Ezekiel 33:7; Ephesians 5:21; I Peter 5:1-4

     Fourteen years ago during my first Sunday evening message I spoke on the topic, ‘Models for Ministry.’  I began by sharing four things I knew about myself, and these four truths are still true.  First, I am not a miracle worker.  Second, I am not omnipresent.  Good timing occurs as the result of members letting me know what is going on and the work of the Holy Spirit.  Third, I am not all knowing as it is usually good members that make preachers look smarter than we are.  Fourth, I am not able to bring revival and growth.  Since I am none of those things, it sure is good to know someone who is all powerful, all knowing, and present everywhere.  Yes, Jesus is all of these things, and He is the One who is able to do amazing works through us.  There are three principles or models that I have found to be beneficial in ministry, and they are the ones we seek to implement in our fellowship.

     First, our calling is to minister as shepherds. (I Peter 5:1-4)  Shepherds played prominent roles in the Old Testament.  The Patriarchs, Moses, David, and Amos had backgrounds as shepherds.  When David chose to describe God in Psalm 23, He referred to Him as “my shepherd.” (Psalm 23:1)  In the New Testament Jesus chose to call Himself the door to the sheepfold (John 10:7) and the Good Shepherd. (John 10:11)  A shepherd feeds and nurtures his sheep.  A shepherd leads and directs his sheep.  A shepherd protects his sheep.  As people who are called to serve one another, we are to do this as shepherds.  Jesus challenged Peter to “feed my sheep.” (John 21:16)  We are not to lord power over others.  We are to be servants who nurture, encourage, protect, lead, and challenge those under our care.

     Second, our calling is to minister in a spirit of mutual submission. (Ephesians 5:21)  As believers all of us are to be mutually submitted to one another in the fear or reverence of Christ.  We are not the final authority, and we are to be yielded to one another in a spirit of love.  When we are mutually submitted, we work together like a team of oxen pulling a wagon.  It is obvious what occurs when we pull in opposite directions, but when we pull together the load we are carrying is even lighter.  Mutual submission is one of the tangible evidences of the filling of the Holy Spirit.  The filling of the Spirit does not concern itself with how we feel, but rather it involves how we act and relate in worship, with other believers, with our mates, with our children, and with our fellow workers.  This is why it is important to take Paul’s words to the Roman believers to heart.  “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor.” (Romans 12:10)  This is impossible as long as we are thinking more highly of ourselves than we should. (Romans 12:3)  Mutual submission does not happen without humility.

     Third, our calling is to minister as watchmen.  In biblical times watchtowers dotted the landscapes of most countries.  God told Ezekiel, “I have appointed you a watchman for the house of Israel; so you will hear a message from my mouth and give them warning from me.” (Ezekiel 33:7)  A watchman’s task was to warn people of their sin (Ezekiel 33:9) and of their distorted or warped thinking. (Ezekiel 33:17)  As part of ministry we do have to continually warn others of the danger associated with sin, with the problems related to temptation, and with the impending, inevitable judgment for sin.  In many ways the remedial judgment of God is upon our nation as we are struggling on many fronts.  We can blame our problems on Washington or Frankfort, but in the end our sin is the main problem.  God did not spare Sodom nor Babylon, and He did not even spare His holy city Jerusalem from the judgment related to sin.  There is no reason to believe the same thing will not happen to us unless we repent.