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

  • Submission to God

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 5 minutes
    Submission to God doesn´t mean doing everything that comes to your mind. Contrariwise, it makes us responsible for getting to know what God bears in His heart regarding His will to our life. For this reason you have to submit yourself in whole to the Lord in order to have fellowship with Him as a source of inspiration, freshness and guidance. Everybody who experienced His power in his life and became a tool of His mercy constantly submitted himself to the Lord.

    Submission to God doesn´t mean doing everything that comes to your mind. Contrariwise, it makes us responsible...

  • God doesn’t want us to give up!

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 6 minutes
    Nowadays many people give up as soon as something does not go like they expected or some problems start to choke them. I will tell you honestly that it is not hard to go through different problems with dignity, – you must learn it. It does not happen automatically; you must prepare yourself for it. If we won’t prepare ourselves ahead of time, then at difficult times we will fail and give up. Lack of discipline and preparation will create instability in our lives and will hinder our progress.

    Nowadays many people give up as soon as something does not go like they expected or some problems start to choke...

  • The changes must start with us

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 4 minutes
    «When I was young my imagination did not know any boundaries. And I wanted to change the whole world. In time I realized that I wouldn’t be able to change the world, so I tried to change my country. When I realized that I wouldn’t be able to change the country, I concentrated on changing my city. But I couldn’t change my city either. So, when I had grown older, I tried to change my family. Now when I am an old man waiting to cross over to the other side I have understood that the only one I could change was me. Suddenly I realized that if I had worked on changing myself I would have been able to really affect my family and then my family and I could have affected the city. Through the changes in the city we could have changed the country and the world”.

    «When I was young my imagination did not know any boundaries. And I wanted to change the whole world. In time I...

  • God is more interested in your spiritual growth, development of your character than a quick answer to your prayers!

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 6 minutes
    It would not be hard for God to give you what you are asking for; it is a lot harder to cause changes in you and your character. Humans tend to be so ungrateful. The people of Israel were wandering through the desert; they called out to God, He answered them, but it did not change them. Afterwards, when a different problem came they called out to God again, and He answered them and gave what they had asked for. Nevertheless, their hearts remained unchanged. God can answer your prayers again and again, but it is not a guarantee of permanent changes in your life. Quite often God allows certain situations in our lives that help us to grow spiritually.

    It would not be hard for God to give you what you are asking for; it is a lot harder to cause changes in you and...

  • The truth shall make free

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 2 minutes
    Many people today are running here and there in search of freedom, deliverance and happiness. However, God has place in our hand the responsibility of delivering ourselves from the snare of the devil“Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids.Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler” (Proverb 6: 4-5).

    Many people today are running here and there in search of freedom, deliverance and happiness. However, God has...

  • If you believe that you already have a breakthrough and victory in prayer, then start praying for your brothers and sisters!

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 3 minutes
    What are we going to do with the truth we have heard – the truth about importance and crucial nature of prayer? We must change! First, we need to ask God to help us to pray constantly. Second, we may ask other people you consider being strong in prayer to pray for you and help you put your prayer life in order. There is no shame in asking someone to pray for you.I remember a period in my life when I had lost a desire to pray; it seemed boring and my prayer seemed lifeless. And for some reason I wasn’t able to change it.

    What are we going to do with the truth we have heard - the truth about importance and crucial nature of prayer?...