What Is Ministry? A Biblical Definition

The Problem of Treating Everything as Ministry

When people hear the principle that ministry should be supported, not sold, they sometimes object by claiming that essentially anything a Christian does can be considered ministry. So, it's impossible to apply the principle.

We touched on this perspective in the profile of Jane the Free Thinker. Now, Jane believes that there are no guiding principles in scripture regarding money and ministry because everything is ministry if it's done as unto the Lord, right?

As long as we're loving God and our neighbor and seeking to make disciples, all of life is ministry. A janitor can work for the glory of God, and when he does, that's a ministry just as important as preaching.

A Christian flipping burgers can be a ministry just as much as praying for someone's healing. So, Jane has concluded that just as a janitor can demand payment for the work he's doing, a Christian can demand payment for each prayer he prays for someone.

It's common for Christians to hold some form of Jane's view. Therefore, we want to take the time to work towards a careful consideration of the limitations scripture puts upon what should and should not be considered ministry.

We hope to provide a framework that clarifies the concept so that we can discern what true ministry is and know what should not be monetized. In this video, we'll see that while Christians should glorify God in all aspects of life, not all work can be classified as ministry.

We'll look at how misinterpretations of biblical passages often lead to the misconception that everything is ministry. From a careful examination of scripture, we'll show that Christian ministry should be understood as spirit-empowered service specifically and directly for the edification of the body of Christ.

To add further clarity, we've included a section of affirmations and denials at the end. Note that the goal here is not to do a formal lexical study of the word ministry as though it were consistently invested with a technical definition throughout scripture.

Rather, our task is to answer the questions, are there religious activities done in the service of God which scripture particularly regulates or sets apart as holy? And if so, what are they? This also means that we won't be seeking some formulaic or synthetically simplified approach to Christian ministry, but rather to lay the groundwork for wise evaluation.

Now, this video spends considerable space at the beginning tracing the different reasons for confusion around the meaning of ministry. For those who aren't interested in this lengthy background, it's recommended that you skip to one of the following sections that will be in these chapters.

The roots of the concept in scripture, a working definition, and application. So let's get into it. One of the most difficult challenges in the Christian life is the task of maintaining biblical balance.

The history of the church has been marked by a tendency to extremes, swinging from one end of a spectrum to the other and seldom finding a healthy equilibrium. This is one of the reasons why debates about sacred versus secular have often ended in confusion and misunderstanding.

Conflation and misplaced generalizations often cloud this topic, which is one that requires nuance, wisdom, and careful distinctions that aren't always quick and simple. Now, as someone aptly said, Americans don't like to fast and pray.

They like to pray fast. This propensity to rush and oversimplify is what we seek to avoid as we think assiduously and search the scriptures for answers to the important questions of what should be considered ministry, which is something traditionally considered sacred.

At the root of some of the confusion about ministry is the lack of clarity regarding the biblical distinction between the sacred and secular. Scripture differentiates between holy and common things. However, some authors tend to downplay or understate this biblical distinction while rightly emphasizing the integration of faith in all of life and doing everything for God's glory.

So, the challenge lies in balancing the recognition of traditionally sacred vocations and activities with the understanding that all work can be done to honor God while maintaining the scriptural differentiation between holy and common.

Another factor that contributes to the confusion about what constitutes ministry is the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. This uniquely Protestant belief might understandably blur traditional differentiations, suggesting that every Christian's career is potentially sacred.

In an article titled, What the Priesthood of All Believers Means for Your Work, the author writes, How many of us feel our work is not spiritual enough or doesn't matter in God's grand design? Understanding this concept of a priesthood of all believers can help us see how all our vocations bear great importance.

The priesthood of all believers is an important biblical idea that has great implications for our personal spirituality, our public life in the church and the world and our work. When Martin Luther referred to the priesthood of all believers, he was maintaining that the plow boy and the milkmaid could do priestly work.

In fact, their plowing and milking was priestly work. There was no hierarchy in which the priesthood was a vocation and milking the cow was not. Both were tasks that God called his followers to do, each according to their gifts.

So here we can see that oversimplifications and misapplications of the priesthood of all believers can lead to a belief that all vocations are categorically the same as priesthood, provided that they are carried out by Christians for God's glory.

Now, just because all believers now function as priests offering spiritual sacrifices to God does not mean that all of our activities are priestly. The author references a saying attributed to Luther, but provides no source.

In other works of Luther, it is clear that his primary concern is not the spiritual nature of vocations, but rather the spiritual nature of all believers. A third factor that might muddy the waters of what ministry truly is and blur the lines between spiritual work and secular work is the example of Jesus.

Now, Jesus often broke traditional boundaries by interacting with people and in places considered taboo, secular, or unclean by religious leaders of his time. His teachings on the Sabbath might seem to some like a dismantling of sacred distinctions, and some may interpret his attack on the Pharisees in Matthew 23 as a dismissal of the idea that doing ministry is somehow distinct from anything that results in doing justice and showing mercy and faithfulness.

Now, misconceptions or misapplications like the ones we just mentioned tend to revolve around a small handful of biblical passages. Let's look at each of these passages in turn, see how their misuse might hinder clear thinking about ministry, and offer a more accurate perspective.

Misreadings of 1 Corinthians 12, Colossians 3, and Romans 12

So, 1 Corinthians 12 28,. Now, this verse lists various roles and gifts within the Christian community that are deemed essential for the functioning and edification of the church. For many modern readers, administrating might be assumed to refer to administrative work in general as we see it in the business world.

Therefore, some people might presume that all administrative roles, even those outside the church, can be considered ministries, provided they are carried out by Christians. However, in the context of 1 Corinthians 12, Paul is discussing gifts within the framework of the church's needs and the edification of fellow believers.

He's not offering a broad and general definition of all administrative work as the exercising of a spiritual gift. Although the word gubernesis only occurs here in the New Testament, we see it three times in the Septuagint, where it clearly has the sense of giving guidance.

Here, it means acts of guidance, both to the individual and to the community of believers, specifically in terms of the organizational and leadership abilities bestowed by the Holy Spirit to certain individuals to aid in church governance.

This is different from general administrative skills that can be learned and applied in various secular professions. Now, let's take a look at Colossians 3 23 through 24. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.

It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Now, these verses are addressed to believing slaves, encouraging them to approach all their work as a service to Christ. As King writes, people are the immediate object of their service, but not the ultimate object.

It means not to work like those who are working merely for men. They are to work as if their one employer were the Lord. This directive to work with all your heart as unto the Lord might lead some to the conclusion that every form of work, no matter how mundane or secular it may be, can be a form of ministry, if done in the right spirit.

The Apostle Paul's instruction here is part of a broader exhortation to live a new life in Christ, which involves putting off the old self and embracing new attitudes and behaviors that honor God. This is about the attitude and quality with which one should approach all labor rather than designating everything as ministry.

Again, this passage primarily addresses work ethic rather than defining what constitutes ministry. The main purpose is to encourage Christian slaves to perform their secular duties with the same commitment and dedication they might offer in explicitly spiritual roles.

While all work done in a manner that honors God can have spiritual significance, not all work directly edifies the church or advances the gospel. Ministry work usually has the direct goal of building up the body of Christ.

For example, a job in a call center for an insurance company might be performed with integrity and as unto the Lord, but its primary aim is not spiritual teaching or the strengthening of the church. This differs from work specifically structured around holistically nurturing a community of believers.

Now, let's check out Romans 12 .1. Now, Paul's call to present one's body as a living sacrifice is usually understood to mean that all of life should be worship. In other words, it should encompass all aspects of a believer's life, including everyday activities, and worship is not confined only to liturgical or ecclesiastical settings.

This could be further construed as indicating that the boundaries between sacred worship activities and secular daily activities are nonexistent or negligible at best. Let's look at the passage in detail and evaluate whether it's legitimate to conclude from it that everything is ministry because all of life should be worship.

The consensus among commentators is that here the body represents the whole person. It represents the person in his corporeal and concrete living in this world. It is a synecdoche. As Mu writes, Christians offer no bloody sacrifices on an altar, but they offer spiritual sacrifices, such as the sacrifice of praise to God, which is the fruit of lips that acknowledge His name.

Paul probably intends to refer to the entire person with special emphasis on that person's interaction with the world. Mu concludes that regular meetings together of Christians for praise and mutual edification are appropriate and indeed commanded in Scripture.

And what happens at these meetings is certainly worship, but such special times of corporate worship are only one aspect of the continual worship that each of us is to offer the Lord in the sacrifice of our bodies day by day.

So does living a life of worship equate to living a life of ministry? And does worshiping God during everyday situations mean that those situations are converted to ministry? No. Worship is the act of ascribing worth, reverence, and adoration to God.

It is honoring God. Ministry, on the other hand, as we will define it below, is spirit-empowered service specifically and directly for the edification of the body of Christ. Acts of ministry can certainly be considered worshipful since they honor God.

But not all worship can be considered ministry because much of it is primarily oriented vertically toward God to express devotion and honor to Him rather than horizontally towards the edification of fellow believers.

By way of illustration, oranges are a kind of fruit, but not all fruits are oranges. To claim that everything is ministry simply because all aspects of life should be honoring to God would be like claiming that every fruit is an orange.

Ministry and worship, while related in a way, serve distinct purposes and don't involve all the same activities. In short, Romans 12 .1 does not support the idea that everything is ministry. Now let's take a look at 1 Corinthians 10 .31.

So, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. And also, let's look at Colossians 3 .17 which says,. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

These verses teach that all actions, even as ordinary as eating and drinking, should be done for God's glory. On the surface, they appear to challenge the division between sacred and secular by declaring that all aspects of life can and should reflect one's devotion to God.

This broad application might lead to confusion about what constitutes spiritual activity or ministry since it sanctifies routine and non-spiritual things. Paul is actually instructing believers to be discerning in everything they do.

In 1 Corinthians 10 .31, he's not concerned about the contents of their meal but whether it signifies idol worship. And in Colossians 3 .17, he's not concerned about vocations but about honoring Christ in our relationships with others, fellow believers, husbands, wives, children, etc.

So, in contrast to the concerns in these verses, ministry often refers to specific roles or activities within the Christian community that are designed to directly facilitate worship, evangelism, discipleship, and service.

Again, it's true that all believers should infuse every action with an intention to glorify God. But this is not the same as saying that every God-glorifying action of a believer can subsequently be defined as ministry.

Ministerial work certainly must adhere to Paul's command but scripture maintains that it is unique. In the end, using these verses to argue that anything can be ministry dilutes the Bible's other teachings on spiritual gifts and ministry roles as we'll see later in Ephesians 4 .11 and 12.

While all work done in God's name can honor Him, it doesn't signify that there is no biblical distinction between secular work and Christian ministry. Another significant contribution to the confusion around what does and what doesn't constitute Christian ministry is the simple fact that few have attempted to define it.

There seems to be a common assumption in biblical scholarship that everyone already knows what ministry is, making that definition unnecessary. This absence of a definition has resulted in a general fuzziness around the idea of ministry.

It's made it a wax nose in the minds of many, aggravated further by the fact that the technical dictionary definition of the Greek word diakonia, commonly translated as ministry or service, yields a broad semantic domain.

For example, the Luanida lexicon gives this general definition, to render assistance or help by performing certain duties often of a humble or menial nature, to serve, to render service, to help. The premier lexicon of New Testament Greek, known as BDAG, lists one of the primary definitions as the performance of a service.

So, it's understandable that such a wide range of meaning might lead people to the conclusion that if they're serving in any capacity or context, they're doing ministry. But this is an honest mistake.

In his book, Exegetical Fallacies, Carson calls this type of word study fallacy unwarranted adoption of an expanded semantic field or illegitimate totality transfer. This refers to the supposition that the meaning of a word in a specific context is much broader than the context itself allows and may bring with it the word's entire semantic range.

For instance, one might observe that ecclesia, often translated as church, is defined most generally by lexicon simply as assembly or meeting, which is true. But that doesn't justify the conclusion that any assembly, regardless of beliefs or purpose, should be considered a church.

And I would suggest that such lexical totality transfer is exactly what helps derail accurate thinking about what ministry is and is not. As Silva has noted, it is easy, especially in the course of a sermon, to comment on the broad meaning of a word at the risk of obscuring its specific function in a given text.

Even if we study the word diakonia within the appropriate context that will help define Christian ministry, as opposed to general service, we may still encounter a relatively wide range of meanings, since service that edifies the church is not limited to just one or two things.

And these things often overlap in different ways. Some activities may be easier to classify as ministry than others, but that doesn't negate the fact that there is a distinction to be found if sought with wisdom and understanding.

For example, in the case with the word ecclesia, assembly or church, there are many groups that call themselves churches, but that doesn't mean they are legitimate or true churches. There are other biblical factors to consider carefully which may be daunting or even confusing.

However, any complexity and diversity in the matter shouldn't lead us to throw up our hands and relinquish hope of ever settling on a clear idea of what constitutes a true church. Neither should gray areas cause us to abandon the quest for understanding, nor simply label every assembly as a church.

Thus, defining Christian ministry requires the same deliberate and meticulous approach. Another factor in the general bewilderment is the use of another Greek word, liturgia, by the New Testament authors that sometimes gets translated as ministry.

The Biblical Roots and Vocabulary of Ministry

Now, Hebrews 8 .6 is an example of this. Jesus has received a much more excellent ministry just as the covenant he mediates is better and is founded on better promises. This word and its corresponding verbal form, liturgia, is used almost exclusively of religious and ritual services, particularly where the temple is concerned.

When liturgia occurs in Luke 1 .23, the NASB translates it as priestly service, and other translations simply say service. So, it very rarely occurs in the New Testament, but occurs frequently in the Greek version of the Old Testament.

When we examine various lexicons, liturgia and its related forms carry a rich connotation of formal, usually religious, service with roots in public duty and priestly functions. In the New Testament, particularly in Paul's writings, this term takes on a metaphorical dimension, expanding to encompass various forms of Christian service while retaining its sacred and sacrificial undertones.

The following are some of the elements in lexical definitions of the word liturgia. To render special formal service of cultic or ritual responsibilities, service of a formal or public type, often free of charge and suggestive of special or high status.

The LSJ abridged lexicon includes the following range of meaning for the verbal form liturgeo. To serve public offices at one's own cost, a public duty which the richer citizens discharged at their own expense.

Generally, any service or ministration, the service or ministry of priests, usually primarily in the LXX to refer to the various duties of the Levites. The word group appears rarely in Paul, always metaphorically of Christian service of some kind and not restricted to ministers.

Reference works like the Biblical Cyclopedia and the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia choose to focus on this formal office bearing aspect of ministry when they seek to define it. That is, they narrow their definition to clerical offices held in the local church or over groups of churches such as elder, pastor or bishop and activities related to the liturgy.

The Biblical Cyclopedia provides the following definition of ministry. Besides the ordinary applications of this term to the common affairs of life, it is specially used in the scriptures, chiefly those of the New Testament to denote a devotion to the interests of God's cause and in a technical sense, the work of advancing the Redeemer's kingdom.

Now, the Oxford English Dictionary defines ministry as the action or an act of religious ministration, the spiritual work or service of a minister, priest, etc., frequently in the ministry of the word.

Merriam-Webster offers this definition, the office, duties or functions of a minister. This delimits the idea of ministry to something performed by ministers leading one to ask what a minister is. The following are several definitions of minister in religious contexts from English dictionaries.

From these definitions, it's apparent that the English-speaking world mainly thinks of ministers narrowly as officially designated leaders within a Christian church, usually holding a formal office or ordained role, which may imply a focus primarily on the liturgia kind of ministry rather than the more common diakonia kind.

Our interest here is not primarily with liturgia ministry, which is unanimously recognized as something sacred that should not be sold but rather supported. Instead, we intend to understand the more broad application of diakonia and seek to understand its biblical contours.

Although English dictionary definitions center on formal liturgical duties performed by church office bearers, the mainstream use of the word ministry within the evangelical world tends to be more broad, often used to describe parachurch organizations and other acts of spiritual devotion performed by ordinary Christians.

Depending on the context, in versus outside of the local church, people may unwittingly switch freely in their minds between the function of the clergy and the service of the laity, while being unable to articulate what the difference might be.

Based on the confusion slash ambiguity surveyed so far, it comes as no surprise that there are some in the English-speaking church who have taken to defining ministry as they see fit or as whatever proves most convenient in their situation.

The alternative to arbitrary definitions is functional agnosticism. For some Christians, it's inconsequential how ministry is defined as long as the basic needs of the church are being met. So now that we've looked at potential root causes of a muddy understanding of ministry, let's turn to a detailed survey of scripture to find more light and clarity.

Old Testament Priesthood and the Ministry of Christ

The concept of ministry has roots in the Old Testament, particularly in the roles and responsibilities of the priesthood. The tribe of Levi was set apart for special service to God, with Aaron and his descendants serving as priests.

The responsibilities of the priests were multifaceted and included sacrificial duties, temple service, teaching and judging, intercessory prayer, and holy living. The New Testament expands the concept of ministry, building on the Old Covenant's foundations and introducing significant new elements.

Several key developments are noteworthy. First, Christ as the high priest. The New Testament presents Jesus Christ as the ultimate high priest, fulfilling and surpassing the Old Testament priesthood. The letter to the Hebrews emphasizes that Christ's priesthood is superior to that of Aaron because he offered a perfect, once-for-all sacrifice.

Jesus' role as high priest involves not only intercession and mediation, but also the inauguration of a new covenant through his blood. He serves as our model for ministry, building up believers and strengthening their faith.

And it's worth noting that he never sold anything he did and does not require payment for anything he continues to do for his body. Now, a major shift in the New Testament is the concept of the priesthood of all believers that we mentioned earlier.

This idea, rooted in passages like 1 Peter 2 .9 and Revelation 1 .6, democratizes the priestly functions, suggesting that all Christians are called to minister to one another and to the world. And this stands in contrast to the exclusive Levitical priesthood and leads to a broader, more inclusive understanding of ministry.

The New Testament also introduces the role of the apostles, who were chosen by Christ to spread the gospel and establish the church. The apostles' ministry involved preaching, teaching, healing, and leading the early Christian communities.

Their work also served as a foundational example for subsequent forms of ministry. Again, it's worth pointing out that the apostles never sold their preaching, writing, teaching, or healing. Now, in 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4, and Romans 12, the apostle Paul emphasizes the diversity of gifts and roles of service within the Christian community.

Ministry isn't limited to a specific class of individuals, but is distributed among all believers according to the gifts given by the Holy Spirit. And these gifts reflect a wide array of functions that contribute to the building up of the church.

Next, Jesus' model of servant leadership profoundly shapes the New Testament concept of ministry. Jesus taught that greatness in His kingdom is measured by one's willingness to serve others. This ethos of service permeates the New Testament's understanding of ministry, emphasizing humility, sacrifice, and love as the hallmarks of true Christian leadership.

And Jesus didn't charge the disciples for washing their feet, nor did He teach that humble service should be sold. The New Testament also elaborates on pastoral ministry, particularly in 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus, providing guidelines for the qualifications and responsibilities of church leaders.

The role of pastors and elders includes shepherding the flock, teaching sound doctrine, and providing oversight. As Scripture continues to shape our understanding of what ministry is and isn't, let's examine Ephesians 4, 11 through 16, which is one of the most helpful passages for defining ministry.

Ephesians 4 and the Equipping of the Saints

And it was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for works of ministry, diakonias, and to build up the body of Christ until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God.

As we mature to the full measure of the stature of Christ, then we will no longer be infants tossed about by the waves and carried around by every wind of teaching and by the clever cunning of men in their deceitful scheming.

Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Christ Himself, who is the head. From Him, the whole body, fitted and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love through the work of each individual part.

At the beginning of the passage, we encounter a list of different roles, apostles, prophets, etc. Let's consider these roles in turn and see how they equip the saints for works of ministry. The apostles and prophets are mentioned first as the foundational component in redemptive history, necessary for establishing authoritative revelation that can be built upon by all those that follow in the passage.

We see this very clearly earlier in the letter where Paul writes,. Therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone.

Therefore, the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry depends upon the authoritative revelation we have received from the apostles and prophets. Paul likely mentions evangelists next because of their essential role in spreading the good news to people who are yet to hear it.

Then, as God gathers these new believers into flocks, He raises up pastors and teachers who most directly participate in the equipping of the saints for ministry. The essence, but not totality, of the teacher's job is to impart the full knowledge of the Son of God.

So, the teaching is central and essential to the equipping of the saints because the ultimate goal is knowledge that will lead to maturity and stability rather than gullible childishness. Now, all five of these divine provisions for the church, apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers, are essential for equipping God's children for ministry.

Equip carries the connotation of helping supply what is lacking in someone, training, conditioning, or preparing. To be clear, pastors and teachers do not create the gifts in other believers, but rather help to shape and guide and sharpen and nurture them through Bible-saturated instruction.

God gives the gifts that enable believers to serve and pastors and teachers help cultivate them to maturity. At this point, it's helpful to look at 1 Peter 4 .10 -11. As good stewards of the manifold grace of God, each of you should use whatever gift he has received to serve or minister to one another.

If anyone speaks, he should speak as one conveying the words of God. If anyone serves or ministers, he should serve with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory and the power forever and ever.

Amen. Now, this passage shows that believers are only able to minister to others because of the grace of God, and they are expected to be good stewards of that grace. The strength needed to serve doesn't originate in believers, but rather in God.

It all comes as a gift by God's manifold grace. Piper helpfully points out that there are many kinds of ministries Christians are empowered and equipped to do. He uses 1 Corinthians 12 -5 to support this conclusion.

There are varieties of service or ministry, but the same Lord. From this, he concludes that it would be wrong to make a list of a certain limited number of gifts or ministries that a Christian can engage in.

Instead, the saints should be encouraged to live for others, according to Christ's example in Mark 10 -45. The Son of Man didn't come to be served or ministered to, but to serve or minister. Piper concludes by saying, that's what it means to minister.

Find a need and fill it according to your unique and wonderful gifts of God. Later, he goes on to flesh out this definition by saying, the work of ministry is the work of joining Jesus in humbling ourselves and becoming servants of all other Christians, seeking ways to meet their needs, especially with what we've been equipped with from the teachers.

So, based on the structure of Paul's description in Ephesians 4 -12, we can see the following outline. First, preparation, equipping the saints. Second, work, ministry of the saints. And third, the result, the body of Christ is built up.

So, knowing what prepares for ministry and what the result should be helps us develop the contours of a definition. Now, in order to understand this result of ministry, we must gain a clear understanding of what it means to build up or edify, oikodomein, the body of Christ.

Edification, Spiritual Gifts, and the Work of Ministry

The body of Christ is both a corporate and individual reality. B. Dagg defines edification in this context as spiritual strengthening. Piper argues that the edification of Christ's body has at least three goals, and it is distinguished by at least three marks.

The goals of edification are to make the body durable, functional, and beautiful. And edification must be marked by understanding, love, and grace. Let's unpack each of these marks in turn. First, we'll look at 1 Corinthians 14, 2 -5, and as we read it, let's focus on the repetition or emphasis of edification.

For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God. Indeed, no one understands him. He utters mysteries in the spirit. But he who prophesies speaks to men for their edification, encouragement, and comfort.

The one who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but the one who prophesies edifies the church. I wish that all of you could speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. He who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may be edified.

This passage demonstrates a clear connection between edification and understanding. Edification cannot happen without understanding, comprehending, or making sense of the message of truth, which is confirmed by the connection between the knowledge of God and the edification of the church in Ephesians 4, 12 -13.

Now, the second mark of edification is love, which Paul demonstrates in Ephesians 4, 15 -16. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Christ himself, who is the head. From him, the whole body, fitted and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love through the work of each individual part.

Speaking the truth in love is part of what it means to do ministry, and this action helps the body grow and build itself up. The third mark of edification is grace, which we can see from Ephesians 4, 29.

Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up the one in need and bringing grace to those who listen. First, notice the connection between talk and speaking the truth.

Earlier in the chapter, much of ministry involves communication, which harmonizes with what is called the ministry of the word. And this is why some of the activities that are most obviously classified as ministry are speech-driven or word-focused things, like biblical counseling, preaching, and teaching biblical truth in person or through books.

Second, grace is one of the marks of edification because of how it appears in parallel with building up in this verse. Grace gives strength, and it's inextricably intertwined with building up the church through the work of ministry.

Now, Paul paints a clear picture of ministry as a spiritual activity, empowered by the Spirit to strengthen other believers spiritually. God Himself provided the spiritual leaders—apostles, prophets, pastors, etc .—to spiritually prepare the saints by revealing and teaching them spiritual truths taught by the Spirit.

1 Corinthians 2, 13 reinforces this idea. And this is what we speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. So, as ministers, we are called to be conduits of Christ's spiritual blessings to one another.

We're even told to address one another with spiritual songs. And this spiritual characteristic is important because it helps narrow down what things might qualify as ministry. Occupations such as cashier, truck driver, food service worker, postal worker, or tax preparer wouldn't qualify by this evaluation.

They're not primarily spiritual activities given by God directly designed for the spiritual strengthening of believers. That said, spiritual life is holistic and is affected by the physical condition of the body, as we'll discuss later in this video in the section on Acts 6.

At this point, we can venture a simple working definition of Christian ministry. Christian ministry is Spirit-empowered service specifically and directly for the edification of the body of Christ. In other words, ministry is an endeavor to pass on to other Christians the spiritual blessing that we have received from God, which He revealed through His Word and makes manifest through His Spirit.

Because it is Spirit-empowered, it naturally follows that most ministry will be purely spiritual in nature, such as preaching biblical truth or praying for someone. However, some spiritual Spirit-empowered work will necessarily have physical effects, such as healing the sick, raising the dead, or casting out demons.

Likewise, while baptism and the administration of the Lord's Supper may be physical acts using physical elements, they're still sacred services representative of spiritual realities. So, edifying the body of Christ also extends beyond internal strengthening.

It encompasses expanding God's kingdom through evangelism. Now that we have a working definition, let's turn to 1 Corinthians 12, 4 through 11 to see how it gives further support to the idea that ministry is something Spirit-empowered for the edification of the Church.

There are different gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different ministries, but the same Lord. There are different ways of working, but the same God works all things and all people. Now, to each one, the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.

To one, there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom. To another, the message of knowledge by the same Spirit. To another, faith by the same Spirit. To another, gifts of healing by that one Spirit.

To another, the working of miracles. To another, prophecy. To another, distinguishing between Spirits. To another, speaking in various tongues. And to still another, the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, who apportions them to each one as He determines.