Exodus 28.3,4 And thou shalt speak to all that are wise in heart, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him, that he may minister to me in the priest’s office. And these are the garments which they shall make; a breast-plate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a broidered coat, a miter, and a girdle; and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister to me in the priest’s office.
1 Peter 2.9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
God calls His people those who are set apart to minister unto Him. Think on that for a moment. It is so easy to define ministry in terms of what we do, where we do it and do on and so forth. In one sense, that is true of course if you are speaking in terms of geography or identity. But all true ministry within the body of Christ is first and foremost vertical and unto The Lord. In other words, our calling each and every day as the royal priesthood is to minister as unto The Lord. In as much as you have done it unto the least of these My brethren, you have done it unto Me. How we need this Godward, Christ-ward ministry perspective in our churches.
The church is really a hospital that is made up of sinners with various degrees of wounds, sicknesses and shortcomings. Until we are taken to heaven, the body is a patient in God’s hospital. Nobody has it all together. There is only One Doctor on staff. We all hurt at one time or another. We all grieve or find ourselves in financial need at one time or another. We all get discouraged or feel defeated at times. It is when we have this vertical, Jesus-focused view of ministering that the church is at its finest.
Oh, how Jesus is glorified when we quietly meet that need of another saint, as unto Him. Oh, how Jesus is glorified when we weep with those who weep, as unto Him. Oh, how Jesus is glorified when we take the time to hear that troubled or difficult soul’s story before we pull the trigger of self-righteous condemnation.
My prayer today for the body of Christ is that each and every local church would be clothed with the garments of Christ-like love, humility, grace and kindness. That our hearts and attitudes towards one another would be tender and full of understanding. When The Lord opens my eyes to see Jesus in you, and vice versa, it is amazing how differently I look at your hurt, pain or need. When we realize that we have been saved to do all things as unto Jesus, our churches will truly be filled with compassion and caring souls who help one another grow in grace and in the knowledge of God, for the glory of God.
