Many set out on a profound journey to fulfill specific roles within the ministry of the fivefold capacity. It is crucial to remember that our true identity is defined by God, and thankfully, we are precisely what He has appointed us to be, according to the measure of Christ’s gift given to us by grace for whatever office we are called to.
Jesus declared, “If you desire greatness in Heaven, you must be a servant to your brothers. And if you wish to be first, you must be a slave, for the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.”
The Apostle Paul, arguably the greatest example in Christian history, referred to himself as a bondservant of Christ.
Here are but a few of the sufferings the Apostle Paul endured:
“I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews, five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren. In weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness— besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn with indignation?” (2 Corinthians 22-29)
We are called as light set on a hill for all to see, so let your Light shine.
All of the Gifting in the Body of Christ has a certain set or even progressive measure of Faith, given the Office in which we have been ordained to and in.
Jesus carried the “entire” weight of sin for humankind. Don’t be fooled by just the physical suffering our Lord endured; there is so much more to this topic than anticipated, according to our view of crucifixion. I saw a documentary of fools having themselves nailed to crosses yearly; we can’t imitate the Lord’s suffering. He drank the entirety of the cup of death. He consumed ALL of the wrath of God in His bosom.
The Bible clearly states: “Many are called, but few are chosen.”
Yes, there is a lot of zest and zeal from day one of being a Christian. But it takes guts to be chosen, cause to be chosen is not for the faint of heart, no, not at all.
Eleven of the twelve disciples of Christ suffered gruesome deaths; only John, having survived after being boiled in oil, was exiled to the Isle of Patmos, where he received the Book of Revelation. We know from scholars that John lived to an advanced age.
The Kingdom of God suffers violence, and the violent take it “by force.” You will need to have guts for Glory while we are on planet Earth.
No guts = no Glory.
Some want to be very special in ministry; I have heard that some people have it all on the outside, with zero of God’s Glory within and upon.
Lastly, more likely for those Chosen, the POWER FROM ON HIGH, in “order” to bear witness to the Words of Christ. The Spirit of Christ within, and the Spirit of Christ upon, is a two-part impartation.
Will you go to the extreme to draw closer to God, when all else fades or faints, with one aim, seeking the Kingdom of God in its fullness? You can draw closer to God, but before this can occur, there needs to be certain key Kingdom criteria in place.
Your journey as a pilgrim is ever-progressive, meaning it holds the capacity to change, but the main aim does not change. There are different levels to God’s will for our lives:
1.) The perfect will of God
2.) The acceptable will of God, and
3.) Allowed will of God
If you fall into one of these categories, don’t worry; if you are born again, you will inherit everlasting Life. The quality of life in this eon or age may vary according to these three categorical levels of God’s divine will.
If your motive is purely to be close to God, then this is honorable, but if you are after The Anointing to impress and impart to people, you are standing on a very slippery ledge, due to a long fall down, ask Lucifer.
Many want the Anointing to be special. God simply won’t allow this, and these kinds of wanna-be ministries simply fail.
The Anointing is given to the advancement of the Kingdom of God. Jesus is placed at the epic center, and this is the type of church you should belong to. We are called to serve; we need to get to our knees and serve the unfortunate.
God wants more than your Sundays. God will draw you near if you are serious about Him. What are you actually seeking from God? More plainly put, what is your motive?
I need you to consider this: Jesus may walk into your church and present Himself as the Son of God, and many might not even like Him, or even worse still, not recognize Him. I am not ignorant in stating this, nor swaying from the truth.
The Gospel of John says, He came unto His own and His own did not recognize Him nor receive Him. When Jesus was shackled before the Sanhedrin, they asked the Lord, Are you Yeshua, the Messiah, the Son of God, Jesus did not deny this and said, ” I am”. This provoked the Jewish council with even more hatred against Jesus. Even when Jesus was hanging on the Cross, they still did not recognize Him. The children of Israel cried out, Let His Blood be on us and our children
Yes, one day we will behold Him and be like Him. But for now, be content with what the Lord has given us.
Can’t you believe without seeing? Live out the Christlike Life, whether you see or don’t see the face of Christ. The God honest truth is He Lives inside of you. We are in contact with so many people each day.
Don’t be a doubting Thomas, who refused to believe lest he saw and touched. God’s divine power is displayed in our works in ministry, the Power of God at work.
Many say: “Lord, I surrender ALL. “How foolish”, because “God says: “Okay.” Then when elementary trials and persecutions come our way, some change quick quick. Let me put it as plainly as possible: when you signed up as a Christian, you effectively enrolled and became an enemy of the devil.
You shall encounter many trials and tribulations. Kindly forget that “good time Gospel.” The road is narrow, uphill all the way. The greater the call, the greater the onslaught on your life.
Satan is the accuser of the brethren and will not relent in accusing you before God the Father day and night. To every action there is a reaction; I had to learn it the hard way.
A certain person said to me: “If I sin, the devil leaves me alone”. You better believe it. If there is a heavy attack on your life, it simply means you are doing the right thing, and you are precious to God.
