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The New Testament church has a minister called of God and sent to preach the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ; however, we need to
recognize that the church body also has a ministry to perform. This work has never been restricted to the pastor; it is to be a vital part
of the activities of the church body as a whole. Any church which leaves its ministry entirely to the minister or pastor is a dying
congregation. No one person can ever accomplish as much as the combined efforts of many people. Common sense would tell us that one
man cannot perform as much work or do as many things as fifty or one hundred people. Neither can the ministry of the one man reach
as many as the combined efforts of fifty or one hundred people. Therefore both the minister and the church have a ministry to perform
together.
The ministry of the church is twofold; it is to reach out and to reach in! Like the normal human body with its two hands, so the body
of Christ, the Church (l Cor. 12:12-27),is to use both its hands. With one hand we are to reach out to those who have not yet come to
the church and minister to their needs, and with the other we reach in to those who are already in the church; therefore, we need to
minister to the children of God both inside and outside the church membership.
There is no way that we can redeem people from their sins, for only Jesus Christ is able to do that (Eph. 1:7). He alone is able to save
us from the eternal penalty of sin, and such was His purpose in coming to this world in the form of an infant (Mt. 1:21). God chose a great
multitude of people. These elect are more numerous than the stars in the heavens or the grains of sand along the shores of this earth
(Heb. 11: 12). Jesus died and thereby redeemed a people "out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation" (Rev. 5:9). At God's
appointed time, they are visited by the Holy Spirit and thereby born again. Neither they nor we can claim any part of this marvelous work
which the Apostle Paul described by saying, " ...by grace ye are saved ... " (Eph. 2:5).
Jesus saves, but I believe that He expects us to minister to the needs of those whom He saved and made children of God. Whether they
are already in the church or still outside its fellowship and membership, we are to love those that God loved and endeavor to minister
to them. Some in the world can never be ministered to because "the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness, but unto
us which are saved it is the power of God" (l Cor. 1:18). It is the last group which is upon my heart, for those whom God loved enough
to save by the gift of His Son, we also ought to love and minister to. Jesus said, "This is my commandment, that ye love one another,
as I have loved you" John 15:12).
Some of the objects of divine love are not yet in the church; therefore, the church should have an outreach. This means to reach
beyond, reach out, or extend. In the Old Testament, I see God caring enough about some who dwelt in the sinful city of Sodom that
He sent angels to get them out and save them from being destroyed with the city (Gen. 19:15). Today we cannot save people from the
eternal penalty of sin, but we can save (deliver) them from the practice and present consequence of sin. When God's children are taught and
converted, they turn from their sinful practices Games 5: 19-20). When we grow to love our brethren enough to be genuinely concerned about
them, it will matter to us how they live and what they do. Such loving concerned hearts will move us toward them, endeavoring to
minister to them by the Word of God, and thereby teaching them how to live the abundant life and so please God. The "work of the
ministry" is "the perfecting of the saints" and "the edifying of the body of Christ" (Eph. 4: 11-16); however, I can't believe that the only
ministry of the church is performed by the preacher. I believe that every saint has a duty to minister to other saints (Ga. 6: 1-2).
When the Great Commission was given to the disciples, it seems likely that it embraced a dual teaching method. Jesus said, "Go ye
therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; Teaching them to
observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, 10, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world" (Mt. 28:19-20). It
seems to me that Jesus was telling the disciples to reach out by teaching the gospel message. Those that were born again and responded were
received and baptized. They were then to be continually taught in the church. Outreach embraces the first teaching before they come
and are baptized. Then by our reaching in, the person is continually taught so that he or she may better understand the will of God. Then
he goes out to show it to others; this is again outreach and so the circle is completed. As one reaches out to others, they come in and
in time reach out to others. So the spiral goes upward and outward, getting larger and larger. If the doctrines of grace and the service of
God are a blessing to you, then love others enough to want to share it with them too. This is the process by which the early New Testament
church grew, and the lack of such labors has greatly reduced our numbers today. We need more who will serve God by going out into
the highways and hedges, compelling others to come in and fill the house of God (Luke 14:23). Empty church houses are a testimony
that this is not being done!
Now let us focus our attention on reaching in. Once a child of grace has entered the membership and fellowship of the church, our duty
does not stop. Sometimes people are so overly concerned with numbers that they practice the outreach with great fervor, but they may become
so busy reaching out that they forget about those within. Some others are so concerned about those within that they never reach out. Both
attitudes are wrong! We are not to dwell on numbers but to be concerned about God's people both outside and inside the church.
We are to reach out and draw into the church, then we are to continually minister to them after they are in. If after a while they
have not grown spiritually, we should be concerned. If they grow cold and indifferent, we should not stand by and watch them slowly drift
away; rather we should pray for them and visit with them, endeavoring to minister to their spiritual needs. Helping people to deal with their
problems is a great part of the reach-in ministry of the church. We should care about each of God's children and manifest our loving
concern by ministering to them in their hour of need.
Every program in the church should examine its role in the total ministry of the church. The teacher or leader of each program should
manifest the same concern for this group that the pastor does for the church. Not only should he invite and encourage people to attend,
but also when someone drifts away, he should take time to find the problem and help him in his hour of difficulty. This attitude of concern
should then be manifested by every member of that body, even as every member of the church watches over each other for good. Not
only would they watch over those attending, but they would be ever striving to involve more laborers in the work of the Lord. Whether
in a Bible study class, a circle, a brotherhood, or any other church organization, such concern would stimulate the body and help it to
grow. Together such groups could add to and strengthen the total ministry of the church with regard to both reaching out and reaching
in.
People need to be loved and have fellowship with those of like belief and hopes. They need to be ministered to, not only by the pastor,
but also by the membership. I am not trying to release the pastor from any of his present duties and responsibilities; however, I am
encouraging you to join with him in this endeavor and thereby increase the benefits derived. People outside the church and inside expect
a pastor to call on them, but when the interest and loving concern of the whole church are added, the benefits are multiplied and the
total ministry to those persons is amplified. Pray for the pastor, but also become involved in the ministry of the church to which you
belong. It will not only bless your life and that of others, but it will also glorify God, who saved you by His Son.
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