I. Intro & Update on our recent trip to Nova Scotia.
A. Report on the trip.
B. Intro.
1. We’ll get back to the restructuring series next week, but this week I want to share with you something that has been on my heart about the first ministry of every believer. I touched on this a few weeks ago, but I sense that we need to pause and go deeper into this.
2. There is a ministry that every believer is called to, but it has been largely forgotten and ignored. In all my years of being in church (since I was in grade school) I have only heard this mentioned once in a sermon, and it was not the topic of the message. (Only mentioned in passing.)
3. Many people say that marriage is our first ministry, but where does that leave people who are unmarried? Many people say that family is the first ministry, but where does that leave people who have no family (or strained)?
4. I think those perspectives have come from situations where people have put their careers and ministry callings above their marriages and families. And to be clear, marriage and family should come before our work and calling, whether in full time ministry or not.
5. Many Christians in the West think that their spiritual gift is their first ministry. Many think that their calling is their first ministry. We all have gifts that are meant to be used for the building up of the saints, we have all been called to good works that God has prepared beforehand, but there is a ministry that supersedes these and when it is not in first place, the gifts and callings are not as effective as they could be.
C. The ministry to the Lord.
1. I believe that the first ministry of every saint is the ministry to the Lord. Our ministry to the Lord must come before all else, marriage, family, career, gift and calling, because if not, they will all suffer. Without our ministry to the Lord, everything else will have to run on our own strength and understanding.
2. If we keep our ministry to the Lord in first place, then our marriage, families and everything else we do will be blessed.
3. But what does it mean to minister to the Lord? We’ll have a look at the biblical basis for this and what our ministry to God looks like.
II. The First Ministry.
A. The first and greatest commandment reveals the first and greatest ministry.
1. Jesus said in Matthew 22:37-40.
37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with
all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love
your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
2. “You shall love…”
a. love is agapao, to love dearly, to be well pleased with, to be contented with
b. agapé love is unconditional love, love for someone solely because of who they are
c. The same word is used for our love for God and others
d. We should love God without condition simply for Who He Is
e. Not just because of His blessings, but simply because He Is worthy of our love
3. Vs 38 “…the first and great commandment.”
a. first is protos, as in prototype, first in order, first in succession
b. great is megas, highly important, the most excellent service or work to be done
c. The first and best commandment, because if we get this right, it will prepare our heart for everything else.
4. Vs 37 “…all your heart, soul and mind.”
a. Heart is kardia, soul is psyche, and mind is dianoia, which is understanding
b. Mark 12:30 & Luke 10:27 add strength, ischys, force, ability
c. Jesus is saying that we are to love the Lord with our spirit, soul and body, our whole being
d. When we read heart in the bible it often refers to our spirit, soul & mind means all of our mind, will and emotions with understanding and strength is our bodily ability and force.
5. Paraphrase: Jesus said that the first and best use of our energy, attention and affection is to love God unconditionally with our whole being.
6. Vs 39 “The second is like it: love your neighbor as yourself.”
7. This is why I say that our ministry to the Lord takes precedence over our ministry to others, the use of our gifts and fulfilling our calling.
8. I’m not suggesting that we either minister to God or others, scripture clearly teaches that we do both. I’m saying that we need to be sure that our ministry to God is in first place.
B. OT roots.
1. This was not a new revelation, but one that God had taught His people shortly after delivering them from Egypt.
2. Deuteronomy 6:4&5
4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
3. Leviticus 19:17&18
17 ‘You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him. 18 You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.
4. I point this out because we need to see that in each covenant God has required this of His people. To love Him for Who He Is with all that we’ve got and love our neighbors as ourselves.
5. We also need to remember that Jesus did not come to abolish the law of Moses, but to fulfill it. He lived these commandments out and showed us by example how to fulfill them ourselves.
C. The NT church understood ministry to the Lord and made it a priority.
1. In Acts 13:1-3 we have an account of the saints ministering to the Lord and the result was ministry to others, the Lord revealing callings and anointing their spiritual gifts.
2. Acts 13:1-3
1 Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 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.” 3 Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.
3. This word for ‘ministered to the Lord’ is leitourgeo and it means “those who are appointed to perform the sacred rites and duties of the temple and tabernacle.”
4. They understood that as NT believers they had been given the role that was formerly reserved for priests and Levites in the OT.
III. God’s intention was that every saint be a priest.
A. OT thread.
1. At Sinai, God revealed that His intention for Israel was for the whole nation to be priests.
a. Exodus 19:6
“And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall
speak to the children of Israel.”
2. Later on, in Exodus 32, we read about the incident with the golden calf.
a. Israel sinned by worshiping the golden calf.
b. Moses says “Whoever is on the Lord’s side, come to me.” (Vs 26)
c. The tribe of Levi rallied to him and killed the idolators.
3. Later on in Duet 10:8 we read
“At that time the Lord separated the tribe of Levi to bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord to minister to Him and to bless in His name, to this day.”
4. God’s original intention was for the whole nation to be priests before Him, but He chose the tribe of Levi and set them apart to minister to Him.
B. NT fulfillment of God’s original desire for a holy people.
1. 1 Peter 2:9&10
9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.
a. God has called us out of darkness (sin and death) just as He called the Hebrews out of Egypt.
b. God has set us apart from the world, to be His own special people, not a political nation with an earthly gov’t and borders, but a spiritual nation with God as our head.
c. God has chosen us to be priests to proclaim His praises.
2. Revelation 1:4-6 (See also Rev 5:8-10)
4 John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth.
To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, 6 and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
C. Application.
1. In each case, with the Israelites and with NT saints, God has set apart a people that He chose to be priests to Him.
2. But in each case, some have rejected that calling of God. For various reasons, in every age some of God’s people have chosen to pursue other things and neglect their ministry to the Lord.
3. But the Lord is reminding us today of our ministry to Him and reminding us that is our priority, our first calling. The first and best use of our energy, attention and affection is to minister to Him and out of the overflow of His presence, we will be equipped to minister to one another.
4. How do we take this revelation and put it into practice? How do we love this out?
IV. Putting into practice.
A. And invitation, not an obligation.
1. First, realize that ministry to God is an invitation, not an obligation. His desire for us should not be seen as a duty on our part.
2. God has created multitudes of spiritual beings, ie.e, angels, seraphim, cherubim, Watchers, etc. and yet He chose us to be set apart to come into His presence and minister to Him.
3. Remember that God is love and when we come close to Him to minister to Him, we enter His love.
B. Consecrate yourself.
1. God has separated us from the world, but we also have a part to play in setting ourselves apart.
2. Consecration simply means to set something apart as holy to the Lord. It means that we set ourselves apart for service to Him.
3. We repent and get rid of anything that is offensive to God.
C. Fulfill God’s desire by following His job description for priests.
1. Deut 10:8 “… to bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord to minister to Him and to bless in His name, to this day.”
2. Bear the ark of His covenant means that we carry His presence with us. We have to spend time in His presence to be able to carry it out.
3. “…stand before the Lord to minister to Him”
a. Time that we dedicate to worship and wait on Him.
b. Not to lay our needs before Him, not to ask for help, etc. that is another time.
c. But to specifically set aside time to worship Him, thank Him and wait for his instruction.
4. To bless in His name.
a. Our ministry to others will be empowered and informed by the overflow of His love and presence.
D. Closing.
1. I’m not saying that this is something we have to do every day. But we should set aside time regularly to for the purpose of ministering to the Lord. Even once per week where we quiet our hearts and enter the Lord’s presence to worship Him and stand before Him.
2. A great way to start is to prepare for this ministry on Sunday mornings when we gather. Prepare your heart and mind to come to our gatherings ready to enter His presence and minister to Him. Be early, fellowship before and after the service, and focus on Him when we gather.
3. Let’s not neglect our ministry to the Lord and leave it to others as some have done in the past. Now that we’ve seen this, let’s consecrate ourselves to the Lord as holy and minister to Him.