[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he root word for success means “succession” to another generation! “We are called to bless the next-Generation.” In many parts of the Western world they enjoyed the fruits of Christianity but never planted and so left the next generation in spiritual-famine. Will you take the challenge and start being an effective and useful minister? To ‘fast track’ is to do God’s ministry supernaturally, not naturally.It will be what you do spiritually that will release power for what you do in your ministry. These skills create short cuts. You can have the best meetings and greatest facilities and the funniest stories, but if you are not accessing these supernatural (spiritual) principles your ministry will be only a shallow ministry.
There will be dark spiritual forces that will keep you from sharpening your axe. A minister once said, ‘Satan works 24 hours a day so why shouldn’t I?’ He burned-out of ministry and on reflection said, ‘what was I doing using the devil for my ministry model!’ In the world today many works for God but don’t really walk with HIM.
Something will whisper in your head, ‘you don’t have time to sharpen your axe, you have too many important things you should be doing!’ Do you see the arrogance when you give into that lie? It is saying what you do is important instead of what God commands you to do. Don’t beat on trees with axe handles.
How to keep the axe sharp?
Success means Faithfulness: When you obey God’s calling to serve in the church ministry, you must obey and do everything the way He wants you to serve Him faithfully. Many church leaders today work for Jesus but they don’t walk in the Spirit of God. They always seek His gifts and blessings but never try to seek the ‘Giver’.
Many want to serve God without any commitment; they serve God in their convenience and benefits. If God is not the first priority in everything you say or do, there will be no effectiveness. The Gospel message is becoming dull and boring, due to lack of spiritual power or preparations: the Gospel message has no taste at all due to lack of prayer and God’s anointing. The Gospel message is becoming old model due to no contextualization and relevancy in the gospel message.
When you are serving the spiritual God your serving must be in Spirit and in His Truth. Many love and serve their own church and prar-church organization, without the love of Jesus at all. Many fall in love with the ministry they do, but never in love with Jesus. Many Christians often celebrate Christmas Day, Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday but they never celebrate Jesus. In every spiritual celebrations Jesus must be the centered of all celebrations. Celebrate Jesus or nothing else for your spiritual significance!
Give all you have to God and allow Him to use you. Lord can use a rock for ministry and the Lord can use an ass for ministry, He can use you for ministry!’ Be faithful and allow our Lord to use you for successful ministry. It is not your skill; it is your faithfulness to God that will bring success.
Success means Prayer:
If God answered all your prayers how many new Christians would there be? I asked you, how many new Christians there would be? This is the easiest way to cure anemic Christian ministries. Just ask yourself how often do the Christians Pray for those they want to win for Christ? Bringing people before God is our duty and privilege. ‘Those with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer’ Acts 1:14.
Sometimes it is wonderful, sometimes it merely works, but it is effective. Christ modeled fervent, undistracted times of prayer. The question begs to be asked: If Jesus needed to spend so much time in prayer, how much more do we need to be powerful instrument for Jesus? Did you ever have a journal to pray for? To have a prayer journal is very encouraging, to look back and see how God is working in your past life. I often forget to pray for people that I really want to pray. But when I begin to maintain that with a list of people I should pray for, my prayer is much more effective even the response from God. “Prayer is the easiest word to tell others for prayer but the most difficult thing to practice. If you don’t plan to pray, you would never pray your plan.”
Let me encourage you to pray in the morning first thing and, if you are married, never go to sleep without praying together with your spouse especially. This has been a rich and vital part of Christians married life. Vary your prayers. Mine tend to get rote if I do not change my routine.
Success means Scripture Intake:
BIBLE – Basic-Instructions-Before-Leaving-Earth: Let me say again that the Scripture is your spiritual map (way) to find God and His purposes for your life. If you want to fast track your ministry you need a map. Do not wander in the wilderness. You will have a lifetime of joy studying God’s Word.
“He said, even more, those who hear the word of God and keep it are blessed” Luke 11:28: ‘hear and obey’. Ronald Whitney writes in Spiritual Disciplines, ‘If your growth in Godliness were measured by the quality of your Bible intake, what would be the result?’ Are you growing or stunted. Are you applying what you learn? When is the last time you memorized a Scripture?
Success means Encouragement:
I always wanted to be encouraged by others that I should also learn to encourage others. The word fellowship does not mean what many of us think any more. If you ask someone if they are getting fellowship they usually respond yap, I go to church. Fellowship does not mean just being in the proximity of other Christians inside the church or other premises. But fellowship is to be with other believers so that you can encourage each other in the Lord’s ministry.
How do you felt when someone encouraged for your contribution to the work you do? You’ll probably be on top of the world – more willing to do for a cause. Remember always “encouragement is oxygen to our souls and spirit”. Why many people fail to encourage other people while he himself has been encourage by others. The reasons maybe vary but the truth is, there is no God in their heart for being selfish and pride!
In Acts 15:37-40 – When ‘Mark’ was to accompany ‘Paul and Barnabas’ in their Second Journey, Paul refused to take Mark along, because he returned back from half way in their First Journey. Mark was deeply regretted and so discouraged, he even want to abandon his faith. But the man “Barnabas” means “encourager” took Mark with him to preach the gospel of resurrection to another place. We can learn a great lesson here from Apostle Paul, who failed to understand his associates, by paying him back for their past mistake? Mark was the reason that today many would clearly understand the servant-hood leadership of Jesus. Would you like to encourage someone you know or those who knows you?
It means being encouraged by other Christians. You can go to church for years, sit in the same pew, be polite with others, and never encourage or be encouraged by others. Encouragement is something to ask God for. Encouragement is also something you really need to do and pray that it will return to you. There are seasons in your life that you will have few who can encourage you. Don’t retreat from encouraging others. But can I suggest that there are a thousand people out there who want to encourage you. You will have to go to a bookstore to find them. This in no way replaces actual corporal fellowship, but many people who write are called to encourage. Find those authors and they will take you deeper in your faith.
Success means Application:
Again this will be covered, but it does not hurt re-emphasizing these points. It is no use just taking in time with God, Scripture, and taking in encouragement without doing something about it. That is why you can develop so much more during the season. In the off-season you can lift, train, run and practice shots. But it is in the actual playing that all these skills come together. You cannot have testimony if you do not have experience. To know about God’s provision and to experience are two different things, you better choose experience in His living power.
Being walking with God is very successful.
Thamsing Lamkang
Sports Resource Center, Dmp
