Your Personal Ministry in the Church

[00:00:00] This audio sermon is provided by AnabaptistSermons.com and may be freely copied and distributed. You may not sell or edit this sermon. Our prayer is that you would be blessed by this ministry. Do you believe that God has the power to make you and use you to minister to others and be a blessing to others? Do you think that's possible? Do you believe that? [00:00:32] This morning I want to talk about your ministry. I want to talk about your influence here in the church. And I think I'll probably focus on that just in the church. Or maybe it could be another Christian that you meet on the street. You know, we can be influenced as a missionary, you know, I want to kind of talk about here in the church. [00:01:06] And I would like to, and that's for each one, that's not just your ministry as an elder. You know, is it just the elders that minister? Is it just the Sunday school teachers? Is it just the person that has devotions? Is it the preachers only? No. We each have a ministry and I'd like to look at some examples this morning of just one man making a difference. [00:01:40] In Ecclesiastes chapter 9, I think I'll read verses 14 to 18. There was a little city and a few men in it, and a great king came against it, besieged it, and built great snares around it. Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. [00:02:19] Yet no one remembered that same poor man. Then I said, Wisdom is better than strength. Nevertheless, the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard. Words of the wise, spoken quietly, should be heard, rather than the shout of a ruler of fools. Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good. Just one man did what? What did he do? There was a little city with a few men and a great king. [00:02:55] It doesn't say the numbers, but a great king came against it. And this one man, poor wise man, by his wisdom delivered the city. One man made a difference. So I'd like for us to somehow get a glimpse of how God can use you, each one of us, even the children. There's nothing like a child singing a song or children at a nursing home, the influence that they can have. [00:03:38] So, let's look at how God can use us. Let's turn to John chapter 6. The story of how Jesus fed the 5,000. He talks later about Jesus saying that He's the bread of life. And, well, let's read verses 1 through 13. [00:04:11] After these things, Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased. And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples. Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near. Then Jesus lifted up his eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward him, he said to Philip, Where shall we buy bread that these may eat? [00:04:43] But this he said to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little. One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many? Then Jesus said, Make the people sit down. [00:05:15] Now there was much grass in the place, so the men sat down and numbered about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down, and likewise of the fish as much as they wanted. So when they were filled, he said to his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost. Therefore they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves [00:05:49] which were left over by those who had eaten. Let's consider for a little bit the influence or the ministry of that one lad. You know, I don't know the situation. It doesn't really say. You know, I don't know if they went around and they were going to buy some stuff maybe or going to look for some food and they pass this, they notice this boy and, hey, he's got a basket, he's got some food. [00:06:20] Hey, how much food do you have? Did they ask him, are you, can we use your food? You know, I'm sure that, I doubt if the boy heard them over, you know, overheard them and said, hey, here's some food. Maybe that's what it was, but I'm assuming that the disciples didn't say, Hey, boy, give me your food here. We need it. You know, I'm thinking that they said, Hey, can we use your food? What would have happened if the boy would have said no? [00:06:52] You can't have my food. This food is for me and my brothers. It doesn't say if his family was there. It's for me. I'm going to go hungry. You know, and my brothers are here, my mom and dad, and this is just barely enough for my family. So, I need this food. Well, what are we going to eat? And there's no way that it's going to feed all these people. But he was willing. It wasn't just a boy with some bread and fish. [00:07:24] It was way more than that. It was a boy with some bread and some fish that was willing to be used by God. And I'd like to, I'll probably get off my notes, I never follow my notes for some reason. I'd like to look at the bread and fish as your talent. And are you willing to give that and be used by God? [00:07:55] and however he wants. When we give our bread and our fish to Jesus, to God, beautiful and great things will happen. Because look at all the people that were fed. Look at all the people that were helped. Look at all the people that were influenced by that one boy. Just one lad. It doesn't say how old he was. A lad. and look at the 5,000 men besides women and children [00:08:28] that were influenced and affected by that. They had enough to eat. Do you believe that you can be used by God? Some would say, you know, if we look at our talents and we somehow, for some reason, think that we only have one talent. You know, and I say that because most of us have more than one. [00:09:03] If somehow you think you have one talent and we say, just like the disciples here, what did they say? They said, but what are they among so many? You know, how can we, my one talent, how is that going to affect, how can I be used? You know, I just can't. You know, I don't have a ministry. What am I here for, you know? So it's something to think about. [00:09:35] And I think that the reason why we think that, but what is my one talent among so many? all these people and all these things that should be done the reason that we think that way that we can't be used by God is because we forget that God with one man is a majority think of there's so many examples you think of all the examples in the Bible how God used a minority just one man and God think of Elijah [00:10:13] In 1 Kings chapter 18, God told him in the first verse of chapter 18, He says, Go present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on earth. Now, when Ahab told Obadiah to go tell the king that I'm coming, Obadiah said, He's going to kill me. and so I'm sure that under normal circumstances we would be afraid to go to King Ahab [00:10:46] but God told Elijah to go to King Ahab and in verse 22 then Elijah said to the people I alone am left a prophet of the Lord he was the only one left look at all these prophets of Baal I'm the only one left So he stood alone on Mount Carmel with these 450, I think it was, I forget the exact number, prophets of Baal. There he was all by himself. And the Bible says, I think it's in James, that Elias was subject to like passions. [00:11:24] In other words, he was just like we are. Same struggles, made of the same stuff, same trials. But he obviously was convinced by God that he could stand up there all by himself and he shook the nation. Look at what happened. You know, imagine, there's one man and this fire comes down and he chases after all these prophets of Baal [00:11:54] and executes them, I think it was down by the river or something. But he shook the nation, one man shook a whole nation. Just him and God alone was the majority. And then if we look at King Josiah in 2 Kings. At 8 years old he started to reign. Verse 2 and this is chapter 22. And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord and walked in all the ways of his father David. He did not turn aside to the right hand nor to the left. [00:12:32] and they were going to clean up I don't know what they were going to rebuild it says in verse 5 repair the damages of the house so they were cleaning up they were the house of the Lord was damaged and so they were going through it and I'm assuming that you know it was a big mess so they were cleaning up and they found the book of the Lord the law of the Lord it says and they read it and King Josiah [00:13:02] If I could find the right verse. Now it happened when the king heard the words of the book of the law that he tore his clothes. You know, King Josiah had to make a decision the same way we have to make a decision. When we hear the word of the Lord, the law of the Lord, there's a decision to make. Are we going to obey it or aren't we? and King Josiah had to make that same decision [00:13:32] and here is a nation who is falling away from God but King Josiah said look this is what we're going to do and he says in verse 19 because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants that they would become a desolation and a curse and you tore your clothes and you wept before me I also have heard you says the Lord surely therefore I will gather you to your fathers and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace and your eyes shall not see all the calamity which I will bring on this place so they brought back word to the king this is what they were supposed to tell the king [00:14:20] You know, when he heard the word of the Lord, one man decided that, you know, he had, all of a sudden he had a burden for the nation. And he cried, he wept, he prayed to God. And then, obviously, a beautiful revival, there was a covenant made. in verse 3 of chapter 23. [00:14:50] Then the king stood by a pillar and made a covenant before the Lord to follow the Lord and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes with all of his heart and all of his soul to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people took a stand for the covenant. What a beautiful revival because one man took a stand and said this is what we're going to do. So look at your ministry. [00:15:23] Let's look at ourselves and realize and remember and know that you, I, everyone here is a very important person to God. Do you believe that? Of course we do. We're very important in God's eyes and we have a very, very important role in this church. What is your role in this church? Or do you... I'm unimportant. [00:15:55] That's not true. If you think of your body... Here we go. This too. You know, the hand has a job. Is there anything on us that doesn't have a job on our body? I didn't think about that question before. But I don't think so. Our body, everything, every little part of us has a function. Even if it's somehow you convince yourself that you only have one talent, one duty, [00:16:36] we are still important to the work of this church. Let's turn to Matthew 25. We'll read verses 14 to maybe 26. [00:17:09] For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country. Now let's, while we're reading about your talent that you have, whatever it may be, I think here he was talking about money, but let's, you know, what is your talent? What is your strength? What is God calling you? What is God giving you to do in the church? For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. [00:17:40] And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability. And immediately he went on a journey. Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them and made another five talents. And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. But he who had received one went and dug in the ground and hid his lord's money. After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. [00:18:14] So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, Lord, you delivered to me five talents. Look, I have gained five more talents besides them. His lord said to him, Well done, good and faithful servant. You were faithful over a few things. I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord. He also who had received two talents came and said, Lord, you delivered to me two talents. Look, I have gained two more talents besides them. [00:18:45] His Lord said to him, Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things. I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord. Then he who had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. I was afraid and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours. But his Lord answered and said to him, [00:19:16] You wicked and lazy servant. Now, the guy was afraid. in unbelief. You know, that's why I asked the question at the beginning. Do you believe that God has the power to make you and use you to minister to others to be a blessing to others? Do you believe that? And see, this guy who had one talent, he didn't believe that. [00:19:49] Otherwise, he would have taken it and done something with it. He was afraid. In unbelief, he said, there's no way I can be used. You know, we tend to sit, just sit here, and I did for so many years. Just sit and say, you know what, I don't have anything to give. I don't know very much, and what I have to say doesn't really matter. and if I would think about sharing something in praise and worship time [00:20:25] or share a testimony or say something at prayer meeting or something I would think, you know, it's all just so shallow and I still think about even the message today it's so shallow and everybody knows this stuff everybody knows what I'm going to say anyways why would I even share it? Well, and the reason I wouldn't share it is because I don't believe that God can use me to minister to others. [00:20:57] That's why I wouldn't share a testimony. I'm just little. It's not true. The church needs every one of you. Every one of us. We all need each other because we're a little different. Enos is going to see a verse a little different than what Brad does. And so Enos thinks to himself, this verse is so simple what I have to say and everybody knows already, but maybe Brad never even thought about it. Enos is going to say, you know what, I'm not saying it, I'm not saying it, but Brad doesn't have the power to use it. [00:21:33] God, we're reading His Word every day, we're communicating with Him, we're growing, and God speaks to us. You see somebody, maybe it's another Christian. Just the whole thing of love. [00:22:07] You care about what he's going through. Oh, I heard you're having a rough time. Say it's Nate. Oh, you got Colin is sick and now Judson's leg is broken. And maybe a lady says, hey, Liz, call her up and say, hey, how are you doing? Maybe God lays that on you and you don't call. Because, well, she knows I care about her anyways. We need to, as God, as we commune with God, God speaks to us throughout the whole day and he tells us to do something. [00:22:39] We need to be ready and willing to say something, even in church, in our praise and worship or after the message or whatever. And during Sunday school, we have a word to say. Oh, this is so simple. You know, it's so little and so shallow and we mustn't think like that. God lays something on our hearts, share it. Because somebody may, maybe it's a child. Maybe it's something that nobody else ever thought of that way before. And I know that we all know what we're talking about here. [00:23:12] I know we've experienced because you may have heard something from somebody else that they said after church. Or maybe it's not even during the worship time. Maybe it's while everybody's standing around, and you think, oh, I never thought of that before. And then you may hear them talk before, or maybe they have devotions. Brad was saying, you know, maybe he, you know, it just felt so shallow. But yet, you heard from another person that they had never thought of it that way. What a blessing! If Brad would have never shared it, what, if he wouldn't have been willing to be used by God, [00:23:44] look what a, it would have never, Justin would have never been blessed. And, you know, the lad being willing to be used by God, his little fish and his little loaves affected 5,000 men. So I think it's a dangerous thing to sit there and say that there's nothing I can do. Nothing I can do. And if you think about what would we do if, say, a tornado come ripping through Ship Shawana and took out Brad's house? [00:24:20] Wiped it out. What would we do? Every one of us would know what his talent is, what I'm good at. Cindy's not going to go build a roof. Of course not. She's maybe going to cook some food or something. Every one of us is going to find his or her talent, know what it is, and pitch in. Just like that. No questions asked. No him hauling around, well, should I go help or not? Well, should I say something in church or shouldn't I? Well, everybody, my little part's just nothing. [00:24:51] I mean, yeah, I know how to put on shingles, but a lot of people know how to. No, we would never think that. We would run and help just like that. Same way in church. There's a work to be done here. And we need to step up when God calls us and says, hey, say something. We all know that God has the ability and the power to use each one of us. [00:25:25] Now, a question. How can my life influence this church? How can your life? I have quite a list and I'll just go through them real quick. Think of the little things. Say prayer meetings. Have you ever been in a prayer meeting where after one, you know, it's kind of prayer meeting, nothing really feels right. And after somebody prays, you know, the whole meeting changes. I don't know if you've ever experienced that or not. [00:25:57] But, um, how, maybe there's one person that comes to the prayer meeting having been in his prayer closet. Oh, I remember, uh, okay, I heard Denny, I wrote down a quote from Denny. He said, one who has been in the prayer closet under an open heaven brings the fragrance of the closet to the Sunday morning worship service. Did you catch all that? I'll read it again. I had to read it three or four times. One who has been in the prayer closet under an open heaven brings the fragrance of the closet to the Sunday morning worship service. [00:26:36] So in other words, when that one man, maybe he's the only one that before, maybe he gets up at 4 o'clock or 4.30 to go to his prayer closet to pray for the prayer service. And when he comes, he's already in tune with God. And he prays and he changes the whole service. What about songs and singing? Have you ever been in a song service maybe where it's kind of dragging and nobody wants to sing? [00:27:10] What if I sing wrong? I'm not a good singer. You know, I don't want to be embarrassed. And what's people going to think if I sing wrong, you know? and it just takes one voice, just one person to sing joyfully loud and keep it moving and be excited or the words of the song touches you and it just takes one person to change that whole song service. The other thing, another way that we can, and maybe we think these are little, but they're big. [00:27:53] Have you ever been up here preaching and you see a face in the crowd that just is light? There's faces that don't seem so. You know, they're kind of, I've been there already, done that. You know, and some of us have more reason to do that than others. But, yeah, I had to think of myself at a baseball game. [00:28:27] There's no way in the world I'd fall asleep at a baseball game. I don't care if I only had three hours of sleep like this morning. I'm sleeping during singing. I would never fall asleep during a baseball game because I'm interested in what's going on. If I would be on the cell phone at a baseball game, I probably wouldn't be so in tune with the baseball game because I'm kind of distracted. But if I'm fully watching, if I'm interested in the baseball game, [00:28:58] I ain't falling asleep for nothing. Even when it goes into overtime, I won't go into overtime this morning, too much. So, but a face that is lifted up, listening intently, just soaking up, it's almost like Sunday school class, oh my word, it's so easy to get their attention. They'll quit coloring, you know, they're listening for all they're worth, you know, that's what I'm talking about. And I know that if you've been up here preaching, I know you know those faces. and that puts a fire up here in the pulpit and I know it's encouraging that can change the whole [00:29:36] service just by your face and your attitude now remember we're talking about how we can affect how we can encourage what your influence is what does influence mean I wrote that down somewhere I forget where it is but it's the the flowing into you know we're influencing each other but you can influence the whole service just by the look on your face because it gives the other thing is um what about private prayer and fasting say on saturday you know that the guy and i know men pray [00:30:11] i know y'all do and i get texts i'm praying for you as you study you know on and on but what about prayer and fasting that saturday when you know say justin is going to be studying or ask him, hey Justin, when are you going to be studying? Well, I'll probably do it Friday a little bit or maybe Saturday night late or whatever. Fast. And you on your knees praying for the guy. That there is going to, and maybe nobody will ever know. You have to tell the guy. [00:30:43] He'll never get any credit. The preacher gets this credit for being a dynamic speaker and all kinds of people came to the Lord. It wasn't even him. It was all because of that one old lady, quiet lady, comes to church half the time because her knees hurt. She's going to get the credit in glory. We could talk about testimonies. I remember a church service one time, the preacher got up. [00:31:15] I know I've probably said it before. The preacher got up and said, hey, anybody have something they want to say? And for half hour, 40 minutes, testimony after testimony, it just takes one, the influence of one. Testimonies can change the service, just like that. In closing, I want to read a couple of verses yet in 2 Corinthians chapter 9 verse 8. [00:31:56] And God is able to make all grace abound toward you that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. Now, this is from God to make all grace abound toward you that you always have all sufficiency. So, we cannot say, I have nothing to do. [00:32:29] You know, we cannot say, I can't be used by God. You cannot say, I have, you know, because of God, He gives us all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. Ephesians 4, 15 and 16. But speaking the truth in love may grow up in all things into him who is the head, Christ, [00:33:02] from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies. Now think about this. I'll read it again because I had to read it a couple of times. I'm kind of slow. According to the effective working by which every part does its share causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. I think I'm missing a verse somewhere. Oh, yeah. I want to come back to that verse. [00:33:37] Let's go to 2 Corinthians chapter 3. That's not right either. Okay, this is what it is. Okay. As we think of ourselves not, we don't have much to give. Let's look at 1 Corinthians 1, verse 26. And we'll read down to 29. Actually, the 31. [00:34:32] For you, seeing your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty. and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen and the things which are not to bring to nothing the things that are [00:35:06] that no flesh should glory in his presence but of him you are in Christ Jesus who became for us wisdom from God and righteousness and sanctification and redemption that as it is written he who glories let him glory in the Lord. Hallelujah. Just because you're not what are they all? Wise, mighty, noble. God will use you no matter what. We are to be used. If you are called a son of God, he will use you. You are to be used. So we mustn't sit and say we have nothing to do. [00:35:47] Now I want to go back to Ephesians 4 and look at the body. We're each a member of the body and the body needs each member. But speaking the truth in love may grow up in all things unto him who is the head. So as long as we are looking at the head, we need to keep our focus on the head. from whom the whole body joined and knit together by what every joint supplies. [00:36:24] So every joint supplies what we need. Every member supplies what we need. According to the effective working by which every part does its share causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. That needs to be our prayer. That's my prayer. I want to be used. I want to be, and I have to go back to that poor wise man back in Ecclesiastes chapter 9. You know, I just want to be a poor wise man that God can use to be a blessing. [00:36:59] And so I want to encourage you. Think of your talent. Don't hide it. Don't dig it. Bury it. And give that one talent back to God. Allow God to use you. Let's pray. Lord we thank you so much again for today Lord thank you so much for your word and I pray Lord that you would cause your word to pierce our hearts Lord I pray that you would write it on our hearts and that you would cause us to have a desire to live for you and to live what you are speaking to us Lord help us to seek after you with all of our heart [00:37:43] We thank you again for this time together and I pray that you would help us to be faithful to you in Jesus name. Amen.