By Jake Thurston // Senior Recruitment Officer
One of the major points of our Christian faith is believing that Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, came to earth as a human being to die for our sins. This is known as the doctrine of the incarnation. The ApostlePaul’s words to the Philippians sums up the incarnation perfectly:
“[Jesus Christ,] who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!” – Philippians 2:6-8
The Son of God left the majesty of heaven to dwell among us as one of us. He lived with us. He ate like us. He played like us. He took on human flesh and experienced everything about what it means to be human. He was 100% God, and 100% human.
Jesus’ ministry was embedded right where humans were. He was not some lofty divine being who took advantage of his equality with God. He met people right where they were by living among them, eating with them, and hearing their stories. He was embedded in people’s lives.
As a student who’s pursuing a call to ministry, it’s easy to think that ministry will begin sometime down the road. First you need to finish high school, then find a Bible college, choose a major, get your degree, and thenyou can think about ministry when you’re searching for a job at a local church or nonprofit organization.
But there’s the issue with such thinking. Pursuing ministry with such a rigid mindset treats it like it were no different from any other job that requires a degree. The reality is this: if God has called you to ministry, you can start ministering now. The mission field is ripe wherever you are. There is work that can be done now. You don’t need to wait to graduate with a degree to get started.
So that begs the question: “How can I pursue ministry now?”
There are multiple ways for you to start doing ministry now, but one particular way to start your ministry journey is practicing what is called “incarnational ministry.” The main idea behind incarnational ministry is to minister to those around us the same way Jesus did. In the incarnation, God became human to be with us. That’s what allowed him to meet us right where we are and identify with our needs. Therefore, incarnational ministry is just that: it’s actively being with those around you.
You would be astonished to see how many of your peers around you are hurting. The person who neighbors your locker. Your teammates on the soccer team. The kid who always sits by herself at lunch. The guy at the back of your chemistry class who never seems to have a desire to do anything. Every person around you has a story that is continually unfolding. One of the plot points of the greatest stories of all time consist of a character who comes alongside the main character in her struggle against the problem she’s facing.
So, will you be the person?
Will you be the person who walks with them?
Will you be the person who sits with them?
Will you be the person who talks with them?
Will you be the person who advocates for them?
Will you be the person who shares Jesus with them?
Incarnational ministry takes place whenever we embed ourselves in whatever place we find ourselves. It is actively ministering to those right in front of us, besides us, and behind us. As you’re continuing to discern what a call to ministry may look like in your life, the very least you can start doing is being with those around you and shining Jesus’ light into their lives. It makes a larger difference than you could ever imagine.
