Meal Time is Ministry Time

“When He was at the table with them, He took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them” (Luke 24:30 NIV).

Many people have the false notion that ministry only occurs inside the walls of the local church.  The truth is we go to worship on Sunday to be fed the Word so that we can be the hands and feet of Christ – to feed others.  However, it should be noted that we need to feed ourselves throughout the week by reading Scripture, prayer and meditation, and small groups.

We are all ministers.  We are all called into ministry through our baptism and profession of faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  We all have a ministry that 

we have been gifted with through the gifts and graces of the Spirit.  The big question is how and where should we do our ministry?  The Spirit will guide you in this and close, Christian friends will affirm you as appropriate.

Jesus is the perfect role model for ministry.  Yes, he did ministry in the temple by teaching to His fellow Jews.  However, the vast majority of His ministry was done outside of the temple.  It is interesting to me how many times in Luke’s Gospel Jesus sits around a table for a meal.  He regularly shared meals with others, whether they were Pharisees, sinners and tax collectors, or His disciples.  Scripture provides us the ability to learn more of what He teaches about His heavenly Father on these occasions than from what He says in the synagogue.

Meal time is an ideal time not only for fellowship but also to drill down deeper to offer a word of hope, grace, peace, and love.  Meals at the table are some of Jesus’ favorite settings for Him to make visible to others the good news of God’s mercy and acceptance of all people.

One of the primary roles of a husband as stated in the Bible is to lead his family to Christ.  Meal time is a perfect opportunity for the husband to lead by giving thanks to God for the food and all the blessings that He has provided.  Leadership simply means influence. Therefore, a biblically-based husband should influence his family. Husbands are not dictators, they should not demand, they should not rule over their wives. Instead, husbands should influence their wives and families in accordance with biblical teaching. They should exemplify, with their voice and their actions, attributes that bring glory to God and value and honor to their spouse and family.

Meal time is ministry time.  Men, I encourage you to serve your family by leading them in prayer at this time.  The fruit of a good biblically-based husband is a strong, confident, spiritually mature wife and family. 

Prayer:  Dear God:  We are blessed to have an abundance of food.  May we always be grateful that you are the provider of this and all of our blessings including our families.  Please help us to lead our families in such a way that brings honor and glory to you.

Meet the Author

Todd Shupe is a Men’s Ministry Specialist through the General Commission of United Methodist Men and is in training to be a Certified Lay Minister through the Louisiana Conference of the United Methodist Church. He currently serves as the President of the Baton Rouge District of United Methodist Men and is a Board Member for Gulf South Men and serves on the Action Team for The Kingdom Group. He is a volunteer for the Walk to Emmaus, Grace Camp, and Iron Sharpens Iron. Todd resides in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

We welcome your comments below.

Thank you for visiting. We trust that you have enjoyed reading our articles.

Liked this post?

Read more below or search for more topics...

  • Five Steps for Handling Frustration

    Five Steps for Handling Frustration “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you” (Isaiah 26:3 NIV). We all have experienced frustration.   Sometimes we are frustrated with ourselves and sometimes with others, including God.  Our frustrations present an opportunity to either deepen our relationships with others or divide us.  Regardless of the nature of our frustration, our response will determine if good fruit comes from the situation. Here are five simple steps for dealing with frustrations. Did I cause it?  The Bible says, “A man reaps what he sows” (Galatians 6:7). We are often frustrated by things in life...
    Read More

  • Meekness Is Not Weakness

    Meekness Is Not Weakness “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5 NIV). Jesus described himself as gentle in Matthew 11:29, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (emphasis added).  A gentle man is meek.  Meekness is a humble attitude that expresses itself in the patient endurance of offenses.  Meekness is not weakness. Many men confuse the two. However, the difference between a meek person and a weak person is a weak person can't do anything. A meek person, on the other...
    Read More

  • True Confession of the Heart: My Hatred Is Strong

    True Confession of the Heart: My Hatred Is Strong “Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness.   Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble.  But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them” (1 John 2:9-11 NIV). Holy Scripture encourages us to confess our sins to one another (James 5:16).  I have a confession to make.  I have deep...
    Read More