The apostle Peter makes it clear. Every Christian is supposed to be an active participant in the ministry of the gospel. Still there are times when we need someone to encourage us by modeling the majesty of ministry in Jesus’ name.
In 1 Peter 2, Peter describes Jesus’ followers as “living stones” being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (v. 5).
He continues in verse 9, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.”
That which once belonged to Israel now belonged to God’s new creation, the Church. That which was once the domain of the Old Testament priests now belonged to the believers in Jesus.
There can be no doubt. All Christian believers are called to serve the cause of Christ through His church. That was the earliest New Testament pattern as Acts 8:4 affirms when the writer reports, “Those who had been scattered preached the Word wherever they went.”
Both in 1 Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4, the apostle Paul expands the theme of every Christian being a minister of the gospel. In 1 Corinthians 12:7 he writes, “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” Paul affirms that each believer is gifted by God and the purpose of that gift is “for the common good.”
Body of Christ
Spiritual gifts are not for the private enjoyment or personal indulgence of the believer. Every gift is to be used to build up the body of Christ.
That point is made again in Ephesians 4:12 where Paul also says that spiritual gifts are “to prepare God’s people for works of service so that the body of Christ may be built up.”
Building up the body of Christ does not mean the church can be indifferent to those outside the church or become a closed society hiding from the world. It was Jesus Himself who taught that those who believe in Him should seek both the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matt. 6:33).
In word and deed
It is by engaging with the world through missions and ministry that Christ is made known in word and deed. Believers seek God’s righteousness as they pursue justice and mercy and wellbeing of those around them so others will see the good works and glorify the Father in heaven.
The Christian faith is not like a coat that can be worn on Sunday and hung in the closet the other days of the week. The Christian faith is an expression of one’s true personhood. The love of God permeates all that the believer is, all that the believer does. That is the implication of “living stones” being built into a spiritual house.
One writer noted, “The church needs teachers, social workers, parents, politicians, entrepreneurs, artisans and more who have captured a vision of their Christian citizenship and put it to work in their vocations.”
The goal is all of God’s people working together for the kingdom of God. If a pastor is forced to do most of the work of ministry instead of ministry being done by all the people of God then the majesty of ministry erodes as the biblical truth of being “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” is lost through careless practice.
Despite clear biblical teaching it is still true that sometimes believers need encouragement as they grow in God’s grace. Some may need a model to help them see the possibilities of the majesty of ministry in Jesus’ name.
To some extent the elected leaders of a local church, especially the deacons, have the privilege of modeling the majesty of ministry.
The Baptist Faith and Message teaches the church has two spiritual offices: pastors and deacons. In the New Testament the terms “pastor,” “elder” and “overseer” are used interchangeably. Historically, Baptists chose the word “pastor” to describe this office.
“Deacon” refers to a lay leader in the church. Interestingly little is said about the duties of the office. That may be because function may change based on needs and circumstances. Some might describe it as the context of ministry. But it should not be forgotten that the word translated “deacon” means “servant.”
Qualifications of a deacon
More is said about the qualifications of a deacon. In broad strokes, a deacon is to be a person of integrity; one who is dignified, tells the truth, is self-controlled and is not self-centered. The deacon is to evidence spiritual growth being sound in the faith. A deacon is to live life under the lordship of Jesus (see 1 Tim. 3:8–12).
Lay leaders like deacons are most influential in modeling what it means to be part of the “royal priesthood” of our Lord, to seek His kingdom and His righteousness. Lay leaders help establish attitudes about missions and ministry, about leadership and service.
Deacons help cast vision and set directions, establish values and set the tone of the congregation.
Deacons and other lay leaders help demonstrate the partnership in ministry the people of the church enjoy with their pastor.
Through their personal examples deacons help shape the culture of their congregation by modeling the majesty of ministry by all the people of God. As they lead, others will follow.
Baptists believe in the priesthood of all believers because that is what the Bible teaches. Every follower of Christ should know the majesty of ministry in Jesus name. We are indebted to all of those who encourage us in that effort by effectively modeling that all people are called to be ministers for our Lord.
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