Serving the Word of God to others

Early in my Christianity the Lord let me know that it is important to minister to others in a way that they will grow and be healed. Someone once told me not to set a can of food in front of a hungry person and expect them to no longer be hungry.  The can of food represents a contained lesson from the Lord.  We might understand the lesson that the Lord has shared with us, but in order for someone else to benefit from our lesson, we are given a gift by which to “serve” it to the hearer. In the 40 + years since then the Lord has been teaching me how to open the can, cook and season it, and serve the spiritual food to others.  He has been developing my personal gift. 

The Lord wants to develop all of our personal gifts so that we can minister to others, benefiting and growing God’s people into a healthy, functional body (Eph 4:15-16).  I would like to share some of the steps the Lord has taught me in order to be effective when “serving” a can of spiritual food.

·        Give what is permanent, lasting, and eternal.  The word of God fits this description.  Scripture, prophecy, word of knowledge, word of wisdom, and revelation are all the word of God.  Giving our opinions is not permanent and may be false knowledge.

·        Be succinct.  The longer we speak, the more we risk “ruining the hearers.” Over-explaining things is our attempt to bring understanding.  That is the Holy Spirit’s job (understanding).  If we truly want to partner with the Lord in ministry, we must give Him room to speak to the hearts of people too.

·        Be personally interested in the person you are ministering to. Do not use a method to determine when to speak or what to talk about.  Do not form knowledge into categories and apply them to a person’s problems.  Learn to listen to what the person is saying, and hear what the Holy Spirit has to tell you about it.  Then your ministry will be pure and not influenced by the teachings of men who want to organize things by their carnal teaching. And be hospitable.

·        Nurture the person’s soul with something fresh and pertinent.  Do not think that all problems are based in the person’s past, or due to their upbringing.  Validate their needs, take time (never be in a hurry), and find God’s word for that one person standing before you.

·        Develop your own understanding of God’s lessons by studying and cross-referencing scripture.  Remember that Jesus is the Word of God (Jn 1:1) and is coming back as the Word of God (Rev 19:13). He will not give us revelation on what He has given us apart from the scriptures. In fact, we have no business teaching other people if we haven’t first studied God’s word (2^nd Tim 2:15).

·        As Jesus is the Word of God in the flesh, so should we be.  Obedience is key to this (see abiding in the vine from John 15).  And, as we become obedient to the word of God, we should encourage others to do the same.  If we have really stood in God’s presence we would know that His counsel to men and women includes His call for their obedience (Jer 23:22).

·        There is a spiritual war going on. People come to us confused and wounded.  Be compassionate.  In serving the spiritual food to them, season it with salt (love) (Mt 5:13).  Jesus had compassion on the crowds, and we can certainly have compassion for the one standing before us.

·        Unity comes by the Holy Spirit (Eph 4:3) and not by conformity.  If the people you minister with do not have unity, they may be ministering, at least in part, carnally.  Also, some ministries that are genuinely from the Lord will be rejected by other ministers for various reasons.  If you are established by the Lord in your words and ministry, stay faithful to what you are doing.  God will put you in a place where others will benefit from your gift.

·        Don’t be exclusive about whom you hang around with.  We’re not all too holy to brush shoulders with weaker brethren.  If we are indeed strong, we’re to help them.

·        Great care goes into each child of God’s upbringing.  He has nurtured their lives.  When He brings someone before us for ministry, we must take care also.  Do not hastily give words “by faith” to satisfy someone’s needs.  Wait on the Lord.  If He speaks nothing to you, be humble and tell the other person that God has not shared anything with you yet.  If you will see them again, take their phone number.  Pray for them.  But do not give words that are from your own spirit (Jer 23:16; Ez 13:3). Some of the most significant ministry the Lord has led me to do has come later, when I could again meet with a person.  It gave the Lord time to go deep and reveal many hidden things that needed to be addressed.  If I had been hasty this opportunity would have been lost.

·        Do not think it is insignificant that a person stands before you for ministry.  It is false humility to think that you are being proud to use your gift for another person’s benefit.  God may have brought that person for a word of encouragement, a prophecy, or help mowing their lawn.  Take time to ask the Lord about each person’s needs, even if you may be used to facilitate their care through another person.  Find what you are called to do.

These are some of the steps the Lord has taught me to take in ministering to others.  There are more, and if we all shared the Lord’s lessons the body of Christ would be the richer for it.  I want to encourage you to be faithful in using your gifts (1 Peter 4:8-11).  Amen, and have a good week.