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Fullness of Ministry Col 4:17 “And say to Archippus, Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfill it.” Archippus was the pastor of the church of Laodicea (vrs.15). In spite of what you think about this church, it was founded by Paul and his disciples. “Take heed to the ministry” = everyone who serves the Lord has a ministry – it means a servant. Take heed to the place of service God has placed you in. “That you received in the Lord,” not from the Lord, but “in the Lord.” Are you yet in the Lord? Then you have a ministry. “Take heed that you fulfill it.” Fulfill = to be full of – like water filling a glass and overflowing. The overflow is not the fullness – you must remain full or you won’t have anything to give away. And until there is an overflow, there is not really a fullness. Today we don’t minister or serve because we are not full. We take everything for ourselves. Are a child of God? Then you are more than God’s child, you are His servant? Only 8% of Christians nationally know their ministry. If only 8% of your body were operating you would be comatose or in a morgue someplace. This lack is a major problem in the church today. In order for you to fulfill your ministry, you have to become who you are in Christ. You have to know who you are in Christ. The deficiency is not in the Lord – it is in you. 10 things we are called to in the Bible: 1. We are called to minister and serve one another 2. We are called to be faithful stewards of the manifold grace of God 3. We are called to occupy till He comes (get busy) 4. We are called to give meat in due season 5. We are called to watch (night time prayer) 6. We are called to do greater works than Jesus (more in quantity not In quality) 7. We are called to run a race 8. We are called to fight a good fight 9. We are called to complete our course 10. We are called to overcome In order to accomplish any of these. We have to understand our own unique ministry or service. Pro 29:18 “Where [there is] no vision, the people perish…” What is a vision? The writer says, “No vision.” The word is chaòzoòn "khaw-zone” “ no purpose/ goal of my life /no focus of my energy.” Perish = (not physical death) = to let loose so you can go anywhere you want! We are to be bound to the Lord. But when we don’t focus our energies on our ministry, we are loosed from the yoke of the Lord – it doesn’t remain easy; we get worn out and we don’t know why; we start to drift into la-la-land. We begin to do what is right in our own eyes – leaving nothing to hold us together, and we begin to wander apart from the body. Without a vision the people are let loose, not set free. Instead of being full to overflowing; these people are let loose into confusion, frustration, and ultimately bitterness. This is what happens to people who don’t have focus in their lives. Hos 4:6 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…” Whose people – God’s people You can have Jesus in you, the Holy Ghost in you and still be destroyed for a lack of knowledge. Destroyed = damah = similar to perish = to be cut off from life – from what gives them life from a lack of knowledge (heart) wisdom and understanding of the will of God. “My people are cut off from their source of life when they don’t have an understanding of who they are in Christ and what their life is all about.” [Understanding, insight, wisdom = knowledge of who you are, why you are and what you are to do] Most of us go through our Christian walk like an empty bucket looking for something to fill us up. But the opposite is really the truth. We are a gift of God looking for somewhere to express what is in us. THAT IS WISDOM. Stop looking for meaning and purpose and start declaring, “I am meaning and purpose.” God has created me, redeemed and sent the Holy Spirit to take care of His life. So I am not looking for anything that I don’t already have. I am looking for the opportunity to be who I already am. Wake up to that truth, and you will feel alive. You have been bought with a price. Take heed to yourself to fulfill the ministry that God has made you. All spiritual gifts are resident in the Spirit. They are not resident in the church or in you, but in the Spirit of God. (1 Cor. 12:11) He does what He wants with whom He wants to use. All of God’s gifting’s are resident in the Holy Spirit. Where does the Holy Spirit reside? I am not an empty bucket looking to be filled. I have all that exists in me. So how many gifts do I have? All that He has. I am an abundantly full temple that has everything that God has in me. But I have to take heed to this. “Take heed” means to be aware, to perceive, to understand, have insight and wisdom of who I am in Christ. And when I do, then I will move in victory, in anointing, in power; and the potential of my life will be without measure. I am fully equipped to be all that He has called me to be and to do: to minister, to be faithful, to occupy, to give, to watch, to do greater works, to run, to fight, to complete, to overcome! 2 Corinthians 4:7 (KJV) “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.” “earthen vessel” = “a bucket of clay.” The bucket isn’t worth anything, it’s the treasure inside that is worth something. {If you are given a diamond ring in a little felt box, you don’t throw away the diamond and keep the box, do you?} The diamond has the value! “Excellency” is “hyperbole.” That which expresses the truth or represents that which is of much greater value. God is going to take the “power” that He puts inside you and me, that characterizes our lives, and He is going to stretch it in this bucket and fill it, and multiply it – His power, not ours. And it is going to be exercised beyond what you think or ask. All you have to do is take heed; begin to move in the victory, and watch your bucket overflow. -Pr. Steve April Newsletter 2006 | Fullness of Ministry | Here, World, Take My Children part 3 of 3 Pastor's Journal April 2005 | Said and Saying | Exaltation - Whose? part 1 of 3 |
Biblical Counseling for Leaders
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