Every Christian Is a Minister

"God . . . has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ages ago he planned that we should spend these lives in helping others.”

Ephesians 2:10 (TLB)

God did not put you on earth just to live for yourself. He wants you to make the world a better place!

Ephesians 2:10 says, “God . . . has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ages ago he planned that we should spend these lives in helping others” (TLB).

There’s a word for this kind of living: ministry. Every Christian is a minister. Not every Christian is a pastor, but every Christian is a minister. When you minister, you use your talents and gifts to make a contribution in life—you’re a giver, not a taker.

The Bible teaches us to love one another. Care for one another. Pray for one another. Encourage one another. Help one another. Counsel one another. Support one another. And on and on. It is the mutual ministry of every believer in the family of God to every other believer in the family of God. That’s the way God meant for it to be.

The truth is, serving God by serving others is not always easy. Sometimes you’ll get discouraged. So what do you do when you start to get discouraged? Remember two things.

First, remember the reward you’ll receive that will go on for eternity. The Bible says that God “will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers” (Hebrews 6:10 NLT). He will reward you in eternity.

The second thing to remember is that God uses every little thing that happens in your life. Nothing is insignificant when you serve God. None of it is in vain. “Keep busy always in your work for the Lord, since you know that nothing you do in the Lord’s service is ever useless” (1 Corinthians 15:58 GNT).

No matter who you are or where you live, if you’re a follower of Jesus, you’re a minister. As you walk through your day today, look for ways you can serve God by serving someone else.

Talk It Over

• What’s one specific way that someone has ministered to you? What difference did it make in your life?

• What talents or gifts has God given you for serving other people?

• Is there a change you need to make in your life—to your calendar or even to your attitudes—to become more available to minister to other people?