Read it: Acts 6:8-7:50
Live it:
That was a really long passage! But, what a story! Stephen, a person just like you and me, finds himself on the wrong side of the religious people. He is in the wrong group. The powerful people are angry, and Stephen says the wrong thing. He has the audacity to say that Jesus is the only way to the Father! That was totally the wrong message to bring, and the Jewish leaders were looking for an example. They just found one.
Ministry often puts us on the wrong side of the religious but never on the wrong side of the Spirit. Imagine how close Stephen had to be to withstand the pressure to crumble under the pressure. But if truth be told, when we know what we believe, it is not that hard. When we have had that relationship with Jesus that transforms our lives, it is not hard to tell others about it.
However, ministry costs us something. Ministry costs time, energy, quietness, finances, our personal desires,and sometimes, it costs us everything. God not only asks everything from us, but He gives us everything back – eternity.
Let’s look at what ministry in the church looks like. Doing a job that God and the church needs is ministry. Today, why not ask a church leader what you can do to help? Why not just show up for setup and teardown of the gym on Saturdays at 4:00 pm? Ministry is service wherever God and the church needs you to serve.
Carl