John looks at how Christians are able to do good works without becoming puffed up with pride or overcome with exhaustion.
Ministry is meeting the needs of others with God’s resources. In the Anaheim Vineyard Christian Fellowship during any given week, one can see a variety of ministries to the poor and needy. Some folks are being Jesus’ hands and heart for lonely patients in a convalescent home. Others are going to a local park where they serve a hot meal, have worship, and present the gospel to many homeless people and others. Still, others are going into half a dozen different prison facilities in Southern California to minister in worship and share teaching gifts.
But how are Christians able to do good works like these without becoming puffed up with pride or overcome with exhaustion? I believe that the answer is to know who we are in Christ.
Paul’s letter to the Ephesians tells us much about who we are in Christ, and how that affects ministry. The first two chapters, if properly understood and believed, form the foundation for ministry.
I have memorised the first chapter in three different translations, substituting my name wherever Paul writes about “you.” “they,” or “us.” So the third verse reads like this: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus, who has blessed [John Wimber] in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” I have “every spiritual blessing,” not just a few or even many blessings. That means I have all the resources of heaven to meet any challenge, to fulfil any ministry that God calls me to.
I memorised the entire chapter like that, because it tells me who I am and gives me the basis for ministry. This article does not have the space to repeat every verse from Ephesians 1, but I can give a summary: I have been chosen with a purpose – to be holy (i.e., set apart for God) and blameless (v. 4); God planned even before I was born that I be his child (v. 5); God lavished his grace on me, and that includes forgiveness of sins and eternal life (vv. 7-8); God has told me that it is his will to bring everything in heaven and on earth under Christ, that all creation be reconciled to him (vv. 9-10); because I belong to Christ, I am marked with the Holy Spirit (vv. 13-14); the same power that God used to raise Jesus from the dead is available to me today (vv. 15-23). In Jesus, our future salvation is secure. It’s our present situation that he’s most concerned with now. In fact, he wants us to draw the present and the future together, to bring the assurance of our future salvation into everything that we do. We are supposed to live as if we are already in the fullness of grace that is yet to come. That’s what it means to live by faith, and that is the basis for doing all ministry.
Running the Race
Ephesians 2 continues in the same vein as the first chapter: “And God raised [John Wimber] up with Christ and seated [John Wimber] with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages, he might show the incomparable riches of his grace . . .” (vv. 6-7). This is a puzzling statement. Paul says we are already seated with Christ in heaven!
It is difficult to understand how we can be living on earth, yet at the same time, be seated in heaven. I find an athletic analogy helps. Imagine entering a marathon race – 26 miles long – and being told by the organizers that you were awarded the first place trophy before you ran the race. In the same way, we have victory before we go out and minister.
God has prepared good works for all of us, not just for “professional” Christians.
But there is more to this analogy, because the race still must be run. Imagine that the organizers next gave you a special concoction to drink that would give you unlimited strength and speed, and then said, “Okay, now go ahead and run the race. If you run you will not lose. Besides, you already have the trophy.” That is what being seated with Christ is like for ministry: we are in a race we have already won, and while we minister, we have all the riches of heaven at our disposal.
Running With a Purpose
Then Paul writes the punch line, a verse that reveals why God has given us victory and riches here on earth: “For it is by grace [John Wimber] has been saved, through faith – and this [faith and grace] not from [John Wimber], it is the gift of God – not by works, so that [John Wimber] cannot boast. For [John Wimber] is God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, to do good works, which God prepared in advance for [John Wimber] to do” (vv. 8- 10). There is nothing I can do to obtain salvation; it is a gift of God. Yet the gift is given with a purpose: to do good works. Jesus is saying, “Now that your future is secured, let’s get you involved in the present, doing those things that my Father prepared for you to do.”
God has prepared good works for all of us, not just for “professional” Christians. About six years ago, after a meeting, a young man approached me and asked to talk. He was visibly upset with me. He said, “I’ve tried, without success, to contact you for two weeks. I’ve tried to get help from the church for this guy that I found sitting on the side of the road, two weeks ago. He was wet, cold, and hungry. I fed him, clothed him, and took him in for the night. I thought the church could take over the next day. But when I called, the staff said they couldn’t take him in! I’ve been caring for him for two weeks. You say you believe the church should care for the poor, but you wouldn’t take this man. Why isn’t the church caring for this man?” My response was simple: “The church is caring for this man.” He stared at me for a moment and said, “Ah, but I wanted you to do it.” I said, “Yes, but Jesus wanted you to do it. And you did.”
The test of spiritual maturity is not the ability to speak in tongues, prophesy, or memorise scripture. It is the ability to serve God and others through good works. It is in learning to love and serve the unlovely, the less fortunate, the downtrodden, that we fulfil our purpose on earth. But unless we know whom we are in Christ – blessed with all the resources of heaven – we will always lack the power, love, and victory to change their lives.
