Today we are looking at something important and I want you to be very attentive. We are considering THE TASK OF CHRISTIAN MINISTRY. I am sure when you hear “Christian”, the first thing that comes to you is a religion called “Christianity.” However, there is something I want us to be reminded of that the word “Christian” came for the first time in the book of Acts of the apostles’ chapter 11:26, when the people observed the disciples of Christ Jesus and then, they called them “Christians”, meaning: “Little Christs.” And so, what we are looking at is the responsibilities, the duties or the task of Christians ministry.

 

If you have been called into the work of ministry as a Christian, as a man, a woman who follows Christ Jesus; if assignment has been given to you by the Lord Jesus Christ to be executed on the earth, what is expected of you? And we are going to be looking at two important responsibilities, two important tasks of Christian ministry for us to have a good understanding of what the Lord has shown us in the Bible as the basic task of Christian ministry. Let us go quickly to the book of Romans 12:1-2 and we will use the two verses for the foundation of our discussion. The Bible says: “I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God which is your reasonable service.” Another word for “service” is “ministry.” “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

 

If you look at the first verse, we were shown who this verse is addressed to. It is addressed to or targeted art the brethren, men and women who are not just new born babes, who have begun their journey in Christ-likeness unto maturity and unto the fulfillment of their ministry. As brethren therefore, it is expected of us that towards fulfilling our ministry that we present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God. It is important we understand that the primary personality that must be pleased in ministry is God. Looking at these two verses, I have been able to find two important tasks of Christian ministry. If you have been called into ministry, if God has called you and has given you a responsibility, in addition to the calling, what I believe that is expected of you can be found in verse 1 and 2.

 

The Task of Personal Preparation and Presentation

The first thing is the task of personal preparation and presentation. In fact, in verse 2, we can find the second one which is also the task of non-conformity to the world. If you look at tit very carefully, the Bible says “I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God that you present your bodies (your entire being, your personality) a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God which is your reasonable service.” So, that is why we have the responsibility or the duty of personal presentation. However, if there must be a successful personal presentation, it must be because there has been a successful personal preparation because the Bible says “I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice (not a dead sacrifice), holy, acceptable to God which is your reasonable service.”

 

So, what makes a sacrifice holy and acceptable and in fact, living is the responsibility of preparation. What is not prepared cannot be determined. Whatever you have not prepared, you cannot determine the outcome of it. If your personality must be presented to God holy, it must be because that it has been prepared holy. And so, the first duty of Christian ministry is the duty of personal preparation and presentation. The next thing that we must notice in verse 2, is the duty of non-conformity to the world. It says: “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed.” And so, even though we are in this world and function in it, the responsibility of Christ upon us is that we do not conform to the world that we have been sent into.

 

I am sure you remember when Jesus sent out certain disciples in the book of Matthew. At a time, He sent out Seventy people. When they went, they returned back with testimonies. Jesus gave them specific instructions, and the assignment was to preach. The assignment was to witness Christ. However, in addition to their calling, Christ gave them certain responsibilities. He said “do not go to these places, and that place, but rather go here and there and when you get there, this is what you must do.” If you look at what Christ gave to them as duty, especially as we have it in the book of Matthew 10 from verse 5, you will notice that beside the assignment of preaching and witnessing, they had a responsibility to go to specific places and to do specific things. And that is why we are looking at the task of Christian ministry.

 

You could have a ministry that is not a Christian ministry. It may not necessarily follow this order of responsibility. However, if Christ has called you, I am sure you must understand that in addition to your responsibility of preaching and teaching the word of God, you are expected to daily present your bodies to God a living sacrifice, which we called the task of personal preparation and presentation.

 

The Task of Non-Conformity to the World

And in addition to that, Christ has also given you and I the task of non-conformity to the world. For you to understand this very well, I want us to quickly read the book of Matthew chapter 5:43-48. The Bible says:

 

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, ⁴⁵ that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. ⁴⁶ For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? ⁴⁷ And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? ⁴⁸ Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

 

I am sure you understand that our goal at this moment is not to become like any man or any leader, it is to become like Christ Jesus. And as a Christ follower or Christ disciples, who has a responsibility to minister to others, it is expected of you to be on the earth just as your Father is in heaven. And so, it is important that towards presenting our bodies unto God a living sacrifice, towards not conforming to this world, we must pattern our lives and ministry after the order of our Father in heaven. It is only when we do the things that Jesus said we should do that we will become sons of God. Because if we do otherwise, we will just become like every other person, we would have successfully conformed to this world.

 

In the book of Matthew chapter 5:13-16, Jesus was emphatic again when He said: “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. ¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. ¹⁶ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” I am sure you notice from what we just read now and what we read earlier from verses 43-48 that the goal is not that you and I become ministers after the order of men. The goal is that we become ministers after the order of God. And since God is not in the world and of this world, then there is no point conforming to the world while you are trying to be an ambassador on the earth.

 

If God is your Father and you are expected to be perfect on the earth, just as your Father in heaven is perfect; if you are expected to glorify God on the earth by your light that shines on the earth, it is important therefore that you live a life of non-conformity to the world. If all you do is to do what Mr. A or Mr. B is doing, then what you will become is a minister of Christ who is ministering conforming to Mr. A or Mr. B., and that could mean that you are in non-conformity to heaven. What God expects of every minister of the gospel and every servant of Christ is that we should serve the will of God on the earth according to what we see in heaven. In the book of Matthew 6:9-13, the disciples asked Jesus: “teach us how to pray.” And Jesus began by saying in this manner therefore pray: “Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

 

Now, is it possible for a man, a minister of the gospel, a woman who lives on the earth, who is not in touch with the will of God in heaven to actually executes the will of God on the earth while he in full compliance with this world? No! What God expects of us is that even though we are on this earth, we should be fully align with the will of God in heaven and so we should fulfill our ministry executing the will of God wherever we find ourselves in non-conformity to the world. So, you must understand that in addition to your responsibility of praying, teaching and preaching the word of God as a Christian minister, you are expected to present your bodies and your life to God, which we called “personal preparation and presentation.” And then you must also not forget that there is a responsibility of non-conformity to the world.

 

In John 17:6, Jesus gave us a clear picture of what is expected of us. It says: “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world.” So, it is clear that if you are a Christian, it means God has given you unto Christ from the world. It means you were in the world, and then out of the world the Lord has brought you into the kingdom of Christ Jesus. And so, you cannot be brought into the kingdom of Christ Jesus and be complying to the customs and the way of life and activities of the kingdoms of the world. You cannot be brought out of the world as a minister of the gospel and made an ambassador of the kingdom of Christ, and then you are living in full compliance or partial compliance to the world.

 

If you do that, in the long run you would have successfully fulfill the will of Satan even though you believe you were serving the Lord Jesus Christ. Now I want to read John 17 from verse 12 downwards so that we can understand more what the Lord expect of us.

 

“While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. ¹³ But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. ¹⁴ I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. ¹⁵ I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. ¹⁶ They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. ¹⁷ Sanctifya them by Your truth. Your word is truth. ¹⁸ As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. ¹⁹ And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.”

 

May the Lord bless His word in our hearts in Jesus’ name. Two things I want us to note from what we just read. Number one: Jesus emphasized on two occasions in the verses, that even though we are in this world, we are not of this world, and we must never miss that. And since we are not of this world, we are not expected to conform to this world. The second thing that Jesus mentioned that is very close to what we noticed as the first responsibility of Christian ministry is personal preparation and presentation. What Jesus said in verse 19 is very important for us to note. It began in verse 17 and concluded in verse 19. It said in verse in verse 17: Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” In verse 19 it says: “for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.”

 

The other thing you must note is that sanctification, which is your responsibility, is important if you must fulfill your ministry. Before Jesus fulfilled His ministry, He said “I sanctify myself and I do sanctify myself.” If you must therefore fulfill your own ministry also, you must do this responsibility, this task of personal preparation. Prepare yourself in the place of the word. Make yourself holy, acceptable before God, prepare yourself and then present your prepared body, your prepared mouth, mind, hands, unto God. If there is any part of your body that God is requesting for ministry, you must assume the responsibility of preparing that part of your body towards full deployment in the purpose of God on the earth.

 

Enough of making half-baked bodies available unto God. If God must use your life and your mind, if God must use your mouth, if God must use your hands and your legs; you must prepare them for presentation. Don’t present to God lies, part of your that aren’t prepared. Make use you have worked on yourself, allowing the Holy Spirit to work on your towards presenting you as a vessel that God can use. In the book of 2 Timothy 2:15. It says: “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God.” So, you and I have a responsibility to present ourselves. Don’t wait for your pastor to present you, don’t wait for anybody to present you. You have the responsibility to present yourself unto God.

 

God has called you, and the reason why many of us are not fully aware of the call of God on our lives is because we have refused to do the responsibility of personally preparing ourselves so that we can personally present ourselves under God. It says: “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” Many people lack confidence to do the work of ministry today because they are ashamed, because they have not been fully prepared. They have not allowed themselves to be fully prepared, even though they are eager to present themselves. It is not enough to present; you must present only what you have prepared.

 

If God must use your mouth, prepare it. If God must use your mind, prepare it. If God must use your hands, prepare it. Now let us jump forward into verse 18. It says: “who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some. ¹⁹ Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” I am sure you remember that our goal is to consider the task of Christian ministry, and the Bible says “anyone who names the name of Christ.” The meaning is that “anyone who calls himself or is called a Christian.” If people call you or you call yourself a Christian, it means you have a name of Christ on you, and if that is so, you and I have that responsibility of departing from iniquity.

 

Many people, we do things that are not worthy of calling. Many people will commit sin and they will say “it is the work of the devil.” If you are named after Christ, then you must depart from iniquity. Verse 20 says: “But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. ²¹ Therefore if anyone cleanses himself (and I want you to note the word “if anyone”), not a group of people doing it for you, not your church helping you. This is your responsibility, and that is why we call it “the task of Christian ministry.”

 

“If anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified (I am sure you can see the word again). Another word for that “sanctified” is “set apart.” Sanctified, prepared and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.” God is looking for men and women who are prepared unto every good works. Enough of being in the ministry without being fully prepared. Enough of being on the pulpit for years without being fully prepared. You see, when a man is on the pulpit, and he is preaching and teaching, what happens is that such a person is presenting himself or herself. You must not continue to present unprepared vessel unto God. Enough of standing before men unprepared. Enough of representing God and speaking in the name of God, enough of speaking as a prophet, a voice of God in your generation, unprepared. If you must be useful in the hands of God, you must allow yourself to be prepared. You must go through the channel of preparation so that you can end in the place of presentation. If you must present yourself, and you must fulfill your ministry, it must be because you have fully prepared yourself in the place of non-conformity to the world.

 

Now, let us read in conclusion 2 Timothy 3:14-17. It says:

 

“But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, ¹⁵ and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶ All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, ¹⁷ that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

 

God has a plan for you, God has a purpose for you. God is not ashamed of you, God loves you. However, you are expected as a man of God, as a woman of God, to continue to get yourself prepared. Apostle Paul wrote that all Scripture is given by the Holy Spirit. All Scripture is profitable for your correction, for your growth, for your reproof, for your edification; all Scripture is profitable. And if you can study, if you can exercise yourself in the word of God, you as a man and woman of God, you will become complete and be thoroughly equipped unto every good work.

 

There is a work ordained by God for you. Enough of just getting carried away by the work. Many people are so busy on the work that they have lost touch of their responsibility of non-conformity to the world, and their responsibility on personal preparation and presentation. If you must fulfill your ministry, you must never conform to this world, knowing fully well that you are an ambassador of God and of His kingdom you are from, and of His kingdom you work for. It says “let your kingdom come on the earth, let your will be done.” If the will of God must be done on the earth, it must be that we, the men and the women of God have associated ourselves completely with Christ in full compliance to His kingdom, in noncompliance to the world, and in full preparations of ourselves and in full presentation of ourselves.

 

No more holding back, no more hesitation, you cannot continue to fold your hands in idleness, you cannot continue to say “thousands and millions of people are out there, I don’t need to say and do anything.” God requires you and you must present yourself. However, if you will not fail presenting yourself, it is because you have successfully prepared yourself. Don’t forget the seven sons of Sceva in the book of acts, they have not been prepared, they were in full compliance with the world, yet, they decided to present themselves. They said to the demon possessed man: “We exorcise you in the name of Jesus that apostle Paul preach.” The demon possessed man said “Jesus I know, Paul I know, who are you?”

 

Jesus, I know is not in conformity to the world and He has prepared Himself, He has presented Himself. Paul, I know, he is in non-conformity to the world. He has prepared himself and he has presented himself. Who are you? You are in full conformity to the world; you have not prepared yourself but you are presenting yourself: Who are you? And the Bible says the seven sons of Sceva were thoroughly flogged and beaten by the demon possessed man, and they went out of the house naked. They were disgraced. If you will not experience shame and frustration in your ministry, you must understand these responsibilities that God has given to you in addition to your calling.

 

If you have been called an Apostle, a Prophet, an Evangelist, a Pastor, a Teacher, in addition to your calling, you must live your life in non-conformity to this world, you must live your life daily preparing yourself, daily presenting yourself. If you can do these, I believe you will fulfill your ministry, and God will be glorified on the earth. You remember, the Bible says “let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” Enough of doing great things and glory going unto men. Every work that you do as a servant of God must bring glory to God. Do the works of God in non-conformity to the world and all glory will be unto our Father in heaven and His name will be glorified on the earth.

 

You have been on Forms & Patterns™ and I believe God has ministered His grace into your heart. By the grace of God, we will be established, fulfill our ministry and we will glorify God on the earth through our lives and through our ministry and we will have the joy of the Lord Jesus Christ fully entrenched in our spirit, soul and bodies, and God will be glorified.

God bless you!

 

Thanks for the gift of your time, I am Gboyega ADEDEJI!

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