What type of ministry can you do when you’re stuck at home? As we’ve seen new COVID-19 cases rise, fall, and rise again most of us don’t leave the house. Small group Bible studies are done on Zoom, church is watched on YouTube, we buy groceries with Instacart, and everything else is delivered to our homes by Amazon.
With this lack of in-person interaction, what kind of ministry can we do? Is there any ministry we can do?
Some ladies I know from our church started a card ministry. They began writing encouraging note cards and delivered them to police officers, city officials, fire fighters, and nursing home employees and residents.
Another couple of ladies love to sew. They’ve been making nice cloth face masks for people that need it. (They gave me one of these masks four months ago and I still use it).
When Paul wrote to the believers in Corinth, he wanted them to do ministry to the people around them. He reminded them about what God had done through Jesus Christ, “For He [God] made Him [Jesus] who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21, NKJV). And because of that righteousness we have, we need to share the Gospel with others through ministry. And we do ministry by partnering with God, which Paul told them next.
“We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For He says, ‘In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you.’ Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:1-2).
Every Christian is a partner with God in ministry. The first word in 2 Corinthians 6:1 in the Greek New Testament is a compound participle consisting of two words put together. The first is a preposition (syn) which means “with,” and the second word (ergeo) is the common Greek verb for “work.” Taken together it means “to engage in a cooperative endeavor, work together with, assist, help.” The New Living Translation renders it as “partner.” The dictionary definition of partner is “one associated with another especially in an action.” In effect, Paul is telling us all that we are partners with God in an active cooperative ministry.
Ministry must happen now. In 2 Corinthians 6:2 Paul quotes a prophecy recorded in the book of Isaiah more than 700 years before Paul wrote Corinthians. The point? Ministry needs to happen now. The time to share the Gospel with others is now. In his book, Holy Ambition, Chip Ingram writes, “Life is short. People are hurting. People are dying. And God wants to use you and me to make a difference in their lives.”
Like those ladies that found a way to do ministry from home by writing encouraging note cards or sewing masks, let’s find our own way to partner with God and do ministry now.
Christopher Scott is associate pastor at Rocky Hill Community Church in Exeter. He may be reached by calling 559-730-1906. Prays Together is a rotating column between the pastors of the First Presbyterian Church of Exeter, Church of Christ of Exeter, Nazarene Church of Exeter, Church of God of Exeter, the New Life Assembly of God and Rocky Hill Community Church as well as the Lemon Cove Presbyterian Church.
This column is not a news article but the opinion of the writer and does not reflect the views of The Sun-Gazette newspaper.
