Book Title:
Vessels of Honour
If a man
therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour,
sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work (2
Timothy 2:21) (KJV)
NOTE: Unless otherwise indicated, all Scriptures quotations are taken from
the King
James Version of the Bible
Special Dedication
I dedicate this
book to my prophet, my teacher, my mentor, my spiritual father, Bishop Dr.
David O. Oyedepo.
Sir you taught me
to be a vessel of Honour. I am still purging myself and my family to be vessels
of honour indeed. Thank you papa!
My heart is filled
with gratitude and great indebtedness to you and the Winner’s Family world
wide.
Acknowledgement
There is no self
made man any where. Every man is a product of other men.
I have so many
mentors and teachers to appreciate for their undeniable impact in my life. I
wish to appreciate all of them and particularly mention my Senior Pastor who is
my role model Daddy Pastor David Adioye. Sir, your investment in my life is
speaking volumes. May the good Hand of The Lord continue to use you mightily
for perfection of the Body of Christ!
I can’t forget to
appreciate Daddy Pastor Joseph Ajibade who saw the call of God in me while all
other things were speaking otherwise. Daddy, you opened a new fresh page in my
life. God is writing on that page with touchable proofs.
I must not forget
to appreciate the winners’ family for support, motivation, insight, warmth and
their heavy investment in me and my calling. The winners’ family has given me a
platform to minister to the world.
I highly
appreciate my biological father Rev. Joseph Gichina for his heavy investment in
my education and my spiritual life. Dad, I still carry the Devotional Study
Bible (NIV) you gave me decades ago.
Finally, I
appreciate my sweet heart Deaconess Monicah Gichina for her unconditional
support all through our married life. God has approved and blessed our sweet
marriage with two kings and three queens, Sarah Blessings, Miriam Delight,
Joseph Prince, Joyce Favour and Isaac Flavour. These gifts from heaven make me
wake up every morning knowing that God is good and gracious.
Table of Content
1. Introduction
2. Kingdom
Service: Serving God And His Kingdom
3. The
Place Of Understanding In Kingdom Service
4. Who
Is A Servant Of God?
5. Kingdom
Service: A Covenant With God
6. The
Benefits Of Kingdom Service
7. Areas
Of Service
8. Acceptable
Kingdom Service
9. Resources
Required For Kingdom Service
10.The
Grace Of God In Kingdom Service
11.How
To Recognizing A Call To Full Time Ministry
12.Vessels
Of Honour
13.Learning
From Ezra
14.Final
Thoughts
15.Reference
Books
Introduction:
We are all created to serve God. We are therefore vessels
of service. But God has given us a free will to choose whether to serve him or
not. And if we chose to serve Him, we decide whether we want to be vessels of
honour or dishonour.
But in a great house there are not
only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to
honour, and some to dishonor (2 Timothy 2:20)
The scriptures goes on to enlighten us farther by
revealing to us that we have the ability to decide what kind of a vessel we
want to be.
If a man therefore purge himself from
these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's
use, and prepared unto every good work (2 Timothy 2:21)
Paul was chosen to be a vessel of honour to God and
I believe every Christian is chosen to be a vessel of honour.
But the Lord said unto him, Go thy
way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles,
and kings, and the children of Israel (Acts 9:15)
God has chosen us to be His vessels,
yet He will never force us to be used of Him. Our God loves us so much that He
gave us this thing called choice. We can even choose whether to believe in Him
or not. We can choose to allow Him to use us or not. Once you make the decision
to be used by God, then you move on and start the process of turning yourself
to a vessel of honour and not of dishonour. That process involves purging oneself.
You purge yourself from any contamination of sin.
It is important to understand that a
vessel is an object designed for the sole purpose of holding, or containing, something.
It is made empty. If Satan has placed some things inside the vessel already, it
needs to be emptied in order to be used by God. Those things placed inside the
vessel by Satan have contaminated the vessel and therefore the vessel must be
cleaned before God can use it as a vessel of honour. It is not a simple
process. It is a total transformation.
This book will try to equip the
readers for this noble transformation. Transformation from a vessel of dishonour
to a vessel of honour! It is not a simple short process. It is a life long
process!
Be warned. Let no one strive with
his maker. Let us all be transformed to vessels of honour meet for the master's
use, and prepared unto every good work.
Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker!...(Isaiah 45:9)
CHAPTER 1
KINGDOM SERVICE: SERVING GOD AND HIS
KINGDOM
Kingdom
service can be defined as offering services to God and His kingdom. It is
simply serving God. It involves enlisting oneself for service of the kingdom of
God here on earth. It is offering service that is geared towards the promotion
of the kingdom of God on earth.
Kingdom
service can also be defined as the use of our God given resources like time,
strength, talents and finances in promoting the kingdom of God.
Jesus
taught us to seek the Kingdom of God first, and then all other things will be
added unto us. When we seek the kingdom of God first by offering our services
to God, all the other important things start seeking after us. The formula is
simple; seek the kingdom of God and things will seek after you.
But seek ye
first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be
added unto you (Matthew 6:33)
Jesus
taught His disciples to pray for the kingdom of God to come. He was simply
teaching them to promote the kingdom of God here on earth.
And he said
unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy
name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. (Luke 11:2).
Jesus
was in actual sense teaching His disciples to set the interest of the kingdom
of God as a top priority in their prayers as well as in their lives. God
created man to worship Him. Kingdom service presents a major opportunity for genuine
and acceptable worship.
Kingdom
service can also be defined as involvement in God’s business. Jesus said it
very well in Luke 2:49
And he said
unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my
Father's business?
Promoting the Kingdom of God is the main business for every Christian. It is a
noble business for honest, Holy Ghost filled and wise people who want to remain
that way. The disciples in the book of Acts knew about this:
Wherefore,
brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy
Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. (Acts 6:3)
However,
it is important to point out that every Christian should serve God with clear
understanding in order to maximize the benefits of his or hers services.
Serving God without understanding can be very frustrating while serving Him with
clear understanding will always give you outstanding results.
I
will illustrate the need for good understanding in my next chapter.
CHAPTER 2
THE PLACE OF UNDERSTANDING IN KINGDOM
SERVICE:
I am thy
servant; give me understanding, that I may know thy testimonies (Psalms
119:125)
Good
understanding of the rules and regulations applicable in the kingdom of God (thy
testimonies) enhances your ability to offer good and acceptable kingdom
service. You can not be a good and faithful servant in the kingdom of God
without understanding the laws (testimonies) of God. The laws of God modulate
your services within certain acceptable boundaries. Understanding the rules and
regulations in the Kingdom of God conform you within certain given parameters
that enables you offer impeccable services which attract honour.
Give me
understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole
heart (Psalms 119:34)
Thy hands
have made me and fashioned me: give me understanding, that I may learn thy
commandments (Psalms 119:73)
The righteousness of thy testimonies is everlasting: give me
understanding, and I shall live (Psalms 119:144)
Good
understanding lays a solid foundation for acceptable, honour generating Kingdom
service.
If the
foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? (Psalms 11:3)
Serving
God without good understanding is serving without a solid sure foundation. Such
kind of service runs the risk of being offered on a fault foundation which may
end up bringing shame other than honour. A good example is when someone serves
God with the intension of pleasing men. Paul called it eye-service.
Servants, be
obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and
trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ. Not with eyeservice, as
menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the
heart; With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men (Ephesians
6:5–7)
Paul
repeated the same statement in his epistle to the brethrens in Colossians
Servants,
obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as
menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God (Colossians 3:22)
Another example is when people offer their services
with wrong motive aiming either for money, fame or positions. Simon the
sorcerer tried it as recorded in the book of Acts.
And when Simon saw that through
laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them
money, Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may
receive the Holy Ghost. But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee,
because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Thou
hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the
sight of God. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps
the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. For I perceive that thou art
in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity (Acts 8:18 – 23)
Let us serve God with understanding. Let us
understand we are serving a mighty God. Let us understand we are serving not
for money, fame or positions but we are service because that is our divine
mandate.
Kingdom service is a pathway to honour. Kingdom
service pays not with money but with heavenly rewards. Money can only do so
much by heavenly rewards address all the aspects of our lives. Kingdom service
is profitable both here on earth and in the life after.
CHAPTER 3
WHO IS A SERVANT OF GOD?
God is consistently looking for people to serve Him.
He is on a constant search for a man to make up the hedge and stand in the gap.
And I sought for a man among them,
that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land,
that I should not destroy it: but I found none (Ezekiel 22:30)
When God finds one, He empowers him for the
assignments in His Kingdom. God is indeed not looking for people with ability;
He is looking for people who are available. God is the owner of ability. When
he gets one available man, He anoints him to empower him for the job. The
following scriptures in Psalms 89 demonstrate this.
I have found David my servant; with
my holy oil have I anointed him: With whom my hand shall be established: mine
arm also shall strengthen him (Psalms 89:20 – 21)
The question is; who is this man God is searching
for? Who qualifies to be called a servant of God? Who is a servant of God?
A servant of God is not necessarily a man or
woman in full time church ministry e.g. Priest, Pastor, Bishop, Apostle
etc. A servant of God is a man or woman in full time obedience to God
and His Word. The Bible is full of examples of such men and women. Let me help
you by giving a few examples.
Examples 1 – Job:
Job was a business man. He was running businesses in the land of Uz. His
businesses made him the greatest of all the men of the east.
There was a man in the land of Uz,
whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared
God, and eschewed evil. And there were born unto him seven sons and three
daughters. His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand
camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very
great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east
(Job 1:1 -3)
It is clear that Job was not a priest or someone in full time church ministry.
But he was perfect, upright and he feared God on full time basis. He was a man
in full time obedience to God.
The integrity of Job is what qualified him to be called “My servant” by
God Himself.
And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast
thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a
perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? (Job 1:8)
Example 2 – David:
David was a king. He was a politician and a military man. Yet God called him
“my servant”
I
have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him(Psalms 89:20)
David qualified to be counted among God’s servants and God recognized him as
so. Let this other scripture settle your doubt on this matter.
And
it shall be, if thou wilt hearken unto all that I command thee, and wilt walk
in my ways, and do that is right in my sight, to keep my statutes and my
commandments, as David my servant did; that I will be with thee, and
build thee a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel unto thee.(I
Kings 11:38)
I will finalize my examples by looking at Daniel.
Example 3 – Daniel:
Daniel was a captive in a foreign land in the land of Babylon under king
Nebuchadnezzar. He never compromised his obedience to God under any
circumstance. He refused disobey God even at the cost of missing food which
would be so difficult for many to do today.
And the king appointed them a daily provision of the
king's meat, and of the wine which he drank: so nourishing them three years,
that at the end thereof they might stand before the king. Now among these were
of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: Unto whom the
prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of
Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to
Azariah, of Abednego. But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile
himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank:
therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile
himself (Daniel 1:5 – 8)
Daniel purposed in his heart not to defile himself with food. He purposed not
to disobey God. He resisted being tempted to disobedience even by “good royal
food”. To him, obedience to God comes first.
Our obedience to God will regularly place a demand on us to deny ourselves some
certain enjoyments that others may consider to be our legitimate rights.
This was not all for Daniel. He went on obeying God even at the risk of loosing
his own life in a lions den. Even the king, who had ordered for Daniel to be delivered
in the lions den, recognized very well that Daniel was a servant of the Living
God.
And when he came to the den, he cried with
a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel,
servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able
to deliver thee from the lions? (Daniel 6:20)
The Bible has many other numerous examples of
farmers, businessmen, laymen, Jews, gentiles etc who were servants of God not
by their titles but by their full time obedience to Him.
Before you consider working on a full time basis in
a church ministry, start by enlisting yourself for full time obedience to
God and His Word.
CHAPTER 4
KINGDOM SERVICE: A COVENANT WITH GOD
Kingdom service is an avenue to enter into a
covenant of blessings with God. By serving God, you commit Him to bless your
bread and to bless your water and to take sickness out of your vicinity.
And ye shall serve the LORD your God,
and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from
the midst of thee. There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy
land: the number of thy days I will fulfil (Exodus 23:25 – 26)
Our God is a covenant keeping
God. As long as you pay attention to your part of the agreement and keep it,
God will never break His covenant with you. He is a covenant keeping God.
My covenant will I not break, nor
alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. (Psalms 89:34)
God sticks to His part of the
bargain and He take pleasure in prospering those that honour their part of the covenant.
Let them shout for joy, and be glad,
that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the LORD be
magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant (Psalms 35:27)
The role of servants of God is to
obey Him and His role is to take care of their earthly needs all the days of
their lives.
If they obey and
serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in
pleasures (Job 36:11)
God is able and ready to do His
part, but the servant has to start by doing his part first.
For ye have need of patience, that,
after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.(Hebrews
10:36)
All
the great servants of God recorded in the Bible were men and women who started
their journey by obeying God first and then God lifted them to stardom in their
generation. We have the opportunity to do so in our own generation starting
from NOW.
There
is an adage that goes, “The best time to plant a tree was forty
years ago: The second best is today.”
Regardless of our past, our current status, our geographical location and our
possessions, our abilities, we can enter into a covenant with God on the
platform of kingdom service and enjoy the promises he has offered to us in
Exodus 23: 25 -26. We can do it, and we should do it today! Tomorrow may be too
far if not too late!
CHAPTER 5
THE BENEFITS
OF KINGDOM SERVICE
Serving
God is not in vain. God knows that every labourer is worthy of his reward.
For the
scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And,
The labourer is worthy of his reward (I Timothy 5:18)
God
is a good pay master. His reward comes not only in monetary terms but as
wholesome blessings. His pay covers all aspects of our lives.
Let
us look at these two scriptures in the book of exodus for a better
understanding of the benefits of Kingdom service.
And ye shall
serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I
will take sickness away from the midst of thee. There shall nothing cast their
young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfill.(Exodus
23:25 – 26)
We can list the benefits
highlighted in these two scriptures and a few other scriptures as:
- Divine
Blessings
Exodus 23: 25 (a)
And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; ...
Kingdom service commits God to bless your bread and your water which represent your provisions. This means you cannot lack food and drinks when you serve God. Jesus said something to reinforce this in the book of Matthew 6:31 – 33
Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
- Divine
Health
Exodus 23:25(b)
.. and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.
Kingdom service is a major key to a sickness-free life. - Fruitfulness
Exodus 23:26(a)
There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land:
Serving God opens you to all round fruitfulness. Your land, your business, your job, your body etc all become fruitful jus as God blessed Adam in Genesis.
And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth (Genesis 1:28) - Long
life
Exodus 23:26(b)
… the number of thy days I will fulfil.
God is committed to ensure every man or woman serving him fulfill their days on the face of the earth. God will not allow the devil or sickness retire you earlier than He had planed before you were even in your mothers womb (Jeremiah 1:5) - Prosperity
Job 36:11
If they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures.
Psalms 35:27
Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the LORD be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant
God will never allow His servants go begging or borrowing for their provisions. He is committed to prosper them and make them lenders to nations as is recorded in Deuteronomy 28:12
The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow. - Honour
John 12:26
If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.
Serving God attracts honour. Think of all the decent men of God and observe that they all enjoy honour. You can equally enjoy the same honour if you start serving God faithfully and diligently today. - Distinction
Malachi 3:17 – 18
And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.
These scriptures shows that the distinction will be so obvious to everybody that no one will need to tell people that he or she is a servant of God. People will see it and discern it themselves.
- Divine
Protection
Psalms 89:20 – 23
I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him: With whom my hand shall be established: mine arm also shall strengthen him. The enemy shall not exact upon him; nor the son of wickedness afflict him. And I will beat down his foes before his face, and plague them that hate him.
Job had a hedge around him and around all his family and properties simply because he was a servant of God (Job 1:10) - Total
fulfillment in life
Matthew 6:24, 33
No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon……But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
The easiest and the cheapest way to have all things added unto you is to serve God whole-heartedly. Serve God with a single mind.
CHAPTER 6
AREAS OF
SERVICE
As
we have discovered earlier, you don’t need to be in full time church ministry
work to be a servant of God. There are many areas you can offer your services
in the kingdom of God without leaving or resigning your current occupation.
Let
me highlight just a few of these areas here.
- Winning
soul for the Kingdom of God
The bible tells us that he that wins souls is wise.
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise (Proverbs 11:30)
In the great commission, Jesus charged His disciples to go all over the world teaching people and winning souls for the kingdom of God.
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.(Matthew 28:19 – 20)
Indeed, every Christian is expected to bear fruits in form of winning souls in the kingdom of God. Jesus explained this to His disciples thus:
I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit (John 15:1 – 2)
- Church
Involvement
No Christian is expected to be a spectator in the body of Christ. Every one is called to serve. In facts, Jesus calls people to serve Him before they can follow Him.
If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour (John 12:26)
Every serious Christian need to identify areas he or she can serve God diligently and faithfully. That is the only way to remain a true follower of Christ. That is the only way to sustain true Christianity.
It is important to join service groups like choir, security, ushers, evangelism etc. God is not searching for seat warmers; He is searching for servants. God is not even searching for a master; that position is already occupied by the King of kings and the Lord of lords. God is hiring labourers not masters. (Matthew 20:1). Find somewhere to labour in the kingdom of God which is His vineyard.
- Financial
Involvement.
God also want us to serve Him with our resources including our finances. He wants us to appear in His presence with an offering of some substance.
…and they shall not appear before the LORD empty: Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee (Deuteronomy 16:16 -17)
We are also expected to serve God with our tithes.
Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts. And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts (Malachi 3:8 -12)
Let me put a word of caution here. Every kingdom service must be offered willingly from the heart. This includes financial offerings.
Take ye from among you an offering unto the LORD: whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the LORD; gold, and silver, and brass (Exodus 35:5)
Any service not offered from the heart or offered grudgingly is unacceptable. Never give an offering when you heart is not in it. God is not in need, you are the one who is in need.
Never serve God with a grudging heart. The service will be a waste of time and energy. God says:
Because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things;Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee (Deuteronomy 28:47 – 48)
CHAPTER 7
ACCEPTABLE KINGDOM
SERVICE
God
is not in need. We are the ones in need.
With
this in mind, we must offer services that are acceptable to Him. Let me
highlight a few things that will make our services acceptable to God.
- Serve
God Willingly And Joyfully
Serving God with unwilling heart and without joy is not acceptable. In fact, that kind of service may end up attracting curses than blessings.
Because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things; Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee (Deuteronomy 28:47 – 48)
Let us serve God in a way that will attract blessings not curses. Let us serve Him willingly and joyfully. - Serve
God Faithfully
Unfaithful servants are more risky that thieves and robbers. Unfaithful servants destroy the work from within. They are a cancer within. God wants us to serve Him faithfully.
Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful (I Corinthians 4:2)
In the parable of the three servants who were given talents to go and trade with in the book of Matthew, Jesus demonstrates that the faithful servants were commended.
His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord (Matthew 25:21 &23)
- Don’t Serve
God With Eye Service.
Eye-service is service offered to attract attention from people or leaders. It is service offered to impress people.
God is not interested with this kind of service. Paul warned people severally.
Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart (Ephesians 6:5 – 6)
Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God (Colossians 3:22)
Even ministers of the Gospel who teach or preaching expecting applauses offers eye-services. Such ministers should not expect fresh anointing leave alone new revelation from God. Ministers of the Gospel should teach and preach to feed the people with knowledge and understanding but not to receive applauses or recognition. God has clearly stipulated why He has given us pastors.
And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding (Jeremiah 3:15)
CHAPTER 8
RESOURCES
REQUIRED FOR KINGDOM SERVICE
You will need resources to serve
God effectively. These resources will include people and material items. Any
serious assignment will demand serious commitment of resources.
Let
me mention a few of the resources you will need to commit for the work of the
kingdom of God.
1.
Time
God is the author of times
and seasons. Every phase of your life is well timed by God. If you really want
to serve God, you must be prepared to commit some time for His service. God
Himself committed six days to create everything you see including the human
race (Genesis 1:1- 31). It is therefore impossible to serve God without
committing time to do it.
God Himself ordered the Israelites to commit one day in a week as a Sabbath day
for them to remember and serve God without diluting it with their own other
duties.
Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore;
for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to
death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from
among his people. Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath
of rest, holy to the LORD: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he
shall surely be put to death (Exodus 31:14 -15)
Every Christian is
expected to set time to serve God. The list bellow may help you to recognize
the need for setting time to serve God.
A. – Set time to pray (Luke 18:1, Luke 11:2, Matthew 6:7)
B. – Set time to worship God (Exodus 31:14, Revelation 22:9)
C. – Set time to
fellowship (Acts 2:42, I Corinthians 1:9 I John 1:6 -7)
D. – Set time to study the Word of God (Joshua 1:8, 2 Timothy 2:15)
E. – Set time to meditate
on the Word of God (Joshua
1:8, Psalms 1:1-2)
F. – Set Time for evangelize (Matthew
28:19 -20, Mark 16:20)
G. – Set time to labour in
the vineyard of God (Matthew 20:1, I Timothy 5:18) etc.
2.
Serve God With Your Life
The words of our lord
Jesus Christ on this subject are very clear.
If any man serve me, let him
follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me,
him will my Father honour. (John 12:26)
And when he had called the
people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come
after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me (mark
8:34)
You cannot serve God
without following Him. Following Him means giving your whole self for His
service. You cannot delegate followership just as a sport man can not delegate
doing physical fitness exercises to somebody else. If you want to reduce your
tummy, you must do the required physical exercises yourself. You can not instruct
your house girl to be doing press-ups for you in hope that your tummy will
reduce.
The disciples left their families and their businesses to follow and serve
Christ.
Then Peter said, Lo, we have
left all, and followed thee (Luke 18:28)
Elisha left everything else to follow and serve Elijah. The formula remains the
same. You must engage your own life to serve God in Kingdom service. Take the
case of Elisha for an example as is recorded in I Kings 19:19 – 21.
So he departed thence, and
found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen
before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him, and cast his
mantle upon him. And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me,
I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee. And he
said unto him, Go back again: for what have I done to thee? And he returned
back from him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh
with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat.
Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him.
3.
Serve God With Your Family
Your family is important
in your service to God. Joshua gives us a perfect example.
And if it seem evil unto you
to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods
which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods
of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will
serve the LORD.(Joshua 24:15)
Joshua served God from His
youth (Exodus 33:11, Numbers 11:28), and at his old age he knew very well the benefits
of serving God with his house (his family)
God revealed His secrets to Abraham because He knew Abraham will command
his children and his household on the ways of God. In other words, God knew
that Abraham will teach his family to serve Him.
And the LORD said, Shall I
hide from Abraham that thing which I do; Seeing that Abraham shall surely
become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be
blessed in him? For I know him, that he will command his children and his
household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and
judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him
(Genesis 18:17 – 19)
Don’t leave your family
behind in kingdom service. Eli the priest left his sons and suffered for it.
The benefits of kingdom service are for you and your family and the generation
coming after you and therefore every one in your family need to be involved.
4.
Serve God With All Your Resources Including
Hoofs
Moses exemplifies this
better than anybody else.
“Our cattle also shall go
with us; there shall not an hoof be left behind; for thereof must we take to
serve the LORD our God; and we know not with what we must serve the LORD, until
we come thither (Exodus 10:26)
Don’t keep away some
certain things from serving God. Everything you have can be used to service the
kingdom of God. Don’t be like people who want to serve God with their money but
not their time or the vice versa. Don’t be like people who want to serve God
with their body but not their talent or the vice versa.
Dangers of hindering people From serving God:
Let me close this chapter by a word of caution!
Hindering
people from serving God has serious consequences. This scripture from the book
of Exodus clears the air on this.
And I say
unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him
go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn. (Exodus 4:23)
Let
this be a timely warning to husbands who compel their wives not to serve God or
parents who deny their children opportunities to serve God.
It
is also an advice to the ministers of the Gospel to create more opportunities
in their churches or ministries for people to serve God freely. Some ministers
of the gospel employ staff for all sorts of activities in their churches or
ministries leaving no room for church members to key in with their labour. This
may look modern but it is not healthy for the body of Christ.
CHAPTER 9
THE GRACE OF
GOD IN KINGDOM SERVICE
There
is a place for the grace of God in Kingdom Service. Serving God without His
grace can be very frustrating and fruitless. Paul recognized that it was the
operation of the grace of God in Him that gave him the results he got.
For I am the
least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I
persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his
grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more
abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me (I
Corinthians 15:9 – 10)
Paul
is admitting here that it is not his qualification that gave him the assignment
he was handling nor the results he was getting but the grace of God which was
operating in him. He knew very well he was the least of the apostles but still
God placed him in the ministry and gave him the grace to get outstanding
results. The grace of God is not given on merit.
Paul
also recognized that the grace of God is sufficient for any assignment.
And he said
unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in
weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the
power of Christ may rest upon me (2 Corinthians 12:9)
Grace is divine help. No matter how strong you are, there would be times in
your life when you need a divine help in your assignments. Grace is a divine
leverage; something you can lean on when you become exhausted or when you get
to your wits' end.
When
you get to a cross road and you don't know what to do next, or your efforts
seem not to be producing the desired results, don't feel condemned, simply call
God and request for His grace. Call for the grace of God, no matter the area of
life in which you need it.
The grace of God gives you fulfillment through the supply of all sufficiency in
all that you require in life.
And God is
able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all
sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work (2 Corinthians 9:8)
Therefore,
when you have grace you have enough in all areas of your life. When life brings
you challenges that are beyond your abilities, go for the grace of God. Grace
means operating with the ability of God. When you have the grace of God, you
have God and whatever cannot stop God will never be able to stop you.
It
is my prayer that all through your life; you will enjoy the grace of God. The
grace of God will be sufficient for you. The grace of God will never let you
fail.
CHAPTER 10
HOW TO
RECOGNIZE A CALL TO FULL TIME MINISTRY
Every
Christian is called to serve God but there are those who are called to serve
God in full time ministry work. The tribe of Levi in Israel was called to serve
God full time. They were not even given land since they were not expected to
labour in any other thing apart from serving God by serving His people and
serving in the Sanctuary.
Bring the
tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may
minister unto him. And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole
congregation before the tabernacle of the congregation, to do the service of
the tabernacle. And they shall keep all the instruments of the tabernacle of
the congregation, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service
of the tabernacle. And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons:
they are wholly given unto him out of the children of Israel. (Numbers 3:6 -9)
This
is again emphasized in the following scriptures.
And thou
shalt set the Levites before Aaron, and before his sons, and offer them for an
offering unto the LORD. Thus shalt thou separate the Levites from among the
children of Israel: and the Levites shall be mine. And after that shall the
Levites go in to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation: and thou
shalt cleanse them, and offer them for an offering. For they are wholly given
unto me from among the children of Israel; instead of such as open every womb,
even instead of the firstborn of all the children of Israel, have I taken them
unto me. (Numbers 8:13 – 16)
Even
today, God is still separating some people for full time ministry work.
The
question is; how do you recognize a call to full time church ministry work?
Many
people struggle to recognize their call. Unfortunately, life outside ones
calling is full of struggle and plenty of unfulfilled dreams. This is so
primarily because once God has called you, He does not change. Meaning He does
not equip you for other things or assignments. The Bible tells us that God’s
calling have no repentance.
For the
gifts and calling of God are without repentance (Romans 11:29)
This
means that God does not revoke His callings. If God calls you, that is final.
He will not come back to revoke that call despite your short comings. Your call
was decided by God even before you were born as we see in the book of Jeremiah.
Before I
formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the
womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations
(Jeremiah 1:5)
The challenge that is faced by many people is to know and locate the call of
God upon their life. So many people go through a lot of struggles before they
are able to identify the call of God upon their life.
I will try to highlight five ways that can help the reader to identify a true
call from God. I refer to them as steps thought they are not necessary in the
order I have discussed them.
Step One: You Will Be Uncomfortable And Miserable Doing Anything Else.
The calling of God is precious and a serious thing. Some, who are unsure of
their calling, are compelled to recognize their call by a heavy burden it
places on them. Like Jonah of the Old Testament, some may try and run from
their calling, yet they will not be able to hide from it. Jonah found out that
it was a very miserable life to ignore the call of God. Until you begin to
respond to the call of God upon your life, you will feel very, very, empty.
Once you are called, you are forever called. Your calling is without
repentance. God will take your life before He removes the call upon your life.
For the gifts and calling of God are
without repentance (Romans 11:29)
Peter
found this out the hard way. The calling on his life was very clear. Jesus
spoke it directly to him. There was no confusion about it.
And I say
also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church;
and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee
the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth
shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be
loosed in heaven (Matthew 16:18 -19)
Peter was totally committed to Jesus and to the call upon His life. He really
did not have any clue of how tough it was going to get. Peter was so sure of
the will of God upon his life that he told Jesus he was willing to die for Him.
Little did he know that he would be tested on that statement within hours of
making it!
Beginning at the garden when the soldiers came to take Jesus away, Peter began
to act differently. This was not supposed to happen. This was not what Peter
had signed on for. This was the beginning of a very confusing time for Peter.
The Bible states that he began to follow them from afar off. Peter was not one
to do that, he was the one who was always at the center of the action. As the
day progresses, things go from bad to worse. In the space of about two hours,
Peter denies the Lord three times. It was a horrible day for all of the
disciples, but Peter reacted differently than some of the others.
After the crucifixion, Peter became more confused than ever. Jesus was dead,
Peter had denied Him three times and he figured he was done with following
Jesus. It seemed like all the Hell was against him. Peter began to run from
God. He even gathered some of the disciples together and they went back to
their old life, fishing. Peter was trying to find some comfort and peace in his
life, so he went back to what he knew earlier. But even there, he was not
settled. The Bible records he was naked at some point (John 21:7). This reveals
to us his mental state.
Simon Peter
saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They
went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught
nothing. But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the
disciples knew not that it was Jesus. Then Jesus saith unto them, Children,
have ye any meat? They answered him, No. And he said unto them, Cast the net on
the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now
they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. Therefore that
disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon
Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher's coat unto him, (for
he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea (John 21:3 -7)
Things were not okay, Peter was no longer thinking straight or rationally.
Peter was miserable, he was not himself. In fact they fished all night and
caught no fish. Going back to his old life was not the answer, Peter was called
of God, and he would be miserable doing anything else.
Those who give up on the call of God upon their life will live a life without
comfort and without success.
Step Two: Check And Confirm Whether God
Is Renewing Your Thinking.
God may be renewing your thinking. God may be asking you to re-evaluate
your priorities and motivations in life.
There was a time in my life when I was struggling with the will of God upon my
life. I knew I was called, but I was confused and frustrated about my calling. So
many things around me competed for my personal attention. I doubted my
qualification for a call to full time ministry. So many people around me seemed
better qualified to be called other than me. What I did not know at the time
was that I had to learn the will of God. David said:
Teach me to
do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of
uprightness (Psalms 143:10)
To be in the will of God requires some learning. There are some things that you
have to be taught. The learning is to transform your mind and your thinking.
Paul tells us:
And be not
conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,
that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God
(Romans 12:2)
You need to change your thinking by renewing your mind with the word of God.
The Word will reveal the will of God in your life. Ask God to teach you His ways
via His word.
Teach me thy
way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies (Psalms
27:11)
Let the word of God be your lamp on your journey to self discovery.
Thy word is
a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path (Psalms 119:105).
Nothing
brings comfort more than being in the will of God. You never get confused or
stranded while walking in the will of God.
Step Three: Listen To The Still Small Voice Of God.
The voice of God clears any doubts. We can recall the story of Prophet
Elijah one of the most famous and the most powerful prophets of God. Nobody
doubted his calling, his prayers brought results. When Elijah prayed, fire fell
from heaven. When Elijah prayed, rain fell from the sky. Through his prayers,
Elijah altered the course of an entire nation. He was one of only two men in
scripture who did not see death (the other is Enoch – genesis 5:24). There is
no doubt that Elijah was in the perfect will of God.
However, having said that, the book of First Kings reveals a time in Elijah's life
when it seemed like all Hell was rising up against him. Israel had forsaken the
ways of God, the altars had been destroyed, and the prophets of God had been
slaughtered. Elijah found himself all alone, and began to wonder if God was
still with him. He decided to run for his life. In fact, it got so bad that he
asked the Lord to kill him and take his life.
And Ahab
told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the
prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So
let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one
of them by to morrow about this time. And when he saw that, he arose, and went
for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his
servant there. But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and
came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he
might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not
better than my fathers (I Kings 19:1 – 4)
Queen Jezebel had been threatening Elijah's life for some time. Now it was
heating up. Jezebel had just informed Elijah by way of messenger that he would
be dead by the same time tomorrow! Elijah was a wanted man. Jezebel sanctioned
a man hunt for him. She had people looking for Elijah everywhere to get him
dead or alive. Elijah could feel the heat. It was too much. He could not take
it anymore.
It is hard to picture the most powerful of all of the prophets forced into a
corner by the enemy and running for his life. That is where we find ourselves
sometimes. Yet, in the midst of running, God sends an angel to feed him. That
alone ought to be enough to confirm that God was with you him. However, Elijah
still kept running. I know if an angel visited me leave alone feeding me, I
would be ready to do whatever God asks of me.
The meat the angel brought to Elijah sustained his life for forty days and
nights. That might be a hint that God was with him. He finally found a cave to
hide in and the Word of God came to him there, "What are you doing here,
Elijah?"
God was not asking about Elijah's
physical location, He was asking about Elijah's spiritual condition. God wanted
to know why Elijah had given up. Listen to Elijah's response:
And he said, I have been very jealous for the
LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant,
thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I
only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away. And he said, Go forth,
and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and
a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks
before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an
earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a
fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice
(I Kings 19:10 – 12)
When Elijah was at his wits end, what gave him direction and conviction was a
still small voice. Not the strong wind, not the earthquake nor the fire, but a
still small voice. In that still small voice, Elijah got the answers from God
and fear, shame, confusion and reproach were wiped away.
And the LORD
said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when
thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria: And Jehu the son of Nimshi
shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat of
Abelmeholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room (I Kings 19:15 – 16)
God’s response was simple, “return to what I have called you to do!
The small still voice from God was all that was needed to confirm to Elijah
that he was still called of God and he still had some work to do.
If you find yourself surrounded by the enemy, and you feel like throwing in the
towel, don't wait for an angel, and don't wait for some spectacular sign from
heaven. God has given you His Word and His Spirit. Get rooted in the Word of
God and stay in tune with His Spirit so you can hear the still small voice of
God.
His
plan will become perfectly clear to you. When you stay in the will of God, what
you fear most will likely never come to pass. God has already defeated your
enemy. Jezebel never succeeded in taking the life of Elijah, God took care of
her, and God took care of Elijah. God will surely take care of you as well.
Step Four: Listen To Your Inner Most Feelings.
The story of Nehemiah illustrates this very effectively. After Israel was
taken captive by Babylon, the Persian Empire defeated the Babylonians and a
Jewish man named Nehemiah became the cupbearer of the King of Persia. This was
a high ranking position to hold in the ancients courts of kings. This person
had to be regarded as very trustworthy to hold this position. He was guarding
the life of the king, and his close proximity to the king endeared him to a
very close relationship with the king and all of the high ranking officials of
the king's court.
Nehemiah was visited by his brother Hanani who told him that the city
of Jerusalem was nothing but heaps of stones. This vexed Nehemiah so much that
he sat down and wept. He began to pray and fast before God about this news.
That Hanani,
one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them
concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and
concerning Jerusalem. And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the
captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall
of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.
And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and
mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven (Nehemiah
1:2 – 4)
Nehemiah
did not know what the will of God was for his life. All he knew was that
Jerusalem was still in ruins and was surrounded by enemies on every side. Yet
he saw that he was in a very unique position of power where he could do
something to help. He began to pray and seek the will of God on the matter.
God placed a desire and a burden in Nehemiah's heart to rebuild the
walls of the city of Jerusalem. Once the desire was there, Nehemiah began to
see and understand that he was in a unique position to accomplish it. He had
the support of the King of Persia. At that time the king of Persia was the most
powerful man in the world. Nehemiah might have been the only person in the
world at that time who could have accomplished this great feat. Nehemiah
recognized that he had an open door. He had the burden, he had the desire, and
when the door opened he went. He did not have to tell anybody, he did not need
anybody to confirm it to him. He just knew in his heart that it was right. He
took action as recorded in this account:
So I came to
Jerusalem, and was there three days. And I arose in the night, I and some few
men with me; neither told I any man what my God had put in my heart to do at
Jerusalem: neither was there any beast with me, save the beast that I rode
upon. And I went out by night by the gate of the valley, even before the dragon
well, and to the dung port, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were
broken down, and the gates thereof were consumed with fire. Then I went on to
the gate of the fountain, and to the king's pool: but there was no place for
the beast that was under me to pass. Then went I up in the night by the brook,
and viewed the wall, and turned back, and entered by the gate of the valley,
and so returned. And the rulers knew not whither I went, or what I did; neither
had I as yet told it to the Jews, nor to the priests, nor to the nobles, nor to
the rulers, nor to the rest that did the work (Nehemiah 2:11 – 16)
Nehemiah
had many other occasions to follow what God had put in His heart as we see also
in the following scripture.
And my God
put into mine heart to gather together the nobles, and the rulers, and the
people, that they might be reckoned by genealogy. And I found a register of the
genealogy of them which came up at the first, and found written therein
(Nehemiah 7:5)
Sometimes
you just know beyond any shadow of doubt what God wants. God puts it in your
heart and in your mind as a strong desire.
..but the
desire of the righteous shall be granted (Proverbs 10:24)
Jesus
taught us to pray and believe for our desires to be fulfilled.
Therefore I
say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye
receive them, and ye shall have them (Mark 11:24)
Step Five: Go To God In Prayer
There is nothing that can substitute prayers. Simple heartfelt communication with
God is the most important avenue for discovering the will of God upon ones
life. When it seems like there is nobody to help, God is ready to show you the
plans He has for you. Go to Him in prayer since He has already invited us to do
so.
Call unto
me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou
knowest not (Jeremiah 33:3)
God
is willing to reveal to you those things that you do not know which you need to
know. He is ready to reveal to you His plans upon your life.
Apostle
James advises us to seek wisdom from God concerning such matters.
If any of
you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and
upbraideth not; and it shall be given him (James 1:5)
It
may not seem like it, but God wants you know His will for your life more than
you want to know it yourself. You have to learn to trust that God has your best
interest no matter how bad it might appear around you at the time.
Praying
in the Spirit will greatly help you in this matter. Paul tells us that the
Spirit will pray for us “with groanings that cannot be uttered.”
Likewise the
Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as
we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which
cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of
the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will
of God (Romans 8:26 -27)
These
five steps will help you on your journey to discovering your calling. You will
need to keep engaging one or more of them regularly because your call will keep
unfolding till you leave this life and ascend to the next.
May
the good hand of God reveal to you your calling today!
CHAPTER 11
VESSELS OF
HONOUR
We are all
created to serve God. We are therefore vessels of service. But not all vessels
have equal value. Paul writing to Timothy his spiritual son pointed out this:
But
in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of
wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour (2 Timothy 2:20)
But Paul was quick
to add that every individual has a personal responsibly to turn himself or
herself to a vessel of honour. You take a personal responsibility to convert
yourself to a vessel of honour.
If
a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour,
sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work (2
Timothy 2:21)
Our value depends
on our purging. How well we purge ourselves determines how good a vessel we
become.
If purging is
that important, then what are these things that we need to purge ourselves of?
A few scriptures from the second chapter in the book of second Timothy gives us
a hint of the things we need to purge ourselves from.
But
shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;
Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past
already; and overthrow the faith of some. Nevertheless the foundation of God
standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let
every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity (2 Timothy 2:16 –
19)
After saying this, Paul
hastened to add more other things that Timothy needed to avoid or purge himself
from.
Flee also youthful lusts: but follow
righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a
pure heart. But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do
gender strifes. And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto
all men, apt to teach, patient (2 Timothy 2:22 – 24)
We need to take purging ourselves very
seriously. The level of your purging determines the value you bring into the
service of the kingdom of God.
Allow me to highlight a few things that you
need to purge yourself from at this point.
- Your words (Your language)
Your language is very important. The Bible says that death and life are in the power of the tongue.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof (Proverbs 18:21)
Jesus added His voice on this.
But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment (Matthew 12:36)
But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil (Matthew 5:37)
Paul spoke about the importance of using the right words. Words that edify and not defile.
Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers (Ephesians 4:29)
But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth (Colossians 3:8)
But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness (2 Timothy 2:16)
- Your Associations
The company you keep will either build you or destroy you.
He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed (Proverbs 13:20)
Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners (I Corinthians 15:33)
The Psalmist tells us that our blessings are dependent on the company we keep.
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful (Psalms 1:1)
Keep the right company to attract more blessings from God.
- Sexual Lust
God hates sexual lust which is the main cause of fornication and adultery.
Fornication and adultery defile our own body which is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Every other sin a man commit is done out side the body; but fornication and adultery are committed within our own bodies.
Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's (I Corinthians 6:18 – 20)
Paul advised Timothy to free youthful lust which may easily lead to fornication or adultery.
Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart (2 Timothy 2: 22)
- Strife
Strife creates bitterness and division. A servant of God should never strive.
And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient (2 Timothy 2:24)
Apostle James highlighted the consequences of strife in the following scripture.
For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work (James 3:16)
Keep away from strife and confusion and other evil works will be far away from you.
Where
do you begin the purging process?
You start this important processing of
purging yourself by examining yourself.
Examine yourselves, whether
ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how
that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates (2 Corinthians 13:5)
But let a man examine
himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. (I
Corinthians 11:28)(Talking about what you need to do before taking Holy
Communion.)
God can also help you
examine yourself if you request Him in prayer.
Examine me, O LORD, and prove
me; try my reins and my heart (Psalms 26:2)
If you notice any undesirable things while
examining yourself, then move to the next step of pruning and purging. Jesus
gave this illustration to show how important purging is.
I am the true vine, and my
Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh
away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring
forth more fruit (John 15:1 - 2)
Jesus went further to
emphasis that we should not tolerate anything that defiles us or reduces our
worth in the kingdom of God.
And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out,
and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye,
rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire (Matthew 18:9)
Brethren,
we have been to glory, let us not entertain un unprofitable things around us.
CHAPTER 12
LEARNING
FROM EZRA
God
has given us examples from the lives of His servants who have gone ahead of us.
We are expected to learn from their successes and failures to make our services
honourable and profitable. God says:
Look unto
Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and
blessed him, and increased him (Isaiah 51:2)
There
are many wonderful examples of men and women of God from the Bible to learn
from. I wish to take just one of them the man called Ezra for an example. The
example of Ezra will suffice in shedding light on kingdom service.
Let
us draw our lessons from Ezra 7:10.
For Ezra had
prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in
Israel statutes and judgments
We
can draw four major lessons from the above scripture.
- Ezra Prepared His Heart.
To be acceptable, all service to God must come from the heart. All the issues of live come from the heart and therefore your service must come from there.
Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of
life (Proverbs 4:23)
Jesus blasted the Israelites for not serving God from the heart.
Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This
people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips;
but their heart is far from me.(Matthew 15:7 -8)
Jesus also educated His disciples that their hearts determines
their output.
A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth
that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart
bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth
speaketh (Luke 6:45)
Paul stressed the importance of serving God from the heart.
But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from
the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you (Romans 6:17)
- Ezra Sought The Law Of The Lord.
We can never do the will of God till we know it. The words “to seek” meant study in our reference scripture - Ezra 7:10.
We must be diligent students of the Word of God if we desire to know the laws of God. The more you understand the Word of God, the nobler you become.
These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so (Acts 17:11)
Timothy was advised to study to be a better workman as well as keep shame far away from himself.
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15)
Joshua was instructed by God to study and meditate on His
Word in order to make his ways prosperous and to have good success.
This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou
shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according
to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous,
and then thou shalt have good success (Joshua 1:8)
- Ezra Practiced What He Learned.
Knowledge is worthless without application. Wisdom is actually defined as the correct application of knowledge. A wise man must apply what he knows. James admonishes us to be doers of the Word.
But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves (James 1:22)
Jesus castigated His followers for not doing what they learned from Him. He actually taught them that wisdom is in application of the Word.
And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great (Luke 6:46 – 49)
- Ezra Taught Others What He Himself Had
Learned.
You cannot teach what you do not know, and you will never teach effectively what you do not practice.
Teaching is one of our major assignments. We are expected to go and teach all nations of the earth.
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost (Matthew 28:19)
Timothy was instructed by Paul to teach the things he himself had been taught by Paul and others.
And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also (2 Timothy 2:2)
Every Christian is a teacher. We teach both in words and
in deeds. We teach by our life style.
Decide to be a good teacher of the Word and a good example
for others to follow.
CHAPTER 13
FINAL
THOUGHTS
God
is consistently and continuously searching for people to serve Him faithfully
and diligently. We can not exhaust the available vacancies in the kingdom of
God. There are many hedges to be repaired and many gaps that require people to
stand in. God says:
And I sought
for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap
before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none (Ezekiel
22:30)
It
is your time now to discover the area(s) God want you to serve Him. God is not
searching for ability; He is searching for the available. God is the owner of
ability. He will empower any available man for His service. Concerning David He
says:
I have found
David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him (Psalms 89:20)
The
reference of anointing in the above scripture refers to empowerment. God is
basically saying, I have found a servant and I have empowered him for the
assignments in my kingdom.
Don’t
worry about your ability; God will equip you with all you need for His service.
Jesus
Himself was empowered by God to do all He was able to do in His ministry.
How God
anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about
doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with
him (Acts 10:38)
Jesus
also knew very well that His disciples were not capable of handling their huge
assignment without divine empowerment. He told them to wait for that empowerment
before they could launch out on their mission.
And, behold,
I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of
Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high (Luke 24:49)
The
assignment was huge; to be witnesses of Jesus in Jerusalem, Judaea, Samaria and
the rest of the world. They definitely needed divine empowerment. And Jesus did
well to promise them power.
But ye shall
receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be
witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and
unto the uttermost part of the earth (Acts 1:8)
Your
assignment will be huge, but don’t worry about your capability. God is ready
and waiting to empower you. Let me also hasten to add that you will never be
alone in your assignment. Jesus has committed Himself to be with you all the
way.
Go ye
therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and
of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things
whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the
end of the world. Amen (Matthew 28:19 – 20)
It
is rewarding to serve God. It is good to be called a servant of God. Even Jesus
came to serve as he said, “..but I am among you as he that serveth”
(Luke 22:27).
Finally
brethrens, let me leave you with this powerful scripture.
Finally,
brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever
things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely,
whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be
any praise, think on these things (Philippians 4:8)
Remain
Blessed.
Reference Books
1.
Authorized King James Version Bible(KJV
2.
Anointing For Breakthrough – Bishop David O. Oyedepo
3.
Walking In The Newness Of Life – By Bishop David O. Oyedepo
4.
Success Strategies – By Bishop David O. Oyedepo
5.
Stewardship, Pathway to Honour – Bishop David Abioye
6.
Good Morning Holy Spirit – By Benny Hinn
7.
7 Keys to 1000 times More – By Mike Murdock
8.
Oxford
Advanced Learner’s Dictionary
ABOUT
THE AUTHOR
Pastor Boniface Gichina was ordained as a
pastor in October 2005 by the presiding Bishop of Living Faith Church a.k.a.
Winners’ Chapel International, Bishop Dr. David O. Oyedepo.
He has a master degree from the University
of Lund in Sweden and a bachelor degree from the University of Nairobi. He is a
qualified purchasing and supplies professional and had worked for various
private and governmental institutions before going to full time ministry work
in 2009.
He is the author of the popular book – Understanding
Tithes and Offerings.
He has ministered in many Churches in Kenya
and is currently serving in as the Resident Pastor in Winners’ Chapel
International - Nyeri, Kenya.
He is married to Deaconess Monicah Gichina
and they are blessed with five children, two kings and three queens.
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