This past Sunday, we started a new series at church in the book of Titus. Our friend – Graham Thomson, from Spen Valley Church – took us through the first four verses of the first chapter. Specifically, he was looking at godly ministry and showed us what the text had to say about what ministry is for, who does it, how we do it and what the effects of godly ministry are.

But many a minister had to wrestle with the question what ministry is really for. Why do we do what we do? Why do we keep preaching, keep discipling people, keep meeting with people, keep reaching out to people? What is the point of any of these things?

Paul tells us clearly enough in Titus 1:1. Ministry is ‘for the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness’. In other words, ministry aims at building faith in God’s people by giving them knowledge of God’s truth which will cause them to grow in godliness and christlikeness. That is the point of ministry. The whole point of ministry aims at building God’s people up to make them more godly by teaching them what God’s Word says.

When we understand that is the point of ministry, it helps us figure out exactly what we want to do. If we are aiming at building God’s people up in knowledge that leads to godliness, much of our work is going to focus on teaching the bible. It is knowledge of God’s Word, knowledge of what it says godliness is in reality, knowledge of how we grow in godliness that will lead to anybody actually becoming godly. If we’re aiming for godliness, it starts with knowledge of the Word. So, our efforts to encourage godliness are going to centre on teaching the bible to people so that they can know it, understand it and then be godly in line with what it says.

But knowing this is the point of ministry also helps us to press on in the work we’ve been given. Our job is to help people grow in knowledge of the Lord Jesus. It is not specifically our job to make them grow – the Holy Spirit will do that – but he will do it through our passing on the knowledge of his Word. He makes godly those in whom he dwells and he causes them to grow in response to his Word as they hear it, understand it and then put into practice what it says. If we know this, then we can press on in that work of sharing God’s Word with the world and with his people and leave the results up to him. But he assures us there will be some results in response to his Word.

So, pastor, as you think about your ministry this week this is what you are doing. You are helping your people to grow in godliness by teaching them the bible. It is the Holy Spirit who will actually grow them in godliness, but through your Word-ministry to them, as they gain knowledge from God’s Word as you teach the, the Spirit will cause them to respond to the Word so that they grow in godliness. You, pastor, are meaningfully involved in that work. You are passing on what you have been taught, what you have learnt, what has caused you to grow in godliness to others who – through the work of the Holy Spirit in response to the Word you teach them – will grow in godliness too.