Being a Worker
Being a Worker
Kim is rejoicing. He has been discovering that he can be a worker for the Lord. As he has studied his Bible and spent time praying and seeking the Lord, the Holy Spirit has been showing him how he can minister to others.
He was asked to go to the home of a sick man and pray for him. As he prayed he felt the precious anointing and presence of the Holy Spirit. A week later he prayed for a child who had a fever. The child was healed. One Sunday he went with another believer who goes each week to preach in a nearby town. He led the believers in singing and sharing with each other what God had done for them. He also taught a class of boys.
Kim is excited as he thinks how God gives everyone gifts for his work. Now that Kim has learned that he can be a worker, he wants to know more about just what kind of worker he should be and how he should develop his gifts.
Perhaps you, too, would like to know more about these things! As you study this lesson, you will see what the Bible says about being a Christian worker. And you will also find out more about how you can develop your ministry gifts.
Follow Christ’s Example
Be a Servant
What kind of person was Jesus when He lived among men? The Bible shows Him as a man who cared much for people and their needs. He was an unselfish man.
In Matthew 14:13-14 we read that Jesus was grieved when He heard that John the Baptist had died. Jesus wanted to be alone, but the people followed Him. Did He reject them when they found Him? Did He say He wanted to be alone? No. When He saw them He felt pity so He went to them and healed the sick. He did the will of His Father even though He was sad and perhaps weary. In the same way, the Christian worker will not always be able to do just what he wants to do. He is the servant of the Lord; a servant does what his master wants.
We read in John 13:1-17 that Jesus served His disciples by washing their feet. When Jesus had finished, He said, “I, your Lord and Teacher, have just washed your feet. You, then, should wash one another’s feet” (v. 14). To be successful Christian workers we must be “like the Son of Man, who did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life to redeem many people” (Matthew 20:28).
Have the Fruit of the Spirit
When we follow the example of Christ, His qualities are seen in our lives. The Bible refers to these qualities as “fruits.” The person who is filled with the Holy Spirit has a responsibility to make sure that the fruits of the Spirit are seen in his or her life.
God not only gives us gifts for ministry but also gives us power to control ourselves so that we are the kind of people who can minister. People can be helped by our gifts but hindered by the kind of persons we are. We must be careful not to let pride or the idea that we don’t need any help make us unable to minister.
For this study we are going to consider a list of the fruits of the Spirit found in Romans 12:9-21. This portion has been chosen to help you understand more about working for the Lord. It shows what the person who ministers must be like. This is a list for us.
In giving this list we have used words which help us know the meaning of the Bible message. You can help yourself as a worker by studying the list, praying about your own life, and asking for the Holy Spirit’s help. Do not be discouraged if your life is not perfect. No worker is perfect, but we can become like Christ as we love and serve Him.
Develop your Gifts
We may not always know exactly every gift that God gives us, but we can be aware of God’s leading. We already know that our gift will be right for us. Anyone does better work when he feels he can do it well. Know, too, that God can give us a gift that has nothing to do with our natural talents. What kinds of ministries are possible for us?
Discover Your Gifts
The Holy Spirit can make even timid people to be bold. Yield your life and talents to God and you will enjoy ministering to the church. Do not be afraid to try new kinds of work, especially as you feel God drawing you to those things. Do not force yourself into doing things, but allow the Spirit to 
direct you into certain kinds of work.
You may receive a word from an elder or a leader in the church, which may help you know what your ministry is. Often those who have served the Lord in leadership work can sense ministry gifts in others.
Whether you receive a definite gift or whether you only feel the urging of the Spirit as you serve God, know that you do have a ministry. Know too, that there is help for you in using that ministry.
Appreciate Your Gifts
Your ministry is God’s gift to you. Always honor it. This does not mean for you to be proud. To be proud is to think too much of yourself. To honor your gift is to realize that God gave it to you and to give the glory for it to God.
People who work in the church often get praise from those with whom they work. Praise makes anyone feel good. We all like it. But the devil may try to defeat us through it. We cannot take the glory for our ministry. It is God’s gift to us. We honor the gift, but we do not praise ourselves because we have the gift. We must always remember that God has given us everything we have (1 Corinthians 4:7).
Use Your Gifts
In Romans 12:6 we read that we should use whatever faith we have in manifesting our gift. If that gift is to speak out the message from God, then we should do just that. It would seem that we are being told to find our ministry or gift and then use it.
Already we have seen that there are two ways to develop our ministry once we have discovered what it is. We exercise our faith and we study. What shall we study? Think of your gift. If you are a minister of God’s Word, your first responsibility would be to know what it says. This knowledge would come by prayerfully reading it and giving it careful thought.
The Spirit of God is your helper (John 16:13). Ask Him to teach you what the Word really means so you will teach truth. You may use books about the Bible as well as the Bible. But remember that not all books written about the Bible give the truth. If a book does not teach the same truth as the Bible, do not use it.
Any work in the church is to be a spiritual ministry. Remember that the first deacons were men full of the Holy Spirit even though their work was to take care of the money that was given to the widows. It is desirable that every worker be filled with the Holy Spirit.
So these are the ways you can develop your gifts: exercise faith, study, pray, and use your gifts. This is what Paul meant when he said that you should teach, if teaching is your gift. You should serve, if serving is your gift. And you should give, if giving is your gift (Romans 12:6-8). Use your gift. If you do not, the body will suffer because your gift was given to benefit the body. Exercising your gift will require your time and energy, but it will bless the entire body and make you stronger.
The apostle Paul wrote to Timothy encouraging him to use his gift: “I remind you to keep alive the gift that God gave you” (2 Timothy 1:6). We, too, should keep our gifts alive!