Day 41 - The Work of the Ministry

Day 41: The Work of the Ministry 

Today’s Big Idea: Picking up where the Pastor left off…

Key Verse: Acts 6:3-4

Passage of the day: Acts 6:1-7

Thoughts to consider: Today is not about the Pastor. But in a way, it is. As we saw in the verses back on Day 1, Ephesians 4 tells us that the leaders of the church have a mandate from God, and it is not to do the work of the ministry by themselves. Rather, it is to equip God’s people for the act of service. In other words, Pastors are supposed to GIVE ministry away to others. Some of the hardest words to say as a Pastor are found in our reading today. “We will give them this responsibility.” The Big C church has not done a great job of giving away responsibility to God’s people. In fact, many church cultures have led God’s people to suggest the work of the ministry to the Pastor, and then become disgruntled when the Pastor can’t fulfill their vision for ministry. It looks a little something like this, “Hey Pastor, we should have a (insert ministry idea here) ministry. When can you start that?” Just like the Apostles in our reading, ministry is everywhere and needs to be done by everyone. But the Apostles didn’t turn the ministry over to just anyone. The people were “full of the Spirit and wisdom” and they were “known” by others. The people of God picked up where the apostles left off… they began the work of the ministry. 

Today, spend some time thinking and praying about what you want to see in your church. Will you pick up the work? Will you become a well-known person full of the Spirit and wisdom? What would your church look like if you decided to put your hand and heart to the work of the ministry, and not fully rely on the “professional” ministers to get things done?