Reaching Out in Our Ministry
1 The apostle Paul admonished Christians to walk in God’s way and to “keep on doing it more fully.” (1 Thess. 4:1) What does this involve for us? One thing is that we should continually look for ways to reach out for more spiritual activity, endeavoring always to be ‘fully accomplishing our ministry.’—2 Tim. 4:5.
2 Motive: Reaching out in our ministry stems from our desire to serve our Creator more fully. We want to grow spiritually and look for ways to improve our ministry. A good routine with proper motive will help us attain theocratic goals.—Ps. 1:1, 2; Phil. 4:6; Heb. 10:24, 25.
3 Working at expanding our ministry requires that we cultivate a giving, self-sacrificing spirit. Such a spirit can be cultivated by prayerfully meditating on Jesus’ fine example. (Matt. 20:28) Jesus received great joy from serving others throughout his ministry. (Acts 20:35) We can imitate Jesus by showing personal interest in people and being alert to opportunities to reach out in our ministry.—Isa. 6:8.
4 Role of Parents: A desire to serve others and expand our ministry can be instilled in children at an early age. Young ones will take note of the diligence of family members and their active participation in expanding their ministry. One brother was motivated to reach out as a young boy as a result of working along with his grandfather on theocratic projects. Seeing his grandfather’s diligence and joy moved him to seek opportunities to serve his brothers. He is now a ministerial servant.
5 Need for Brothers: “If any man is reaching out . . . , he is desirous of a fine work.” (1 Tim. 3:1) These words encourage brothers to reach out to qualify for further service privileges in Jehovah’s organization. Doing so does not require special skills or outstanding natural abilities. A brother reaching out will seek first the Kingdom and have a zealous share in the ministry. (Matt. 6:33; 2 Tim. 4:5) He will endeavor to be a good example for others.
6 Worldwide: Jehovah is speeding up the ingathering. (Isa. 60:22) There is an urgent need for all those following Jesus’ example to work at their ministry more fully. The worldwide report for the 2006 service year shows that 248,327 were baptized. That represents an average of over 680 new ones every day! May we all continue to look for ways to work at our ministry more fully.