Study 45 – Grace and Ministry

Paul didn’t halt at his comment, ‘By the grace of God I am what I am’. He continued, ‘And his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them – yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me’ (1 Cor. 15:10). He didn’t address only the issue of identity in Christ; he also referred to his ministry as an apostle.

Not only did grace save him, it also called him to a sphere of service. He said, ‘we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith’ (Rom. 1:5) and declared, ‘By the grace God has given me. I laid a foundation as an expert builder’ (1 Cor. 3:10). Again, he stated, ‘Grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches in Christ’ (Eph. 3:8). He saw the whole operation as a gift of grace.

Called to Serve
We aren’t all apostles but we do ‘have different gifts, according to the grace given us’ (Rom. 12:6). Peter says, ‘Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various (or multicoloured) forms’ (1 Pet. 4:10). God has distributed gifts of grace to his church and each of us has the responsibility of using our particular gifts for the good of the body of Christ.

We often imagine that God’s gifts are proofs of holiness or marks of maturity given only to the most advanced Christians to demonstrate God’s approval of their spiritual progress. But this isn’t the case. God’s gifts aren’t rewards. If that had been the case in Corinth, the church there would have been completely devoid of gifts because, as D. A. Carson declares, the believers were ‘wretchedly, unacceptably, spiritually immature’ (The Cross and Christian Ministry, Baker, 1993). But Paul said that they didn’t ‘lack any spiritual gift’ (1 Cor. 1:7) in spite of their immaturity and carnality. God gives gifts freely on the basis of grace. So if you are in Christ, his righteousness not only saves you, it also qualifies you to receive amazing gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Frustrating God's work
Paul received grace, but he was keen to ensure that this grace was ‘not without effect (in vain)’. How can you frustrate the work of God’s grace in your life? By your response to it. One way of doing this is not believing that God can use you. God called Moses but he protested that he couldn’t possibly complete the task that he was being called to accomplish. In no way could he speak to Pharaoh, let alone lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Initially Gideon complained that his clan was the weakest in Manasseh and that he was the least in his family (Judg. 6:15). For these reasons God couldn’t possibly use him. He was in danger of missing grace by questioning, ‘Who am I to do this?’

Paul made this point when he spoke to the Corinthians: ‘If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body” … And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body”’ (1 Cor. 12:15,16). ‘Foot and Ear’ Christians can disqualify themselves by regretting that they aren’t ‘Hands and Eyes’. So beware the danger of missing grace, of thinking that because you aren’t as prominent as the next person, God’s grace can’t operate through you. It’s not true.

To Meditate On

God wants us to serve him well

‘Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervour, serving the Lord’ (Rom. 12:11).

‘Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men’ (Eph. 6:7).

‘If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ’ (1 Pet. 4:11).

Food For Thought

Read Isaiah 56:3-8

What are foreigners and single people tempted to think?

Read John 15:1-8

What is God’s plan for all believers, regardless of their status?

To Consider

What are you good at?

How could you use your gifts more effectively?

To Pray

Pray that God will give you a clearer sense of what you can do to be more fruitful in your service to God.