Personal Ministry

by

Bible Passages

Ezek 3:10-11 Son of man, let all my words sink deep into your own heart first. Listen to them carefully for yourself. Then go to your people in exile and say to them, “This is what the Sovereign Lord says!” Do this whether they listen to you or not.

Ezek 3:17 Son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman for Israel. Whenever you receive a message from me, warn people immediately.

Ezek 3:20-21 If righteous people turn away from their righteous behavior and ignore the obstacles I put in their way, they will die. And if I do not warn them, they will die in their sin… and I will hold you responsible for their death. But if you warn righteous people not to sin and they listen to you and do not sin, they will live and you will have saved yourself too.

Col 3:1-5 Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven,… think about things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your REAL LIFE is hidden with Christ in God. So put to death the sinful earthly things lurking within you…

Col 3:11-14 In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are Jew or Gentile, slave of free… Christ is all that matters, and he LIVES IN ALL OF US. Clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility… Above all clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony

Col 3:17 whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father

Col 3:23 Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.

Devotional Thoughts

As I meditate on these passages today, I see instruction for personal ministry. Although God was talking to Ezekiel about the ministry he would have among God’s people, I think there is application to what God calls us to as a part of His spiritual body. Here’s some things that stood out to me in these 2 passages.

  1. Ezek 3:10 Let all my words sink into your own heart first. Listen to them carefully for yourself.
    • Before we can consider having a ministry in other people’s lives, God needs to be at work in us. His words need to be sinking deep into our hearts. Ministry is the overflow of what God has / is putting into our heart!
  2. Colossians 3 gives some more instruction regarding that how to fill our hearts with His Word.
    • Col 3:1-5 Set your minds on things above, where Christ is, not on earthly things
    • Your REAL life is hidden with Christ in God
    • Col 3:11-14 In this new life (this REAL life) Christ is all that matters. Clothe yourself with Him… put on clothes that look like Him, kindness, humility, patience, forgiveness and love.
    • Col 3:17 Whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus
    • Col 3:23 work willingly / heartily (ESV) at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord.
  3. Ezek 3:11 goes on to say, “Once you have listened to my words carefully for yourself, go to my people and tell them the Word of the Lord, whether they listen to you or not.” Remember the word picture Paul gave us in 2 Cor 5:17-21? He calls us his ambassadors. He said, “God is making his appeal through us.” We are his representative.
  4. Ezek 3:17 you are a watchman for my people. Ezek 3:20-21 As God’s watchmen, when we see righteous people turning away from righteous behavior, if we do not warn them when God is leading you to, he says, “I will hold you responsible for them.”

Prayer Outline:

  1. I pray that you would faithfully be in His Word, and that His Words will sink deep into your hearts.
  2. I pray that you will set your minds on things above. That the things of this earth will be “strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.”
  3. I pray that you will get dressed every day with His characteristics. So that whatever you do and say will be reflecting the one you represent.
  4. Then, as God’s Word fills your heart, that it will overflow to others.

Leave a Reply