thousands of fans flock to stadiums all over the U.S., and millions more tune in on television.  Really good players get paid huge sums to play this game in front of all those fans.  But notice this: whenever one of those well-paid players is injured on a play, who is it that comes out to see about him?  Is the one of the other players?  Surely the quarterback would know what to do; does he go to see about his teammate?  No.  What about the coach--isn't his job to look after the health and well-being of all of the players?  No, because the coach and the quarterback are not equipped for this work.

When play is stopped on the field because of an injury, there are two types of people who trot out on the field.  One is a trainer, the other might be a doctor.  And although the doctor makes more money, he isn't the first responder in most on-field injuries.  No, the first one on the field is a trainer, someone equipped with the knowledge of how to assess and deal with sports injuries.

I know some pretty rabid NFL fans.  They know the names and salaries of virtually all of the players, and most of the coaches.  I would venture to say, however, that none of them knows the names of the trainers.  Yet when an injury occurs on the field, who is the most important person in that situation?  Is it the highly paid player?  No, it is the trainer, the one who is uniquely equipped and qualified to offer first aid and medical assistance.

I have to laugh every time an NFL game is broadcast, because the professional broadcasters make a mockery of the English language. Invariably, they will say something like, "The team trainers are administering to" the injured player.  They may be trying to say "administering first aid" or "administering medical assistance."  But that is not what is being done at all.  In this situation, the trainer is ministering to the injured player.  What he (or she) is trained to do is ministry, pure and simple.

We may not have the calling or the training or even the opportunity to minister to someone's physical needs.  Our calling may be to minister to their mental, emotional, spiritual, financial, social, or professional needs.  We may not be well known outside of our circle of influence, and we may not think we are that important since we do not have the salary or title or position of someone else in our circle.  However, our calling is to do the work of the ministry that God has equipped us for, in the place and time He has put us in His sovereign plan.

Because the world does not value ministry (or actively tries to re-define the term--see above--or even devalue it in order to make us ineffective), we may shy away from ministry opportunities.  We may hear the enemy saying, "Don't get involved," or "It's not your problem."  One of my favorite objections is this: "Who died and made you a (fill-in-the-blank)?"  Are you following me here?  The question goes to identity and purpose.  If you are trying to defend the weak, someone may ask "Who are you (identity) to stand up for the rights of this person (purpose)?"

Scripture addresses this, as well.  In the second chapter of Exodus we read about the birth and background of Moses.  Through a divine set of circumstances, Moses was placed in a position of influence in the Egyptian court.  He was literally raised as a prince, but never forgot his identity as an Israelite.  At that time the people of Israel were being persecuted.  Moses observed one of his countrymen being abused by an Egyptian overlord, and he took matters into his own hands.  He killed the Egyptian, and buried him in the sand.

He went out the next day, and behold, two Hebrews were fighting with each other; and he said to the offender, "Why are you striking your companion?" But he said, "Who made you a prince or a judge over us?  Are you intending to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?"  Then Moses was afraid and said, "Surely the matter has become known." (Exodus 2:13-14)

Moses had not yet heard from God, but he was, in fact, a prince over the people.  God had placed him in this unique position in this particular time and place for a purpose.  So the answer to the man's question, "Who made you a prince or a judge over us?" is this: GOD DID.  God put Moses in that position of authority.  God Himself was preparing Moses for greatness.  Later on, God would speak to Moses directly, first from a burning bush, then from a cloud by day and fire by night, and finally "face to face as a man speaks to his friend."

The point is that God has uniquely qualified you for a specific purpose in this place and time.  If men voice objections, we must be secure in our calling.  We must remember that we were appointed by God, not elected by men.

This past week the US president has been in Brussels, Belgium for a meeting of the NATO member nations.  Afterward, he visited London and met with the Prime Minister as well as the Queen of England.  There have been quite a few news stories about different government Ministers over there, and their reaction to the President's visit.

My point here is that each government department or agency has a Ministry, with a Minister appointed to head it up.  There is a Minister of Defense, for example, and a Minister of Education, or Health, or Foreign Affairs.  These positions are important in their function and their purpose within the government, but they are not elected positions.  No one would think of approaching the Minister of Education, for example, and seriously ask, "Who elected you head of all the schools?"  The answer is obvious--the position was appointed by a person of higher authority than the one asking the question.  In the same way, whenever we get called out for exercising our spiritual gifts, we must remember that we were appointed by a Higher Authority.

A friend of mine has the gift of discernment.  When she points out doctrinal error, one might take a defensive position and ask her, "Who made you the authority on Scripture?"  Her answer is always, in the kindest, sweetest way possible, that on her own she is not an authority, but that God has given her a gift, and she is duty-bound to speak the truth in love to all kinds of error, wherever she may find it.  I believe that my gift is teaching.  However, when someone stands up and challenges me, I am often weak and wounded.  I will apologize, and back down, thinking that maybe I was in error on this issue; maybe I don't have the authority God gave me to speak truth to power.  "Maybe," I am inclined to say to myself, "I don't have the knowledge or experience at this time to address this issue to this purpose."  It is at those times that I need to reaffirm the calling of God in my life, and with Queen Esther say, "Who knows whether I was placed in this position for such a time as this?"