Ministry is a call that all of us have received weather we know it or not

God has not call any of us to set back and watch what happens we are to be involved in making things happen for the glory of God

Eph. 4:1, “I therefore the prisoner of the Lord beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called”

• Vocation in to be employ in the ministry for God

We have been called to salvation!

We have been called to ministry!

Since all of us have been called into ministry then we are to work at being successful and effective in the ministry

Ministry does three things in the life of a growing Christian

Ministry is one of the five principles of growth we are to focus on to become a spiritually healthy church where Christ is seen and heard

Paul writes to his son in the ministry about being effective in the ministry work of Jesus Christ

Ministry effectiveness requires focusing on Christ

While you are doing your spiritual work keep your eyes on Jesus

You cannot be effective in ministry if you are a scaredy cat

You can’t allow what you see and hear frighten you to quit doing what you are doing for the glory of God

vs. 7 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power and of love and of a sound mind”

Dr. Martin Luther King statement, “If I can help somebody along the way then my life would not have been in vain”

Focusing on the ministry of Jesus Christ is helping somebody along the way

Our Topic: Effective ministry requires focusing on Christ

I.     Knowing never to be ashamed of Christ and His ministry- vs. 12a

II.    Knowing whom you believe in- vs. 12b

III.   Knowing God is able- vs. 12c

IV.    Knowing you have committed your life to Christ- vs 12d

Paul encourages Timothy and us to engage in the ministry of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

Some of us have it twisted; we do what we do for the Lord, not for the preacher or any other human being

Our ministry is not to be about us but about God

Therefore we must focus on Christ to be effective in ministry

I.     Knowing never to be ashamed of Christ and His ministry- vs.12
       
       a.     When we are ashamed of who we are and what we are doing we have taken our focus off Jesus
       b.     Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God

- Be not is an imperative verb, it’s a command from God

- He says in verse 7 “be not afraid”

       c.     Be not ashamed of the testimony of Jesus Christ

• The testimony is the gospel message of Christ, the word of God

       d.     If you don’t talk about the gospel some may think you are ashamed of the gospel

Focusing on Christ helps us never to be ashamed of Christ!

2ndly to be effective in ministry…

II.    Knowing who you believe in- vs. 12b

“For I know whom I have believed”

       a.     Knowing what you know makes the difference in life and ministry

       b.     Paul tells us why he is not ashamed of the testimony of our Lord- “Because I know whom I have believe in”

       c.     Knowing Jesus keeps my focus on Jesus

Know is the Gr. word eido to know intuitively

Have is the Gr Verb echo in the perfect tense and indicative mood

• Something that happens in the past and still in effect now

Believed is the Gr. verb pisteuo mean to entrust ones spiritual wellbeing to Christ

4. I know where my help comes from, therefore I keep my eyes focused on Him

3rdly if we are to be effective in ministry…

III.   Knowing God is able- vs. 12c

“And am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day”

       a.     The ableness of God is a good reason to focus on him in life and in ministry

       b.     God’s power and God’s ability is a good reason to focus on Christ and His ministry

       c.     Paul says I am persuaded that God is able

Persuaded in the Gr. is peitho meaning to be thoroughly convinced without any doubt

“HE is able”

Is is the Gr. verb estee, it is perfect tense and indicative mood

Able is the Gr word dunatos: power and ability

• Paul is saying I was persuaded in the past

• I am persuaded in the present

• I will be persuaded in the future

Eph. 3:20, “Now unto him that is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us”

We need to focus on Jesus to be effective in ministry, because he is able to keep that which is committed

Lastly…

IV.    Knowing you have committed your life to Christ- vs. 12d

 “And am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day”

       a.     To focus on Christ we must know who our life belongs to

       b.     Then we must commit our life to Christ which helps us to focus on Christ

• I have committed unto Him
• What have we committed of Him? Our whole life

This word committed in the Gr. is to deposit, so we have deposited our life in Christ

Why? Because we believe he is able to keep what we have deposited

Keep is the Gr. word foo-las-so it means to guard

Listen: Greater Hopewell we make deposits into the bank of our choosing because we trust the bank to keep what we’ve deposit

We trust the bank because:

1.     Our money is put in a drawer that’s locked

2.     Later carried to a vault that is locked

3.     There is a security system in place

4.     There is an armed guard on duty

5.     Then our money is carried by an armor truck to a larger vault

Well, God’s ability is far greater than any human means of protection

We are to focus on Christ for effective ministry because God is able

God is more than able to keep us while we are doing ministry for His glory

God kept Daniel in the lion’s den!

God kept the three Hebrews boys in a fiery furnace!

God kept Moses at the Red Sea!

God kept Paul and Silas in a Philippian’s jail!

And God is keeping us right now in this pandemic!

Is there anybody here know that God is able?