All Are Ministers

Devotional Credit: E. Stanley Jones, In Christ
Photo Credit: Unsplash

E. Stanley Jones draws us into the sacred truth that ministry is not reserved for a select few with clerical collars, but is the calling of every believer in Christ. Ephesians 4:11–12 is often misunderstood to imply a hierarchy: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers who do the ministry while the rest of us watch. But Jones, citing the Revised Standard Version and insightful expositors like Dr. Kramer, clarifies that these roles exist to equip all the saints for the work of ministry—diakonia, which literally means “servantship.”

This changes everything. Ministry is no longer a pulpit-bound duty, but a life-wide expression of Christ through His people. The ordinary Christian life becomes a sacred space where divine purpose is carried out in the most common of roles. Whether one is a grocer, a nurse, a mechanic, or an executive, there is no division between “spiritual work” and “secular work” in the kingdom of God. Every task becomes ministry when it flows from the indwelling Christ.

Jones tells of a man who went forward to receive a call to the preaching ministry—but instead received a deeper revelation: he was called to the ministry, not a ministry. And from that moment on, his life was a quiet sermon of service. The takeaway is glorious—those in Christ carry a royal dignity and a holy assignment into the very places others overlook. The trivial becomes tremendous, and the menial reveals majesty, for the life of Christ is expressed in the daily details of servant-hearted living.

Personalized Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit

You are Mine, and I am in you, not merely to comfort you, but to live through you. Ministry is not a platform or a title. It is My life expressed in every moment where you yield your hands, your words, your choices to Me. The world sees clergy and laity, but I see My Body—each member joined together, every function dignified with My presence.

I have appointed some to prepare and equip, but all are My ministers. You are not waiting for a special call. You have already been called—in Me. Your place in this world is not random. I placed you where you are to make My invisible life visible. The cash register, the office desk, the dining table, the hospital hallway—all become sanctuaries when you abide in Me and let Me serve others through you.

What others might label as menial, I see as majestic when you allow Me to work in it. When you sweep floors, I sweep hearts. When you type emails, I write peace into someone’s day. When you make eye contact and listen, I am the One loving through your gaze. This is your ministry—not to strive, but to allow. Not to act for Me, but to act from Me.

So walk with that quiet confidence. You carry the dignity of a royal priesthood, not because of your station, but because of your union with Me. I do not divide your life into sacred and secular. All is sacred because I dwell in you.

Scriptures: Ephesians 4:11–12, Galatians 2:20, 1 Peter 2:9, Colossians 3:17, John 15:5

Real-Life Analogy

It’s like pouring coffee in the early morning for your family or a guest. You don’t think of it as ministry—it’s just part of the routine. But imagine that every time you press the button, every time you hand that warm cup to someone, you are participating in something deeper. The warmth in your hand carries more than caffeine—it carries care, attentiveness, and presence. That simple act becomes a quiet offering. When done in Christ, it is no less spiritual than preaching a sermon—it’s the aroma of grace rising in the ordinary.

Prayer of Confidence

Father, thank You that You have already called me into Your ministry by placing me in Christ. I don’t have to chase a title or wait for a platform—You are expressing Your life through me right where I am. Nothing is wasted, nothing is beneath Your use, because You indwell me and dignify the daily. I rejoice that servantship is my birthright in Christ, and I trust You to live out Your ministry through me in this moment, and in every task ahead. Amen.