Many Ministers have a Part of the Unique New Covenant Ministry for the Body of Christ

In the Lord’s eyes, there is only one ministry – the unique new covenant ministry, the ministry of the New Testament, and we all have a portion in this ministry, having and carrying out our own ministry within and part of the new covenant ministry; one ministry – many ministers!

This week we are in the last week on the 2024 April ITERO, and the topic for this week is, Fully Accomplish Your Ministry.

Paul spoke to Timothy telling him to fully accomplish his ministry.

Today the Lord is speaking to us also, telling us to fully accomplish our ministry.

Each believer in Christ has a ministry, and our individual ministry is part of the unique New Testament ministry, the new covenant ministry.

We may hear this and we may be indifferent, or we may feel not qualified for the ministry.

Some people, however, may feel that they have their own ministry, and many times this ministry may not be the same as others’ ministry, so they need to do something according to what they think their ministry is; the result, however, may be that they produce a work that is not for the building up of the Body but for the building up of their own work. Oh, Lord Jesus!

We need to have a proper understanding before the Lord and from the Lord’s pure word concerning what does it mean to fulfil or accomplish our own ministry.

What is our ministry and what is the relationship between our ministry and the unique ministry of the New Testament?

Do we have the same ministry as the one of the apostle Paul? What is our ministry? How can we fulfil our ministry?

As we approach these questions and many more related to the ministry with an open heart before the Lord and a prayerful spirit to be enlightened by Him through His word, we need to realize that the ministry is for the building up of the church as the Body of Christ.

The work, the ministry, the service, and everything happening in the church is for one goal: the building up of the Body of Christ.

If we accomplish our ministry and this leads us away from the saints and does not contribute to the building up of the church, we need to reconsider our ministry before the Lord.

First, we need to see that there is one ministry, which is the new covenant ministry, and then, we need to realize that we have a ministry within the unique ministry of the New Testament.

We need to fully accomplish our ministry.

The Lord has measured out a portion of the ministry to us, and by His grace and His resurrection power, He is perfecting us so that we may fully accomplish our ministry.

In the Eyes of the Lord, there is Just One Ministry: the Unique New Testament Ministry

When the Lord Jesus was on the earth, He was the unique minister in that age; John the Baptist went before Him and announced Him, even introduced Him, but he had to go, for now the Lord Jesus is here with His ministry.

After the Lord Jesus left, however, where was the ministry, and who was or were the minister/s of that age?

In Acts 1:17-25 we see that the disciples were together in fellowship and they prayed and considered one more brother who had to take the place of Judas, to take the place of this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place. This is very interesting.

After the Lord Jesus left, there was one ministry, and the disciples were all part of this one ministry; they each had their own ministry, but their ministry was part of the unique ministry.

In the eyes of the Lord, there is just one ministry in the New Testament.

There were twelve apostles, but they were all in “this ministry” (Acts 1:17, 25).

Today among Christians there seem to be so many ministries, almost a supermarket of ministries based on needs, service, doctrines, and many other things.

But in the Lord’s eyes, there is just one ministry in the New Testament – the new covenant ministry.

We need to ask the Lord to enlighten us so that we may see the ministry in the New Testament the way He sees it.

Our eyes need to be opened to see that all the apostles in the New Testament are part of “this ministry” and we all are also part of this ministry.

This is why, when the apostles prayed about a replacement for Judas, they asked the Lord to show them who did He chose to “take the place of this ministry” (v. 25).

In today’s degraded Christianity there are many so-called ministries with even more so-called ministers, and there are professional ministers who are trained to do this and that, speak, and sing.

But what the Lord wants to recover among His people today is the one ministry, the unique ministry of the New Testament, according to what the Bible reveals.

As the Lord Jesus said quite a few times, In the beginning, it was not so; there are many ministries among Christians today that lead to many divisions in the Body of Christ, but in the beginning it was not so.

Rather, what we see in the beginning of the church life is that, even though Judas failed in fulfilling his ministry as part of the unique ministry, the brothers prayed and considered who would take his place in this ministry.

The word ministry refers to the ministry that bears the testimony of Jesus (v. 8).

There is just one testimony, the testimony of Jesus, and our ministry is part of the unique ministry of the New Testament to bear the testimony of Jesus, which is unique. Amen!

Even though the apostles were twelve in number, their ministry was uniquely one – “this ministry,” a corporate ministry in the principle of the Body of Christ.

And this ministry was not just of the apostles, it also includes us, for each one of us has a ministry as part of the unique ministry of the New Testament. Amen!

Eph. 4:11-12 says that the Lord gave some as apostles and some as prophets and some as evangelists and some as shepherds and teachers for the perfecting of the saints unto the work of the ministry unto the building up of the Body of Christ. Amen!

In this age of grace until the Lord’s second coming, in God’s eyes there is one ministry, and there is one work of the ministry; we all have a ministry given by the Lord, and our ministry is for the building up of the church as the Body of Christ.

It is good to come to the Lord about this, prayerfully consider the verses in the New Testament showing us concerning the unique ministry of the New Testament – the new covenant ministry, and ask the Lord to show us what is our ministry within the one ministry, this ministry.

Lord Jesus, unveil us to see the unique ministry of the New Testament for the building up of the Body of Christ. Save us from doing something that damages or tears down the church as the Body of Christ. May our ministry be for the building up of the Body. Amen, Lord, grant us to see this ministry! Grant us to do all things before the Lord for the building up of the Body of Christ so that the unique testimony of Jesus may be expressed and manifested on the earth! Hallelujah, Christ gave some as apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherds and teachers for the perfecting of the saints unto the work of the ministry! Amen, Lord, recover us back to the divine revelation in Your word concerning the ministry of the New Testament. Gain the testimony of Jesus on the earth today among us in the church life. Cause us to see that our ministry is within the New Testament ministry for the building up of the church as the Body of Christ!

We as Many Ministers have a Part in the Unique New Covenant Ministry for the Building up of the Church

2 Cor. 3:6 shows us that there are many ministers of the new covenant; God makes us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, ministers not of the letter but of the Spirit, for the letter kills but the Spirit gives life.

The unique ministry of the New Testament comprises all the works (or ministries) of all the apostles and all the saints, who are the ministers of the new covenant.

There are many ministers but one ministry (vv. 8-9).

There is the ministry of the Spirit, which is the ministry of righteousness abounding with glory.

In 2 Cor. 4:1 Paul also uses the word ministry by saying, Therefore having this ministry as we have been shown mercy, we do not lose heart.

Praise the Lord, we have this ministry!

There is one ministry, the unique new covenant ministry in the New Testament, and we all have this ministry!

Having this ministry, we do not lose heart. Amen, we do not lose heart, for we have this ministry!

When we take these verses and pray-read them, mixing them with the exercise of our spirit of faith, we are infused with the Lord’s burden and heart’s desire.

We will be purified in our hearts and our concepts will be changed, for we realize that in the Lord’s eyes, there is one unique ministry in the New Testament.

The first new covenant ministers in the New Testament were the twelve apostles.

This ministry was the ministry of the twelve apostles; the ministry was who they were, what they said, and what they worked and served.

The ministry is the service, the work, and the ministers are the persons who serve.

There were many apostles, but there was one ministry. After the twelve apostles, others also carried out this ministry, having part of the one ministry.

Phillip was raised by the Lord and carried out his ministry, and then Paul and Barnabas were also raised by the Lord.

Paul and Silas continued their ministry, and Paul went on to carry out his ministry.

Although the ministers are many, the ministry is one. All the many ministers had one ministry; the ministers are many, but the ministry is one.

Today in this age we are the many ministers of the new covenant; we are many, but we have one unique new covenant ministry, which is for the building up of the church.

The New Testament presents us with a clear picture of the New Testament ministry, which is the service, the work, in totality of all the New Testament ministers.

Paul had a ministry, Timothy had a ministry, Titus had a ministry, and many others had their ministry, but their ministry was part of the new covenant ministry.

Each one of us today has our ministry – you have your ministry and I have my ministry; our ministry, however, is part of the unique new covenant ministry, which is for the building up of the Body of Christ.

We all need to be perfected by the gifted saints so that we may carry out the work of the ministry unto the building up of the church as the Body of Christ.

The Lord has given some who have a gift to perfect the saints; we need to be under the perfecting of the gifted members to carry out our ministry for the building up of the church (Eph. 4:16).

When we speak that we have our ministry, this doesn’t mean that we have the same measure in our ministry as the apostle Paul; it means that we have our own measure of the ministry, given to us by God, but we share in the same ministry as the apostle Paul, for this is the unique New Testament ministry.

May we continue steadfastly in the prayer and in the ministry of the word, taking care of the Lord’s heart and being fully open to Him and to the Body, so that the Lord may have a way to perfect us through the Body for us to carry out our ministry, our personal ministry, as part of the unique work of the ministry for the building up of the church as the testimony of Jesus.

All the apostles carried out the same ministry to bear the unique testimony of the incarnated, resurrected, and ascended Jesus Christ who is the Lord of all.

Our ministry today is this: to bear the unique testimony of this wonderful Jesus Christ.

We proclaim Him. We declare Him. We minister Him. We impart Him to others.

He is our life and everything, He is our experience and enjoyment, and we want to minister Him to others.

Lord Jesus, thank You for making us ministers of the new covenant – ministers not of the letter (which kills) but of the Spirit (who gives life)! Hallelujah, we all are ministers with a ministry, and our ministry is part of the unique new covenant ministry! Amen, Lord, grant us to see that the ministry is uniquely one and the ministers are many, but all the ministers’ ministry is for the building up of the Body of Christ! We want to carry out our ministry and fully accomplish it for the building up of the church so that You may have Your unique testimony on the earth. Recover us back to the unique and pure revelation in the word of God concerning the matter of the ministry and the ministers. We want to carry out the same ministry to bear the unique testimony of the wonderful Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Lord of all! Amen, Lord, we want to daily bear the testimony of the incarnated, resurrected, and ascended Christ, who is our Head, our Lord, and our life and everything!

References and Hymns on this Topic

• Inspiration for this article/sharing comes from the Word of God, the enjoyment in the ministry, a sharing by the brothers in the message for this week, Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1993, vol. 1, “The Ministry of the New Testament and the Teaching and Fellowship of the Apostles,” pp. 5-7, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Being a Vessel unto Honor, a Fully Equipped Man of God, by being Empowered in the Grace which is in Christ Jesus to Fully Accomplish our Ministry in the Unique Ministry of God’s Economy (2024 April ITERO), week 8, “Fully Accomplish Your Ministry”.
• Similar articles on this topic:
  – Ministry and ministries, a portion from, Life-Study of 2 Corinthians, Chapter 26.
  – The History of the Bible, Part 1—Transmission, via, Bibles for America Blog.
  – What is the Ministry? More via, The Hearing of Faith.
  – We All Participate in the Ministry of Life for Building, via, New Jerusalem blog.
  – The seven eyes for God’s building, a portion from, Life-Study of Revelation, Chapter 22.
  – My Personal Testimony – Pursuing Christ, Living the Church Life, and Enjoying the Ministry, via, Holding to Truth in Love.
  – 03 – How the Ministers of the New Covenant and Their Ministry are Constituted, How They Behave and Live, and How Their Ministry is Carried Out (1), video sharing via, Heavenly Foods.
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  – The One Unique New Testament Ministry, via, Shepherding Words.
  – The Second Level The Ministry of the New Testament Economy, outline via, Church in Arcadia.
• Hymns on this topic:
  – Many gifts the Lord has given, / That His Body He may build, / That the saints may be perfected / And their ministry fulfilled. / Thus we must put off the old man / That we may put on the new; / Thus, renewed in mind and spirit, / We will bear God’s image true. (Hymns #823 stanza 7)
  – Christ to minister is service / Both to God and others too, / Christ, the surplus, e’er supplying, / Off’ring Him as service true. / Christ to minister is service / Both to God and others too, / Christ, the surplus, e’er supplying, / Off’ring Him as service true. (Hymns #912 stanza 1 and chorus)
  – All the preaching of the Gospel, / All the teaching ministry, / Every other kind of service / For the church alone should be. / Ministry is for the Churches, / Not the Church for ministry; / All the lampstands are the Churches, / Not a form of ministry. (Hymns #914 stanzas 5-6)