Every Christian Is a Minister

CURRENT TEACHING SERIES God's Vision For the Rest of Your Life

Every Christian Is a Minister By Rick Warren — Sep 15, 2016 “God ... has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ages ago he planned that we should spend these lives in helping others” (Ephesians 2:10 TLB). God did not put you on Earth just to live for yourself. He wants you to make the world a better place! Every time I hear somebody say, “I live for the weekends,” I want to say, “Then why should God keep you alive?” If you’re not fulfilling your purpose, you’re missing the whole point of life. Ephesians 2:10 says, “God ... has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ages ago he planned that we should spend these lives in helping others” (TLB). There’s a word for this: ministry. Every Christian is a minister. Not every Christian is a pastor, but every Christian is to be a minister. That means you use your talents and gifts to make a contribution in life, to be a giver, not a taker. The Bible says 58 times, “Love one another. Care for one another. Pray for one another. Encourage one another. Help one another. Counsel one another. Support one another” and on and on. It is the mutual ministry of every believer in the family of God to every other believer in the family of God. That’s the way God meant for it to be. The truth is, serving God by serving others is not always easy. Sometimes you’re going to get discouraged. So what do you do when you start to get discouraged? You remember two things. First, you remember that you’re going to receive a reward that’s going to go on for eternity. The Bible says that God “will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers” (Hebrews 6:10b NLT, second edition). You’re going to be rewarded in eternity. The second thing to remember is that God uses every little thing. Nothing is insignificant when you serve God. None of it is in vain. “Keep busy always in your work for the Lord, since you know that nothing you do in the Lord’s service is ever useless” (1 Corinthians 15:58 TEV). PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >> Talk It Over Would you characterize yourself as more of a giver or a taker in the family of God? Why is it often difficult to serve other people? What is a seemingly small or insignificant thing God has asked you to do in ministry toward which you need to change your attitude? Our Gift: Daily Inspiration for The Purpose Driven Life Book In Daily Inspiration for The Purpose Driven Life, Pastor Rick has taken all the key verses that explain how God created each of us for five purposes and put them into an easy-to-use reference tool that will help anyone study and memorize God’s Word. LEARN MORE Complete Audio Series (Purchase) Includes six full length teaching CD's from Pastor Rick's series God's Vision For the Rest of Your Life. LEARN MORE Series Summary Message 1: ​​Choosing Your Future Message 2: ​​​​​​​​​​Learning to Live Wisely Message 3: ​​​Embracing the Vision Message 4: ​​Why You Need a Church Family Message 5: Enabling the Vision Message 6: ​​How to Get Ready to Be Used By God PLAY TODAY'S BROADCAST

Pastor Rick Warren

Enjoy today's Devotional? Listen instantly to the full radio message at Daily Hope Radio. Did someone forward this devotional to you? Subscribe to Pastor Rick Warren's Daily Devotional. This devotional is based on the current Daily Hope radio series at pastorrick.com. Rick Warren has helped people live with hope and on purpose for more than 40 years. He’s the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Southern California and author of several books, including "The Purpose Driven Church" and "The Purpose Driven Life," read by more than 100 million people in 137 languages. He created the PEACE Plan (plant churches of reconciliation, equip servant leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, educate the next generation), which is used by churches in 196 countries. His radio teaching and daily devotional, Daily Hope, is offered across America. This devotional © 2016 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission. You can unsubscribe at any time by changing your e-mail preferences. Update your preferences  |  Unsubscribe