Good morning, this week:
Pray daily
Study daily
Fast weekly
Pray midnight
Do long prayer
Listen to 3 sermons
Don't miss church
Pick up an anointed book
Do your Jesus publicly
Have a great week!
MINISTRY... YOUNGER PEOPLE
Every year, during MiS, we invite an elder to teach and minister to us. We seek to learn from their experience acquired over decades of walking with the Lord. We expect them to tell us a lot of how they've seen God's word play out. Experience.
I see younger ministers trying to do the same a lot these days. I see people starting out in ministry focusing on 'firing people up' to make an impact, or to pray prayers, or to be disciplined. It is very effective, short-term. It may even be some form of spirit-coated motivational exercise unto good works. I get it. But I think it is inappropriate. Leave that work for elders. And do it very sparingly. If you are young, bury your life in the scripture. Exegesis. Hermeneutics. These should be your obsession.
Teach the scriptures. Expound it. Teach it raw. Let stories and illustrations be scanty in your delivery. Aim for naked mastery of the word. No toppings, no garnishing. If you are young, you don't have the breadth and the luxury for that sort of unhinged, even if fiery protocol. Yrs, i know that it is tempting to go that exciting route, because it usually sparks prayer. Young audiences go ga-ga at such deliveries and it might even make you popular. But your soul, your soul, o man of God, will be lean. Your asernal will have petrol, but not rocks. Your word-store will be emasculated, and your doctrine will be flippant and emotional.
You will start to depend on 'inspiration' a lot, and you will start to commit doctrinal blunders frequently.
You may have fire. But you will lack wood to keep that fire burning. Your ministry will spark people, but will hardly ground them. We build with doctrine, unembelished doctrine.
If you are young, leave the elders to 'speak', leave 'talk' for them. If you are young, labour in the word, in doctrine. Let those who hear you be burdened with untempered excavations from the word. Be meaty. Just keep at the word. Stay with scriptures. Let most of your statements be clear explication of the text of scripture before you.
I will say more later. And when I do, I will still end with this paraphrase from a wise man: learn to read the lines before attempting to read between the lines. Till then, stay with the 'lines'.
Oh, you lost a loved one, that's why you now smoke and womanize. Wow. Oh they cheated you, that's why you now plan to victimize someone else. I'm surprised! Who trained you? I'm sure it wasn't the captain of this Army, Jesus Christ. Because Himself, endured Hardship. 2 Tim 2:3
I asked God to take me to the place where He makes men, He did, now I'm in a hurry to leave, But he says he's not done yet and he's just getting started... I asked how long it takes, He said it's not given to me to know.... Ki wa ni ka se bayi? You Learn to enjoy the process.
Ministry can exist without real service, Service can exist outside of a ministry. A ministry is a structured way of producing services. Eg. You can preach and win a soul and not be a pastor, and you can be a pastor and preach messages that motivate and not win any soul. #MTLGYU
"God I want you to use me"
It's a dangerous prayer point... It's easier to say God I want to do ministry, if that's really what you want, run it like a business that has good marketing and good packaging, make everything look good. Ministry and service are two different things.
To the Ladies out there...
I see a lot of "God bless the Man behind my smiles" these days. Please try to find out if you're behind any man's smile too, because that's the man who will marry you. The one making you smile might be a comedian, it's Just another day at the office
In like Manner, Your spiritual visions will never make sense to a random unserious believer, 1Cor 2:14. Sharing deep things with shallow people will take you out of the dept to the surface. If you prefer to share with shallow people, then approval is all you're seeking. (2-of-2)
The will manipulate you if they tell you things that they don't want you to confirm.
You will think you're Matured, keeping secrets, you're just been fooled, a person fooled more than once is legally and spiritually a FOOL. Affliction shall not rise a what? Answer me?!
You heard a bad comment about me, and you believed it, It is not my responsibility to change it if you don't ask me about it. You're an adult learn the use of communication. The idea of keeping NECESSARY details in a conversation to play maturity will make you a fool at last.
This can not be over stated... Many were enticed into Christianity with promises of good things. No wonder they crack at the slightest pressure... Meeting needs is not the priority of a Christian life. Pleasing the true God is the goal๐ฏ Other things are Bonuses.
I was not called into ministry to come and impress my listeners and "lookers"
My Assignment is to help and make you conform to the image and Likeness of the Christ.
If my Message doesn't seat well with you (when it pleases God). Then I was not sent to you.
@jon_d_doe A marriage where distance sets in is already doomed for such unfortunate incidents.... If the Husband was close by and she can see his efforts at close call she might have been different. Distance Damages a lot. Give no room to the Enemy, distance is a flat not even a room