There is a lot to ministry than what we see or read. Ministry is more than a sermon. More than the glamour of being on Daily Television or the popularity that comes along with fame. It is very easy to attain success in ministry but maintaining success and breaking and exploring new ground together with the leading of the Holy Spirit is a whole other level. Ministry in the kingdom of God is not based and can be easily misunderstood with a democratic mindset. Ministry in the kingdom follows the rules and regulations of the kingdom and for us living in 2008 ministry might seem very strange and even hard to comprehend. When I use the word, "ministry", Iam talking about the five-fold ministry gifts given by Jesus Christ to His church to equip the saints as found in Ephesians 4. The primary aim, focus and purpose of these ministry gifts is not themselves or the attaining of their personal goals and the expansion of their ministry but to train and equip the people they are sent to.
The purpose of me writing this is to comment on one aspect of ministry. I will not cover every aspect of the ministry, but only on one particular area. The area that I want to comment on is the common understanding that “anointing” alone is enough to succeed in God-given assignment for our lives as ministers of the Gospel. A few years ago I was a part of a fellowship and it was brought to my knowledge that one of the members of the fellowship would stay, if they “feel “ the anointing. To me it was like saying “I will remain married to my wife, as long as I feel attracted to her”. Now outward attraction is not lifelong, but will only remain as a result of a strong commitment from me to stay and remain with my wife the rest of my life. Anointing alone does not guarantee success or God directed-ordained ministry. No amount of anointing is a substitute for a lack of personal character. No amount of anointing is a substitute for not developing the fruit if the spirit in one’s life. No amount of anointing will be able to rescue a life that is going down the drain due to lack of personal character. No amounts of public recognition will cease that inner desperate cry to be set free from the bondages that no one else knows about other than us. We can walk down the red-carpets, fly in business jets, pull in crowds by the thousands and still cry on the inside for someone or something to set us free from that which is holding us captive. How can captives set free the captives?
It is character in the vessel God has chosen to act through that will produce fruit that remains. Anointing without character is unlike God. No matter how much we are anointed and how much people call us anointed, if we lack in character, one day we will fall and the whole world will know about it.
I call for a young breed of preachers that are full of the character of the Almighty God, so that everywhere they go, they will create awareness that something beyond that which is common in ministry has arrived to stay.
Christ-like character in the life of the minister is the ocean on which the boat of anointing can sail and reach its God-given destination.
1 comments:
Paul,
That was awesome!
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