THE IMPORTANCE OF YOUR MINISTRY

By William R. Cunningham
June 22, 2003

INTRODUCTION

Who are you and what is your value? What impact do you have on those around you? The answer is that you are extremely valuable to others and to God if indeed you are a Christian. Today we are going to discuss the part that you play in ministry. We tend to think that ministry is always associated with a church or religious institution. No. Ministry is associated with the purpose of God to reveal himself to people.

A true minister of the Gospel for example, was a minister before he or she received the title of minister from an institution. A true minister naturally ministers to people regardless of his or her church affiliation. Ministry is in his or her heart. Ministry is how God wired them and so they are.

However, sometimes we allow external forces to come in and take the effectiveness of our ministry away from us and we become unfruitful. Your ministry is important and it should be guarded. Your ministry is the result of the will of God and not the will of man. Your ministry and your life shines forth the life of Christ and therefore the way of God.

Let's talk about the ministry that you have and how important you are by examining the light and life of God that operates in your life.

SCRIPTURE LESSON

Matthew 5:13-16 (NKJV) "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.

First let us evaluate this scripture for the message that it reveals to us. We need to determine the audience before we can properly interpret this scripture. That is something that you should be careful to do at all times when reading the Bible. Here Jesus is talking to his disciples (See 5:1-2, 11-12). So right away we know that what Jesus is teaching and what we will therefore examine is addressed to his disciples.

Jesus said that his disciples were the salt of the earth. He said that if the salt loses its saltiness (that which makes it salty or the salty flavoring) then it is good for nothing but to be walked on. There are at least to interpretations of the use of salt here. One is that the salt is a preservative. The other is that salt is a flavoring. I believe that the message actually consists of the combination of the two. I think of Sodom and Gomorrah where God would have spared the place if there were a certain number of righteous present. There weren't but God still spared the righteous that were living there. I also think of the story of Noah starting in Genesis 6.

The disciples of God are what give this world any value whatsoever. It is because of the Disciples of Christ that the earth is worth saving. That is the preserving affect the Disciples of Christ have. We also give the earth its flavor so to speak. We are the sweet aroma so to speak in a totally corrupt world. We are what make this world a better place than it would be without us. However, if we don't "be" what a disciple is then we are good for nothing. A disciple is about God's work and that is what we should do. If a disciple isn't about those things that make him or her a disciple then what good is he or she? If a disciple doesn't live, as a disciple of Christ should then he or she is good for nothing-like the rest of the godless world.

Jesus next says that the disciples are the light of the world. Notice that he didn't say that they are light in the world. He said that disciples are the light OF the world. This has to be interpreted in relation to his next statements. He begins to tell them how a city on a hill cannot be hidden and that a light is put on a lampstand instead of under a basket, thus giving light to the whole house. A disciple is like that lamp. We give light to the whole world. After all, a disciple of Jesus Christ shines forth the Way of Christ so that all of the world might see. As a matter of fact, Jesus goes on to say that. He said for the disciples to let their light shine so that people would see their good deeds and glorify God in heaven.

Without disciples then this earth would have been doomed. Regardless of how evil things became or how awful things seemed, there was always a remnant of God's people that preserved his way in the earth. Without these then there would be no need for anyone to even exist since all would be doomed to hell. However, with disciples, there would be hope for many as many turn from their evil ways and towards God. The question now is, "are you a disciple of Christ?" If you are then you have great worth and great value towards God.

Jesus is That Light

John 1:1-4 (NKJV) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.

John says that in Jesus was life and that life is the light of men. The context of this verse seems to imply an illumination. Therefore, Jesus illuminates or is the revelation of the life of God.

Your Light

Matthew 5:16 (NKJV) Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

The things that we do should be a witness to God operating in our lives. Our light is therefore those things that we do that reveal the Kingdom of God to others and therefore bring glory to God. The word "Let" is an activity word in that it implies that we have to do something. We let our light shine by doing the righteous things that a righteous person does.

Be You

God has made you a certain way according to his purpose. Be who you are so that your light can shine as it should. Of course there are ministries in the Body of Christ that many are aware of (See Ephesians 4). However, those are not the exclusive functions that God has operating in the body. Consider the role of doctors, cleaners, drivers, cooks, lawyers, etc. Also consider such things as housewives and househusbands (I found that husbands stay home too sometimes), mothers, fathers, teachers, and much more. Some of you get to various destination by driving or some other form of transportation. Consider all of the people that work so that those resources are available to you.

The point is that if you are you then you shouldn't feel as though you need to be something else. You might need to improve yourself or better yourself but you shouldn't want to be someone else. Strive to be you and therefore unlock the will of God in your life. How is that? Well if you are you then you allow yourself to operate as you were purposed and thus fulfill the will of God for you. I am reminded of a commercial about the Chevy Corvette. There were two guys in the car and they were driving in some type of parade going about 2 miles an hour. Now a Corvette is a high performance sports car and it is designed to go fast and to get at high speeds in a short amount of time. However, this particular Corvette was going very slow. One guy said, "This is so wrong on so many levels." Sometimes we become that Corvette (or more precisely the driver). We allow outside situations to compel us to operate in a mode that we were not designed.

There is Not Comparison of Worth

Unfortunately we still judge others and ourselves according to a system that is temporal. We pass judgment according the world system. Therefore, we might look down on ourselves because we didn't have the high paying job or we don't have a Mercedes bend like pastor so and so. Pastors could get unnerved because they don't have thousands of members in the congregation. We judge things from a temporal and earthly standard and this causes us to seek another path that is more desirable and accepted.

We determine our worth in society by the rules of society instead of considering God's kingdom. The church institution, with its false preachers and teachers dupe us thinking that true blessings are measured by a monetary system. That is, the more stuff you have then the more blessed you are. We then strive to have more stuff because we think low of our present state.

However, our worth to God and to others is not in the stuff that we have but more precisely in who we are. Your worth is measured by your commitment to God and to being who God made you to be. If you try to be what you are not then you are degrading yourself and making yourself of little value. For example, a hammer has little value to me when I need something to remove a screw. Likewise, you are of little value when you are operating where you are not meant to be.

You cannot compare your worth in the Kingdom of God and the calculated value that is imposed on you by this world. Your worth is in your adherence to your purpose and therefore the will of God. Your worth starts its manifestation when you simply are you. See yourself according to the word and not by the standards of this world. The light of Jesus can shine most effectively in you if you are you.

You Are A Walking Witness

Therefore since the light of God shines in you and brings you to a lifestyle of Christ, then you are a walking witness to others of God. When people see you they should see the attributes of God or the gifts of the Spirit operating (See Galatians 5:22-23). What is important here is that people see you. Jesus said, "Let YOUR light shine." The light in you is more effective when it is actually you doing the shining so to speak. Your witness of the life and love of God is most effective when the light really comes from you, which ultimately is the result of Jesus Christ.

Your witness is true when it is you. Don't try to be what you are not. Simply be you and allow that to witness to others. Whether you are the mailman or a medical doctor, just be you and allow that to minister to others in the way that God purposed.

Discipleship

Your life is hidden in Christ. You are a Christian and your life is governed by the word of God, which your received through the teaching of Jesus Christ. Consider the following verse.

John 8:31-32 (NKJV) Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

A disciple therefore is the person that abides by Jesus' teachings. A disciple is a follower (of character, of Way) of Jesus Christ. Disciples know the truth and are liberated by it. Now consider what Jesus said about discipleship.

Matthew 28:18-20 (NKJV) And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Discipleship places you squarely in the will of God. Jesus commanded his disciples to make others disciples and to teach them to do the same thing. You have to understand that being a disciple makes you a very important person on this earth. The fact that your faith is in Christ and you follow his ways makes you priceless to a dead world. Discipleship is like seed. You can cause others to grow into faith in Jesus Christ by the mere fact that your light shines.

Discipleship is not a church thing! We tend to churchify everything and we should definitely not churchify discipleship. Discipleship is a personal thing that you are and do. You disciple people by helping them see the light with the Light of Christ. That is, you lead them via the Gospel of Jesus Christ so that they would become saved and therefore disciples as you are. Remember, that discipleship starts with simply letting your light shine.

Don't Lose Your Way

Matthew 6:19-21 (NKJV) "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

It is so easy to lose your way. Bit by bit we allow other things to grab our attention and shift our walk to a different destination. We shift our heart to temporal things instead of heavenly things. We begin to believe that success in the earth is the will of God and therefore what we should strive to do. We begin to focus our attention on the material instead of the spiritual.

Compare this with the following scripture.

Galatians 1:6-7 (NKJV) I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.

We shift from the truth of God to the truth of man. We begin to pursue man's way instead of God's way. Darkness is eminent in this situation. At this point we have forsaken the truth and begin to live according to a lie. At this point we are no longer disciples of God and therefore fall outside of God's will.

Matthew 13:22 (NKJV) Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.

The day-to-day life can easily divert our attention from the things of God. Remember that a disciple is a person that abides by the word of God. Therefore, if you allow other doctrine to come in or the cares of the day-to-day existence to come in and choke the word that you have then you become ineffective. You drift away from a lifestyle of God's word to a lifestyle of survival or someone else's doctrine.

THE COUNTERFEIT LIGHT

Matthew 7:15-20 (NKJV) "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

1 John 4:1 (NKJV) Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Your Important Ministry

Don't think for a moment that because you are not an ordained minister or that you didn't go to seminar that your ministry is not important. Your ministry is important. We minister in many ways according to God's purpose. Mothers minister to their children and others. Fathers minister to their children and others. People minister to each other.

Your ministry is not defined by your occupation. Instead your occupation could be an opportunity for you to practice your ministry. For example, my parents ministered to me in the area of financial management, responsibilities, the concept of trust, education, and promptness. No we didn't have formal classes on these things. My parents didn't make my brothers and I sit down so they could teach us about finances for example. There life was the ministry. I merely saw them do it time after time and learned from it. Now I have taken those same principles and developed systems from them that I teach to others. Most notable is my financial management system, which I give seminars and workshops for and developed a software application.

So not only did the ministry of my parents affect me. It also affected all of the people that I presented those same principles with. They would in turn affect others and so forth. Do you see how important your ministry quickly becomes? You could influence people on the other side of the earth especially in our global society.

You probably influence and have influenced people you would never have thought of. You are probably getting through to that hardheaded teenager who won't know the value of your words until he or she is much older. Think of the person that led Billy Graham to Christ. Consider the person that invested into the education of Martin Luther King. You make a difference and your ministry is important.

The Life You Live

Your ministry is evident by the life that you live. Your life is a light to those that don't know Christ and to those that are in bondage by institutions and false doctrines. Your light shines in the darkness and sins become evident and the love of God becomes evident. Also the wrath and real fear of God becomes evident.

The life you live is the way that your light shines and ultimate how God gets glory and people become saved and free. Your light comes from you and not who you are trying to be. Yes your ministry is important, and therefore so are you. Amen.