THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE
I hate working in the yard! Maybe it’s because when I was growing up I had to spend a portion of each weekend cutting grass, pulling weeds, trimming bushes, and blowing away the clippings—and all while my body was being cooked under the hot West Texas sun. Or maybe I dislike it because yard work is time-consuming and inconvenient, and I don’t want to miss out on other things in my life.
The solution to my dilemma is simple: I don’t do yard work! I now “outsource” this job to other people. A crew of five guys shows up, and with each of them doing different tasks, the yard work is completed in twenty minutes—and it looks great!
You and I love the idea of “outsourcing” the things in our life we don’t want to do or may not be good at doing—whether it’s cleaning the house, tutoring our kids in a particular subject, or doing our taxes. All of that can be helpful if it frees us up to concentrate on other areas of life.
But one aspect of life we can’t outsource is ministry. God has called every believer to be a minister.
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?
2 Corinthians 3:4-6
4 Such is the confidence we have through Christ before God. 5 It is not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God. 6 He has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
I took my first ride in a helicopter with a friend who not only had learned to fly a chopper but actually bought one. It was an unforgettable experience hovering over the surrounding neighborhoods and seeing the countryside from that perspective. After watching my friend demonstrate the basic maneuvers of the bird, he suddenly looked at me, said, “It’s your turn to fly,” and motioned for me to take the controls. An overwhelming feeling of inadequacy swept over my entire body. I’m normally a pretty confident person, but not at that moment.
If you’re like me, you lack confidence when you feel ill-equipped or unprepared. We also may lose our nerve when we feel unworthy or unqualified. In this passage, Paul told believers we never have to lack confidence in our walk with Christ. Why? Because we are equipped and we are prepared in Him. God has given us everything we need to be competent ministers of the gospel.
I’m sure we’ve all faced moments when we feel inferior or ill-equipped to serve the Lord. In those moments, we may sense something inside us saying: What are you thinking? You don’t have what it takes!
But in this passage, Paul wrote that our competence for serving in His kingdom doesn’t come from ourselves, and our sense of self-confidence doesn’t arise from our own ability. Believers have the Spirit of the living God inside them. God has given us Himself; therefore, we have more than enough to do what God calls us to do.
When have you had the privilege of
ministering to someone?
“He has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” This “letter” is the law recorded in the Old Testament. The law is a good thing, because our obedience to it brings us into a right standing with God. The problem is that none of us fully obeys the law. Not a single one of us. As a result, “the letter kills” because our failure to obey it puts us under a curse.
Jesus Christ removed that curse and gave His Spirit to all who trust in Him. (See Gal. 3:13-14.) So, any competence we have to serve God doesn’t come from obeying the letter of the law because we’re unable to keep it on our own. Instead, the Spirit gives us competence because He empowers us.
How can we tell if we’re relying on
our own competence instead of
trusting Christ to work through us?
2 Corinthians 3:7-10
7 Now if the ministry that brought death, chiseled in letters on stones, came with glory, so that the Israelites were not able to gaze steadily at Moses’s face because of its glory, which was set aside, 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? 9 For if the ministry that brought condemnation had glory, the ministry that brings righteousness overflows with even more glory. 10 In fact, what had been glorious is not glorious now by comparison because of the glory that surpasses it.
In the Old Testament, people often experienced God’s glory in a tangible way. Moses was one example. He spent a significant amount of time in God’s presence when he received the law. As a result, the glory of God was reflected all over his face. He literally glowed!
But, as Paul noted in 2 Corinthians 3, Moses’ reflected glory didn’t last. The glory associated with the law wasn’t a lasting glory; it was a fading glory—something “set aside” by the “ministry of the Spirit,” which endures.
How would you summarize
Paul’s point in these verses?
Paul wasn’t dismissing the glory that came with God’s law. But he knew that glory pales in comparison to the glory that comes through Christ. The law was glorious even though it brought death and condemnation; Christ’s glory—which brings life and righteousness—is far greater.
Fourteen-time NBA All-Star Michael Jordan is universally recognized as the greatest basketball player to ever play the game, but his career had a humble beginning. When Michael was a sophomore in high school, he failed to make the varsity team. Motivated by the cut, he practiced, worked hard, grew several inches, and eventually reached his goal of becoming a starter, and a star, on the squad.
Michael would have missed a lot if he’d settled for that high school glory. He never would have led the North Carolina Tar Heels to win the 1982 NCAA Championship. He never would have been a six-time NBA champion with the Chicago Bulls, nor win two Olympic gold medals. But not even a career like Michael Jordan’s can compare with the glory Paul described.
Paul wrote that the Holy Spirit equips us and empowers us for a ministry greater than anything possible through our own efforts— and with that greater ministry comes a greater glory. What is that greater glory? It’s all tied to Jesus Christ. We achieve no glory through our own efforts at righteousness; instead Christ imparts His righteousness to us. He lives in believers, empowering and equipping us to live and serve. We can know no greater glory on this earth that to walk in His righteousness.
2 Corinthians 3:11-12
11 For if what was set aside was glorious, what endures will be even more glorious.12 Since, then, we have such a hope, we act with great boldness.
When I was ten, I attended a class at our church that trained people to share their faith. The leader kept it basic and showed us that all of us could tell our stories and share the hope we’d found in Jesus. As the class concluded, we were all challenged to take what we’d learned and apply it to our personal lives. The instructor challenged us to share the gospel with a complete stranger within twenty-four hours.
The next day after school, I saw a boy I’d never seen before. Something inside me said: He’s the one. Go talk to him about Jesus. Suddenly the knots began to tighten in my stomach. Despite being scared to death, I approached the boy with the full intention of sticking to my training. Instead, I froze up. Then I blurted out, “Hey man, do you know Jesus or what?” He simply looked at me, squinted his eyes, and responded: “I don’t know Jesus. Actually, I don’t know anybody. My family just moved here on Tuesday.” He obviously hadn’t participated in the role-play portion of my witness training class, because that wasn’t the way this was supposed to play out!
The idea of talking to someone about Jesus can feel terrifying—but it doesn’t need to be. Our connection with Jesus brings a hope that can never be taken from us. That kind of hope empowers us to live on mission with a supernatural confidence and boldness. We don’t have to worry or be fearful as we do the ministry God has called us to do. God is with us, and He gives us exactly what we need along the way.
This truth isn’t just for preachers, teachers, and other church leaders. Paul was talking to all who’ve trusted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Since Christ has given us this competence, confidence, and hope, we can lovingly serve God and others with boldness. We don’t minister in vain. We have a sure hope— and that is a hope worth sharing.
What does it look like to serve Christ with boldness in today’s culture?
LIVE IT OUT
What can you do this week to live out the truth of this passage? Consider the following suggestions:
- Pray. If you know Jesus, then God has given you His Spirit and the competence to minister in His name. Pray and ask God to give you a fresh dose of confidence so you can boldly minister to those around you for His glory.
- Share. Ask God to give you an opportunity to put your faith in action. Look for an opportunity this week to share Jesus with someone else. Go in confidence and trust the Lord with the results.
- Make serving others a habit. Like other habits in your life, the habit of serving is developed through intentional acts one day at a time. Make a practical list of ways you can serve and minister to others this week.
Outsourcing is a part of our everyday lives—but it should never be a part of our ministry. If you love Jesus, then you are called to make a difference by loving and serving others.
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Teacher's Notes
My challenge is big. My vision is clear. My desire is strong. My influence is eternal. My impact is critical. My values are solid. My faith is tough. My mission is urgent. My purpose is unmistakable. My direction is forward. My heart is genuine. My strength is supernatural. My reward is promised. - And my God is real. - I refuse to be dismayed, disengaged, disgruntled, discouraged, or distracted. Neither will I look back, stand back, fall back, go back or sit back. I do not need applause, flattery, adulation, prestige, stature or veneration. I have no time for business as usual, mediocre standards, small thinking, normal expectations, average results, ordinary ideas, petty disputes or low vision. I will not give up, give in, bail out, lie down, turn over, quit or surrender. - I am a minister. That is what I do.
What does that mean to me?
When the word minister is said, many people think of a pastor or a missionary. The Bible says every believer is a minister. Now, not every believer is a pastor, but every believer is a minister. Any time our talents, abilities, and experiences are used to help somebody else, we are ministering. Ministry, therefore, is not reserved for a few. All believers are ministers of the gospel.
- The call to follow Christ is the call to serve Him.
- And we serve Him through the opportunities He give us to serve others.
- We are made for something more, to be ministers and God works through us to make a difference.
What is a chore that you’d love to outsource to someone else?
- One aspect of life we can’t outsource is ministry. God has called every believer to be a minister.
Paul, in this passage, wrote of the traits needed to be a good minister of the gospel.
I. God Gives Us Confidence and Competence 2 Corinthians 3:4-6
4 Such is the confidence we have through Christ before God. 5 It is not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God. 6 He has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
Points: All who believe have a call to minister in Christ’s name. Our confidence and competency in ministry comes from God by being in right relationship with Him through Christ. We deceive ourselves if we think we are capable by our own power, authority, or skill to carry out the ministry God has given us. Such an attitude is conceit, not confidence. The gospel message frees us from the impossible task of living by every letter of the law, which results in condemnation. The gospel of Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit gives us life.
How can we tell if we’re relying on our own competence instead of trusting Christ to work through us?
II. God Gives Us Ministry 2 Corinthians 3:7-10
7 Now if the ministry that brought death, chiseled in letters on stones, came with glory, so that the Israelites were not able to gaze steadily at Moses’s face because of its glory, which was set aside, 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? 9 For if the ministry that brought condemnation had glory, the ministry that brings righteousness overflows with even more glory. 10 In fact, what had been glorious is not glorious now by comparison because of the glory that surpasses it.
Points: The old covenant was filled with the glory of God and still should be acknowledged as His Word given for our good. Because humankind refused to live by the high standards of the old covenant, they stood condemned before God, subject to death. Whereas we stood condemned by the old covenant, we have right standing with God through the new covenant. As believers who have right standing with God, we have the privilege and responsibility to share in the ministry of proclaiming the glory and the benefits made possible through the new covenant.
How does a person allow the ministry of the Spirit to direct?
- The simple answer is, we ask God to lead us and we are obedient. In this way, God gets the glory. Otherwise, we are led by the flesh and are powerless. For effective ministry, submission to God is the key, and many ministers never find life-changing ministry because they refuse to submit. The difference between flesh-controlled and Spirit-led ministry is as dramatic as the distinction between rowing and sailing. A rower gets to a destination by personal strain, struggle, and effort. A sailor arrives under the wind’s power. Rowing is a good way to keep in shape but a lousy way to travel. Sailing taps the power of the wind and allows us to go much farther, much faster, with far less human effort than rowing. The Spirit-led ministry feels the wind of God’s Spirit moving them forward to reaching God-directed goals.
III. We Can Boldly Make a Difference 2 Corinthians 3:11-12
11 For if what was set aside was glorious, what endures will be even more glorious.12 Since, then, we have such a hope, we act with great boldness.
What does it look like to serve Christ with boldness in today’s culture?
Points: The promise of God and the life He gives can be counted on; they are assured by the new covenant. The durability of the new covenant gives us enduring hope. Because we know we have hope that abides forever, we can have the utmost confidence in the gospel. Because we have unwavering confidence in the gospel, we can declare the gospel message forthrightly and boldly. God can use us to make a difference where we are when we submit ourselves to Him.
LIVE IT OUT
Many of us have heard someone say, “I don’t have a ministry; there is not anything I can do.” Maybe some of us have been guilty of saying those words ourselves. For some people, it may merely be an excuse. They don’t want to be involved in ministry. For others, they may say it with sincerity, not aware that the Scriptures teach otherwise. In 1 Corinthians, Paul reminded the people “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal” (12:7). “A manifestation of the Spirit is given to each person for the common good” (CSB). The Holy Spirit has given each person some spiritual gift to be used in ministry that will allow the body of Christ to function wholly and effectively (12:8-31).
So, each of us have been called to ministry, equipped for ministry, strengthened for ministry, and assigned a purpose for ministry. Thus, we are without excuse. We are to take up the mantle of ministry and gladly and boldly move forward.
If you love Jesus, then you are called to make a difference by loving and serving others.
The word “minister” is tied to three Greek words, all of which carry the idea of service.
- Diakonos has the connotation of one who waits on tables. “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant” (Mark 10:43)
- Huperetes originally designated the rowers who labored in the bottom of a ship. “This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants of Christ” (1 Cor. 4:1).
- Leitourgos was used of a servant either for the government or at a temple. “The grace God gave me to be a minister of Christ Jesus” (Rom. 15:16).
We are all called to serve, which means we are all called to be ministers. Not all of us are pastors, but we are all ministers. We are called to serve and minister in the name of Christ, but how and where we carry that out will vary from person to person.
How you carry out your work can be a vital ministry and a witness for Christ. I love the way Martin Luther King Jr. said it: “What I’m saying to you this morning, my friends, even if it falls your lot to be a street sweeper, go on out and sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures; sweep streets like Handel and Beethoven composed music; sweep streets like Shakespeare wrote poetry; sweep streets so well that all the host of heaven and earth will have to pause and say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper who swept his job well.’
Rick Warren: Purpose Driven Life
YOU WERE SHAPED FOR SERVING GOD We are simply God’s servants. . . . Each one of us does the work which the Lord gave him to do: I planted the seed, Apollos watered the plant, but it was God who made the plant grow. 1 Corinthians 3:5–6 (TEV)
Accepting Your Assignment
It is God himself who has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ages ago he planned that we should spend these lives in helping others. Ephesians 2:10 (LB) I glorified you on earth by completing down to the last detail what you assigned me to do. John 17:4 (Msg)
You were put on earth to make a contribution. You weren’t created just to consume resources—to eat, breathe, and take up space. God designed you to make a difference with your life. While many best-selling books offer advice on how to “get” the most out of life, that’s not the reason God made you. You were created to add to life on earth, not just take from it. God wants you to give something back. This is God’s fourth purpose for your life, and it is called your “ministry,” or service. The Bible gives us the details. You were created to serve God. The Bible says, “[God] has created us for a life of good deeds, which he has already prepared for us to do.” 1 These “good deeds” are your service. Whenever you serve others in any way, you are actually serving God2 and fulfilling one of your purposes. In the next two chapters you will see how God has carefully shaped you for this purpose. What God told Jeremiah is also true for you: “Before I made you in your mother’s womb, I chose you. Before you were born, I set you apart for a special work.” 3 You were placed on this planet for a special assignment. You were saved to serve God. The Bible says, “It is he who saved us and chose us for his holy work, not because we deserved it but because that was his plan.” 4 God redeemed you so you could do his “holy work.” You’re not saved by service, but you are saved for service. In God’s kingdom, you have a place, a purpose, a role, and a function to fulfill. This gives your life great significance and value. It cost Jesus His own life to purchase your salvation. The Bible reminds us, “God paid a great price for you. So use your body to honor God.” 5 We don’t serve God out of guilt or fear or even duty, but out of joy, and deep gratitude for what he’s done for us. We owe him our lives. Through salvation our past has been forgiven, our present is given meaning, and our future is secured. In light of these incredible benefits Paul concluded, “Because of God’s great mercy . . . Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service.” 6 The apostle John taught that our loving service to others shows that we are truly saved. He said, “Our love for each other proves that we have gone from death to life.” 7 If I have no love for others, no desire to serve others, and I’m only concerned about my needs, I should question whether Christ is really in my life. A saved heart is one that wants to serve. Another term for serving God that’s misunderstood by most people is the word ministry. When most people hear “ministry,” they think of pastors, priests, and professional clergy, but God says every member of His family is a minister. In the Bible, the words servant and minister are synonyms, as are service and ministry. If you are a Christian, you are a minister, and when you’re serving, you’re ministering. When Peter’s sick mother-in-law was healed by Jesus, she instantly “stood up and began to serve Jesus,” 8 using her new gift of health. This is what we’re to do. We are healed to help others. We are blessed to be a blessing. We are saved to serve, not to sit around and wait for heaven. Have you ever wondered why God doesn’t just immediately take us to heaven the moment we accept his grace? Why does he leave us in a fallen world? He leaves us here to fulfill His purposes. Once you are saved, God intends to use you for his goals. God has a ministry for you in his church and a mission for you in the world. You are called to serve God. Growing up, you may have thought that being “called” by God was something only missionaries, pastors, nuns, and other “full-time” church workers experienced, but the Bible says every Christian is called to service.9 Your call to salvation included your call to service. They are the same. Regardless of your job or career, you are called to full-time Christian service. A “non-serving Christian” is a contradiction in terms. The Bible says, “He saved us and called us to be his own people, not because of what we have done, but because of his own purpose.” 10 Peter adds, “You were chosen to tell about the excellent qualities of God, who called you.” 11 Anytime you use your God-given abilities to help others, you are fulfilling your calling. The Bible says, “Now you belong to him . . . in order that we might be useful in the service of God.” 12 How much of the time are you being useful in the service of God? In some churches in China, they welcome new believers by saying “Jesus now has a new pair of eyes to see with, new ears to listen with, new hands to help with, and a new heart to love others with.” One reason why you need to be connected to a church family is to fulfill your calling to serve other believers in practical ways. The Bible says, “All of you together are Christ’s body, and each one of you is a separate and necessary part of it.” 13 Your service is desperately needed in the Body of Christ—just ask any local church. Each of us has a role to play, and every role is important. There is no small service to God; it all matters. Likewise, there are no insignificant ministries in the church. Some are visible and some are behind the scenes, but all are valuable. Small or hidden ministries often make the biggest difference. In my home, the most important light is not the large chandelier in our dining room but the little night light that keeps me from stubbing my toe when I get up at night. There is no correlation between size and significance. Every ministry matters because we are all dependent on each other to function. What happens when one part of your body fails to function? You get sick. The rest of your body suffers. Imagine if your liver decided to start living for itself: “I’m tired! I don’t want to serve the body anymore! I want a year off just to be fed. I’ve got to do what’s best for me! Let some other part take over.” What would happen? Your body would die. Today thousands of local churches are dying because of Christians who are unwilling to serve. They sit on the sidelines as spectators, and the Body suffers. You are commanded to serve God. Jesus was unmistakable: “Your attitude must be like my own, for I, the Messiah, did not come to be served, but to serve and to give my life.” 14 For Christians, service is not optional, something to be tacked onto our schedules if we can spare the time. It is the heart of the Christian life. Jesus came “to serve” and “to give”—and those two verbs should define your life on earth, too. Serving and giving sum up God’s fourth purpose for your life. Mother Teresa once said, “Holy living consists in doing God’s work with a smile.” Jesus taught that spiritual maturity is never an end in itself. Maturity is for ministry! We grow up in order to give out. It is not enough to keep learning more and more. We must act on what we know and practice what we claim to believe. Impression without expression causes depression. Study without service leads to spiritual stagnation. The old comparison between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea is still true. Galilee is a lake full of life because it takes in water but also gives it out. In contrast, nothing lives in the Dead Sea because, with no outflow, the lake has stagnated. The last thing many believers need today is to go to another Bible study. They already know far more than they are putting into practice. What they need are serving experiences in which they can exercise their spiritual muscles. Serving is the opposite of our natural inclination. Most of the time we’re more interested in “serve us” than service. We say, “I’m looking for a church that meets my needs and blesses me,” not “I’m looking for a place to serve and be a blessing.” We expect others to serve us, not vice versa. But as we mature in Christ, the focus of our lives should increasingly shift to living a life of service. The mature follower of Jesus stops asking, “Who’s going to meet my needs?” and starts asking, “Whose needs can I meet?” Do you ever ask that question? Preparing for Eternity At the end of your life on earth you will stand before God, and he is going to evaluate how well you served others with your life.
The Bible says, “Each of us will have to give a personal account to God.” 15 Think about the implications of that. One day God will compare how much time and energy we spent on ourselves compared with what we invested in serving others. At that point, all our excuses for self-centeredness will sound hollow: “I was too busy” or “I had my own goals” or “I was preoccupied with working, having fun, or preparing for retirement.” To all excuses God will respond, “Sorry, wrong answer. I created, saved, and called you and commanded you to live a life of service. What part did you not understand?” The Bible warns unbelievers, “He will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves,” 16 but for Christians it will mean a loss of eternal rewards. We are only fully alive when we’re helping others. Jesus said, “If you insist on saving your life, you will lose it. Only those who throw away their lives for my sake and for the sake of the Good News will ever know what it means to really live.” 17 This truth is so important that it is repeated five times in the Gospels. If you aren’t serving, you’re just existing, because life is meant for ministry. God wants you to learn to love and serve others unselfishly.
Service and Significance
You are going to give your life for something. What will it be— a career, a sport, a hobby, fame, wealth? None of these will have lasting significance. Service is the pathway to real significance. It is through ministry that we discover the meaning of our lives. The Bible says, “Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body.” 18 As we serve together in God’s family, our lives take on eternal importance. Paul said, “I want you to think about how all this makes you more significant, not less . . . because of what you are a part of.” 19
God wants to use you to make a difference in his world. He wants to work through you. What matters is not the duration of your life, but the donation of it. Not how long you lived, but how you lived. If you’re not involved in any service or ministry, what excuse have you been using? Abraham was old, Jacob was insecure, Leah was unattractive, Joseph was abused, Moses stuttered, Gideon was poor, Samson was codependent, Rahab was immoral, David had an affair and all kinds of family problems, Elijah was suicidal, Jeremiah was depressed, Jonah was reluctant, Naomi was a widow, John the Baptist was eccentric to say the least, Peter was impulsive and hot-tempered, Martha worried a lot, the Samaritan woman had several failed marriages, Zacchaeus was unpopular, Thomas had doubts, Paul had poor health, and Timothy was timid. That is quite a variety of misfits, but God used each of them in his service. He will use you, too, if you stop making excuses.
Point to Ponder: Service is not optional.
Verse to Remember: “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)
Question to Consider: What is holding me back from accepting God’s call to serve Him?
How God Shapes You for Your Ministry: Whenever God gives us an assignment, He always equips us with what we need to accomplish it.
This custom combination of capabilities is called your SHAPE:
Spiritual gifts
Heart
Abilities
Personality
Experience
Hope to see you on Sunday!
In His Love,
David & Susan
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