What Is a Minister?

When I became saved I was aware that God was calling me to some sort of ministry. I studied the word minister. When I found that it meant servant I didn*t like that. Then I began to learn that serving others in small ways was easy. And then I learned that when you serve the Lord and others in small ways He gives you slightly bigger ways to do that. As I was faithful in the slightly bigger ways He gave me still bigger ways. Serving causes growth. Not serving stunts growth. Not serving is a spiritual illness that might be accurately compared with physical atrophy caused by a lack of exercise. Serving God and others is really the way to the happiest, healthiest and most fulfilling physical life AND spiritual life.

II Corinthians 1:24 Not for that we have domination over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand.

This article entitled What Is a Minister? was written by Evangelist Wil Rice.

I know a pastor that, as a little boy, told his parents, *When I grow up, I don*t want to be a worker; I want to be a preacher!* We can smile at the sentiment of a child, but to be a preacher requires many hours of diligent and hard work.

Often we can have the same type of misconception about the Lord*s work. We think that in order to gain prominence in the church or over a church, you must become a minister. That concept is a contradiction of terms! To be a minister of God is to be a servant of people. If you are not serving people, you are not ministering for the Lord!

Any leader of people needs to take ownership of his leadership, but the very definition of leadership comes back to servanthood. A minister of God should seek to help, not to dominate, the people of God. The Apostle Paul understood this and recognized that what he possessed, including his ministry and comfort, came from God and was for the people of God. (verses 1-4) Are you looking to minister so you can dominate, or are you looking to serve?

Care to discuss What Is A Minister? with Ron?

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