WE MEDITATE TODAY upon a very decisive verse as to the status of laymen: “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Eph. 4:11–12 KJV ). The Revised Standard Version reads: “to equip the saints for the work of ministry”—not “the ministry,” a separate specially ordained group, but for “the work of ministry” (diakonia) —the work of “servantship.” With the comma gone, then the whole passage reads, “for the perfecting of the saints for the work of servantship”—“the saints,” who are the body of believers, become those who manifest “servantship.” The whole body of believers become ministers, or servants in this sense. As Dr. Kramer says: “All Christians are diakonia, ministers called to a ministry.”
Some are called to the preaching ministry, but all are called to the ministry—all are called to servantship. An outstanding layman went to the altar as a young man to get a call to the ministry. While there he “got a call away from the preaching ministry to the ministry.” His life has been a manifestation of servantship ever since.
This sense of laymen being “the chosen people of God” puts dignity and a sense of calling and mission into the ordinary occupation. The ordinary becomes the extraordinary, for it has extraordinary destiny in it. All life is lifted from the sordid to the sacred and becomes big with destiny. Anyone who is in Christ has within him a sense of royal dignity, a sense of being important in the scheme of things. The trivial becomes the tremendous; in the menial there is the ministry. The merchant now handles his ledgers with the same sense of sacredness as the preacher handles the Bible.
O God, our Father, we thank Thee that Thou hast cleansed all life and nothing right is to be called common or unclean. Every common meal becomes a sacrament. We thank Thee for this open opportunity. Amen.
AFFIRMATION FOR THE DAY: I am called to the ministry, so I will “minister” to every one I meet—today.
