Ministry is a position not a title

Full time ministry; as soon as you read these words, what comes to mind? For most the answer would be working full time in a church or as a missionary. Working in a church or as a missionary full time seems to be the ultimate job for a believer. Think about it; 24/7 would be about God and working directly for Him. That seems ideal! I know many believers that would like to end up working at a church or as a missionary. While the intentions in this are good, is it really the right thing to end up doing?Quick disclaimer: It is not my intention for this post to be controversial. I understand that some readers may not agree with what I am saying; but please give it some thought before disagreeing. By no means am I saying that working in a church or as a missionary is wrong or should not be a goal for some people; it just isn't for every one of us. Many of my close friends are on staff at churches or in the mission field and I fully believe that they have all been called to that and are changing the world from that perspective. I love and respect them for who they are and what they do. Again, I am not discrediting anyone in the ministry or that truly feels called to be in the ministry. All writing about today is that some of us may be called to do full time ministry from a different angle.Many Christians these days believe that being full time ministry is a title received by working within a church or missionary organization. However, ministry is not a title that you can obtain, it is a mindset. Ministry is a position that God has placed on the heart of every believer. Our entire lives are the reflection of our full time ministry toward God. What we do with our time determines how successful our ministry is.Let's look at this from a different angle, if every believer worked for a church or Christian organization, how would we impact the world? We are called to be in the world, but not part of it. What this means is that we should also be successful in the business world while being a light to unbelievers that surround us. (2 Timothy 2:15)I'll use myself as an example: I currently work in the business world, I feel called to be a light in the darkness around me and also to be able to make a substantial income to help others less fortunate and give to causes that I believe in. I am currently in full time ministry. My full time job is dedicated to spreading the love of Jesus in my areas of influence. Yes, it is a 9-5 job, but that is the area of ministry that God has called me to be in right now; and I am going to do so completely for Him.

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. - Colossians 3:23-24

Even if we as believers feel that one day we will be involved in full time church/missionary ministry, for now, are we treating our current jobs or our current situations as our full time ministry? The word of God tells us to be faithful with little so that God can trust us with much. If we aren't faithful in the current ministry that God has blessed us with, why would God move us into another form of ministry?Treat the place you are in today as the position of full time ministry that it truly is. Do not wait for the title to come to start treating your life as a ministry to our Father. Let God use you now to change the world around you because only you can minister in the unique place of your life that you are in!