Four Elements to the Definition of Ministry
Posted by Steve on April 11, 2008
Warren Wiersbe defines ministry with this sentence:
Ministry takes place when divine resources meet human needs through loving channels to the glory of God.
My take on this is that ministry occurs when God answers a need through your loving service, and God gets the credit. If we break that down, we’ll see that there are four elements to that definition:
- God…His power, His authority, His resources initiate true ministry.
- Need…Human physical and emotional needs are inumerable, but the greatest need is salvation.
- Loving service…This is where the believer gets involved to put the hands and feet of God in action to meet the need.
- Glory…And finally, ministry isn’t complete unless God gets the glory.
This week I’ll be preaching from Acts 3:1-9 where a lame man is healed. This is a good example of ministry because each of the four elements can be seen clearly. Thus, ministry is when the power of God meets human need through the love of the people of God, and ultimately God is glorified.
