Ephesians 3:7-13

Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace, which was given me by the working of his power.  To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.  This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.  So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.

 

Knowing the Gospel is a grace for which every believer should be eternally grateful.  However, having the honor of being a minister of the Gospel is a grace that is stacked on top of grace.  None of us deserve to be saved and none of us are deserving of the privilege of proclaiming the message of salvation to others.  These graces are given to us for His eternal glory and our eternal good.  As we understand what it means to be a minister of the Gospel we should grow in effectiveness. 

 

THE REQUIREMENTS FOR GOSPEL MINISTRY: The first requirement for being a minister of the Gospel is humility.  We could say that humility is the first requirement for responding to the Gospel.  Ministers, in particular, must think with humility and demonstrate humility in their walk.  Paul calls himself the least of the apostles though most of us would consider him to be the most effective.  Gratitude would be the second requirement.  Paul recognized that being minister was a gift of God’s grace.  It was not a burden to be tolerated even though it landed him in prison and caused him to suffer greatly.  Being a minister of the Gospel is a privilege that should be celebrated.  The final requirement is dependence.  It was the power of God that qualified and worked through Paul.  None of the credit for a minister’s accomplishments belongs to the minister; it all belongs to God.  He is the One who empowers and allows to be effective.  He looks for availability in our lives not some sort of superhuman ability.

 

THE REASON FOR GOSPEL MINISTRY: Preaching the Gospel to all the nations is one of the reasons for Gospel ministry.  We are called to as the body of Christ to make the unsearchable riches of Christ.  Billions of people still live in spiritual poverty because they have not even heard of, much less experienced, the wealth of grace, mercy, and love flowing from the Father to us through the Son in the power of the Spirit.  Ministers as to equip the church to be intentionally engaged in the mission of God to raise up worshipers of God in all nations.  This requires believers to pray fervently, give generously, and go forth boldly to proclaim the Gospel.  The main reason for these ministries is for the glory of God to be on full display in heaven and on earth for eternity.  The fallen condition of man and creation is a temporary blight on this world.  God’s glory is being brought into question as men make accusations against God for the suffering, we bring upon ourselves.  Fallen angels mock God and strive to thwart the mission of God.  This will not continue.  God saves sinners, transforms them into saints, and then empowers them as his servants for ministry.  He then uses them to save more sinners and the process repeats itself as a demonstration of His grace and glory.

 

THE RESULTS OF GOSPEL MINISTRY: The accomplishment of God’s will is one of the results of Gospel ministry.  This is what God wants to happen and ministry is His means of bringing it to pass.  Since we are involved in fulfilling the eternal purposes of God, this gives us a boldness to live our lives and minister the Gospel in any circumstance with boldness.  Our faith in Christ allows us access to God through prayer and gives us power to face suffering and dedicate ourselves to something that is far greater than ourselves.  As a result of Gospel ministry believers can be encouraged in times of persecution, imprisonment, and even martyrdom because we know that God is at work through all of this for His will.  Finally, Gospel ministry results in our sharing in God’s glory as we participate in His mission.

 

APPLICATION: Serve God in humble dependence on His power with a spirit of gratitude.  Use all or our resources, abilities, gifts, and dedicate ourselves fully to prayer so that the glory of God might be reveled in and through us.  Boldly believe that God is using our lives and any difficult circumstances we might face in this life of ministry to accomplish His will and allow us to share in His glory.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Isaiah 54:1-17

Hope is a wonderful blessing from God, without which we would be vulnerable to all kinds of destructive tendencies in our lives.  Today’s society is marked by depression, anger, fear, anxiety and self-righteousness, in large part, because of the sense of hopelessness that prevails in our culture.  Isaiah writes to a people who are about to be taken into captivity because of their sin.  God knows that they will feel rejected, threatened and hopeless so He reveals His future plans for the nation in order to give them hope in the midst of the coming trial.  Hope is the expectation of good based upon the promises of God.  Many times when our lives are marked by the sins mentioned above it is because we have forgotten or failed to focus upon the promises of God’s Word. THE PROMISE OF GOD: From the very first day that God revealed His plan for the nation of Israel, He promised numerous descendants.  God chose Abraham, not because he was more righteous than any of the other people of his
Read more

1 Timothy 2:11-15

Let a woman learn quietly   with all submissiveness.    I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.    For Adam was formed first,   then Eve;   and Adam was not deceived, but   the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.    Yet she will be saved through   childbearing—if they continue in   faith and love and holiness, with self-control. There is certainly controversy and confusion about this passage in many churches today.  The idea of a distinction between men and women and their roles in the family and church certainly goes against the flow of many cultures around the world.  Some would argue that the literal and plain teaching of this passage is no longer applicable to today’s culture.  However, it is always dangerous to discard biblical teaching or try to interpret Scripture based on the cultures in which we live.  Certainly, the Spirit who inspired this text was aware of the many changes that would occur in future cul
Read more

1 Timothy 2:1-7

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and   dignified in every way.    This is good, and   it is pleasing in the sight of   God our Savior,   who desires   all people to be saved and   to come to   the knowledge of the truth.    For   there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,   who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is   the testimony given   at the proper time.    For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying),   a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.   Prayer is one of the greatest privileges believers have and it should be one of our greatest priorities.  Too often our lives are more often marked by complaining about our circumstances and our political leaders than by prayers for them.  The government in Paul’s day
Read more