Jesus said, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me" (Luke 9:23). A statement that applies to all believers. So what does it mean to "take up" your cross? It means to lose or give up your life for Christ (v. 24). It means to follow Him faithfully in righteousness. Be holy as He is holy. Let Jesus live through you. It means to follow Him in loving others. Seek the welfare of your "neighbor." Help him with his needs in whatever way the Lord has provided and talk to him about faith in Christ. It means using your spiritual gifts "for the work of service" (Eph. 4:12, NASB).
That passage in Ephesians says, "And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ" (Eph. 4:11-12, NASB). Having been mentioned previously in some of my earlier blogs, let's dig a little deeper into what this verse is saying to us.
By God's design, your pastor and other teachers and leaders in the church are there to train you how to discover and use your spiritual gift or gifts in ministry within the church body. All believers are gifted for service. When you have a willing heart, you will sit under the teaching of your pastor and other teachers within your church and learn from them. You will also get involved in the outworking of the ministry in your church, according to your gifts. When all of us do our part and work together in the ministry outreach of our church, God's purposes are accomplished, and God's will is done in our lives and in the lives of those to whom we minister.
Some lay people who got involved in the ministry of their church are found in Acts chapter six. The church in Jerusalem was experiencing growing pains. Some of the widows were getting overlooked in the distribution of food and various other necessities. To solve the problem, a meeting of the church was called, and the apostles said: "It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word" (Acts 6:2-4).
Note how these men were walking faithfully with Jesus. They were reputable, filled with the Spirit, and wise. They were men who followed the Lord with a willing heart. They worked hard at the task they were given. As a result, they soon saw their individual ministries expand as more was given to them to do. Jesus said, "He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much" (Luke 16:10, NASB). So those who were faithful in the area of ministry they were given, received greater responsibilities in their work for the Lord.
When you grow and learn under the teaching of your pastor and other teachers, and as you discover and begin to use your gifts faithfully in service for your church, Jesus takes notice. He will then give you greater ministry, greater things to do for Him, as you are ready. It will be a great blessing to experience. Amen.
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