Years ago, before I was familiar with the voice of God speaking directly into my life, I was given the passage Isaiah 61 as a mission statement for my life. Since then, the Lord has used the journeys of my life to slowly realize its meaning; one verse at a time.
Tonight I was reading 'Multiply' by Francis Chan and I had the meaning of 'minister' redefined for me. Chan shared that there is a disconnect between the church's belief that the great commission is still relevant and our actual living out of discipleship. We leave ministering to ministers and excuse ourselves from investing in people, because we "are not called to be a minister", "are busy" and "have our own issues."
But each of us has been called to make disciples and have been crafted and equipped to do so. "The pastor is the equiper, and every member of the church is a minister." The calling is simple but the implications and cost are heavy.
A minister:
3. An authorized diplomatic representative of a government, usually ranking next below an ambassador.
4. A person serving as an agent for another by carrying out specific orders or functions.
To minister:
1. To attend to the wants and needs of others.
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