You Are A Ministry

If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins, have confessed Him as your Lord and believe that God has raised him from the dead then you are saved. This is what God tells us in His word.

 

Romans 10:9 KJV

That If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

 

Most Christians understand that this means they have received eternal life. Certainly, this is true, however the word “saved” used here means so much more.  The Greek word for “saved” is sozo, which basically means “wholeness”.  A born-again believer has been given wholeness in every area of his or her life.  Now that’s good news!

To understand the salvation wholeness that you’ve received, you must first understand that there is a spiritual realm and a physical realm to life. All of life originated with God who is Spirit, John 4:24 KJV. You remember in Genesis chapter one God said “let there be”, and there it was. Out of the spiritual realm came the physical. Both are just as real and just as present.

Problems began however, when Adam and Eve, through their free will choice of disobedience ushered in “sin”.  Sin is the ultimate contaminate to all living things. God’s answer for mankind’s sin problem was and is Jesus Christ. Through His death, resurrection and ascension a new type and quality of life has been given. 

This new type of life is given to the believer the very moment he or she is born again. Just as your first birth required “seed”, so does the second.  This spiritual seed contains all the aspects of that new life.

1 Peter 1:23KJV

Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

 

The things of this fallen corrupted physical realm are factual and subject to change.  But the things of God are truth, not mere “maybes” or “sometimes”. They are as God says they are! This world cannot change them. What we may feel about our salvation wholeness neither negates nor confirms its truth.  It’s true because God reveals it to us via His word, the Bible! He has spiritually given this to us. Our job is to respond with faith to our God. He tells us that we, as born-again believers, are to live by faith.

 

Romans 1:16-17 KJV

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth: to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 

For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith:  as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

 

As we step out on this good news life that He’s given us, in Christ, God does and will energize its fruit in our lives. Our completeness in Christ is so abundant, so over the top, that to begin to wrap our minds around the depth of its reality, takes the spirit of God unveiling it to us.

 

Ephesians 1:15-20 KJV

Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,

Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,

Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places.

 

These verses are filled with some hefty superlatives but God Himself, tells us these things are true.   We can be assured that He has committed Himself to unveiling these truths as realities in our lives both in our understanding as well as in our experience. He will give you revelation! One of those realities is the truth regarding ministry and its empowerment. Most people think that a ministry is a tax-exempt organization that ministers God’s truth to others. That for the most part, is our cultural definition of a ministry. However, God’s version is revealed in His word. He tells us that a ministry isn’t an organization -  it’s a “you”, if you are a born-again believer!

 

 Wait a minute, you may say, I don’t have a theological degree nor am I ordained. Besides I work full time. I’m a full time Mom and homemaker or a lawyer or factory worker. That may be what you do but it’s not who you are. If you are born-again you are what God says you are. First, you are His beloved, a child of God! Nothing you do or fail to do can change that. You are accepted in the beloved [that would be Jesus Christ]. You are accepted as one of God’s loved ones because of what Jesus Christ has done for you. GOD LOVES YOU! (1 John 4:10 KJV)

Secondly, you are a new creation in Christ Jesus. Before you were born again, you were spiritually dead because of sin (Ephesians 2:1-2 KJV). Now that you are saved, you are spiritually alive. You now have God’s nature dwelling in you through Christ. (Ephesians 1:7,13). Christ now literally dwells in you.

 

Colossians 1:27 KJV

To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

 

This is a blood covenant truth that covers every need in your life, whether it be spiritual, mental, physical or material. God has already said “Yes” to meeting the needs in these areas through Christ. These paid for promises aren’t yes one moment and no the next. They are always “yes” for all Christians. That’s what God tells us in 2 Corinthians.

 

2 Corinthians 1:18-22 KJV

But as God is true, our word toward you was not yea and nay.

For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in him was yea.

For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him, Amen, unto the glory of God by us.

Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God;

Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.

 

Not only are the blood covenant promises always yes, God has also anointed us with His Spirit that we might step out this supernatural life! Notice that the word “anointed” is in the past tense. The anointing doesn’t come and go, God put His Spirit in us and it’s here to stay. This is further emphasized when He says He also sealed this work with His name. No one including yourself can change that. This makes you a new creation in Christ Jesus fully equipped to manifest that wholeness.

2 Corinthians 6:16- 17 KJV

Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

 

“In Christ” is where the born-again believer is legally seated and where he legally has a big YES to all that Christ has paid for! Before you accepted Jesus Christ as your savior you heard of him verbally or maybe read about him. This is knowing about him by your carnal reasoning- to know him after the flesh. But once you accepted him as your personal savior you no longer know him that way. That’s what verse sixteen is talking about. You now know him as the Christ who dwells in you and you in him. There is now an intimate exchange that empowers you to live life as more than a conqueror. Verse seventeen tells us that we are now legally in him and therefore you are a new creation. There is now a new quality of life that has been placed in you. A life that wasn’t there before.

You are a born-again believer who happens to be a Mom. Or you are a born-again believer who happens to be a lawyer or a factory worker or whatever. That’s great news because you can bring God’s supernatural presence to all you put your hand to. You can bring wholeness to situations and people. You are called to do that.                          

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When you were saved you were made part of a new race of people whose head is Christ. You are part of a new creation that is enabled to bring Christ’s heart, wisdom and power to bear in life’s situation. You are now an ambassador for the resurrected, ascended and seated Christ.

 

2 Corinthians 5:20 KJV

Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you  in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.

 

This is who God says you are. You are to reconcile your mind to this truth because God says it’s so. One of the reasons that you, the born-again believer, is on this earth is to reconcile people back to God spiritually, physically and materially. That means you are called to minister God’s wholeness, that salvation paid for by Christ Jesus. That is what happens when the areas of people’s lives are reconciled to God, they become whole (not religious). Reconciliation is what God offers through Christ and what we minister on Christ behalf. Go back a couple of verses and that’s what God tells you.

2 Corinthians 5:18 KJV

And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation.

 

There you have it!  Each and every one of us – as born-again believers, have been commissioned by God to carry out this ministry. We do this according to God’s word which declares the grace offered to all in Christ Jesus.

 

2 Corinthians 5:19 KJV

To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

 

Now you may be thinking “Not little old me”. Do you know what the bottom line of humility is?  If you said agreeing with God in thought, word and deed then you are right. When God says that you were formerly a sinner, you say “Yes Sir”. Most Christians have no problem with that one. However, when God says you are now a new creation in Christ Jesus many Christians stumble with that. Usually depending on their present conduct. Maybe today they might agree with it but certainly not yesterday.

You conduct does not determine who you are in Christ.  Jesus Christ has done it for you or it would never have gotten done! How you respond to that reality will determine how big Christ can become in you!  You are grace equipped to change. You are who God says you are. It is pride to say otherwise.

Now that you are born again, God says that you are a new creation in Christ and you can show forth his love and power in your life. If you have a problem believing that then you need to read the epistles that God revealed to Paul and respond to those truths by faith. Give Christ room to move in you. To deface yourself because of past failures or shortcomings is to give more credence to your flesh than the spirit of God’s son that dwells in you! If you’ve fallen short tell God you’re sorry then respond to who He has made you. That’s where the deliverance and answers are. You are empowered by Christ to walk in deliverance and to minister that deliverance.

 

2 Corinthians 4:7 KJV

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

 

We as a new race of people, in Christ, can bring supernatural deliverance as our Lord leads. We are called to do the works that Jesus did! That is what Jesus prophesied before he was crucified, died and was raised. He said that believers would be enabled to do the works that he did and greater.

 

John 14:12 KJV

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

 

Did Jesus Christ preach the word of God? He certainly did! Then you can. Did he heal the sick? Absolutely! Then you can. Was he guided by God’s voice? Certainly! Then you can be guided by God’s voice. Did God supernaturally protect him? Yeah big time! Then God can protect you. We can walk these realities out by faith as we respond to our Lord.

Yes, it’s a growth walk. But let that be a challenge and not an excuse.  As the saying goes “you can’t steer a parked car “but you’ll find that if you put it in gear and give it a little gas, that you are fully equipped for a wonderful trip.

 

Let’s look at some living examples. The Ananias who ministered to Paul is a great example. God doesn’t tell us what his ministry was. it simply says, “there was a certain disciple at Damascus”. I think God had it written that way to show us that any believer who walks with the Lord is equipped by the Lord to minister supernatural deliverance.

 

Acts 9:10- KJV

And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias, and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias, and he said, Behold, I am here Lord.

 

He recognized The Lord’s voice. This tells me that after he got born again, he must have cultivated a relationship with his Lord. Keep in mind that fellowship isn’t the means to an end, the end being ministry. That is a falsehood. How do I know that? Simple, when God first created Adam and Eve and put them in Eden there was no need for ministry. Man and woman were created to fellowship with God, that was God’s major desire. God desired to have an exchange with them because He loved them. God’s desire hasn’t changed! Out of that relationship Adam and Eve’s trust should have grown strong. Primarily, obedience is meant to be a byproduct of trust. A love relationship engenders trust. We will always be free will agents, so we have the choice to disobey. However, the more you have this living exchange with your Lord the easier it is to trust him.

 

Acts 9:11-12 KJV

And the Lord said unto him, Arise and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus; for behold, he prayeth.

 And he hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight.

 

Ananias now has some specific directions and instructions. However, he did have a problem with the “who” he was to minister to.

 

Acts 9:13-14 KJV

Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:

And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name.

 

Well the Lord tells Ananias that Saul (Paul) is a chosen vessel who will bear His name to many. So, Ananias obeys with the result being Saul’s blindness is healed. Even greater however, is Saul is now on the spiritual road to becoming the apostle Paul. How did this happen? It happened through Christ’s ambassador Ananias. I would say that’s bringing Christ’s presence to a situation.

 There have been many ambassadors for Christ in His-story that have brought the Lord’s presence to bear in life’s situations. I know that if you’re a Christian, you can name a number of them.  My wife Debbie met several “Ambassadors for Christ”, that worked to bring her from death unto life.  I’ll let her tell it in her own words.

On my first day of high school, as I walked down the hall, I noticed three separate people, they were not standing together – yet somehow, they each really stood out to me.  They appeared to have a confidence and presence about them that the other students seemed to lack. I was drawn to them, but I had no idea why.

Already jaded and cynical about “organized religion”, I’m certain that I would not have given them the time of day if someone had told me that those three were committed Christians.  But later that school year I had an opportunity to share a class with one of them.  Her name was Charlene. 

I’d come to school that day in a dark mood.  It was my sixtieth birthday, and I had made up my mind that if my life did not change by the new year that I was going to end it.  As a matter of fact, I’d written that in my diary stating that “if this is the best life has to offer than I want out.”

On that day Charlene was talking to a fellow student about, of all things, Jesus Christ.  For some reason just hearing that name infuriated me.  I wanted nothing more than to shut her up!  I railed on her and said some not so nice words and finished up practically shouting at her “Do you really believe that crap?!”  Not an exact quote – but you get the gist of it.

Without missing a beat she looked me square in the eye and stated “Yes I do”! Then she challenged me to withhold my judgement until I’d checked it out for myself.  Frankly, I was more than a little taken back by her uncommon boldness.  Her confidence intrigued me. I decided to take her up on the offer and agreed to attend that first home fellowship.

The people I met there surprised me again, by their genuine concern for each other, and the peace they seemed to exude.  That was a quality I knew I was lacking and wanted.  Then another surprise – the very students that I’d noticed my first day of school “happened” to be seated across from me. 

God used that fellowship, along with each of those people to get my attention, and then to save my life. Each of them was bold and unapologetic about their faith. I realized they had something real, and I wanted it. It was those faithful “Ambassadors” that lived their lives before me in love that helped me come to know Jesus Christ and then to ask Him to be my Lord. 

In another incident Deb and I had taken our car to the shop for repairs. We needed groceries, so we took the bus to the supermarket. On our way back we decided to take a taxi.  We prayed and asked God to direct us to the right driver. A lady driver picked us up. We began a conversation with her and found out that she was a going through some tough financial problems.

When she pulled up in front of our place, I asked her if I could pray for her. She answered “Sure”, and then told us that she was a Christian. Meanwhile my wife asked her not to leave till she got something from the house.  I finished praying for her and paid our fare.  Then God spoke to my heart to give her the twenty dollars I had left in my pocket. Just as I did that, Debbie came running out with an additional fifty dollars and handed it to her.  We both told her that God wanted her to have it. With great big tears welling up in her eyes she said that this was exactly what she had needed to meet her immediate obligations. Now isn’t God good?!

Previously Debbie had felt that the Lord asked that she set aside a portion of her abundant sharing, and that He would direct her when to give it. Now was the time He chose. What gave Debbie the confidence to hold onto that fifty dollars? She knew it was the Lord who was leading.  At the right time she knew that she, as Christ’s ambassador was there to meet that need.

I could tell you about many other average people I know who have done miraculous things by obeying the Lord. Their occupations were quite different: a student, a housewife, a Plummer, a welder, a secretary. I could give you quite an extensive list. One thing however, that they all had in common was they knew their identity as God had revealed it- They were an ambassador for the living Christ who empowered them to bring His presence to a situation.