Thank you for visiting. We trust that you have enjoyed reading our articles.
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.
Liked this post?
Read more below or search for more topics...
-
Doubting Your Doubts
Doubting Your Doubts “The world’s sin is unbelief in me” (John 16:9 TLB). I have always been more interested in the root cause of a problem rather than dealing with the results of the problem. As Christians we talk a lot about sin, particularly the separation of the sinner from God and the forgiveness of sin due to the blood of Jesus for those that repent and earnestly seek His face. However, I wonder if we truly understand the basis behind our sin. Some would argue that the root cause is a desire to live in the flesh, pursue our own desires rather... -
Healing A Broken Relationship
Healing A Broken Relationship “If you enter your place of worship and, about to make an offering, you suddenly remember a grudge a friend has against you, abandon your offering, leave immediately, go to this friend and make things right. Then and only then, come back and work things out with God" (Matthew 5:23-24 NIV).One thing that is as certain as death and taxes is that others will let us down. This can take many forms such as someone not living up to their end of an agreement, spreading gossip or taking advantage of our friendship. It is natural to be... -
Generosity is Proven to be Good for the Giver
Generosity is Proven to be Good for the Giver “If anyone is poor among your fellow Israelites in any of the towns of the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward them. Rather, be openhanded and freely lend them whatever they need” (Deuteronomy 15:7-8 NIV). If anyone is poor among your fellow Israelites in any of the towns of the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward them. Rather, be openhanded and freely lend them whatever they need” (Deuteronomy 15:7-8 NIV). As Christians, we know that we are called upon to be generous....