Paul speaks of a certain ministry calling that every Christian has. This ministry does not require particular gifts or talents; rather, it is to be undertaken by all who have been born again. In fact, this ministry is every believer’s first calling. All other endeavors must flow out of it because no ministry can be pleasing to God unless it is birthed out of this calling.
I am talking about the ministry of beholding the face of Christ. Paul says, “We all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18). What does it mean to behold the Lord’s glory? Paul is speaking here of devoted, focused worship — time given to God simply to behold him. And the apostle quickly adds, “Therefore, since we have this ministry” (4:1). Paul makes it very clear that beholding the face of Christ is a ministry we all must devote ourselves to.
The Greek word for “beholding” is a very strong expression; it indicates not just taking a look, but “fixing the gaze.” It means, “Before I do anything else or try to accomplish a single thing, I must be in God’s presence.”
Many misinterpret the phrase “beholding as in a mirror” (3:18). They think of Jesus’ face being reflected back to them. But Paul is speaking of an intensely focused gaze, as if peering at something earnestly through a glass, trying to see it more clearly. We are to “fix our eyes” in this way, determined to see God’s glory in the face of Christ. We are to shut ourselves in with him and commune with such devotion that we are changed.
Paul continues is 2 Corinthians 3:18: “[We] are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” By being in the presence of Christ, we are being changed by the work of the Spirit. How wonderful to know that the Holy Spirit will work a progressive increase of the character of Christ in us as we focus on him.
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David Wilkerson (1931 – 2011)
Founder of Times Square Church in New York City with over 100 different languages spoken in the congregation. Wilkerson wrote many powerful books such as: The Vision and Cross and the Switchblade. His ministry was prophetic as God called him to be a watchman to the Church in North America. He gave clear messages on repentance to the Church.Wilkerson also founded Teen Challenge where there are hundreds of centres for Christ-centered drug recovery and addiction recovery. He also organized and spoke at pastors gatherings in many countries where he gave prophetic strong messages to encourage pastors and leaders.
Recommends these books by David Wilkerson:
The Vision and Beyond, Prophecies Fulfilled and Still to Come by David Wilkerson
Knowing God by Name: Names of God That Bring Hope and Healing by David Wilkerson
God's Plan to Protect His People in the Coming Depression by David Wilkerson
David Wilkerson is an American Christian evangelist, most well-known for his book The Cross and the Switchblade. He is also the founder of Times Square Church in New York, an interdenominational church.
Wilkerson is well-known for these early years of his ministry to young drug addicts and gang members in New York City in the 1950s and 1960s. He co-authored a book about his work with the New York drug addicts, The Cross and the Switchblade, which became a best-seller, selling over 50 million copies in over thirty languages since it was published in 1963. The book was included among the 100 most important Christian books of the 20th century.
For over four decades, Wilkerson's ministry has included preaching, teaching and writing. He has authored over 30 books.
David Wilkerson is the founder and president of World Challenge, Inc., a nonprofit organization incorporated on September 22, 1971. Reverend Wilkerson, the author of over thirty inspirational books, is perhaps best known for his early days of ministry to young drug addicts and gang members in Manhattan, the Bronx, and Brooklyn. His story is told in The Cross and the Switchblade, a book he co-authored which became a best-seller. (The story has been read by over 50 million people in some thirty languages and 150 countries since 1963. In 1969, a motion picture of the same title was released.)
For over four decades, Reverend Wilkerson's evangelistic ministry has included preaching, teaching and writing. Throughout that time a distinctive characteristic of his work has been his direct efforts to reach the neediest members of the population with help for both body and soul. Even now, the almost 70 year-old minister often goes out alone or sometimes with an assistant to walk through the streets of New York City, along Broadway and Eighth Avenue or down 42nd Street and nearby "Crack Alley" on 41st Street. His mission is always to seek out the lost, the disoriented, and the addicted , to tell them of the power of the risen Christ to set them free.
David Wilkerson, born in Hammond, Indiana on May 19, 1931, was married in 1953 to Gwen Carosso. The Wilkersons' two sons are ministers, and their two daughters are married to ministers. They have 11 grandchildren. The Wilkersons served small pastorates in Scottsdale and Philipsburg, Pennsylvania, until Reverend Wilkerson saw a photograph in Life magazine of several New York City teenagers charged with murder. Moved with compassion he was drawn to the city in February 1959. It was at that time he began his street ministry to what one writer called "desperate, bewildered, addicted, often violent youth.