Have you ever struggled with your place in church? Not the building, we know the building is just that, a facility where the church (the local body of believers) gathers together to worship and learn about the Lord. But have you ever felt like you wanted to DO something “in church,” to serve in some way but weren’t sure how or if you could? Have you felt like you wanted to be more than just a consumer “at church” and definitely didn’t feel like church should be something you “do” on Sundays or an obligation, especially for social purposes? I’d say that was the Holy Spirit guiding and encouraging you!

Since the “body of believers” is the actual definition of church, there’s way more to a church than what sometimes gets confused as church, like the weekly meetings that typically take place on Sundays and Wednesdays. Yes, we are absolutely supposed to assemble together regularly (Heb 10:25), but that’s not all. Honestly, the body of believers living out their faith through actions and words on a daily basis in the community, at school, work, shopping, sports events, etc. will have vastly more impact than the church staff ever will! If you’re looking for your ministry, you have one! Read the verses below in 2 Corinthians 5.

¹⁴ For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. ¹⁵ And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

¹⁶ So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. ¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:^[a] The old has gone, the new is here! ¹⁸ All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: ¹⁹ that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰ We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.²¹ God made him who had no sin to be sin^[b]for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

2 Corinthians 5:14-21

Did you read that? Did you see your ministry given to you by God? You even have a title! We are ambassadors for Christ. We have a ministry of reconciliation. We are supposed to make an appeal to others and reconcile them to God through Christ. That sounds an awful lot like Jesus’ commission to His disciples in Matthew 28:18-20. Your ministry likely won’t look like what you have pictured in your mind, it may not look like zoom Bible studies, hosting small groups in your home, teaching a class at church, or speaking to a group of people. It can look like those things, but all believers’ every day life ministry is where people are truly reached for the Lord. A friend and colleague shared this video her team produced to give insight of what every day discipleship in your ministry looks like.

You don’t need a degree to “start” in ministry. You’ve already been given a ministry from the very one who died to save you! Remember yesterdays blog? “If you know enough to be saved, you know enough to lead someone to Christ.” If you know how to read and you have a Bible you know how to sit down with it and read it with others! care for those in your sphere of influence, love them, serve them. This is the mission of the church, the real church, not the building we call church. Untether yourself from the idea that you aren’t qualified or don’t know enough and let the Spirit lead you! Your ministry is waiting on you!! Let’s be the church!