The Call of God (2) Exodus 3:1-10 Walking in the Call Ask the question, “What is God’s heart for me?” “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:8-10). Many people fail in life and ministry due to broken focus and largely because they have never organized their energy around a goal. Sometimes, people have goals but they lack the understanding of “how.” God is concerned with both the goal and the process are vitally important. There is no doubt we are saved by grace without works, but we are saved unto good works. We have an obligation to live the Christian life in a manner pleasing to God. We have an obligation to do well in life & ministry. However, doing well in life must be learned as it does not come naturally. If it is to be learned, then it must be taught. In order to do well in life and ministry, ministry and ministers must cultivate the attitude to learn. It is the attitude of a disciple. A disciple is a learner in the Word & in ministerial education. Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matt. 11:28-30). Life and ministry becomes easy when we learn from Jesus. Jesus was a learner (Heb. 5:5-9): “So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him: “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.” 6 As He also says in another place: “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek”; 7 who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, 8 though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. 9 And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,” But why do I need to learn? Learning educates and dismantles all foolishness. We all start out in our different ventures and, or ministry as children. In childhood, many seeming glossy ideas are actually some forms of foolishness with the benefit of hindsight. But through learning, foolishness is driven out. “Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; the rod of correction will drive it far from him” (Pro. 22:15). Thus, you are saved from certain foundational errors and blights. Training through rod and staff facilitate compliance. Rod training is the correctional instruction while the staff training is the impartation of knowledge, wisdom and skill from a proven authority; it enhances the fulfillment of destiny.Compliance brings fruitfulness in life & ministry. Walking in ministry is helped by good preparation. There is a path to go into and through in the walk of the calling. You may feel like a lonely walker in the path - the plain sight of wilderness. In reality, the wilderness is not a bad place to be if you have a task at hand. The wilderness is a valid place to be for people who are being broken, trained and molded by God. It is always the one way ticket that seasoned ministry and vessels of God in the ages past have walked. It is not the answer to the ministry in itself, but it is a way point. It is a serene place of brokenness and training; testing and proving; to prove what is in your heart and to test your resolve, courage, faith and humility. In preparation, • You must learn by gathering experience in the Word and in life. • You must learn to cultivate the corresponding wisdom, humility and character that are necessary to succeed in your area of assignment. • You must learn how to pray. • You must learn how to forgive and love. • You must learn how to speak and honor your words. • You must learn how to receive and give. • You must learn how to witness. The learning experience equips you and your ministry for divine growth. Similarly, these preparation workouts position you for victory over personal and ministerial opposition (Ps. 18:34); sharpen your understanding of divine protocols and establish your hearts for ministerial readiness (Eph. 4:11-16) to handle the different stages of life and ministry. As you learn from Christ and take upon you His yoke, life and ministry become easy! If God is able to find the right vessel, the Word will come forth in abundance! If you will follow God through His teachings and discipline, you will never get stuck in the wilderness or get romanticized, fixated or mesmerized by the look of the wilderness; you will end up using it as preparation. In preparation, you must build up your character. “… God is more concerned with the messenger than the message? Do you see that the minister is more important than the ministry? If the messenger is wrong, the message will be wrong too. If the minister is wrong, the ministry will be wrong. And do you see that the Lord of the work is more important than the work of the Lord? “The Word is always perfect, but the messenger must be separated unto the Giver of the Word wholly for effectiveness. “In the long run no man can have high visions and lead a low life (TC Gordon). Your character must never become fixed, stationary, unbending or crystallized; you must be becoming whatever God wants you to become. You must increasingly look like Jesus Christ and all the children in the family of God. In preparation, you must yield to the Spirit of God and His helps. All tasks and ministry are done by the power of the Holy Spirit. Without His Spirit, a minister will be an echo not a voice & a cloud without water. You must be full of Holy Spirit – driven by Him. Remember, the power to be and do comes from Holy Spirit. “Yet for many years you had patience with them, and testified against them by Your Spirit in Your prophets…” (Neh. 9:30 a).
Posted on: Sat, 31 Aug 2013 11:21:20 +0000
Trending Topics
© 2015