What is Christian ministry?

[no name joe]

"Christian ministry is more than doing good. Ministry is an act of service performed either consciously or unconsciously in the name of Christ. Ministry is Jesus Christ expressing his life through us. It is born, therefore, not in activity, but in solitude, where through the spirit we experience the power of life from within. No one becomes a 'minister.' Rather, in trust we so open ourselves to teh Spirit that Jesus Christ can express his ministry thorugh us. Prayer and ministry, therefore, are indissoluable. In the stillness of meditative prayer we are confronted by God's loving claim upon us--the most intense intimacy a human being can experience. To know this intimacy we have only to let go. Instead of relying on our own initiative, where we are in control, we discover that we are participating in what God has already initiated within us. --From Ministry and Prayer by James C. Fenhagen

May I open my self up to the Spirit of God so that the Jesus may work through my life to minister to others. What a wonderful reminder and challenge.