Fit For Ministry

Are you able to do what God calls you to do whenever he calls you to do it?

 

Are you ready spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically for ministry?

 

Because we are whole people created to live in physical bodies, we must be physically fit for effective ministry.

 

A wonderful biblical example of physical fitness and ministry readiness is found in Acts 8:26-39, in the account of Phillip and the Ethiopian eunuch.

 

Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, "Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." This is desert. So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship, was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet. Then the Spirit said to Philip, "Go near and overtake this chariot." So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, "Do you understand what you are reading?" And he said, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him. The place in the Scripture which he read was this:

      " He was led as a sheep to the slaughter;
      And as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
       So He opened not His mouth.
       In His humiliation His justice was taken away,
      And who will declare His generation?
      For His life is taken from the earth."

So the eunuch answered Philip and said, "I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?" Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, "See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?" Then Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." And he answered and said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing.

 

Phillip was prompted by the Holy Spirit to start walking down the road between Jerusalem and Gaza. We are not told how far he walked before he saw the eunuch and was prompted by the Holy Spirit to approach his chariot. Scripture tells us that when Phillip was told to go, he had to RUN alongside the chariot and talk to the man all before he was invited into the chariot to share Christ.

 

Remember, chariots were pulled by horses and even at a trot, Phillip would need to run at a good pace to keep up.

 

While running, Phillip spoke to the man in a loud enough tone that the eunuch heard him over the road noise and horse hooves. Running and talking at the same time indicates good cardiovascular fitness. Phillip was physically and spiritually fit to accomplish this mission from the Holy Spirit. The result of Phillip's readiness was the salvation and baptism of the eunuch.

 

Notice a few things Phillip didn't do—first and foremost he didn't argue with the Holy Spirit about the arrangement of the assignment. He didn't say,

 

"That's great, I'd love to share Christ with that man. Could you just have him pull his chariot up beside me? I don't think I can run that fast." Or, "We could meet at the nearest Starbucks for coffee and I'd be glad to answer all his questions."

 

No, Phillip just did as the Spirit said.

 

Phillip wasn't gasping for air as he talked to the eunuch, and we know this because the eunuch understood what he was saying and was able to respond.

 

Phillip didn't ask the eunuch to go out of his way to listen, but instead accommodated the situation by running alongside and waited for an invitation to join the eunuch in the chariot.

 

How often do we use excuses and negotiations to alter a call to minister?

 

God has equipped us with everything needed to do anything that He calls us to do. He gave a body designed to be strong and fit to respond to his call. Yet many of us find ourselves diseased, stressed, fatigued, weak, and wimpy.

 

Improving your fitness level requires commitment, discipline, and the power of the Holy Spirit. Ask God to reveal to you the areas that are not in top shape for his service. Accept the answer and develop a plan for improvement.

 

Consult your physician or other health professionals for healthy guidelines for better eating and more activity through exercise. Healthful food and exercise can affect our bodies in a positive manner so that we are physically in shape and ready at a moment's notice to answer God's ministry call.