Too often, members in the Body of Christ misconstrue ministry to be that which only happens from the pulpit on Sunday morning, when teaching Sunday School or Bible Study, serving as a Missionary, Trustee, Deacon, or Deaconess, singing in the choir, being an Usher Board member, visiting the sick, serving meals, or even volunteering in the community. Undeniably, these worthy endeavors are ministry, especially since the meaning of the Greek word “diakonia,” which is translated ministry, means service, ministering, especially of those who execute the commands of others[Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, G1248]. Therefore, being a minister means being a “diakonos,” a servant [Strong’s, G1249]. Consequently, pleasing God requires us to fulfill His commands. When it comes to the responsibilities and obligations of ministry, every aspect of our lives belongs to God.
As Jesus taught the disciples in Mark 10:42-44, He made a distinction between those in His Kingdom versus those of the world. As 21st-century disciples, we have an obligation to follow His command to serve and love one another (1 John 4:7-8).
About 25 years ago, overjoyed that my sins were washed away, I was frequently invited to ministerat rehab centers, prisons, and homeless shelters. Consequently, I was traveling the Midwest sharing my testimony about how God stepped in during my suicide attempt, forgave, cleansed, and accepted me. As I ministered, I loved seeing people’s hearts fill with hope as their minds changed toward the Lord. Yet, my children, the very ones who most needed to see God’s power changing my life, were not consistently receiving the benefits of that change. One day, as I watched my youngest daughter swing filthy, soapy water around with the mop, I fumed inside. I ranted as she tried to do her best. Then the Holy Spirit inquired, “When did you teach her to mop?” Convicted to the core, I suddenly realized that I had been perceiving ministry from the wrong perspective. Didn’t my service to God include service to my family? Absolutely. In fact, as a mother of five, my ministry to my family should have been first. Thankfully, with the Holy Spirit’s help, during that season of my life, I was able to serve the Lord by fulfilling the requirement to raise my children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Clearly, I couldn’t do that if I were rarely at home.
As God’s servant, that experience, along with others, caused me to see how the absence of Christians living out their faith before their families is one of the root causes of many of the problems in our communities. The fruit of our God-pleasing labors at home, when we serve God the way He commands, yields families that model that His Way truly is best. The absence of that influence yields the chaos we now see in our world.
We work so hard to “get people to church” that we don’t realize how often we leave our families unattended, not to mention that our true goal should be “getting people to Christ.” Oh sure, we fuss when our children are wrong, and we make sure they go to Sunday School, morning worship, and mid-week services. But too many of us don’t give ourselves to our families like we should. If we obey the word of God by loving and respecting our spouses and raising our children in the way they should go, we will need to spend time getting to know who they are.
Each member of our family is a creation (temple)of God. He has a purpose and plan for them, just as He has one for us. By seeing and interacting with them from God’s viewpoint, we help them to understand not only Who God is, but we model discipleship before them. We must allow ourselves to be the living epistles that teach them about the holiness and righteousness of God by establishing boundaries and consequences for behavior, while also demonstrating love, mercy, grace, and patience.
The Apostle Paul said on more than one occasion that God had given him his authority to (build up) edify the Body of Christ (II Corinthians 10:8, 13:10). We would do well to follow his lead in this matter.
The scripture says that God dwells within His people (I Corinthians 3:16-17). Since He has blessed us with families (more temples to build), it is incumbent upon us to make sure that we don’t create unnecessary distinctions between service for God and our responsibility to God. It behooves us to remember that our entire life, the lives of our family members, and the lives of those we encounter belong to God. Not only is every life accountable to Him, every area of life is also accountable to Him (II Corinthians 5:10). Our responsibility and obligation in ministry is to allow the Holy Spirit to authenticate God’s message of righteousness, peace, and joy through us (Romans 14:17), beginning with our families.
So how does one ensure that responsibilities and obligations are met as we serve God, without life becoming horribly out of balance? In a word – prayer (1 Thessalonians 5:17). I shake my head as I consider all the things I have allowed myself to say “yes” to, because I wanted so desperately to please God. While I learned early that prayer was more than telling God my concerns and awaiting any response He may give, it has taken me some thirty years to learn that I really do need to pray about EVERYTHING – and then wait to receive instructions!
Our fast-paced world is so counterintuitive to God’s Way. A proficient user of technology, I failed to grasp how much the quick texts, email, and practical software applications have deluded my mind into believing that I could multitask beyond my actual ability. But thank God, I am determined to get better at waiting DAILY to receive instructions on the if, how, and when of life.
As I prayerfully work on touching the lives of my family with the love of Christ, BEFORE I reach out to touch the world, I am seeing more of my life come into balance. How about you? Are you seeking to serve? If so, what would your loved ones have to say about your service? Are you praying and waiting for God to give you instructions? I will be praying that our love for God will undergird our service in ways that change the world around us – as we minister, especially at home.
Christina Dixon is passionate about honoring God in her relationships in authentic and Christ-centered ways. Enthusiastic about helping others integrate biblically-sound wisdom with faith, she encourages, challenges, and inspires others to face life's difficulties with authenticity and God's truth.
