-R-
DAY 5 – RECOGNITION
FROM OTHERS (2 Timothy 1:6)
For this
reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through
the laying on of my hands.
There is a practice that our
church has in the ordination of pastors and deacons, and that is what the Bible
calls the “laying on of hands.” The writer of Hebrews implied that this
practice was an elementary, basic teaching of the church. It was practiced in
the Old Testament (when Moses transferred his leadership to Joshua, for
example) and several times in the New Testament.
Paul wrote to the Romans, a
church which he had never visited, stating he longed to “impart to you some
spiritual gift to strengthen you; that is, that we may be mutually encouraged
by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.” In instructing Timothy later, he cautioned the
young pastor against “laying on of hands” on pastors and perhaps deacons too
early in their ministry.
The early church “laid hands”
on seven men in Acts 6 who were assigned to help out with the apostles. The
early church was told to “pick out from among you seven men of good repute,
full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty.”
These verses indicate that members
in the church can discern and recognize ways other believers can be used and
involved in ministry. Spiritual gifts tests are man-made ways of asking
questions to see inclinations for service.
“Me? A minister?” That may seem surprising but the ability one may
have to serve others may not be seen by the person who has the ministry because
he or she may think “Anyone can do that!” when in reality, they cannot or will
not.
Ministry means “service,”
coming from the Greek word diakonia. Jesus
used the verb form of the word to describe Himself and His ministry:
Jesus
called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord
it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It is not so
among you, but whoever wishes to become great
among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall
be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served (ministered
unto), but to serve (minister) and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Matthew 20:25-28
Jesus taught that all
Christians are called to service. His prescription “to be great” is to
be the “servant of all” (Mark 9:35, 10:43). Whoever uses his or
her spiritual gift is ministering (1 Peter 4:10,11). The root word “minister”
below is as a noun for a servant, as a noun for “ministry” and a verb “to
serve.”
Diakonos--Servant, deacon, minister
This term is used 31 times for
a person who serves. Except for two occasions in John 2:5, 9, it refers to a
person who ministers as a Christian church. Three times (Philippians 1:1, 1
Timothy 3:8, 12), it refers to deacons. Timothy was a pastor and evangelist but
a diakonos. Paul described himself
and the other apostles as “servants” (Colossians 1:23, 2 Corinthians 11:23). Phoebe,
a woman in Romans 16:1, is described as a “servant of the church.” In this passage, a minister is anyone in the
church who serves as a privilege and responsibility for all church members.
Diakonia--Service, ministry
As a noun, this word describes
the spiritual work of the apostles (Acts 6:4), the physical work of the church
(Acts 6:1). It is a spiritual gift (Romans 12:7, 1 Corinthians 12:5) and the
work of the entire church (Ephesians 4:12). We see this term used generally for
all church members.
Diakoneo--To serve, wait tables, minister
More than half of the 37 times
this verb is used, it is in the gospels. Later, it is an office of deacon
ministry to aid pastors (Acts 6:2, 1 Timothy 3:10, 13) and also a manifestation
of a spiritual gift (1 Peter 4:11). It is not restricted to men (Luke 8:3, 4:39,
10:40, and John 12:2). All church members are called to minister (to the church
in Hebrews 6:10, to Christ in John 12:26, and to both in Matthew 25:44).
Do you think you are called into
the ministry? The answer is yes, every member is to minister. Some are more
gifted than others in certain areas while others are called to be ordained (set
apart) as deacons or pastors for the specific service within the church.
Day 6, Experiences
Day 6, Experiences
No comments:
Post a Comment