WHAT’S IN YOUR BUCKET? By Roger Taylor
Your bucket represents your ministry. What is your response to my statement? Do you immediately think that you don’t have a ministry? If so, you are gravely deceived. If you are a born again Child of the Most High God, you have a ministry period! Your ministry is made up of what you have in your bucket! Every gift you receive from God goes in your bucket and becomes your ministry! You are responsible to lovingly give away the Heavenly gifts in your bucket. Your ministry should be made up of all your Godly experiences. Godly experience has power to change lives! If you put things in your bucket that are your opinions without Godly experience, they are probably born of flesh and flesh has no power to produce Heavenly results!
Now if you incorrectly believe that only those people who God calls to the fivefold ministry of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers actually have a ministry, renounce that perception! Look at Ephesians 4:11 and following. Paul lays out the responsibility for those called to these positions. He says that they should teach, train, equip and support all other born again believers for the work of their ministry.
Now if you incorrectly believe that only those people who God calls to the fivefold ministry of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers actually have a ministry, renounce that perception! Look at Ephesians 4:11 and following. Paul lays out the responsibility for those called to these positions. He says that they should teach, train, equip and support all other born again believers for the work of their ministry.
“And he has appointed some with grace to be apostles, and some with grace to be prophets, and some with grace to be evangelists, and some with grace to be pastors, and some with grace to be teachers. And their calling is to nurture and prepare all the holy believers to do their own works of ministry, and as they do this they will enlarge and build up the Body of Christ. These grace ministries will function until we all attain oneness in the faith, until we all experience the fullness of what it means to know the Son of God, and finally we become one perfect man with the full dimensions of spiritual maturity and fully developed in the abundance of Christ.” Ephesians 4:11 TPT
The entire Body of Christ is responsible to carry the Gospel to a lost and dying world, not just those called to fivefold ministry! The fivefold ministry is obviously essential in preparing the Body of Believers to carry Father’s message. Sadly many in the Body of Christ have greatly diminished the effectiveness of the Gospel by declaring that many of Father’s provisions to bring Heaven to earth have passed away and are no longer available to mankind. This neutered gospel quickly becomes powerless religion subject to the opinions and whims of man rather than Father’s truth! Without the power of Heaven being demonstrated, all that is left for the people is a gospel of do’s and don’ts and submission to a dominate and controlling leadership that enforce their rules. This is not the love of God at work! Rules usually produce a ‘have to’ mentality and ‘have to’s’ can eventually lead to burnout and produce rebellion! On the other hand, Father’s love produces a ‘want to’ mentality and usually produces a deep level of commitment to serve Him unconditionally! Living in the experience of Father’s love builds our faith to levels previously unknown! Having personal, intimate conversation with Father, Son and Holy Spirit has personal, transformational power that nothing else can compare to. As a result our ministry grows exponentially! The power of love is overwhelming and our ‘have to’ mentality disappears under the weight of excitement produced by our personal and intimate relationship with Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The burden of religion is quickly replaced by our experience of overwhelming love and acceptance from God!
Is there anything greater to have in your bucket as a free gift to your world than the powerful, life-changing, unconditional love of your Heavenly Father? It is the buried treasure that every human being is looking for and most haven’t found! We cannot give away what we do not have! So, if you are in the ‘don’t have’ group, get busy. Father is waiting for you! You are the only one who can change your position in that relationship. Father’s love for you lacks power when He is distant from you. Life changes when He is up close and personal!
Are you willing to accept the fact that you have a ministry? Does the thought produce any fear and/or insecurity? If so, tell them to get lost! Those are not Heavenly emotions and satan is drawn to them to bring defeat! Fear is the opposite of faith and must be defeated if you are to set your feet on solid ground and establish a firm foundation for your ministry. Now please note this: when I talk about your ministry I am not necessarily talking about forming a corporation and quitting your job and traveling the world! If Father leads you there, great. But in the meantime your ministry begins right where you are with family, friends, co-workers, church, neighbors and the grocery store! Your ministry can happen anywhere and anytime because the Holy Spirit will provide you with opportunity. Please don’t get trapped with the idea that you have to know enough Scripture to be able to debate other people and prove your point, whatever that might be! When you only debate an opinion, that is worthless time spent and that’s why your ministry should be based on your personal experience or testimony with God! Whenever the opportunity presents itself, share your appropriate experience or testimony that fits the circumstance. If the people you share with chose not to believe you, so be it. No problem. That is their privilege, but you have no need to debate their opinions. Relax and trust Holy Spirit to lead you and help you plant seed. Some will take root and lives will be changed because you gave something from your bucket. Father will be pleased and you will be blessed!
Roger Taylor