Every Christian is called to be a minister of the things of God! It has well and often been said of Christians, “You are either a minister or a ministry!” I could not agree more.

As we come to the 20^th Chapter of the Book of Acts, we get a biblical glimpse of Paul as he ministers to the peoples of the Roman World. We see him as his third and final missionary journey begins to wind down. He is determined to get to Jerusalem and then to Rome.

These verses reveal five specific types of ministry in which Paul participated. One of them was given to, (and restricted to) the Twelve Apostles; but, the other four are ministries that every believer is called – or more correctly, commanded – to carry out.

In 1^st Corinthians 11:1, Paul commanded the Corinthian believers to, “Imitate me as I imitate Christ.” Strong words… but, they are biblical words and therefore they are the words of God! I hope that as you read over, meditate over, and pray over these sixteen verses you will grasp the importance of Christian ministry to both believers and unbelievers alike.

Here are some questions that I will attempt to answer from these verses this coming Lord’s Day morning:

1. What is the first ministry we see in this passage, and why is it so prevalent in all of Paul’s ministry? Why do we not see more of it in churches today?

2. Why did Paul always surround himself with younger men with whom he ministered? How can we apply that practice to our church today?

BTW: This particular ministry is one of the most important in the life of the church… sadly, it is almost never used!

3. In verse 7, we see the most common biblical ministry being exercised. Think about the many ways in which this ministry can be delivered to and through our church.

4. Spiritual Gifts are one of the most divisive issues among believers! Here is another case of Paul performing a great miracle. Why do we not see miracles like this today – or do we?

5. Obedience, simple obedience, is in itself a ministry! It requires real sacrifice and it produces real fruit in the life of the obedient believer and in the lives of those unbelievers who watch how we live.

REMEMBER: This coming Lord’s Day is the last Sunday in March so we will be taking the Lord’s Supper together and receiving our monthly Deacon Benevolence Fund Offering!

I hope you will read over this exciting portion of God’s Word and ask HIM to prepare your heart for the message this week! I hope you will get studied up, prayed up, and fired up over the opportunity to worship God together with your Church Family!