October 2024

Dear family
We say that we are in ministry and every follower of Jesus should have a ministry. But most of the time ministry focuses on people and the needs of people. But what is God’s concept of ministry? 
God has not called us to minister unto the needs of people, but to minister unto Him.  Acts 13:2 “As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, separate Barnabas and Saul to Me for the work to which I have called them.” We are called to minister unto the Lord and when our spirit flows over in worship, it will be ministry unto the world. Ministry is an overflow of worship. Preaching, counselling and discipleship is not ministry; it is just the way we overflow. Only the overflow of the spirit is ministry. We can attend to the needs of people the whole day, without it being ministry. A full program is more a sign of religion and not ministry. If there is an overflow in our spirit, people will reap the fruit.
What does it mean to minister unto the Lord? Relationship with God means that we are living in the presence of God for we became one with Him. It means to live in constant worship of who God is. Worship is to be in adoration of who God is. To minister unto God we must come to the place where we do not only see the perfection of God, but also the perfection in us as His created beings.  Man was created according to God’s image and likeness and recreated in Christ according to His righteousness and holiness. In Christ Jesus, man is the joy and fulfilment of God’s desires. Ministering unto the Lord is to acknowledge and praise God for His perfection and the perfection that we experience in us as a new creation. Colossians 1:28 “whom we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, so that we may reveal (present) every man perfect in Christ Jesus.” 
Our calling is not unto ministry to people but to the fellowship of Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 1:9 “God is faithful, by whom you were called to the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” God Himself wants to minister unto His people. Our fellowship with God is a ministry unto Him and in that process, there is an overflow of satisfaction and fulfilment that flows out of our spirit unto other people around us. No spiritual ministry is God’s ministry unto people if it is not from an overflow in our spirit. Jesus was never need-driven on earth; He was driven by the will of the Father. Jesus came to earth to satisfy the desires of the heart of His Father and not to satisfy man’s needs. Ministry is the natural outflow of life out of people who live in full satisfaction and fulfilment in their relationship with God. Ministry is not deeds – it is a flow of God’s life through man every hour of the day!
I pray that our Father’s Kingdom will come through your fellowship with Jesus Christ.I pray that He will make disciples through you because of the overflow of His life.
I pray that your ministry unto Him will fill your neighbours and context with love and His will. I pray that you will glorify His name not by what you do, but by who you are.
Blessings and greetings in Jesus
Your brother
dirk