Personal Ministry

Discussion in 'The Commons' started by Andrea, Jul 5, 2012.

  1. Andrea

    Andrea Member

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    What do you see your personal "ministry" as?
     
  2. Adam Warlock

    Adam Warlock Well-Known Member

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    Great thread topic! Probably evangelism. Not the pushy, door-to-door stuff or the extreme apologetic stuff, but relational evangelism. So often, I encounter people who assume I'm Christian and who want to talk about spiritual things. Sometimes they're people I've just met, or people who are nothing like me. Sometimes they're strangers. I realized that this is the Lord's doing, because it happens all the time! They're always hurting or longing for God.

    I have served in other ministries in the past, primarily music and missions. I hope to have more opportunities for both in the future. But evangelism and prayer seem to be my ministry areas at this time in my life.
     
  3. Scottish Knight

    Scottish Knight Well-Known Member

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    I wish I knew lol, I have no idea

    I've recently been asked to help lead the youth football group, although I'm a bit nervous about it since I don't have experience with working with children. Still I'll soon find out if I'm good at it :)
     
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  4. Scottish Monk

    Scottish Monk Well-Known Member

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    Over my life, I have always tried to be a Barnabas . . .
    encourage others . . .
    look with spiritual eyes . . .
    see the soul smiling within . . .

    Right now, at this moment in my life, I see my personal ministry to learn the Anglo-Catholic tradition; and do what I can to help our new ACNA church plant be an Anglo-Catholic influence in our community.

    ...Scottish Monk
     
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  5. Toma

    Toma Well-Known Member Anglican

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    First and foremost, I believe every human being has a personal ministry of joy, Christian or no. It is a moral duty to act and be happy for others: not in a fatuous or silly way, but to impart true joyfulness. Even if your aunt just died or you were diagnosed with cancer, we must go out and be happy for others. There is a mystery behind wearing this mask: it is dishonest only insofar as you do not want it. The moment you personally want to be joyous for others, wearing the mask begins to transform you.

    For every Christian, we are to consummate joy by offering ourselves totally to everyone at all times, aware of every detail and approaching all things with understanding of the central cosmic mystery behind it all: Christ. By "offering", I mean sacrificing our time for them: sitting beside a person who is crying on the roadside, or sharing our lives with a homeless person.

    In the sacrifice of praise which is our loving joy toward others; our life is abundant, because we know the center of the universe, of space and time, and we transform the secular adopted mask of joy into a shining countenance of radiant happiness for God's sake. It is a happiness which, after leaving the Lord's Supper for example, we come out beaming with such honest, true joy that other people feel compelled to ask: "why are you so happy all the time?!" Then we share why, making our joy complete... we are "Siloam"... "sent"... to radiate the splendour of the children of God.

    Each individual baptised person has the personal ministry to himself as a priest, prophet, and king, I think. We are firstly to examine ourselves and our lives to make sure we really do believe in Jesus Christ and His Name and salvation, His beauty, eternity, infinity, and majesty as God - His humility, poverty, death, and physically resurrection as man. We need to be convinced that these are historical, real, and utterly crucial not only for the history of man, but for the refreshment of the entire Cosmos. Once we minister to ourselves in the secret place where only the Father sees into us, we are ready for varied ministry...? :)

    For ME, inter-relationally, it is definitely a looking back to my upbringing as an atheist. Every time I am at any sort of divine liturgy, service, Mass, or prayer, my one intercession is for atheists & agnostics. It is Thomas the Apostle who is my baptismal name, poor Doubting Thomas... but once the atheists are converted, they travel far and wide to spread the Gospel...
     
  6. Andrea

    Andrea Member

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    I have a few ministries I work on as of late, but I personally want, need, am called to more. I just don't know what that is yet.
     
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  7. seeking.IAM

    seeking.IAM Member

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    I am a licensed therapist. I consider my work a calling, a Christian vocation, and my personal ministry.

    <><
    seeking.IAM
     
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  8. Gordon

    Gordon Well-Known Member

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    Alas I still have to work for a living... my ministry is my involvement in my local Parish and the TSSF.
     
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  9. Joan Lucia-Treese

    Joan Lucia-Treese Member

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    My ministry is to faithfully live my Benedictine vows.
     
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