Doing ministry: the best way of manifesting grace
Doing Ministry: The Best Way to Manifest Grace
Ministry is the best place for manifesting the grace of God. Engaging more in ministry leads to more grace, enabling you to accomplish even greater works. Thus, as you immerse yourself in ministry, you witness the full manifestation of God’s grace.
2 Corinthians 9:8:
“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.”
All grace enables you to do more ministry. It is an greater grace that empowers you for greater works and serves as the reward for faithfully utilizing the grace you’ve been given.
Consider Acts 4:29-33:
And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus. And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any [of them] that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.(KJV)
Reflect on 1 Corinthians 15:10:“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.”
Hard work in ministry stems from grace. No one can labor effectively by their own strength alone. We are, by ourselves, unprofitable servants with no inherent sufficiency to serve the Lord Jesus. However, through His abundant grace, we are made sufficient to minister effectively, efficiently, and abundantly.
As 2 Corinthians 3:5-6 states:
Not that we are fit (qualified and sufficient in ability) of ourselves to form personal judgments or to claim or count anything as coming from us, but our power and ability and sufficiency are from God. [It is He] Who has qualified us [making us to be fit and worthy and sufficient] as ministers and dispensers of a new covenant [of salvation through Christ], not [ministers] of the letter (of legally written code) but of the Spirit; for the code [of the Law] kills, but the [Holy] Spirit makes alive.(AMP)
The grace of God should not be in vain. It is given for service. By offering your resources and efforts in service to the Lord, you enter into more grace—doing more, doing it better, and on a higher platform.
Paul exemplifies this in 1 Corinthians 15:10:
“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.”
Consider Barnabas, whose story illustrates the progression from grace to greater grace through ministry:
Acts 4:36-37:
“And Joses, who was also named Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated Son of Encouragement), a Levite of the country of Cyprus, having land, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.”
Acts 9:26-27:
“And when Saul had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, and did not believe that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. And he declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus.”
He advanced from grace to higher degree in the working of grace, where all grace worked mightily in him. Eventually, he became Paul’s traveling companion in ministry.
Acts 12:25: “And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their ministry, and they also took with them John whose surname was Mark.”
Acts 13:2: “As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’”
Acts 13:7: “who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man called for Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God.”
Acts 13:46: “Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, ‘It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles.’”
Acts 13:50: “But the Jews stirred up the devout and prominent women and the chief men of the city, raised up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region.”
Barnabas exemplifies how using grace in service leads to even greater grace. He utilized the grace of serving the Lord with his resources and eventually progressed to apostolic and evangelistic ministry. Everyone who operates in greater grace didn’t stumble upon it; rather, they received it as a reward for being faithful in ministry. I, too, grew from the grace of being an usher and a church worker, submitted to the orders of my pastor and church leaders, to being relied upon to run errands for the church, to leading in evangelism and prayers, and finally to being trusted to assist my pastor. Then, the apostolic call to pioneer CFCI came, which elevated the work of grace in my life. It’s truly a case of “I am what I am by the grace of God” because I have worked tirelessly and faithfully with that grace.
Arise and take your calling seriously. See the grace of God abound sufficiently in your life.
I call you blessed.