Text: 1st Samuel 10: 1-10, Ephesians 4: 11-13, 2 Timothy 4: 6-8
A ministry is the department or office for the actualization of a divine assignment. It is a call. It is God’s work. Knowing and fulfilling your ministry is to be aware of your divine assignment and be able to complete, accomplish and achieve your potentials and desires in the spirit according to the will of God.
Basically, there are five major ministries but under each ministry are some departments that can also be defined as ministries within a ministry. The five major ones are ministries of: Apostles, Evangelists, Pastors, Prophets and Teachers. The other ministries outside the major ones include Missionaries, Church Planters, Choristers, Intercessors, Instrumentalists, House Fellowship Leaders, Children Leaders, Teenagers Leaders, Youth leaders, Healing Ministers, Drama Ministers, Visitation group and Welfare ministers. Apart from all the ministries mentioned above there is a Ministry of Reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 2: 18).
This ministry is meant for all believers because it is meant to bring sinners to the knowledge of Christ and to reconcile them to God. In the early church, as the number of disciples were increasing more ministers were needed for more roles in the ministry hence the need for more ministries. For example, when the Apostles were busy teaching the word, there was a need to call people to share food among the widows and the needy in the church and as a result, seven people were chosen and among them were Stephen and Philip.The Bible refers to these chosen ones as deacons (Acts 6: 1-6).
HOW CAN YOU KNOW YOUR MINISTRY?
God can specifically call you into a Ministry through an audible whisper. It can be through the help of the Holy Spirit, dreams, angelic visitation or supernatural persuasion when you keep on having a burden about it and this thought keeps recurring. It could also be through a message from man or woman of God. If it is from God, the gift in you will manifest and by prayer and through the help of the Holy Spirit you will know your ministry. You can even have a combination of two or more ministries. But to be more effective and efficient it is better to discover where you are best.
WHAT QUALIFIES YOU FOR A MINISTRY?
• You must be born again.
• You must be full of the Holy Spirit.
• You must be living a holy life.
• You must be a man or woman of honest report.
• You must have wisdom.
• You must have faith and believe the word.
• By developing sensitivity to the Holy Spirit’s voice.
• Be ready to do the will of God.
Note that acceptable ministry is the one that glorifies God.
HOW TO BE FULFILLED IN YOUR MINISTRY
- You must be holy and be full of the Holy Spirit
- You must be prayerful
- You must be focused
- You must be very active in your ministry, be diligent and committed
- You must have faith
- You must be obedient and be faithful
- You must be well equipped with the word
- Invest in that ministry by training and re-training
- Invest in it by prayer and fasting for breakthroughs
- Be ready to stay under an authority as the twelve disciples stayed with Jesus and learnt under Jesus Christ; Elisha under Elijah; Joshua under Moses and Timothy under Paul
- Have a progressive intimacy with God
- As you succeed in the ministry, humble yourself and give glory to God always
- Never share the glory of the success with God
- Study the scriptures and meditate on it regularly
Our Lord Jesus Christ had a fulfilled ministry and so also did Apostle Paul. Read more about them so that you too can be fulfilled. Your ministry is not in isolation, it is a part, it is for the body of Christ to be built up. Work in unity with people in other ministries in the love of Christ. (1 Corinthians 12:12)
PRAYER
Father, if you have given me a ministry, grant me the grace and all it takes to fulfil it. If I am yet to know my ministry reveal it to me, endow and empower me to be fulfilled in Jesus name I pray. AMEN
