| One Another Ministry One Another Ministry Explained One Another Ministry is an essential concept if we are to understand God’s will for Church ministry. A Technical Note: The New Testament Greek word for one another is allelon (pronounced a-lay-loan) when it means of one another, as in the hearts of one another. It becomes allelous (a-lay-loose) when people do things to one another, or allelois (a-lay-loys as in oyster) when people do things for one another or give things to one another. In grammar the word is called a reciprocal pronoun; as such allelon is never used as the subject, or performer, of an action. It is always on the receiving end of an action, or else describing a relationship. It is used 93 times in one edition of the Greek New Testament, and it occurs in every book except 1 & 2 Timothy, Philemon, 2 Peter, and 3 John. One another ministry applies to people who know Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, people to whom He grants forgiveness and new life, people whom He transforms - whom He joins together with Himself and with one another in an organic and eternal unity. It is called His Church, or His body. We cannot live in such a body without the realization that we are going to affect and be affected by one another. The only option we have is how we are going to affect or be affected. One Another Ministry is reciprocal ministry within the Church: one individual or group may perform a specific ministry and, in turn, benefit from differing ministries performed by others. One another ministry is never done just for the sake of doing it - it is performed for the benefit of one another in the love of Christ. It is always purposeful ministry - Christ’s purpose. Paul gives us a good picture of reciprocal ministry in 1 Corinthians 12, where he compares the relationship of ministries in the Church to the interdependent functions of the different organs in the human body. As with the organs of a human body so in Christ’s Body, the Church, if one minister suffers the others suffer with him or her - or them. Paul compares the marriage relationship to the relationship of Christ to His Church. Marriage is a lifetime of reciprocal ministry, one another ministry when a couple become truly one in Christ - a ministry of love. But remember: if we are going to love we must accept vulnerability. If we love we will be hurt - it’s as simple as that. Married couples who truly love each other will recognize this. If we don’t want to be hurt deeply we should refuse to have love. In one another ministry people will cause hurt and be hurt but, as in a different translation of 1 Corinthians 13:8, love never collapses - the love that is poured out in us by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). The pastoral ministry must not be guided by traditional expectations, or perceived expectations, but by the mind of Christ as the pastor ministers to, and receives ministry from the other members of the Body of Christ. Indeed it must be stressed that members of a Church must be prepared to receive ministry from fellow Church members other than the pastor if the Church is to function as an organic body; and they must always be prepared to minister to others as the Lord enables. It is grossly unrealistic and unfair to expect one man or woman to accomplish what God wants to accomplish through many, and it puts enormous pressure on the pastor. As well as this it prevents others from becoming, and growing in what Jesus wants them to be and do. The Church is not just a watering trough to which the members come as separate individuals (sometimes jockeying for position) in order to drink and go their individual ways - it is the Body of Christ. Whether it is in a building as a group, or out in the world as individuals, it is a body, and it needs to have reciprocal ministry when together for mutual help and growth, and so that it might have powerful, effective, ministry when dispersed in the world. Some indispensable ingredients of one another ministry which keep it functioning well are the heart and mind of Jesus - His love, His truth, His power, His purpose, His guidance, His patience. He is the Head of the body, the Chief Shepherd, the One who came not to be ministered to, but to minister - but He was willing to receive ministry. The Holy Spirit must, work in us, empower us, lead the Body, and fill it with the eternal unquenchable love of God. A final thought: mutuality, repricocity, one another ministry is an inbred talent in all who are born again. It is the nature of Christ imparted to us. It is so important to Jesus that in Ephesians 1:22-23 Paul refers to Christ as being Head over all things for the Church, which is His body, the fulfilment of Him who is being fulfilled* in every way in everyone (every member of the Church). Is that reciprocal ministry or is it not? In our oneness, in our unity, in our reciprocal ministries Jesus Himself is being fulfilled. How then can we be fulfilled in any other way? But like all inborn talents this one another ministry can lie in disuse and atrophy unless we practice it both in ministering to others and receiving ministry from others. Allelon ministry is not an optional extra in the Christian Church - God’s love requires it!!! Divine Agape is Allelon Agape. Ian British Columbia, Canada ____________________________________________________________________________________ * All versions of this passage which I have checked translate this word as a Greek middle instead of passive, and it is never used in this sense in the New Testament. Even Jerome in the Latin Vulgate translates it as passive |
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