Every week no matter where I go, I hear business men and women that want to make the jump from full-time work to full-time ministry.
What does that really mean? What is full-time ministry? Doesn’t Jesus want us all in full-time ministry?
Some say, “I feel called to devote my whole life to telling others about Jesus and can’t wait till I can do it full time.” Others say, “I feel called to be a pastor so I can help others know Christ more.” And the best is “I just want to work at my church. I’ll do anything.”
Here is something to consider. Most of the people that work at a church or who are around full-time ministry already know the Lord. That’s why they are there. So, where are the people who need ministry?
Jesus ministered everywhere
Let’s look at Jesus and his full-time ministry. Jesus was always out and about in the world, the market place. He himself was a craftsman. His style was to move among the people bringing them the Good News wherever they were. In the workplace, on the streets, at the restaurants, in the meetings is where He was. He was an influencer, someone who moved amongst the people. He related to them in their environment and didn’t make them come to him.
Think about some of the greatest conversations Jesus had with people:
When seeking a drink of water at the well, Jesus encountered a Samaritan woman and told her “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water” (John 4:10).
The sermon on the mount, considered one of Christ’s most significant teachings, was another spontaneous moment. “When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them” (Matthew 5:1).
Much of his ministry took place during meals. For example “while Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples” (Matthew 9:10).
Jesus chose to interact with people where they were and told the pharisees, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick” (Matthew 9:12).
He even chose to go to the home of Zacchaeus, a disreputable tax collector who he met along the road as he passed through Jericho (Luke 19:1).
All Christians are in ministry
The way I see it everyone who calls himself a Christian is in ministry. You don’t get to turn it on and off when you want. It is full time. The Bible tells us to be ministers of grace, healing and love wherever we work – be it an office, a factory, a restaurant, a school, a retail shop or a church. And don’t forget your own home. If you are not ministering to family, that’s where you should start.
I know few places that need God’s hope and peace more than in the working world. Every day we rub shoulders with co workers who are facing tragic sorrows, family crisis and personal problems. How will they be helped if they don’t step in a church? How will they get to know the real, living, gracious and loving God?
You have a strategic position
That’s where you come in. Think about it. How strategic is your position as a Christian example in the job you are in right now? Can you think of someone you work with who needs a little extra love? A person who just needs to know that someone really cares about him in this world?
My friend, that person is you.
So next time you wish you could be in full-time ministry, remember that you already are! The real question is whether you are an effective minister, accurately reflecting the heart of Jesus, or whether you’re a poor minister, bringing shame and embarrassment to the example of who God is.
Use the position that God has given you in life to reach and love someone right where you are. Getting into full-time ministry is easier than you think.
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