“Ministers” & “Witnesses”
article by Clint Morgan
The Great Commission + One: Acts 26:16-18
Most believers are aware of the Great Commission where Christ told His disciples to go into all of the world and make disciples. Obviously, awareness doesn’t always translate into obedience, but even so, the command remains.
It would be dangerous ground to add another passage to the Great Commission. Yet there are many biblical passages that broaden our vision for what it means to fulfill the Great Commission. I contend that Acts 26:15-18 is a helpful addition to the foundation of thinking about missions.
Acts 26 is a narrative. It recounts the story of the apostle Paul standing before Agrippa and giving a defense for his faith. Calling it an intentional effort on Paul’s part to present a primary mission strategy wouldn’t be good exegesis. Nevertheless, we can draw some principles from this challenging story that apply to our present missionary efforts.
Ministers & Witnesses: Verse 16
But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee (Acts 26:16).
Here, Paul recounts his conversion and tells of the voice he heard from a heavenly light. This voice informed him that he was chosen to be “a minister and a witness.” These two terms define what Christ called Paul to do.
If we take the words minister and witness at face value, we can easily build mission strategies around them. Some translations use the word servant for minister, but this doesn’t alter the meaning. At the risk of oversimplification, I propose the following working definitions. The word minister denotes meeting the needs of others, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual. The word witness means to tell something that has been personally seen, heard, or experienced—in this case, evangelism.
These terms reduce missionaries’ roles to their lowest common denominators. Ministries built on these two elements are often referred to as being ‘holistic.’ From these two focuses spring an artesian well of strategic functions that will ensure the best and purest results.
History tells us that missionaries throughout the ages have clearly focused on the task of witnessing. But it is my observation that many missionaries have been are so focused on witnessing that ministering is either neglected or else very low on the priority list. On the other hand, some missionaries and/or their agencies so focus on meeting physical needs (ministering) that they neglect giving witnessing its proper emphasis. No doubt we must find the right balance of these two focuses.
We should also be careful to limit these two roles to “career missionaries.” While verse 17 does show the particularity of Paul’s call (both to Jews and Gentiles), I believe that every believer in every context in every era of time should be engaged in this way, despite opposition.
The Contrast Introduced: Verse 18
To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me (Acts 26:18)
Here Paul suggests two potential conditions of the soul. If Paul were to properly execute his two newly-assigned roles (ministering and witnessing), a radical shift could be anticipated in people’s spiritual condition. This verse shows us at least five descriptions of this transformation:
1. “To open their eyes”: This figurative phrase refers to some sort of limited sight. Those persons to whom Paul was ministering and witnessing were not embracing the truth, but the Holy Spirit would use his actions to help bring spiritual clarity.
2. “And to turn them from darkness to light”: The two possible positions of the soul are contrasted in this expression. Paul had now experienced both and could speak with certainty of the change.
3. “And from the power of Satan unto God”: The apostle Paul, who had once thought he was serving God by persecuting Christians, would discover that another power had been controlling him.
4. “That they may receive forgiveness of sins”: It was extremely difficult for Jews and Pharisees specifically to make it this far.
5. “And inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me”: The possibility of life after death comes into play at this point. Christ is the focus of this phrase. There is no eternal life without Christ.
Without doubt, these five actions are the Holy’s Spirit’s work. Our responsibilities, like Paul’s, are wrapped up in the call to be ministers and witnesses. But without the Spirit’s blessing, they will be fruitless.
The Challenges of Ministering & Witnessing: A Case Study
In North Africa my wife and I met a young man, Moussa, formerly a follower of Islam. Moussa attended university and roomed with his best friend Ali (not his real name). A believer, Ali willingly shared his life, home, material goods, and religious beliefs with Moussa. Ali’s vibrant life and caring way impacted Moussa in a significant way.
After university, Moussa went off to join the Moroccan special forces unit. In spite of the rigid demands of military life, Moussa could not get Christianity out of his head and heart. He finished his two-year stint in the army and then entered (what he calls) a “year in a dark hole.” Looking for peace in his soul, he began to call out to God to reveal truth to him. “Every time I asked God to reveal truth to me,” he told us, “my thoughts always took me to the Bible words of my friend Ali.”
He had tended to reject the Bible because it clearly clashed with his family’s beliefs and the majority culture in which he lived. However, after this year in the “dark hole,” he concluded that God had led him to follow Christ. He told God, “I asked You to reveal truth to me, and You have pointed me to the Bible. Now, You have no right to send me to hell.”
This is a very clear example of the transition that Acts 26:18 describes. Through Ali’s “ministering and witnessing” and the Holy Spirit’s cleansing work, Moussa’s life was eternally changed. We might assume that people will always resist being introduced to another religion. However, Moussa’s story shows that people sometimes accept the help extended to them in a time of need. But let’s probe deeper into this concept of “ministering” to those in need.
Going Deeper
Suppose for a moment that the person to whom you desire to minister knows that you are a believer and discerns that you ultimately want to see him or her converted. Might this cause them to refuse your help? To clarify the question, is it ethical for us to “minister” to someone just so we can earn the privilege of witnessing to them?
Let’s consider how we would feel and react if we sensed that someone was giving us food, or building a school in our community, or even providing a much-needed medical procedure, with the intention of converting us to another religion? What is it that gives us the right to do good deeds in order to win someone to Christ? So often those of other religions condemn such efforts, accusing us of trying to “buy” believers. How do we respond to such a powerful accusation?
Conclusion
Time and space will not permit a response to each question raised as we address the call to minister and witness. However, Acts 4:18-20 gives us a bold response to the opposition that may be launched against us as we do God’s work. In this passage, the apostles Peter and John had been preaching. When told to be silent, Peter retorted, “Whether it be right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than God, you must judge” (Acts 4:19).
If we conclude that the call to minister and witness is “right” in God’s sight, then the world’s railing and reasoning against it mustn’t stop us. Remember, the world’s reasoning is based on an earthly, temporal, corrupt logic. If we do not go to the nations, demonstrating love through service and sharing, we are not living in obedience to Christ’s last command. If we do not minister and witness to those who are lost, then we are leaving them in spiritual blindness, stumbling about in darkness, controlled by Satan, with unforgiven sins, and an eternity without Christ. That’s an image with which I cannot live or die.
More than 6 billion people without Christ populate the world today. Each and every one has needs to be met. These needs are open doors of opportunity for us to minister. Of course, if they have not accepted Christ, then our ministry must lead to witness. The task is clear, the needs are real, and the people are waiting.
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About the Author: Clint Morgan is the General Director of Free Will Baptist International Missions. Before coming to serve in this capacity he and his wife, Lynette, served as missionaries in Cote d’Ivoire Africa for twenty-seven years, followed by a two-year special assignment to do research into methods for ministering in restricted access contexts. They then served three and one half years ministering to immigrants in southern France. Clint and Lynette have four children and six grandchildren. He earned his B.A. at Welch College and a M.A. in Intercultural Studies and TEFL Certificate at Columbia International University.
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