How Can I Minister as Christ Did?

Christ is the perfect example of ministering to the one. How can we use our modern-day resources to serve and minister as he did?

“What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it” (Luke 15:4)? Christ spent his life seeking out the one lost sheep by ministering to individuals, especially to those who were marginalized or cast out. He is the perfect example of serving people one by one. But our modern world is very different from the ancient world in which Christ lived and served. Today, we have different resources, opportunities, and  constraints, so how can we emulate Christ’s example of service in our own lives?

The general conference talk “If Christ Had My Opportunities…” addresses that question. Elder Paul K. Sybrowsky takes the classic question, “What would Jesus do?” and instead asks, “What would our Savior do with the opportunities that we have to affect the one?” He then teaches that ministering to the one means reaching out to individuals who are lonely or struggling.

In our day, technology allows us to reach out to people who live far away. Modern transportation makes it possible for us to cover long distances quickly. Even with COVID-19 and other potential constraints of our day, we have countless opportunities to help those around us. A simple text message or a brief phone call could be all it takes to brighten someone’s day. With so many opportunities at our fingertips, we have a responsibility to do as Christ did and minister to those in need of comfort.

Read Elder Paul K. Sybrowsky’s talk “If Christ Had My Opportunities…” to learn more about what it means to minister to the one and how we can use our modern-day resources to do so.

Source: General Conference

—Avery Andros, Latter-day Saint Insights

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Find more insights 

Check out Sarah Harris’s Latter-day Saint Insights article “Social Media Ministering: Four Ways to Reach Out in Love” for some specifics on how to use social media in our efforts to serve others.

Read Linda K. Burton’s general conference talk “I Was a Stranger” to learn about one very relevant way we can minister to those in need.

Take a look at Hugo E. Martinez’s general conference talk “Our Personal Ministries” to learn more about following Christ’s example of ministering.