They’ll Know We’re Jesus People

We have spiritual gifts. Our ministries flow out of the gifts, influenced by our resources: who has parented us, what skills we have, who our neighbors are, and what other gifts are functioning around us.

If I am an evangelist, I will need to be around unbelievers to have effective ministry. If I am a pastor, I will need to be around believers to have effective ministry. If I am an evangelist and don’t know a pastor I trust, I may try to give pastoral ministry to the people who become believers around me. I won’t do it well.

You should look for gifts that differ from yours to be at work around you. It will make your ministry have greater impact when the total ministry people are receiving is through several manifestations of the person of Jesus. That may mean you have to be related to people from different congregations. It may mean that your most effective ministry is not related to any congregation at all, because the people you work with are each from different denominations.

A team of people working together with others who have different gifts will be most effective when they are gathering and building relationships at least as much as they are gathering to do ministry. The fellowship creates levels of trust and respect and love that build the Body up and make it strong and easy to lead by the Spirit of God.

Even unbelievers will be able to discern that we belong to Jesus by seeing genuine love in our relationships, not just by seeing power.