Ministry — More Important Than Life

 

“But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus.” (Acts 20:24)

According to the New Testament, “ministry” is what all Christians do. According to Ephesians 4:11–12, pastors have the job of equipping the saints for the work of ministry. But ordinary Christians are the ones who do the ministry.

What ministry looks like is as varied as Christians are varied. It’s not an office like elder or deacon; it’s a lifestyle devoted to making much of Christ and meeting the needs of others.

It means that we “do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10). Whether we are bankers or bricklayers, it means that we aim at advancing other people’s faith and holiness to the glory of God.

Fulfilling your ministry is more important than staying alive. This conviction is what makes the lives of radically devoted people so inspiring to watch. Most of them speak the way Paul did about his ministry here in Acts 20:24: “I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus.” Doing the ministry that God gives us to do is more important than life.

You may think you need to save your life in order to do your ministry. On the contrary, how you lose your life may be the capstone of your ministry. It certainly was for Jesus — only in his thirties.

We need not fret about keeping ourselves alive in order to finish our ministry. God alone knows the appointed time of our service. He will decide when our death is not an interruption of our ministry, but the last act of our ministry.

Henry Martyn was right when he said, “If [God] has work for me to do, I cannot die.” In other words, I am immortal until my work is done. Therefore, ministry is more important than life.

PLEASING GOD IS THE PURPOSE OF YOUR LIFE!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY JULY 14, 2022.

SUBJECT: PLEASING GOD IS THE PURPOSE OF YOUR LIFE! 

Memory verse: "By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”, for before he was taken he had this testimony that he pleased God." (Hebrews 11 vs 5.)

READ: Hebrews 11 vs 5 - 6; Second Peter 1 vs 17:

Hebrews 11:5:: By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”, for before he was taken he had this testimony that he pleased God.

11:6: But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Second Peter 1:17: For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in Whom al am well pleased.”

INTIMATION:

Since pleasing God is the first purpose of your life, your most important task is to discover how to do that. What do we do to be pleased with God? The apostle Paul, when writing his first letter to the believers in Thessalonica said this, "Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus.” (First Thessalonians 4 vs 1 - 2.) 

There are clear examples in the Bible of those who pleased God. One of them was Enoch. Our memory verse tells us that before Enoch was taken away he had the testimony that he pleased God. The testimony of Enoch is that he was obedient to the will of God. The reward of his faithful work was that God spared him from experiencing physical death. Because of his righteous living by faith, Enoch did not physically die, consequently, he never experienced death, but was taken directly to heaven to continue living with God. 

Another man that pleased God was Noah. In his days the entire humanity had become morally bankrupt, degradation was the norm of social behavior, and thus society was beyond repentance as and everyone lived for their own pleasure, not God's. God couldn't find anyone on earth interested in pleasing Him, so He was grieved and regretted making man. God became so disgusted with the human race that He considered wiping it out. 

But there was one man who God spared because he pleased Him, living according to the standard of God’s law, although he was far from perfect. In Genesis 6 vs 8, the Bible says, "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." Though the Bible recorded that "Noah was a just man, and blameless in his time. And Noah walked with God." (Genesis 6 vs 9), but that does not mean he never sinned, rather it means that he walked with God, wholeheartedly loved and obeyed God.

Above all, the life and times of our Messiah, Jesus Christ, during His earth walk is a testimony of a life that pleased God. In one of the passages we read today, we saw how He received from God the Father honor and glory. He is highly exalted and given a name above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those beneath the earth. 

Pleasing God is occasioned by your faith in Him. “For without faith it is impossible to please Him.” Faith is reliance, loyalty, or complete trust in God. Therefore, how can you please whom you did not trust nor rely on? You must first believe and trust that God is what He says He is, and will do what He says He will do. Those who completely trust God are pleasing to Him, and are rewarded eternally. 

Jesus, our Messiah and role model, is more than just a great leader, a good example, a good influence, or a great prophet. He is the Son of God. God testified of Him when He said, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!" (Matthew 17 vs 5.) 

Jesus obeyed the Father to the letters. He never did anything outside of His Father. He said, "I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgement is righteous, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of the Father who has sent Me." (John 5 vs 30.) 

Believers have been given the right to become children of God. And do like our Messiah, Jesus Christ. God is pleased when we put Him first in our entire lives. To put God first we must do the following:-

1. Love Him supremely.

2. Trust Him completely.

3. Obey Him wholeheartedly.

4. Praise and thank Him continually.

5. Use our abilities to benefit His course.

Therefore, look at your spiritual checklist to see how you are faring in putting God first, considering the lists above. 

Prayer: Abba Father, my utmost desire is to please You, and consequently, obtain the crown of glory of eternal life with You. Engrace me with the strength and wisdom to please You at all times, for by my strength, and outside of You I can do nothing, in Jesus’ most precious Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

What Moves You to Minister?

 

For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. (Galatians 6:8)

Faith has an insatiable appetite for experiencing as much of God’s grace as possible. Therefore, faith presses toward the river where God’s grace flows most freely, namely, the river of love.

What other force will move us out of our contented living rooms to take upon ourselves the inconveniences and suffering that love requires?

What will propel us . . .

to greet strangers when we feel shy?

to go to an enemy and plead for reconciliation when we feel indignant?

to tithe when we’ve never tried it?

to speak to our colleagues about Christ when we are timid?

to invite new neighbors to a Bible study?

to cross cultures with the gospel?

to create a new ministry for alcoholics?

to spend an evening driving a van?

to invest a morning praying for renewal?

None of these costly acts of love just happens. They are impelled by a new appetite — the appetite of faith for the fullest experience of God’s grace. We want more of God. And we want this more than we want our private, disturbance-free security and comfort.

Faith loves to rely on God and see him work miracles in us. Therefore, faith pushes us into the current where the power of God’s future grace flows most freely — the current of love.

I think this is what Paul meant when he said that we should sow to the Spirit (Galatians 6:8). By faith, we should put the seeds of our energy in the furrows where we know the Spirit is at work to bear fruit — the furrows of love.

YOUR GOD GIVEN ABILITIES FOR HIS PURPOSE!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY JULY 13, 2022.

SUBJECT: USE YOUR GOD GIVEN ABILITIES FOR HIS PURPOSE! 

Memory verse: "He fashions their hearts individually; He considers all their works." (Psalm 33 vs 15.)

READ: Second Corinthians 5 vs 9; Ephesians 1 vs 11:

Second Corinthians 5:9: Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.

Ephesians 1:11: In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His Will.

INTIMATION:

God created you to serve His purpose, and gave you the especial talents and abilities to assist you serve His purpose. It is not for you, but for Him. After creating you, God was pleased with everything He made, including you, because they were very good. 

God’s purpose for people is not an afterthought; it was settled before the foundation of the world. People are to serve and honor God, and He has gifted us for such; our talents, gifts, and abilities are to be used to serve and honor Him. Therefore, if you believe in Christ, you can rejoice in the fact that God has always known you. His love for you and I is eternal. His wisdom and power are supreme. He will guide and protect you until you one day stand in His presence.

God especially enjoys watching you use the talents and abilities He has given you. He intentionally gifted us differently for His purpose and enjoyment. He has made some athletic, some analytical, some extremely strong, some weak, and so on. You may be gifted at mechanics or mathematics or music, or a million other skills. All these abilities can bring a smile to God's face, and glory to Him when properly employed for His purpose.

God has fashioned your intellect. He gave you talents and abilities, and is very mindful how you utilize them. He gave you all that for His purpose, and is very pleased when you give Him glory by utilizing your abilities to actualize His course. We are God's inheritance, and were chosen and appointed for His purpose in advance. He has designed and wired us in accordance with His will ordained from inception. 

Now that God did all these, will it please Him if you don't use those talents and abilities for His purpose? You don't bring glory to or pleasure to Him by hiding your abilities or by trying to be someone else. You only bring Him enjoyment by being you. Anytime you reject any part of yourself, you are rejecting God's wisdom and sovereignty in creating you.

The Scripture says in Romans 9 vs 20 - 21,

"But indeed O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the things formed say to him who formed it, "Why have you made me like this?" Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?"

The creator has control over the created object. The created object, therefore, has no right to demand anything from its creator - its very existence depends on Him. God has given you some abilities, and to others some other abilities different from yours. Utilizing the abilities to please God is an act of worship. You can sing, write poems, repair machine, sell a product, write a computer program, do farming, teach, raise a family, preach the gospel, and so on, for the glory of God. 

God especially enjoys watching you use the talents and abilities he has given you. He gives you the empowerment to do so. Keeping this perspective removes any temptation to have pride in personal achievement. Any act of priding yourself in those abilities or talents dishonors God, and therefore sinful.

God looks at the attitude of your heart: Is pleasing Him your deepest desire? In the passage we read in Second Corinthians, the apostle Paul emphasized pleasing God as our utmost goal. When you live in light of eternity, your focus changes from "How much pleasure am I getting out of life?" to "How much pleasure is God getting out of my life?

Will you make pleasing God your life's goal? There is nothing that God won't do for the person totally absorbed with this goal. In Second Corinthians 5 vs 10, the apostle Paul continues, "For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad."

The grace of God in freely given us the gift of salvation, and eternal life, not withstanding, each of us will be judged by Christ. The judgement will reward us for how we have lived. God's gracious gift of salvation does not free us from the requirement for faithful obedience. All Christians must give account for how they have lived.

Prayer: Abba Father, You made and gifted me to serve Your purpose on earth. Give me the grace to use Your gifts to me to serve Your purpose, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Faith Expels Guilt, Greed, and Fear

 

The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. (1 Timothy 1:5)

Paul is aiming at love. And one of the essential sources of this great effect is sincere faith. The reason faith is such a sure source of love is that faith in God’s grace expels from the heart the sinful powers that hinder love.

If we feel guilty, we tend to wallow in self-centered depression and self-pity, unable to see, let alone care about, anyone else’s need. Or we play the hypocrite to cover our guilt, and so destroy all sincerity in relationships, which makes real love impossible. Or we talk about other people’s faults to minimize the guilt of our own, which love does not do. So, if we are going to love, the destructive effects of guilt must be overcome.

It’s the same with fear. If we feel fearful, we tend not to approach a stranger at church who might need a word of welcome and encouragement. Or we may reject frontier missions as a vocation, because it sounds too dangerous. Or we may waste money on excessive insurance, or get swallowed up in all manner of little phobias that make us preoccupied with ourselves and blind us to the needs of others. All of which are the opposite of love.

It’s the same with greed. If we are greedy, we may spend money on luxuries — money that ought to go to the spread of the gospel. We don’t undertake anything risky, lest our precious possessions and our financial future be jeopardized. We focus on things instead of people, or see people as resources for our material advantage. So love is ruined.

But faith in future grace produces love by pushing guilt and fear and greed out of the heart.

It pushes out guilt because it holds fast to the hope that the death of Christ is sufficient to secure acquittal and righteousness now and forever (Hebrews 10:14).

It pushes out fear because it banks on the promise, “Fear not, for I am with you. . . . I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).

And it pushes out greed because it is confident that Christ is greater wealth than all the world can offer (Matthew 13:44).

So when Paul says, “The aim of our charge is love that issues from . . . sincere faith,” he is speaking of the tremendous power of faith to overcome all the obstacles to love. When we fight the fight of faith — the fight to believe the promises of God that kill guilt and fear and greed — we are fighting for love.

FINDING THE KEY TO THE DOOR OF OUR DESTINY!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY JULY 12, 2022.

SUBJECT : FINDING THE KEY TO THE DOOR OF OUR DESTINY!

Memory verse: "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (First Peter 2 vs 9.)

READ: Ephesians 1 vs 17 - 19: 

1:17: That God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,

1:18: the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,

1:19: and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power.

INTIMATION:

A person’s life is like a large house, full of stories and experiences. There are various levels and rooms reserved for certain seasons of life, each one unique in style, complex in design and purpose. Within each house are many doors that open and close throughout the course of its existence. Some are easier to open than others. Some require a little prying. Some are best left closed forever. Others, however, require a key.

The believer’s true life is embodied in our relationship and fellowship with God, and His begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Although, people often base the reality of their life on their self-conceptualized accomplishments, but our relationship with Him is far more important than our jobs, successes, wealth, or knowledge. 

We have been chosen by God Himself as His very own. The undeniable truth is that our value comes from being God’s children—sons and daughters of God, heirs of the kingdom, and joint heirs with His Son, Jesus Christ, who is the firstborn among many brethren (Romans 8 vs 29). The door to our destiny is one that requires a key, and one that can seem very difficult to find. It cannot be created instantly or reproduced in any way. It cannot be bought with money, although it does come at a price. This is the key of identity. 

Many Christ-followers wander through their houses—their lives—never able to open the door to their destiny because they simply do not know their true identity in Christ, and consequently are not being able to find the key to the door of their destiny. Although people ask themselves what their purpose in this world is, they rarely live out the answer. 

To find the key to the door of the house of your identity, and knowing your identity in Christ requires first and foremost that you know Him—the Key Molder, and Possessor personally. As cliché as it sounds, it is the truth! How can one really know himself without first intimately knowing the One who created him or her? He created you for a purpose which only Him can determine. The manufacturer of any product has a purpose in mind, and only the manufacturer can give the facts of its purpose.

Our journey to knowing ourselves begins with knowing God’s nature and character. He is the One who carefully molds the key of destiny by revealing Himself in our lives as we pursue Him. As we grow in our knowledge of Him, three significant things begin to take place:

1. Knowing Him causes you to know what He says about you. If you truly desire to know what the Lord says about your destiny and identity, dive into His Word! 

2. Knowing Him reveals your authority in Him. Knowing the person He has divinely called you to be sets the precedent for understanding and operating in His authority.

3. Knowing Him gives you eternal perspective, especially when you wholeheartedly understand the fact that you will spend eternity with Him!

The wisdom and revelation of the knowledge of these three things will cause you to obtain the ever-desired key to the door of your destiny. I truly believe that in this time of history—in a season of worldly chaos and profound self-anonymity—the Lord is calling His bride to know her true identity and to live out her purpose, effectively advancing the Kingdom of God here on earth as it is in heaven.

Prayer: Abba Father, impart me with the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of You, the eyes of my understanding being enlightened; that I may know the hope of Your calling, and the riches of the glory of Your inheritance in me that believe, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!The 

PURPOSE-ORIENTED PROBLEMS ARE FOR YOUR LIFTING!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY JULY 11, 2022.

SUBJECT: PURPOSE-ORIENTED PROBLEMS ARE FOR YOUR LIFTING! 

Memory verse: "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called to His purpose.” (Romans 8 vs 28.)

READ: Genesis 45 vs 4 - 5; 7 - 8; 50 vs 20:

45:4: And Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come near to me.” So they came near. Then he said, “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt.

45:5: But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life.

45:6: For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years, in the which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting.

45:7: And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and save your lives by a great deliverance. 

45:8: So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. 

50:20: But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive

INTIMATION:

God customizes some of our problems so that we can fulfill the purpose for which we are created. They are stepping stones, and ordained platform en-route to our divine destiny. God knows you and your potentials. The cross you carry was tailor-made by the carpenter's Son.

A case-study of Joseph the son of Jacob, makes the concept very clear. He was a favorite son to his father, and envied by his brothers, a favorite servant in Potiphar's house, a favorite prisoner to the warden and other prisoners, a favorite interpreter of dreams, and a favorite lieutenant to King Pharaoh. And after many years, he became the favorite even to his ten brothers who were envious of him.

He was pre-ordained by God to be the savior of his people, God's own chosen people. God was with him in all his travails. So many problems were lined up en-route to his destined purpose; he was betrayed and deserted by his brothers; he was exposed to sexual temptation; suffered false accusation, and punished for doing the right thing; he endured a long imprisonment and was forgotten by those he helped. 

Joseph didn't plan to be in the bottom of a pit after he recounted his God-given dream to his loved ones, but he was. He did not foresee his brothers selling him into slavery, but they did. God had destined him for great things, but people and problems got in the way, apparently fashioned to get him his promise and provision. 

Joseph was faithful in the problems. He maintained his character and integrity while enduring the problem. He was patient throughout the duration of the problem. He did not complain while facing ridicule, rejection, envy, and jealousy. He held to his dream in the midst of lies, false accusations, and prison. Through it all, God showed favor to Joseph until the provision came.

In the passages we read today, he told his brothers not to be grieved or angry with themselves because though they sold him to Egypt; but God sent him before them to preserve a posterity for them in the earth, and save their lives by a great deliverance. Therefore, it was not them who sent him to Egypt but God. The problems he encountered are purpose-oriented for their lifting; for his brothers, they meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to prepare a savior of the life of his people. Joseph had the vision, and interpreted the purpose of his problem. Even though Joseph spent years in the problem, he never stopped listening to the voice of God. He remained faithful to God, and God remained faithful to him, leading him to the divine purpose for which he was created.

Are you in the middle of a severe problem? Have you gone through your spiritual checklist to make sure that you are not the cause of the problem? Do you find it difficult to find the purpose of the predicament you are in? Look for the promise in God's Word. Hold to that promise. It is given to you by your Father in heaven, who is faithful to fulfill it. All of the provisions God offers in the pantry of heaven are available to the child of God who faithfully stands on His promises.

Prayer: Abba Father, though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of my hands fail, and there is no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd In the stalls, yet I will rejoice, and joy in You my God. Forever You are my Lord, in Jesus’ Name I prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!