Today’s message summary of October 29, 2017 from Pastor Gus Brown:
When you are in the church and you have declared Christ as your personal Savior, He gives you the desire to minister to others. Ministry requires discipline and getting more and more into the Word of God.
All of us have two ministries. Everything falls within them. The first ministry involves your church–your family of disciples. The other ministry involves your community. Jesus provides examples where He was active in both of these ministries.
Ministry is not to be driven by “impact” or “numbers” or “success.” While we want to have an impact in the lives of people and see church membership grow, ministry only has one thing that drives it within one’s heart, and that is obedience to God.
Many people follow Jesus for different reasons, including the receipt of His blessings, but leave out the importance of remaining obedient to Him.
John 4:34
“My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work,” Jesus told them.
Do you have a desire and goals to actively do God’s work?
The reason why people don’t actively see God working in their lives is because they don’t really seek after doing the things that God would have them to do. When you are actively seeking His presence, He will show you what He can do.
John 5:36
“But I have a greater testimony than John’s because of the works that the Father has given Me to accomplish. These very works I am doing testify about Me that the Father has sent Me.
When God is using you and there is evidence that His work is flowing through your efforts, it is a testimony of God’s work through your life. God is actively moving and working in the lives of those who are obedient to Him and to His will. Their ministry testifies that God is using them.
John 6:38
For I have come down from heaven, not to do My will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
Your obedience to God shows that His will is important to you.
Ministry involves your will surrendering to God’s will.
To do ministry, you cannot do it in your own power or strength. It will only truly work when you yield to the Holy Spirit and let Him work in your life.
How many of you attempt to do something, and it fails? In failure comes learning. It is an opportunity to learn something.
You should never be satisfied when nothing is attempted. God is the One who can give the victory if you strive to do His work more and more.
Your ministry matters, because it reveals your obedience, and the results of ministry reveals God’s faithfulness in the work He assigned you.
1 Corinthians 3:5-10
What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? They are servants through whom you believed, and each has the role the Lord has given. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. Now the one planting and the one watering are one in purpose, and each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s coworkers. You are God’s field, God’s building. According to God’s grace that was given to me, I have laid a foundation as a skilled master builder, and another builds on it. But each one must be careful how he builds on it.
Ministry has a staring place and must be defined. Jesus reflects this within His own ministry.
- Jesus is starting with His own (Matthew 15:24).
- Do not go among the Gentiles (Matthew 10:5-6).
- Begin in Jerusalem…ministry in your own home and family (Acts 1:8)
- Judea: your neighbors, co-workers–the people around you.
- Samaria: people who are different, your enemies, and people you don’t like.
- To the world: everyone else, especially people you do not know.
Acts 1:8
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Jesus sends people to those that are known first (family and friends) because He wants people to work their way up to eventually go out before others over time. People who are in ministry need time to grow within the ministry. Mistakes will happen, but experience in ministry is a good teacher. The Holy Spirit will provide guidance within this learning opportunity. All that He desires is your obedience and to keep trying.
As you gain more experience, you will see how God will send you out further and further in your ministry–even to minister to those who are your enemies. Jesus taught His disciples as to how they could do battle with their enemies, but they first had to learn how to love one another and minister to one another before they were sent out.
Akron Alliance Fellowship 