By Brother Andrew DiNardo

Minister (verb)

• to give service, care, or aid; attend, as to wants or necessities
  
• to contribute, as to comfort or happiness
• to attend to the needs of
• take care of

These are all definitions of the word minister. Did you know that the word minister is not just the title of an ordained office but also a verb? Did you know that while we’re not all ordained that we are all called to minister to the world? I’m not saying let’s all go out and start anointing people. What I am saying is we’re called to be the hands and feet of God and that we don’t need to be ordained to have a ministry or to minister to the world.

When we enter into a covenant with God, we become His sons and daughters. As His sons and daughters, we become a part of the body of God and are called to be His hands and feet. This means being active in our branches and communities, visiting the sick and widowed, feeding the hungry and clothing the naked. There are hundreds of ways that we can care for those around us.

The time to be idle is passed. The front lines are calling for those willing to get their hands dirty, break free of their comfort zones, and put themselves on the line to impact lives. When we realize that this life is not our own, that is when we truly unlock our potential to become agents of change for the Lord. We can no longer be comfortable filling a seat at church once or twice a week. God is calling us to a greater walk and a greater faith.

Scripture tells us that faith without works is dead. So where are our works? If you were to hand out flyers on a major intersection near your church, would people even know your branch existed? Last summer, when the Youth In Action visited my branch, I had just that opportunity, and I had a man tell me that he had no idea we were there even though he’s lived in the area for the last 20 years. My heart was crushed, but it opened my eyes. I knew I could no longer be happy with just showing up. I need to let others know we’re here. We can’t grow complacent or the church will never move forward.

So how do we go about making a change in our own communities? We begin to minister. We show people that we love them, that we care for them, we attend to their needs, we take care of them and, most importantly, show them the love of Jesus Christ.

Start a youth group and let the young people become missionaries in their own classrooms and schools. Have a free car wash and talk to people while they wait. Go to a busy intersection and pass out free water and hold up signs that say “Honk for Jesus!”

We can’t think souls will be saved when we rest on our laurels. The time for action is now. Where does your ministry start?

Summer Reading Challenge! Daily Verses

Exodus 11:1 to 24:8