PSALM 107:20 – He sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction.

THEME OF THE DAY. THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD. Today’s scripture points us to two of the purposes for which God gave us His Word – healing and deliverance. Into the New Testament, the Apostle Paul informs us of two more purposes – instruction and encouragement; For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope (Romans 15:4). The question we are to ask is, “How does the Lord minister His Word to His people for healing, deliverance, instruction, and encouragement?” Two ways.

First, God ministers His Word to His people through gifted teachers and preachers – And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-12). Even though I am a pastor/teacher, what I am about to write is not from that position, but of being a Christian. We must see our pastors and teachers as God’s gift to the church and treat them accordingly. But that isn’t the only way God ministers His Word to His people and those yet to be His people.

God ministers His Word through His church; His people scattered in their various places of influence. It was so in the early church and continues to be so today. Each of us are ministers of the Word. From the book of Acts, we read – Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word (Acts 8:4). Moving into the church at Thessalonica, we observe the people of God having a reputation of proclaiming and spreading the Word of God – And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything (1 Thessalonians 1:6-8).

So how are we doing in our personal ministries of the Word? Are we touching lives with God’s Holy Word? Is the sharing of the life-giving Word a regular part of our lives? Remember, it is both a responsibility and privilege. And the times in which we live offer us a ton of ways to be about the ministry of the Word. We may text scripture to a family member, email an encouraging Word to a brother or sister, send a scripture card in the mail and use social media. Those are just a few ways. The only things restricting us from an active ministry of the Word is our creativity and actions.

Yes, God has given us His Word for healing, deliverance, instruction, and encouragement. And He uses us as His hands, feet and voices to get His Word into our worlds. May He find us faithful to the most important thing we do in this world – spread the healing, delivering, instructing, and encouraging power found in His Holy Word.

PRAYER: “Father, help me be Your Voice – sharing Your Word near and far.”

QUOTE: “The ministry of the Word to believers and unbelievers is our privilege and responsibility.”