I took a nap this afternoon, and when I awoke, I woke out of this dream: “Someone at a higher level was given a job (responsibility) to do. He didn’t do it. So it was given to someone of (or at) a lower level, and he ‘sealed the deal.’” And then this is the passage of Scripture which was next:
1 Peter 4:10-11 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)
“10As good stewards of the manifold grace of God, each of you should use whatever gift he has received to serve one another. 11If anyone speaks, he should speak as one conveying the words of God. If anyone serves, he should serve with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.”
Called of God
Now, all of us who are of genuine biblical faith in Jesus
Christ are called of God to ministry. We have all been given spiritual gifts of
God which are to be used for the glory of God in ministering to the body of Christ
and in sharing the message of the gospel of Christ with the people of the
world. All of us are to be speaking the truth of God’s word to one another in
love. For when each part is working properly, it makes the body grow in love.
We are all to teach and exhort one another so that none of us will be hardened
by sin’s deceitfulness, and we are to stir up one another to love and good
works.
[Matthew 5:13-16;
Matthew 28:18-20; John 4:31-38; John 13:13-17; John 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts
2:14-18,42-47; Acts 26:18; Romans 10:14-15; Romans 12:1-8; 1 Corinthians
12:1-31; 1 Corinthians 14:1-5; Galatians 6:1; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians
4:1-16; Ephesians 5:11-21; Ephesians 6:10-20; Philippians 2:1-8; Colossians
3:12-16; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:13; Hebrews 10:23-25; James 5:19-20; 1 Peter
2:9,21; 1 John 2:6]
Biblical Hierarchy
But is there a
biblical hierarchy to be in place to make certain that these things are being
done according to the Scriptures; according to the Word of God? Yes! In the
home it should be the man, the husband, the father, if he professes faith in
Jesus Christ. He is supposed to be the spiritual leader of the family. And in
the gatherings of the church it is also to be a man, but not just any man, but
a man who is biblically qualified for the job of overseer and shepherd/pastor. And
he is to equip the saints for the work of the ministry, for the building up of
the body of Christ to maturity in Christ.
Those Who Lead
Those who lead the
gatherings of the church are to be those who are leading God’s people in walks
of surrender to God, in walks of obedience to His commands, and in death to
sin, and who are then equipping them for the work of the ministry, for building
up the body of Christ to maturity in Christ. They are not to be cult leaders
who everyone bows to in loyalty and devotion without question. But they are to
be spiritual leaders who teach us to be ministers of the gospel who help one
another to grow in Christ, when each part is working properly. For all of us
are necessary to help the body grow.
As Good Stewards
Who is a “good steward”
of the manifold grace of God? What does this look like? A steward is a manager,
an agent, a preacher, and a minister. And who are the ministers within the
gatherings of the church? We all are! For to minister is to serve, to meet
people’s needs. All who are of biblical faith in Jesus Christ are His
ministers, servants of God, called of God to minister His love and grace to the
body of Christ and to the people of the world. Both those who serve as pastors
and the saints of God collectively are to be those who minister to the needs of
the saints and to the people of the world.
Those Who Failed
Yet God has assigned
that the men should be the ones to lead their wives and children and the saints
of God within the body of Christ in surrendering their lives to Jesus Christ in
walks of obedience to His commands and to putting sin to death in their lives.
But so many of these men today have gone spiritually AWOL, i.e. “absent without
leave.” They have deserted their duty to the family of God, and they are
serving the flesh, instead. Many of them are living in immorality and in spiritual
adultery and are now teaching lies to the people which are leading them to
hell, and not to heaven.
Those Who Obeyed
So God is calling
all who will to be His servants and messengers in taking the message of the
gospel, not just to the world, but to the worldly church which has gone astray,
to do what those who were given the greater responsibility did not do. And this
is not about women usurping authority over men. But it is about anyone who is
willing to obey God now giving out the messages that would normally be assigned
to those with greater responsibility. It is about those who are willing
completing the work assigned to overseers that they failed to complete. And because
the people need to hear the truth spoken.
[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts
26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans
8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1
Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians
5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14;
Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24;
1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation
3:1-22]
A Job That Needs Done
An Original Work / October 31,
2026
Christ’s Free
Servant, Sue J Love
Ministers of Our God
An Original Work /
June 21, 2011
Christ’s Free
Servant, Sue J Love
Ministers of our
God, harken to hear Him speak.
Have you given Him
your hearts and souls today?
Hasten to give all
to Him. Let Him cleanse your hearts from sin.
Cast yourselves on
His altar. In your lives do not falter.
Ministers of our
God, harken to hear Him speak.
Have you given Him
your hearts and souls today?
Ministers of our
God, flee from all your idols.
Remove them from
your lives. Be transformed today.
Listen to the words
I say. Give your all to Christ today.
Let Him rule within
your hearts, cleanse from sin, His grace impart.
Ministers of our
God, flee from all your idols.
Remove them from
your lives. Be transformed today.
Ministers of our
God, won’t you come to His cross?
Die to sin and
yourselves. Penitently pray.
Humbly accept Him
today. Let Him wash your sins away.
Receive Him into
your hearts. His mercy and grace impart.
Ministers of our
God, won’t you come to His cross?
Die to sin and
yourselves. Penitently pray.
No comments:
Post a Comment