Changes through Ministry II

ByPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 4 minutes

Welcome, dear friends!

Mercy and peace of God, Father and our Lord, Jesus Christ be with you!

Yesterday we began to discuss the meaning of ministry and what influence it has on your life. As we clarified, that ministry is a practical way to show God’s love to the people around me. We can serve people with everything the Lord has blessed us with, e.g. finances, time, prayers, experience of life, etc. However, it’s important to remember that all these things must be based on love. Giving is the main quality of such love. The Bible says “God is love”.

 

« He who doesn’t love doesn’t know God, for God is love ». (1st John 4:8).

 

If God is love it’s vitally important to know and understand how Love behaves.

 

« For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life ». (John 3:16).

 

This verse from Scripture says God gave His one and only Son for the salvation of the whole mankind not as an act of feat but because He loves people.

«For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son …» – God proved His love to us through His giving.

 

« But God commends his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. ». (Romans 5:8).

 

We were dead in our sins, and desperately needed freedom from the slavery of sin and the power of satan. Regardless of our sinful status God came to help us and serve us. He sent His one and only Son to die for our freedom’s sake. Giving (His life) is the exact prove of love. That’s why God calls us to follow Him as His children. Taking into consideration that God is love in what area should we as His children follow Him first? Surely love is the first thing!

 

« Be therefore imitators of God, as beloved children. Walk in love, even as Christ also loved you, and gave himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling fragrance ». (Ephesians 5:1-2).

 

By living in love we offer ourselves as a sacrifice to God for the benefit of the other people around us.

 

« By this we know love, because he laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and closes his heart of compassion against him, how does the love of God remain in him? My little children, let’s not love in word only, neither with the tongue only, but in deed and truth ». (1st John 3:16-18).

 

Love always gives! We share our property or skills to meet the needs of people God sends on our way. It’s also possible to help other people, even sacrifice yourself, meet all people needs but have no love for them. This is what Paul’s letter to Corinthians tells us:

 

« If I speak with the languages of men and of angels, but don’t have love, I have become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but don’t have love, I am nothing. If I dole out all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but don’t have love, it profits me nothing ». (1st Corinthians 13:1-3).

 

If our deeds are driven by different motives instead of love, it’s not a ministry in Biblical sense. The bible says, there is no profit for a man whose deeds are done without love. Such ministries or sacrifices do not please our God. So ministry presumes we use every blessing God has given to us to meet the needs of people around us, by expressing the love the Holy Spirit has poured into our hearts.

 

« and hope doesn’t disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us ». (Romans 5:5).

 

Thus, true ministry starts with discovery of the gifts and assets I possess. After a person has determined what he has, he or she should look around in order to find the people with whom he can share his gifts and assets with. Living this way our life will be filled with joy and satisfaction because of the privilege we have to serve or help somebody else.

Let God pour His love and mercy on you to serve other people!

See you tomorrow.

Rufus Ajiboye, pastor

Similar Posts

  • God does all things for our good

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 4 minutes
    What does the word “all” include? Everything that is happening in your life right now! God wants to reach a certain goal; and in order to do that He uses even our circumstances. He allows particular difficult situations to happen to us in order to change and transform us and our character, to make us more like Jesus.

    What does the word “all” include? Everything that is happening in your life right now! God wants to reach a...

  • How do we know if we have the fear of God in our lives?

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 4 minutes
    The first way to know this is to understand that the fear of God expresses itself in a hatred of evil.“To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech” (Prov. 8:13) (see also Prov. 3:7; 14:16; 16:6; 23:17; Job. 1:1,8; ; II Cor. 7:1). This is just the opposite of the wicked (Eccl. 8:13—”Yet because the wicked do not fear God, it will not go well with them, and their days will not lengthen like a shadow”). (see also Prov. 1:29; Ps. 36:1-4. ).

    The first way to know this is to understand that the fear of God expresses itself in a hatred of evil. "To fear...

  • Preparation is a key to effective life! II

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 4 minutes
    Your tomorrow is the outcome of your today´s efforts and time you spend. Your today impacts your tomorrow, therefore, you better prepare yourself for tomorrow, use your time to develop yourself, building up your character and skills. If you disobey God today, you will not be able to enter your promised land tomorrow, due to the cruelty of your heart. If you take care for today, God will take care for your tomorrow then.

    Your tomorrow is the outcome of your today´s efforts and time you spend. Your today impacts your tomorrow...

  • Changes depend on our knowledge

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 4 minutes
    «For we know in part, and we prophesy in part; but when that which is complete has come, then that which is partial will be done away with. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child. Now that I have become a man, I have put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, even as I was also fully known». (1st Corinthians 13:9-12).

    «For we know in part, and we prophesy in part; but when that which is complete has come, then that which is...

  • If you want to receive a miracle from God you need the ability to hear people and see their action from different perspective!

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 4 minutes
    God desires that we all fight for and protect those He has entrusted us. He wants us to be strong, so that nothing could stop us on our way to God’s miracle.Further we see that «then she came and worshipped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!» (Mathew, 15:25) The woman worshipped Jesus on her knees. She did this amidst of all the people who were there that day. It speaks of her despair; she did not pay attention to her surroundings and she did not care of what the others thought.

    God desires that we all fight for and protect those He has entrusted us. He wants us to be strong, so that...

  • Searching for the meaning of life

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 4 minutes
    Many people ask themselves a question of why they feel inner emptiness. So many continue to walk the wrong way in their lives, and it goes on day after day. They feel their life to be aimless and they continue their walk unmotivated. Multitudes of people do not have a clue of why they live and whether the life is worth living. All of these things happen because they do not have a clear purpose for living. The lack of such a purpose often causes violence, different types of evil, disappointments, emptiness, despair, hopelessness, apathy, anger and so on.

    Many people ask themselves a question of why they feel inner emptiness. So many continue to walk the wrong way in...