The Best Labor

~ Ministry for Jesus Christ ~

Introduction  ~  Effective ministry comes from God, through His Son Jesus Christ, and is done through the power of the Spirit of God in order to build up His Church.

The Process (the activity)  ~  “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another” (John 13:34-35).  “For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.  For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (Galatians 5:13-14). 

The Purpose (the objective)  ~  “He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-13). 

The Administrator (the power source)  ~  “There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.  There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord.  And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.  But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.  But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills” (1 Corinthians 12:4-11). 

The End Result (the bottom-line)  ~  “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). 

An Example (Titus)  ~  “Thanks be to God who puts the same earnest care for you into the heart of Titus.  For he not only accepted the exhortation, but being more diligent, he went to you of his own accord.  And we have sent with him the brother whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches, and not only that, but who was also chosen by the churches to travel with us with this gift, which is administered by us to the glory of the Lord Himself and to show your ready mind, avoiding this: that anyone should blame us in this lavish gift which is administered by us—providing honorable things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men” (2 Corinthians 8:16-21). 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

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