I Can Be a Worker
I Can Be a Worker
Kim now understands more about the church and the ministries God has given to its members. As he looks at the church he notices that not everyone has the same ministry. There are those who preach and teach, those who give messages of wisdom and knowledge, and those who serve and share.
Kim realizes that there are many different ways he could help his brothers and sisters in the Lord.
As Kim realizes that there are many ministries, he finds that there are some more things he would like to know. He would like to know how he will be able to work for God. He would like to know how he can find out what ministry gifts God has for him. He would like to know how he can receive these gifts from God.
Perhaps you have been wondering about these very same things! It may be that you have been a believer for a while but have thought that there was nothing special for you to do. But God does have a ministry for you. We read in 1 Corinthians 12:7 that “the Spirit’s presence is shown in some way in each person for the good of all.” May the truths in this lesson show you how you can discover your special ministry in the body of Christ.
Special Help for Workers
We Have a Great Task
Go, then, to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples and teach them to obey everything I have commanded you,” Jesus said in Matthew 28:19-20. This is our task: to make disciples and teach them.
Most of the world is not saved. Christian workers have a duty to help the masses hear the gospel. We cannot neglect this. Jesus left the command for His followers to obey. This is a great task. We need God’s special help to do it.
We Have an Enemy
As we do God’s work we have an enemy. Our enemy is Satan, who wants to see God’s work fail. Alone we cannot overcome him. And if the Christian worker fails, God’s work suffers. So Satan attacks the Christian worker.
Do you remember the story of Samson in Judges 16? Samson’s long hair was a sign that he was set apart for a special work for God. But he became careless about God’s call. While he slept, Delilah cut off his hair. When he awoke, he stood up and he thought he could face any enemy as he had done before.
But Samson’s strength was gone. He was without God’s help, and was powerless to overcome his enemies.
We Have God’s Power
Because the task is great and the enemy strong, God gives us special help to work for Him. Jesus gave His disciples a great task (Mark 16:15), but He promised them the power they would need to carry it out to be witnesses for Him (Acts 1:8). We can have the same power of the Holy Spirit today.
God wants the world to be saved. He uses workers but He knows they need help, so He gives the Holy Spirit to be the helper who is needed. God furnishes the power and we work for Him using His power.
Gifts for Workers
God is all-knowing. He sees the work to be done and He sees the worker. In His wisdom He is able to select the right one for the right place. So He calls us to work for Him.
Sometimes the call comes while we are reading the Bible. The Holy Spirit can take the inspired Word of God and it becomes God’s voice to us. It becomes a call to service in our hearts.
Or God can put a burden on our hearts as we pray. We might become interested in a place that needs the gospel. As we work to help take the gospel there, we sense in our hearts that God wants us to become workers in that place.
The call may come as believers are seeking the Lord. In Acts 13:2 we read that the Holy Spirit said to the church at Antioch, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul, to do the work to which I have called them.”
God does not call everyone to do the same work. For example, there may be a businessman who does not preach or teach. He loves God and wants to do His work. God may call him to be a witness for Christ in the way he runs his business. A woman may stay at home and work in the house. God may call her to be a godly woman in her home and community, praying for those who preach and teach the Word, and witnessing to her neighbors and other people she meets.
No one is left out of God’s call. Just as people are different from one another, the calls are different. God needs you as a Christian worker. When you sense the Spirit speaking to your heart, pay attention.
God Equips
When a person feels God’s call, he will be able to obey that call because God has gifts for ministry that He gives to His workers. We studied these gifts in Lesson 3.
The gift of the Holy Spirit was given on the Day of Pentecost. That was the first gift. We may be able to do many things, but to do a spiritual work we need the Holy Spirit’s help.
A gift, of course, is not something we earn by our own efforts. A gift is given because someone has a need. God gives gifts to Christian workers because they have need of them. In Ephesians 4:7 we read that “each one of us has received a special gift in proportion to what Christ has given.”
A Gift for You
We have already said that God can pick the right person for the right job. This tells me three things:
1. God knows what work I am to do.
2. God knows what gifts I need.
3. God will give those gifts to me.
For example, suppose that a certain church in your town needs a pastor. God knows this need. In a nearby town a believer named Edward is praying about the work he should do. He knows about the need of that church and he feels that God wants him to offer himself to be its pastor. How would God help Edward do the work of pastoring? God would give him ministry gifts as he needs them, but Edward should also do what he can to prepare for his work and develop his gifts. Perhaps there is a Bible school where he can go to receive training. Or perhaps he can study by sending for Bible lessons through the mail.
And so it is with us. God calls us to work for Him and chooses the gifts we need. The gifts fit both the work and the worker. God knows what gifts are important in our work. He knows what gifts fit us. He can choose better than we can and we can trust Him to make the right choice. When He gives us a gift, it will be just what we need to do the work He has called us to do.
God Uses Our Gifts
God gives us special abilities to serve Him; He uses these abilities. God can also use any skill or talent that we dedicate to Him. For example, suppose a man who can paint pictures accepts Christ. If this man gives his talent to God, God can use it to bring a blessing to the church. The man could paint a picture to hang in the church. He could paint pictures to help his Sunday School teacher teach the lesson. In this way his talent could become a gift to the church.
Whatever your gifts or talents are, God can use them. In Romans 16:1-2 we read about Phoebe, a servant of the church. We do not know what she did. But God must have used her life because the apostle Paul says that “she herself has been a good friend to many people and also to me” (Romans 16:2). No matter what gifts a Christian worker has, God can use them to bless and minister to the body, the church.
Receiving your Gift
Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome that a part of worship is to offer ourselves to God (Romans 12:1). In the Old Testament sacrificial offerings, the animal was set apart for the particular ceremony. In the same way the Christian gives himself completely to God’s service. You must first offer yourself to God before you can receive gifts from Him. You must consider your work for God to be the most important thing you do.
You also need to think about the gifts as you study the New Testament. Become acquainted with the way they were used and how they built up the body. Notice the gifts as they are used in your church. Think about how the gifts would help you as a Christian worker.
The reason why you want to receive gifts is important too. No gift is given to make a person great. It is wrong to desire a gift so that people in the church will think you are spiritual. Pray about your work. Desire the gifts that give you power to minister and help others. Start with the gifts you feel drawn to. Think about the gifts that the Holy Spirit brings to your attention. Do not forget that God gives the gift (1 Corinthians 12:28, Ephesians 4:11). Pray for and desire the gifts, but leave the choice with God.