If you haven’t been following this article series up until now, let me get you up to speed. So far, we’ve covered what it means to go “all-in” for God. We also outlined what our main goal in living for Him ought to be: namely becoming like Jesus. Everything else good and worthy in life flows from pursuing God this way.
Having a clear beginning to the journey is helpful. Knowing your destination provides orientation and pace. But this doesn’t mean any of us know what we ought to be doing along the way. There will (probably) be a lot of time between the beginning and the end of this great venture. So, how is this time best spent? Where should I spend it? What activities and commitments will amount to faithful progress in what I’ve chosen to pursue?
Thinking this way is a good sign. It means we are in step with the Spirit. Paul urges in Ephesians 5:15-17, “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil… do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” It’s righteous to want to spend your years well. We should live each day as if Christ could come back tomorrow. He very well could! Properly received, this truth imbues each day with real significance.
Most of this article will focus on what we try to do and accomplish with our lives. But first, let’s be clear. Much of becoming like Christ involves quiet contemplation – hours and days spent alone communing with Him through prayer, worship, and the Word. Jesus modeled this for us in how He would often get away to spend time with His father (Luke 5:16, 6:12, Mark 1:35, 6:46, Matthew 14:23). He longed for this time to breathe in deeply the love and power of God, before breathing it back out for His friends and followers.
We shouldn’t take this to mean that “all-in” spirituality requires the ascetic lifestyle of a monk. Dietrich Bonhoeffer beautifully captures the relationship between time spent “alone” with God and the time we spend out in the world with others:
“Let him who is not in community beware of being alone... Each by itself has profound perils and pitfalls. One who wants fellowship without solitude plunges into the void of words and feelings, and the one who seeks solitude without fellowship perishes in the abyss of vanity, self-infatuation and despair.”
Later he adds,
“One who returns to the Christian family fellowship after fighting the battle of the day brings with him the blessing of his aloneness, but he himself receives anew the blessing of the fellowship. Blessed is he who is alone in the strength of the fellowship and blessed is he who keeps the fellowship in the strength of aloneness.”[1]
So, time spent soaking in God’s presence is indispensable. But while on earth we also have a mission to live among and love human beings. We do this both in the context of Christian fellowship but also as Christ’s representatives in the larger world. Properly understood, these two dispositions are interdependent. To live lopsided either direction would be to ignore the way that Jesus lived.
But regardless of whether a person is introverted or extroverted – we should be all about our fellow humans. Jesus says, “the son of man did not come to be served, but serve, and give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45). He then said to His followers “As the Father has sent Me, I also am sending you.” (John 21:20).
Chinese church planter Watchman Nee comments on these verses,
“Interest in the human race is a basic requirement of every Christian worker, not interest in a certain section of it. “God so loved the world.” His love included all men, and so should ours. We must not confine our interest to His children, or to any other particular class of men, but must go out in love to all.”[2]
The heartbeat of authentic Christianity then is in loving and serving others. All-in Jesus followers build lives that maximize their ability to do just that. The blanket term used in the Bible for this kind of activity is “ministry.”
The word “ministry” has Latin roots and is derived from “minister.” In Greek the word is “deacon” (διάκονος, diakonos), meaning “servant” or “attendant.” This is a title we see Paul often apply not only to himself and the other apostles, but to many other men and women serving in the churches (Colossians 1:7, 4:7, Ephesians 6:21). More often, in the verb form (διακονία, diakonia), it’s a description of regular, loving, spiritually constructive action.
Ministry is best understood not in terms of hierarchical roles (as we often associate with the term “minister”), but as organic spiritual influence in the context of relationships. It is serving others as Christ served, with a heart for discipleship, justice, and building transformative community. Developing ministry along these lines also implies focus and intentionality. We aren’t “boxing the air” (1 Corinthians 9:26) but trying to brick by brick build the Kingdom of God here on earth.
God’s Kingdom will outlast all other kingdoms, which makes this the most important building project in the world. Paul says for this reason, “each one should build with care.” (1 Corinthians 3:10). We should be thoughtful, strategic, goal-oriented, and give our best when it comes to ministry. With this in mind let’s consider three propositions regarding how “all-in” believers should go about focusing their ministry.
Calling
Calling can be a controversial idea in Christian circles. In the West we often talk about calling in individualistic and subjective terms. People speak of being “called” to move from one church to another, take a certain job, or take up life in a new city.
God does in fact call individual people to do these things. Abraham for instance was directly called by God to “go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.” (Genesis 12:1). Paul refers to himself as having been “set apart for the Gospel” (Romans 1:1) as an Apostle. This was a unique role he was given. It was a calling that had major implications for his life. Because of it he roamed the Roman empire sharing the message of Jesus until he was martyred.
It’s clear though that not every person is called to do ministry the same way as Paul. Otherwise, there would have been no one left in Ephesus, Philippi, or elsewhere to build up those churches. The only reason any of us are here is because of the generations and generations of committed believers who served, led, and discipled while staying put.
From these examples and others, we understand that calling is a broad concept. It could refer to God’s special leading towards a certain decision, or it could be the Spirit revealing the full course of a person’s life. Someone could also reasonably be called to a type of ministry (like fighting human trafficking) for a season, but not for the entirety of their lives.
Overall, we see that when people receive special leadings from God, it can take various forms. Some people receive dreams and visions. Others develop a slow building sense of calling as they serve, learn, and become aware of opportunities. Both could be legitimate forms of calling, orchestrated by the Holy Spirit.
If anyone believes they have received a clear personal calling from God, they ought to confirm it through prayer and wise counsel. After that there is nothing to do but to start down the path of obedience. We should also always expect callings to be consistent with God’s truth and coherent with his purposes for the world.
J. Oswald Sanders argues we can only understand personal callings in the context of our common calling as believers.
“We need no call other than the above Scriptures to lead us to recognize the general obligation resting on all believers. If we see a man drowning and we ourselves can swim, we do not need a special direction to make us go to his rescue.”[3]
Common Christian callings include sharing the Gospel, making disciples, and caring for the poor. None of us should need to get hit with a vision to be radical and work hard at these.
Our initial calling is to minister to the people God has already put into our lives and serve in the spaces we already occupy. It is in being faithful with what we have been given that we receive new opportunities to do even more (Matthew 25:14-30).
Paul advised the Corinthians “each one should remain in the condition in which he was called.” (1 Corinthians 7:20). In context he’s speaking of socio-economic conditions like being married (or unmarried) and being an indentured servant (or free).
His point isn’t that it’s wrong to change our situation for the better, but only that our first responsibility is to be faithful as we are. The assumption here is that God has met us at this point in life for a reason.
We should see our present life situation then as a meaningful context in which the Spirit is going to work. We aren’t benched from fulfilling service to God until we’ve received a special calling or gained a special set of skills. If that’s part of God’s plan for us, we can be confident he will make that clear in time.
Sanders advises,
“Do not wait lethargically for something to happen, but give yourself to positive preparation. A missionary on the eve of sailing recently testified that some years earlier, although she did not then have a missionary call, she purposely slanted her training in that direction in case the Lord should call her. And He did.”[4]
Spiritual gifts
Spiritual gifts are unique abilities and opportunities given to believers through the Holy Spirit. All of us have spiritual gifts. Properly understood these gifts aren’t like Christian superpowers. They are ways God chooses to work uniquely through us for his glory.
Paul states,
“Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.” (1 Corinthians 12:7-11).
Like with calling, we should resist the temptation to think about gifting in individualistic terms. Paul says these gifts are given “for the common good.” In my experience, spiritual gifts seem to express themselves as needs arise in the church. When growth occurs, spiritually gifted leaders begin to emerge. When encouragement is needed, people rise to the surface with gifts of faith and prayer. Even gifts of healing most often seem present where healing through other means is unavailable.
We should all try to discover our spiritual gifts and use them to build others up. Usually, gifts emerge over time and while serving alongside others. Doing ministry through our spiritual gifts means learning to work as a team.
Paul’s argument in 1 Corinthians 12 is that spiritual gifts are interdependent. This means that it’s not enough for a few of us to be gifted in knowledge (retaining truth) or prophecy (speaking God’s will). It’s the variety of gifts the Spirit has poured out working together that result in the beauty and power of the Body of Christ.
We should serve eagerly of course, even in areas of non-gifting. Some people are uniquely generous, which could be related to gifts of mercy and faith. But that doesn’t mean that those of us who don’t have this gift are off the hook. Generosity is a core virtue for anyone who knows God (Acts 20:35).
In general, as we explore our gifts and receive new opportunities – we should pay attention to areas where God especially affirms our ministry. For instance, God regularly draws some Christians toward hurting people. Folks like this seem to have a sixth sense for people with pain in the background of their lives. The Spirit grants them special compassion and patience to draw people out and offer them real help. Praise God if your church has gifted counselors! We should encourage our friends gifted this way this to hone their skills and play this role as often as they can.
Gifts can also operate at different scales according to opportunity. For example, teaching (communicating God’s truth) is a spiritual gift. But there are many venues and forms of Bible teaching. Many of us are well suited to facilitating small group discussions. If we grow effective in this kind of teaching over time, we could produce generations of disciples who make disciples. Others of us could be gifted in preaching to larger groups. Of course, we will never know unless we buy up opportunities to first teach in smaller settings.
Another way to conceive of gifting is in modes of leadership. In Ephesians 4:11-12 Paul says, “Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.” This paradigm, sometimes referred to as “APEST”, suggests that there are five archetypical forms of leadership – and churches are most healthy when all types are operative.
There are spiritual gifts and APEST tests out there which can help give an idea of how you are best suited to serve. But ultimately, we should expect to figure these out by jumping into the fray of real ministry. The Spirit then will guide us in motion the same way a rudder steers a moving ship.
Vocation
One great thing about ministry being “organic spiritual influence in the context of relationships”, is that it can be built anywhere. We don’t only “do ministry” at church meetings, or when participating in programs. Ministry is something that can happen as you care for your spouse, play with your children, or relate to people at work. It just depends on the extent to which we see these relationships as venues for fulfilling the mission of God and living out our love for Jesus.
Vocation (work) is a key ministry venue because this is where most of us spend the bulk of our day. During these hours we typically don’t have time to study the Bible, and it would be inappropriate to try and disciple while on the clock. That is the type of ministry most of us will find time to do in the evenings and on weekends.
Ministry is, however, multi-faceted. Often, our workplaces are where we have the best opportunities to meet people who don’t know Christ. We should take every opportunity to represent him well. Through our work ethic and how we relate to people we display the fruit of the Spirit (“love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control” Galatians 5:22-23). Our friendliness and good example can also lead to meaningful connections and opportunities to share the Gospel.
Some types of work also produce value to society that can be considered a form of ministry (Jeremiah 29:4-7). Doctors, social workers, and teachers might be obvious examples of constructive occupations. But even entrepreneurs and businesspeople when conscientious can create jobs and economic opportunities for others.
It’s also biblical that we work so we can first provide for our families (1 Timothy 5:8), and second for those in need (Ephesians 4:28). Not everyone will have the opportunity to work in career fields that center around helping others. But satisfaction can still be found in working hard simply to please God and meet real needs (1 Thessalonians 4:11).
We should, however, avoid the pitfall of thinking that where we work needs to be the whole of our ministry. This kind of thinking is endemic in Western Christianity due to centuries of what is known as the “clergy/laity divide.”
Traditional church structures require a professional class of “ministers” responsible for most the “ministry” in the church. Lay people (non-ministers) under this paradigm are mostly recipients of ministry. They give financially and might participate in programs. But they do not lead, disciple, teach, or engage in other more sophisticated forms of service. It’s very hard for those of us who grew up around church, or even exposed to church stereotypes in the media, to think outside this box.
In the first century church, leadership was not professionalized. There is a clear category for financially supporting part or full time Christian missionaries (apostles) and teachers for strategic purposes (1 Corinthians 9:3-12). But even Paul only took this kind of support sporadically and when it made the most sense for his ministry (1 Thessalonians 2:9, Acts 18:5).
God’s mission can benefit from us reserving certain members to do specific Kingdom work. But the vast majority of Christian leadership and ministry throughout history has been done by ordinary people also going to school, working jobs, and raising families. This should remain the gold standard of leadership we cultivate and honor in our midst.
Read the lists of friends and partners in the Gospel that Paul includes at the ends of his letters (Romans 16 is the longest, and my favorite). These are the people who built the church. Paul may have started many churches, but it was these men and women who made them flourish.
Consider Lydia (a businesswoman dealing in luxury textiles), Pricilla and Aquila (tentmakers), or Zenas (a lawyer). They are the ones who hosted churches in their homes, witnessed in their workplaces, taught the Word, discipled their friends and families, equipped new leaders, and transformed their communities.
It was also ordinary but “all-in” people like these who took the Gospel elsewhere. Edward Smither states,
“While there were full-time missionaries, this seems to be the exception more than the norm…everyday Christians were also convinced of the priority of mission. Our discussion of the anonymous mission’s movement in North Africa and the general observation that Christians were integrated into the daily life of the ancient world cultures strongly suggest that missions was not the work of a specialized group; rather, it was the responsibility of every Christian.”[5]
All this said, some people will discern a calling to Christian work as their vocation. There is a growing need around the world for new pastors and missionaries. Passing the leadership baton has gone poorly for the church in many countries. During my time as a delegate at the fourth Lausanne Congress I participated in a “Gap Group” focused on the church’s need to develop leaders. Leaders from Nepal, Finland, Hong Kong, and the US all reported the same thing: fewer and fewer people are willing to step into out-in-front positions of Christian leadership.
So, for anyone in this category – I don’t want to discourage you at all. But, if you are a younger aspiring leader, let me challenge you with an idea. Don’t go to seminary or seek a ministry job just yet.
Instead, spend the next couple years (at least) doing “all-in” ministry where you are, then reassess. Learn and make mistakes. Develop your character. Lead where you get the opportunity. Share your faith often. Disciple anyone you can. Work hard in your career. Bless others through the means and skills you accrue.
In all likelihood this will be a wildly fruitful path for your life. Living this way will lead to stunning Kingdom accomplishments. We will get to celebrate these together in heaven! Or you may enter a season of preparation for something else. Even if you go on to do full-time Christian work, your ministry will be about equipping people (read Ephesians 4:11-12 one more time carefully) to do exactly what you are doing now.
But not knowing where this is all going should be part of the thrill. God could do anything! We don’t dare limit him with our dreams and expectations. Let’s set course, confident that we are “God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10).
[1] Bonhoeffer, Dietrich, 1906-1945. 1978. Life Together. Harper San Francisco.
[2] Nee, Watchman. Normal Christian Worker, Hong Kong: Church Book Room, 1965, 1967.
[3] Sanders, J. Oswald. Spiritual Clinic. Chicago: Moody Press, 1958.
[4] Sanders, J. Oswald. Spiritual Clinic. Chicago: Moody Press, 1958.
[5] Smither, Edward L.. Mission in the Early Church: Themes and Reflections (pp. 43-48). Cascade Books, an Imprint of Wipf and Stock Publishers. Kindle Edition.