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 desires to give you true success

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 5 minutes
    As we said before, a successful person is the one who knows what God wants him to do in his life and has dedicated his life for doing God’s will. Human success is not measured by his social status, banc accounts, and influence in society, popularity or fame in this world. True success is measured by how successful he has been in doing God’s will.Think about it today! God desires to give you true success that can be found in learning and doing God’s will for your life. You are the one who determines what to do with your life: either seeking temporary pleasure and enjoyment or seeking the eternal values of God’s Kingdom and His will for your life.

  • What is calling? How to reveal personal calling and how to enter it?

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 4 minutes
    Recognising of your calling and your task in this life is a process that consists of many small details. Quite often, people try to reveal their calling, while neglecting those small details that make the whole process. Nowadays, many people are unhappy because they either lack revelation for their life or oppose to such revelation, or simply lack understanding of how to fulfil the revelation. Let´s figure it all out.First thing to know is the fact that you were born to carry out a certain task. Bible says our life on this Earth has a goal and value determined. You are not a result of an accident! You were born on this Earth not just for the matter of occupying some space and breathing. You´ve got a mission to fulfil, a way to measure. You are created to take care for others and saved to minister. There many places in the Bible talking about this. We are going to elaborate the verse from Paul´s letter to Ephesians 2:10

  • Daily obedience to God in different areas of your life will bring you to your calling

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 5 minutes
    To every person that does not know his calling yet, I advise to be obedient to God on daily basis. If you will be obedient to God in your daily walk, then you will learn your calling; you will hear God and understand what He is calling you to.Daily obedience to God will bring a person to full realization of his or her calling. The big picture or the global project consists of multitude of small detail. As the saying goes, «Every trip starts with the first step».Repentance is the first step. After you repent of your sins, Jesus becomes your Lord. What does that mean? The Lordship of Jesus implies doing of what He tells you.

  • The counselling III

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 4 minutes
    One of the ways we make ourselves qualified is to learn to listen to people, listen to their hearts and feelings; only then we can really help them.Besides, we must be ready to show the problem from a different perspective. It is not satisfactory to point out person’s problem or his or her mistakes; we must be able to highlight how his or her present lifestyle or approach to life has caused the problem.Today I would like us to look at another passage of Scripture.

  • Dedication precedes provision

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 4 minutes
    God is always good, and He will never change in this sense. God is always powerful. God changes His strength for my weakness. God always has blessings for every one of us. The unchanging God can change you. You can always come to God – in any situation – and He will change you and your circumstances.All of us need provision, because we all have needs in different areas of our life: finances, health, wisdom for making decisions etc.

  • How to effectively study the Bible II

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 5 minutes
    Sometimes one word in the Bible can be followed as a thread throughout all of the pages of the Book.I once sat down to write a letter to a brother. I prayed and asked God to help me write not just words, but to make it a blessing for this person. As I was writing, I noticed that I had started preaching in the letter. Later I put it aside, because one word had totally consumed my attention. I began to study this word in the Bible. I began studying the phrases like “God is able” and „God can”. I started reading all the verses that contained these phrases. It was so interesting that I totally forgot about the letter. The study of particular Bible words can be very interesting and profitable.