Ephesians 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.
This passage of scripture teaches us that ministering to others is what the kingdom of God is all about, and that the gifts and talents He has bestowed on every person were given for the sole purpose of building up the body of Christ. The Christian experiences his greatest joy in serving others, and if at the end of life's journey we can look back at our lives and see where we may have been of benefit to someone, then life would have been worth living. The disciples of Christ experienced this joy first hand as on one occasion Christ fed the multitude with five barley loaves and two fishes, in which they participated, by receiving the desired bread from Christ and then distributing it to the people. Let's read:
Luke 9:16 Then he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed them, and brake, and gave to the disciples to set before the multitude.
This act of ministry in the feeding of the multitude was productive of great good, and consequently opened up the way for the people to receive the Living Bread also. As a matter of fact, the entire experience contains very valuable lessons which we can adopt and apply in our own personal ministry to others. First of all, Christ used what available resources were on hand, which means that we also are to start with whatsoever we may have, like religious material, dvds, "Text" messaging (Pun intended), or by using our facebook and twitter accounts to tell others of God's saving grace. Another lesson that can be derived to help us in the joy of service, is that as we receive the Living Bread from Christ, we also are in turn, to distribute what we have received to those with whom we come in contact with, and thus as we give ourselves in willing service, our own capacity to receive will be increased. Let's read:
Proverbs 11:24 There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty. 25 The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.
The law of life is the law of service, and if we live solely unto ourselves without ministering to fallen humanity, then our profession of Christianity needs to be urgently assessed and improved by the grace of God, for Christ came not to be served, but to be of service to others. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which calls us to a renewal of that first invitation to service which motivated us when we first accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior, for to be a Christian is to be a servant. Let's read:
Revelation 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
May God add His blessing to the doing of His word. "Good night" and God bless!