TAKE HEED TO THE MINISTRY

"And say to Archippus, “TAKE HEED TO THE MINISTRY WHICH YOU HAVE RECEIVED IN THE LORD, that you may fulfill it.”
Colossians 4:17 (NKJV)

• Do not allow money to be your goal for serving in the ministry (1 Timothy 3:3; 1 Peter 5:2).

• Love of money and crave for the things of this world can make someone lose focus in the Ministry work, and the person eventually may fail to fulfil his assignment.

“for Demas has forsaken me, HAVING LOVED THIS PRESENT WORLD, and has departed for Thessalonica…”
2 Timothy 4:10 (NKJV)

• A Man
A Man I knew sometime ago, resigned his appointment in the secular work to answer the call to the full time ministry work. However, after some years, he said, he made a mistake for coming into the ministry on full time, that God did not want him to be in the Ministry on full time.
Not only that, he said God did not want him to be in pastoral ministry either, but in Business, and the profit he makes should be used for a particular purpose.

• Note: Could God allow one to make a mistake and be in the ministry for a couple of years, now telling him to go back to the secular business?

“Jesus said to him, NO ONE WHO PUTS HIS HAND TO THE PLOW AND LOOKS BACK [to the things behind] IS FIT FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD."
Luke 9:62 (Amp.)

• If you do not deal with the love of money in your heart, you may be tempted to jettison, abandon, the ministry work because of material things.

• Every ministry has phases and stages.
  IF you are not discipline and resolute, you may be tempted to forsake the ministry work because of money.
• You need money for day-to-day living, however, the call of God on your life is of paramount importance than any other thing.
  NOTHING can be equated with the call of God on your life.

• The truthis, there are challenges and difficulties in the ministry work, but not to the point of forsaking the work (2 Corinthians 4:8-12,16-18; 2 Timothy 2:3).

• God has decided to add glamour to the ministry work, however, if you come into the ministry work because of Glamours, you may be disappointed (1 Timothy 6:9).
• Serving in God's vineyard should not be with the motive of material rewards, although God promises to bless His servants.

“Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel.”
1 Corinthians 9:14 (NKJV)

“For God is not unjust to forget your work and labour of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.”
Hebrews 6:10 (NKJV)

• Call into the ministry is a privilege and trust.

• Anyone whom God has considered to work in His vineyard should see it as a great privilege and honour.

“AND NO MAN TAKES THIS HONOUR TO HIMSELF, but he who is called by God, just as Aaron was."
Hebrews 5:4 (NKJV)

CALL into the ministry work is a call to honour.

• Unhealthy Comparison

• A number of people are in the ministry work with the goal of making it overnight (1 Timothy 6:5-11).
  SOME become impatient when they begin to compare themselves with other people in the ministry.

“For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, AND COMPARING THEMSELVES AMONG THEMSELVES, ARE NOT WISE.”
2 Corinthians 10:12 (NKJV)

• God has set a race before every believer or minister.
THE race set before believers is individualistic, it is not collective, and it has to be run with endurance.

1. “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, AND LET US RUN WITH ENDURANCE THE RACE THAT IS SET BEFORE US,
2. looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
   Hebrews 12:1-2 (NKJV)

• Some are in the ministry work who do not know the race set before them.
  IF you failed to identify your race, you cannot but begin to compare yourself with others.
  IN the ministry work, it may take several years before some begin to see results of their labour, while some under few YEARS the results are already noticeable.
• God rewards faithfulness in the ministry, not the size, the bigness of the work.
• Some people's works looked small and insignificant in the sight of man, however, in God's sight, they are great and important.
• Some ministers listen to the people who castigate their works
  YOU need to avoid whoever denigrates, criticizes unfairly, your work.
  WHOEVER does not value your effort in your assignment, even as you put in your best, is someone that should not be allowed around you.
• Note: Someone may come up with constructive criticism in order to challenge you to move forward when you are thinking of relaxing or being complacent, this is welcomed. HOWEVER, a destructive criticism should not be allowed.

• The journey starts with knowing what God is telling you to do.

• What God has instructed you to do should be regularly reviewed.
• Your communion with God should be sound, seeking and asking to know if there is anything to change, what to discard, out of what you are doing, and the new one to be added (2 Samuel 2:1).
  ALWAYS seek God's face to know what next to do (2 Samuel 5:17-19,22-25).

• Some people think once you have asked Him and He told you what to do, you should just go ahead and be busy with the work without looking back.

• I have met some ministers who are still going about with stale ideas, instructions of many years.
  YOU must constantly go before God to receive fresh ideas, instructions.
  YOU cannot afford to go about with a stale, an obsolete instruction.
• God is not stagnant. He is a moving God.
  YOU must move with Him as He moves, otherwise you will be left behind.
• Any ministry that is stagnant is out of God's plan, the visionary, or the set-man there might have missed God.

• God will always give you new instructions, ideas or commands as you progress in your work.
HE will always tell you new things to do.

• A number of Ministers have missed it in fellowship.
  WHEN your fellowship with God is marred, stagnation is inevitable.
• I have met a lot of ministers who have time for frivolities, they do not pay attention to their assignment.

“He who tills his land will be satisfied with bread, BUT HE WHO FOLLOWS FRIVOLITY IS DEVOID OF UNDERSTANDING.”
Proverbs 12:11 (NKJV)

• A minister should have no time for frivolity.

• Some ministers have time for every function in their extended family, social gatherings and parties.
• Paul told Timothy in his last epistle on earth:

1. “You therefore must endure a hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
2. NO ONE ENGAGED IN WARFARE ENTANGLES HIMSELF WITH THE AFFAIRS OF THIS LIFE, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.
3. And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.”
   2 Timothy 2:3-5 (NKJV)

• Your ministry is your future.
THUS, pay attention to what God has called you to do (Colossians 4:16).

• Seek God's face continually to know what He wants you to do per time.
• Your foremost assignment in the ministry is to get to know His mind on whatever you are doing or you want to do (Acts 13:1,2).
• When His mind is known on what He wants you to do, then go ahead and settle down to do it.
• You have to be painstaking in seeking His face, you invest several hours of your time in prayer IN His presence (Luke 6:12,13).

• Whenever I see ministers roaming about, wandering about, I used to ask myself, What are they looking for?

• What time does a minister has to go and sit in someone's house, shop, or office, and be cracking jokes?
• A minister should invest his time in prayer and study of God's Word (Acts 6:2,4).

1. “Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, “IT IS NOT DESIRABLE THAT WE SHOULD LEAVE THE WORD OF GOD AND SERVE TABLES.
2. “BUT WE WILL GIVE OURSELVES CONTINUALLY TO PRAYER AND TO THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD.”
   Acts 6:2,4 (NKJV)

• A minister should be an avid reader, invest in books of proven authors that can edify him.
  Paul, about the end of his life, asking Timothy to bring his books and parchments (2 Timothy 4:13).
  Does he want to study for preaching? No.
  Reading and studying has become part of his life that he could not do without.
  Every minister should be studious.

• Pay attention to what we have shared in this piece.

1. “MEDITATE ON THESE THINGS; GIVE YOURSELF ENTIRELY TO THEM, THAT YOUR PROGRESS MAY BE EVIDENT TO ALL.
   16.Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, FOR IN DOING THIS YOU WILL SAVE BOTH YOURSELF AND THOSE WHO HEAR YOU.”
   1 Timothy 4:15,16 (NKJV)

• You will not fail in Jesus' name.
Peace!