PRINCIPLES 1

"HENCEFORTH, all the days of the earth, seed [time] and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night, shall not cease."
Genesis 8:22 (DARBY)

• There are laws governing everything on earth. When these laws or principles are well understood and put in place, there would be a result or progress in whatever is done.

• Ministry work.

• The work of ministry is about doing what you do believe God has revealed to you as His plan for your life.
  a. The ministry work is about the Kingdom of God on earth.
  b. It is also about God reaching out to mankind through a particular chosen vessel.
  c. It is about God using someone to reveal Himself to a group of people—a class of people.
• God reveals Himself to a chosen vessel, who would then take what is revealed to him or her about God to the group of people, a particular class of society, or nations which such is assigned.

• Ministry work centres on God.

• Knowing that ministry work is not by human idea or by human appointment, but by election of grace (Romans 9:11).
  It means no one put the honour on himself (Hebrews 5:4).
• Thus, If a believer is chosen or appointed by God, It means the work is not his or her work but God's—you are a steward.
• You are employed by God to work in His vineyard, Kingdom, which you would give account of your stewardship on the last Day (1 Corinthians 3:11-15).

• Having established these facts, one must know that ministry can only be defined by God.

• You cannot define ministry for God. It is God's prerogative, sole right, to define ministry, tell you what your ministry or assignment is: what to do, how to do it, where to do it, and when to start doing it.
• Some claimed to be called by God, with a supposed mandate from heaven, yet, they find it difficult to abide with whatever God said; they wanted to do the work the way they like.
• The work of ministry has to be done according to the pattern given to you by God (Hebrews 8:5).
• God has a purpose of calling each minister. The assignment of the Minister-A would not be the same with that of the Minister-B.
• Thus, every minister should build according to the pattern shown to him or her by God and be committed to it with doggedness—stubborn determination.

• The general principles that govern the work should be known and understood by the called one, apart from the specific pattern given to him or her.

• These general principles are the basics—fundamental principles. In which you have to always look up to God to receive instructions on what to do. You cannot just put A and B together and get to work, you had to receive directions from God.
• God is the Owner of the work, He had to give you directives on how things should be done.
• A number of ministers who are plagued with stagnation, with little or no results in the work of ministry, are doing the work with their brains, human wisdom—they are doing the work in their own way.
• Note: you cannot do the work in your own way and get heaven's kind of result. You can only get God's kind of result when you have His backing, and this happens when you submit to His leadership—you carry out His instruction in details, obey to the letter.

• One of the general principles of ministry which a minister needed to pay attention is, the training of the people under his or her leadership for the work of ministry (Ephesians 4:11,12).

• The five ministry gifts given to the church by Jesus Christ were given to equip the saints, the body of Christ.
  They are Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and teachers (Ephesians 4:11).
• In verse 12 of the passage, Ephesians 4, the role of the ministry gifts are specifically highlighted: "FOR THE EQUIPPING OF THE SAINTS FOR THE WORK OF MINISTRY, FOR THE EDIFYING OF THE BODY OF CHRIST" (Ephesians 4:12 NKJV).
• The five ministry gifts are to :
  a. Equip the saints for the work of ministry.
  b. Edify the body of Christ.
• When they equip the saints, the body of Christ would be edified—built up.
  They are not to do the work by themselves, but to equip the saints to do it.
• Many ministers are doing the work by themselves, because they failed to equip the saints. Most of the people under these ministers are not willing to give their time for the work, they are after the mundane—material things.
• The truth is, If a minister is not ready to follow God's pattern in building His work, there would not be progress.
• Some of these ministers also would not want their people to be trained, yet, they want these untrained or poorly trained people to respond positively to the work of ministry when they are appointed.
• The people under your leadership cannot respond and be committed to the work of ministry If they are not equipped.
• To be equipped is to be supplied with the necessary things needed to do the work.
• If people are not supplied with the things needed to do the work of ministry, they would not respond to the call to serve, and If they responded out of obligation, they will not be committed, do the work with a wrong motive.
• Some ministers had to pay people before they would work in the church. The menial works that should be done voluntarily by the church members are being paid for, before they could be done—they do not have committed workers.
• Yet these same ministers refused to allow their people to be taught and trained or equipped.
• People would not respond to the call to serve If they are not properly trained or equipped.

• You will not fail in Jesus' name.

• Should there be any ailment in your body, receive your healing now in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.
• The hold is totally broken and the Affliction will never rise again in Jesus' mighty name.
  Peace!
  TO BE CONTINUED

STEPS TO SALVATION
• Take notice of this:
IF you are yet to take the step of salvation, that is, yet to be born-again, do it now, tomorrow might be too late (2 Corinthians 6:1,2; Hebrews 3:7,8,15).
a. Acknowledge that you are a sinner and confess your Sins (1 John 1:9); And ask Jesus Christ to come into your life (Revelation 3:20).
b. Confess that you believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is Lord, and that you confess it with your mouth, Thus, you accept Him As your Lord and Saviour (Romans 10:9,10).
c. As you took the steps A and B your name is written in the Book of Life (Philippians 4:3; Revelation 3:8).

• If you took the steps As highlighted above, congratulations, It means you are saved—born-again. Join a Word based church in your area and Town or city, and be part of whatever they are doing there. Peace!