Dear Beloved in Christ,
“Greetings to you in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ.’
The Five Fold Ministry of the Church is focused here.
1. Worship
“Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.” Psalms 95:6
“Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.” Hebrews 13:15
There are three main Greek words which denote worship. They are as follows:-
a. Proskuneo - "meaning to kiss, like a dog licking his master's hand), to fawn or crouch to, homage (do reverence to, adore): worship." It occurs 59 times in the New Testament. It originally carried with it the idea of subjects falling down to kiss the ground before a king or kiss their feet.
b. Sebomai - "to reverence, hold in awe." Used 10 times in the New Testament.
c. Latreuo - "to render religious service of homage." Used 21 times in the New Testament.
True worship begins with a deep respect or reverence for God. The worship should be God centered, not self centered.
2. Nurture
Nurture is an ongoing process involving the young, the middle aged and the old, kids, youth, women, men, clergy and laity. All sections of the congregation need exposure to the challenges of the gospel in regular study, dealing with different concerns of spirituality and training based on the scripture. This nurture is the foundation of the people of God. Nurture the talents, leadership qualities, and the potentialities of our Sunday school children, youth and the adults will flourish the spiritual growth of the church too.
3. Evangelism (Kerygma)
Woe unto to me if I preach not the Gospel, said St. Paul. The preaching of the Gospel by the individual and corporate believers is the foundation of the Church. A congregation that does not preach the word- that does not witness to the saving power of the Lord, is a lifeless section of the people of God. For that, we should live an exemplary life before the society. Our lives should be the fifth gospel to proclaim.
4. Fellowship (Koinonia)
One of the characteristics of the Church is its fellowship. The great quality of a church is its togetherness. Sharing, caring, learning, and praying together are the work of the church. Acts.2:42-47 we can see the togetherness. In Acts 4:32-37, we can see the intense sense of responsibility for each other, and a real desire to share all they had. The church should cultivate a culture of receiving believers in spite of class, caste and creed. Cottage prayers, intercessory prayers, fellowship meetings and festival gatherings will certainly enrich the fellowship of the Church.
5. Development (Diakonia)
Diakonia is one of the major functions of the church. It is the integral part of Mission. Serving the humanity and witnessing our Christ is one of the prime things. Development ministry is harder than preaching. Fortunately today, development ministry goes beyond charity and social welfare like widows’ homes, orphanages, and old age homes which indeed are necessary. But the church has to understand and analyze the society, rights of people, and the sufferings of the millions of people. The church has to cater the urgent and present needs of the hungry, the thirsty, the sick and the downtrodden.
REV. BINJU VARUGHESE KURUVILLA
VICAR
ST.PETER’S C.S.I. CONGREGATION, KUWAIT.
