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

  • The voice of God is the source of the spirit of faith

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 3 minutes
    There are two dimensions of faith:THE WORD OF FAITH«But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down from above) or “’Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach)» (Romans, 10: 6-8)

  • The counselling

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 3 minutes
    Every one of us tries to help people by giving advice or recommendations. There are moments in life when we want to reveal certain truths to people so that they could make right choices. Every one of us needs counsel and guidance. It says in the Bible: «Without counsel, plans go awry, but in the multitude of counsellors they are established» (Proverbs, 15:22).

  • We can only be defiled by the things that come from within!

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 5 minutes
    When we talk about changes, we talk about the condition of one’s heart. What others do to us does not come from us; it is directed towards us to test the condition of our hearts. Our reaction to the actions of others and the outside pressure determine the content of our hearts.«Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life» (Proverbs, 4:23).

  • What are you doing with your talent? II

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 4 minutes
    The world is changing very rapidly. I am convinced that new changes will come into our lives with an increasing speed. If I told you about different predictions and ideas that experts have about our future, then the hearts of many people would be filled with fear. One pastor spoke to me about it and I saw his heart getting filled with fear after hearing all the predictions. He asked me what to do with all of it; is it worth making big plans if all these terrible things are inevitably coming upon the earth? I told him that – thank God – we have the Bible that contains all the answers.

  • How to enter your ministry

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 5 minutes
    Today I would like to talk to you about how to enter your ministry. Let’s look at the things that are required to enter one’s ministry.First, you have to have a desire to serve.“This is a faithful saying: if a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work” (1 Timothy, 3:1).

  • Cooperation with God

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 4 minutes
    When we continually pray and worship God, then our main desire is doing the will of God. Many prayers remain unanswered by God, because these prayers have a wrong foundation and demonstrate wrong priorities. For example, you may pray for a person with some serious problems. And you ask God to remove his or her problems or to solve them. At the same time you know that even if the answer to this prayer comes, the problems might return, since the cause of them has not been removed. That is why when Paul prayed he always asked for the people to learn the will of God and have a desire to do His will and be fruitful.