Scripture Reading: Acts 1:17, 25; 2 Tim. 4:5d; 1 Tim. 1:12; 2 Cor. 4:1; Eph. 4:11-12; Col. 4:17
Ⅰ
In the eyes of the Lord there is just one ministry—2 Cor. 4:1; Eph. 4:12:
A
Speaking of the need of a replacement for Judas, Peter said that Judas “was numbered among us and was allotted his portion of this ministry”—Acts 1:17:
１
The apostles prayed for the Lord to show them clearly the one whom He had chosen “to take the place of this ministry and apostleship”—vv. 24-25.
２
As used in verses 17 and 25, the word ministry refers to the ministry that bears the testimony of Jesus—v. 8:
ａ
Though the apostles were twelve in number, their ministry was uniquely one—this ministry, a corporate ministry in the principle of the Body of Christ.
ｂ
All the apostles carried out the same ministry to bear the unique testimony of the incarnated, resurrected, and ascended Jesus Christ, who is the Lord of all.
B
In 2 Corinthians 4:1 Paul says, “Having this ministry as we have been shown mercy, we do not lose heart”:
１
The ministry in 2 Corinthians is the corporate ministry of the New Testament ministers:
ａ
All the ministers have their own portion of the ministry.
ｂ
In this corporate ministry Paul had his portion, Peter had his portion, and Timothy had his portion—2 Tim. 4:5d.
ｃ
When we add all the portions together, we have “this ministry,” which is the New Testament ministry.
２
The many ministers have one ministry—the ministry of the new covenant for the accomplishment of God’s New Testament economy.
３
All the apostles’ works are to carry out this unique ministry, the ministering of Christ to people for the building up of His Body.
C
Second Corinthians 3:6 tells us that God has made us “sufficient as ministers of a new covenant”:
１
The Spirit, the ultimate expression of the processed Triune God, imparts the divine life, even God Himself, into the believers and the apostles, making them ministers of a new covenant.
２
Hence, their ministry is constituted with the Triune God of life by His lifegiving Spirit—1 Cor. 15:45b.
D
“I give thanks to Him who empowers me, Christ Jesus our Lord, that He has counted me faithful, appointing me to the ministry”—1 Tim. 1:12:
１
In this verse Paul does not say, “He appointed me to my ministry.”
２
Paul says that the Lord appointed him to the one unique, corporate New Testament ministry.
３
We all should praise the Lord that by His mercy and grace He has appointed us to the corporate ministry that builds up the Body of Christ—Eph. 4:12, 16.
Ⅱ
Although the foregoing verses reveal that the ministry in the New Testament is corporate, certain other verses indicate that the ministry is also personal:
A
Acts 20:24 refers to Paul’s personal ministry because Paul speaks of the ministry which he had received from the Lord; the ministry in this verse is the personal ministry:
１
Paul’s ministry was his being; he and Christ had become one—Eph. 3:17a; 1 Cor. 6:17; 2 Cor. 3:8-9; 4:1.
２
What he preached was what he was; he ministered his very being to others.
３
Paul was one with Christ and had been constituted of Christ; thus, his ministry was a ministry of the Christ who had been constituted into his being.
B
Acts 21:19 definitely and clearly refers to Paul’s personal ministry: “He related one by one the things which God did among the Gentiles through his ministry.”
C
Colossians 4:17 says, “Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you fulfill it”; Archippus had a ministry, and in the same principle, we all have a ministry.
D
In 2 Timothy 4:5 Paul charges Timothy to fully accomplish his ministry:
１
For Timothy to fully accomplish his ministry was for him to fill up the full measure of his ministry.
２
This ministry denotes the ministry of the word, which is to minister Christ in all His riches (Eph. 3:8) to both sinners and believers for the building up of the Body of Christ (4:11-12).
３
Such a ministry is desperately needed to counter the trend of decline, as prophesied in 2 Timothy 4:3 and 4.
E
Because the New Testament ministry is the service of the Body of Christ and because the Body has many members, every member has his own ministry—Eph. 4:11-12:
１
According to the members, there are many ministries; however, according to the Body as a whole, there is just one ministry—1 Tim. 1:12.
２
Our personal ministry should not be separate from the corporate ministry.
３
The Body has a corporate ministry, and all the members of the Body have their individual ministries.
４
As we have seen, all the ministries of the members of the Body added together equal the corporate ministry—Eph. 4:12.
F
There should be the same speaking from different angles—1 Cor. 1:10:
１
There is a need for many to be raised up to speak the same thing from differentangles.
２
We believe that the Lord will raise up many more to carry out the unique ministry—2 Cor. 4:1.
３
We all have a part in this ministry, which is the one ministry with different functions, different angles, and different aspects—Eph. 4:11-12.
４
We are not following a man or imitating anyone; however, we are ministering the same thing.
Ⅲ
“For the perfecting of the saints unto the work of the ministry, unto the building up of the Body of Christ”—v. 12:
A
The apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherd-teachers (v. 11) are for the perfecting of the saintsunto the work of the ministry mentioned in verse 12.
B
The many gifted persons in verse 11 have only one ministry, that is, to minister Christ for the building up of the Body of Christ; this is the unique ministry in the New Testament economy—2 Cor. 4:1; 1 Tim. 1:12.
C
The perfecting of the saints is unto the work of the ministry, and the work of the ministry is unto the building up of the Body of Christ—Eph. 4:12, 16.
D
“This is the Lord’s recovery, this is our commission, this is our burden, and this is our ministry. How blessed we are to have a part in this ministry!”—The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1978,vol. 3, “Truth Messages,” p. 323.