Article from "The Spirit’s Voice" by brother Adams (c) 2014
Coinciding with the reprint of the Book "Everyday with the Holy Spirit"
The greatest need of the church today is not money as many had been made to believe. Striving to make money as a great prospect in ministry is nothing but a bash misplacement of spiritual priority. When you have money, they claim, you can purchase sophisticated musical or sound equipments; you can also hire the best or most qualified workers; with money you can still erect a pleasing to the eye cathedral, Schools, hospitals, universities and other edifices; with adequate finances, one can travel far and wide; you can organize programs like crusades, seminars, conventions…
But critically speaking, it does not mean much nor a big deal to succeed by ordinary natural methods, because all these do not first and foremost make a ministry with divine backing or approval. Without God’s back up, all one can do is to only imitate others or take after worldly fashions and give the ministry a superficial outlook and name. What a tragedy of ministry with so much earthly initiatives, focus and abundance; but deficient of God’s power!
That is why our Lord Jesus ensured a clear direction to successful service in God’s kingdom only in Spirit and Truth (Jn 6:24). And in His discourse to the disciples before His ascension, He also made it clear that they only need to depend on the power of the Holy Ghost as they journeyed into ministry without His physical presence.
But critically speaking, it does not mean much nor a big deal to succeed by ordinary natural methods, because all these do not first and foremost make a ministry with divine backing or approval. Without God’s back up, all one can do is to only imitate others or take after worldly fashions and give the ministry a superficial outlook and name. What a tragedy of ministry with so much earthly initiatives, focus and abundance; but deficient of God’s power!
That is why our Lord Jesus ensured a clear direction to successful service in God’s kingdom only in Spirit and Truth (Jn 6:24). And in His discourse to the disciples before His ascension, He also made it clear that they only need to depend on the power of the Holy Ghost as they journeyed into ministry without His physical presence.
Acts 1:6-8
"Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” NKJV
Here the first apostles received assurance of the fulfillment of an enduring and everlasting promise of the Father; the Holy Spirit. He had intimated them about it in John 16:6-11
No comments:
Post a Comment