Ministry's Source

Friends,

We have several friends who minister in what one might call an official capacity to the Body of believers. Over time, each has wrestled with the big questions of ministry... Is the ministry effective? Am I doing the best I can?

But these are not the most important questions. The most critical issue every believer must confront is this:
Am I doing what God wants me to do?

Ephesians 3:6b-7 [NKJV] ... emphasis added
His promise in Christ through the gospel, of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power.

No ministry belongs to man. All belong to the LORD. Whether the work is done under the auspices of a recognized organization - like a church or a mission - or not, the work is assigned according to the will of God.

Every believer must ... daily ... pray that the LORD direct his steps (He promises to do so) in the path the advances the Kingdom of God. Then we will recognize that His will is being done.

Be encouraged, Jose

Who deserves the credit?

Friends,

We are always tempted to believe that our place in God's Kingdom is somehow the result of our own action. People insist on clinging to the notion that adoption in the Lord's family is subject to man's free will. Even as evidence presented by God's infallible word proves otherwise ...

Psalm 71:6
By You I have been upheld from birth;
You are He who took me out of my mother’s womb.
My praise shall be continually of You. [NKJV]

If something was done before your birth, how can it be the result of your actions? If we believe these scriptures, then we must set aside any belief that our salvation is due to any work on our part.

Grace is bestowed on us. We receive it because we - like all creation - are subject to God's sovereign will.

Be encouraged, Jose

Willed to victory

Friends,

When we responded to Christ's call, did we recognize that it was not of our doing? Or have we somehow come up short when it comes to acknowledging that our salvation is part of His sovereign will?

James 1:18
Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. (NKJV, emphasis added)

We who are rightly called Christians are given that title because the Lord chose us to be part of His Kingdom. A close reading of scripture proves that we considered God to be our enemy, and He declared that the war was over. And there are only two ways to end a war, and only two sides that one can be on when it is ended. By God's sovereign choice and will, His people are on His side, victorious over sin and death.

Make no mistake, brothers and sisters. We are victorious. And it is because the Lord of Hosts has done it!

Let us rejoice and be glad!

Be encouraged, Jose

God made the first move

Friends,

We are in a covenant with Almighty God. It is a new covenant, because we cannot keep the old covenant of works. Because of Adam's disobedience, we are unable even to desire to keep the original covenant. But the LORD decided to extend His grace to us:

Jeremiah 31:33
But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. [NKJV]

It is important to notice something very subtle in this passage. It is that God is speaking in the first person, and is declaring what He is going to do. You and I were incapable of initiating this new covenant. Because of original sin, we had no desire for peace or reconciliation with God.

Rather, God Himself sent His Only Begotten Son ... an amazing invasion of this fallen world ... to fulfill all of the conditions required of being in the eternal presence of the Father. And by doing so, He formed the relationship that we - as His followers and His children - so desperately need.

Be encouraged, Jose

Surrender your will to Him

Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.”
Matthew 26:42 (NKJV)

The Lord Himself was subjected to the prayer closet experience, He spent quiet time with the Father, conversing and making His requests known to God, but ultimately surrendering His will to that of the Father.

When in the heat of the moment and you seek divine intervention like the Lord did here, do you surrender to His will? The Lord in this scripture shows us clearly, that its not about us, but about Him. So, let go and let God and He will take care of the rest.

Be encouraged,

Afolabi