Vineyard Church of Knox County
What and Who is a Minister?
Sermon Audio from Sunday, January 29, 2006 — Growing up I never wanted to be a minister. I didn't think church was all that exciting and I didn't want to stick out in society. The ministers always wore weird clothes—collars or robes—that set them apart from others. I never wanted to be set apart; I just wanted to be one of the guys. No, ministry was never a dream of mine. Yet, here I am, a minister.
It would be interesting to hear some of your images of ministers. I wonder if you know that part of the Christian package is being a minister? Yep, that's right. Did you know that a follower of Jesus is a minister? We have different names for followers of Jesus: Christians, believers, born-agains, and ministers. One tragedy of the Christian church over the centuries is the lost truth that every follower of Jesus is a minister, a person who is gifted and called by God to participate in ministry. I believe this has been one of the reasons our churches are so anemic, powerless, and immature in kingdom ministry. I believe this has been one of the main reasons why Christians, everyday, normal followers of Jesus, are so anemic, immature in the kingdom. The church is only now, I believe, coming into harmony with God's vision for the life of the church and the lives of individual Christians. Be honest, when you think of those people in ministry, you automatically think of pastors and missionaries. When you think of yourself as a follower of Jesus, you don't naturally think of yourself as a minister. You just wouldn't use that term. Believing that ministry is a unique calling on a select few people has stunted the growth of churches and Christians for too long. It's time to break out of that mindset and live the kind of eternal life that Jesus died to give us. We want to be all that God wants us to be in this church and as individuals; that's our New Year's resolution for 2006. So, we are resolving to fulfill God's mission and vision for us. Today we learn from the scriptures God's original intent for ministry, that every person is anointed and set apart for ministry in the church.
