You don't need to be a minister to minister

 

You might not work for the Church. You might not have a fancy title. You probably never went to seminary. But guess what? God still calls on you for ministry.

The call to evangelize isn't limited to people who have dedicated their lives and careers to professional ministry. It isn't an option or a bonus add-on you can choose to do for extra credit. The bible tells us that it is the responsibility of every Christian to do what he or she can to spread the word and love of Christ as far as they can. Jesus himself said it in no uncertain terms in Mark 16:15 where "He said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.'”

But why would God call upon you to minister? Why, when there are more qualified, trained, and experienced servants of God out there in all branches of the church, would you be expected to pick up the torch and act as His messenger?

Because you can make a difference.

Think about the people in your life. The people you work with, your friends, the acquaintances you're chummy with. Think about the guys in your fantasy football league, the lovable goofs who clutter up your Facebook profile with the same joke lists every other week. Think about your extended family members, the weird cousins you only see during the Holidays (and maybe not even then). 

How many of them are non-Christians? Probably more than a few given the sorry state of the world these days. But more than that, how many of them are actively proud of being non-Christians? How many aren't just members of another religion, or politely agnostic, but proudly and loudly proclaim how they wouldn't be caught dead in a church? We all know some of these people, the truly lost.

Now who do you think has a better chance of reaching that person and bringing them into the ligh of the Lord? You, a friend they know, respect, and trust? Or a minister from some church they openly scoff at?

That's why God calls on you. 

You may not realize it, but you are on the front lines of a spiritual battle. Everyday, you may be the only shot a person has at avoiding eternal damnation. The devil has worked so very hard to weaken the church over the past few decades. Hacking at its roots and reducing it from an institution of our culture to being seen as something stodgy and faintly ridiculous. To make it easy to ignore the good works of the church and the people who are part of it. 

But the people in your life don't ignore you. They don't brush you off like a bad door-to-door salesman. When you really internalize your responsibility of ministry, when you begin to live your life as an example to others and summon the courage to extend an open hand and minister when the opportunity arises, you become a guide post in a dark world. You can reach people that the church never could.

You're training doesn't matter. What you do for a day job doesn't matter. Christ calls on you to minister. So be ready to step up. Don't wait for the lost, scared, and needy to somehow stumble into a church. Bring the word to them.

Remember, Jesus wasn't a minister, a rabbi, or a priest either. He was a carpenter.  A carpenter with the greatest ministry the world has ever seen.