Often times we find saints rushing into the ministry, maybe because they got a prophecy that they were called into ministry or because they received some vision. Then they go out and pitch their tent and start a church!
But that is not the way of the Lord. Growth in God happens progressively. That is why we run the race with patience.
David talked to his son, Solomon and said:
_ “And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind”1 Chronicles28:9.
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We need to know God first and then serve him. How can you serve a God that you don’t know? How can you guarantee that your attitude and motive in that service is pure? The Lord Jesus knew that He was called from a very young age. He knew He was born the Savior of the world yet He didn’t begin his ministry until the age of thirty.
What was He doing all those years? He was learning to walk with God practically. And when the appointed time had come, He began His ministry.
Knowing God is a prerequisite for ministry. You cannot teach people something you yourself don’t know.
Jesus said you first remove the log from your own eye before you can remove the speck from your brother’s eye. We have to have a personal walk with God first before trying to teach people how to walk with God.
The bible says that we have to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. It begins with us. You love yourself and then you can love others.
When Paul the apostle got saved, he didn’t start preaching at once! In fact, he didn’t even know much about our Lord Jesus Christ, that’s why on the road he asked ‘who are You, Lord?’ He spent some years learning who Jesus is, understanding the ways of God, and so forth. Today Paul's writings make up a third of the New Testament. Almost everything we know about Christ and the church are from his writings.
You see we have to submit ourselves to the training of the Holy Spirit.
Being in a hurry to start ministry
will land us in trouble. Remember the Sons of Sceva who tried to deliver
someone ‘in the name of Jesus whom Paul
preaches’ (Acts 19: 13).
Listen to their words. They are trying to minister deliverance in the name of a Jesus that Paul is preaching about!
They didn’t know Jesus personally. Listen to how the evil spirit responded to them: Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?’
The devil made a mockery of them that day:
_And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.’ -Act 19:16
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The devil beat them up! This is often what happens when we don’t get to walk with God ourselves before entering the ministry. Our training in the things of God is important. Without training we cannot make a success of our ministry and may end up discouraged and quitting the ministry altogether!
Let us go back now to our opening scripture,
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“And thou, Solomon my son, know
thou the God of thy father, and serve
him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and
understandeth all the imaginations of the
thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off forever.”-1Chronicles28:9
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The best lesson a father can give to their offspring, is teaching them how to walk with God practically. Religion creates well-behaved dying men; laws and rules are not for children of God. If God wanted to just issue out commands and create protocol, I am sure He would have opted on creating robots instead. Christianity is not robotics you see, it is not religion either, it goes beyond your relation to God, and more to fellowship.
To keep a relationship healthy and balanced, there has to be fellowship. It's interesting to see David’s choice of words, he said to Solomon, know the God of thy father, and serve Him.
You must know God Almighty; you cannot just serve Him without
knowing Him. Paul said this, “...For I know whom I have believed...”
Walking with God is personal, that is why you accept Him as your personal Lord and Savior. And knowledge grows, you grow in knowing Him and you go deeper in revelation knowledge. My rich fellowship with God cannot be transmitted to my son through osmosis or just because we are related! He must learn to walk with God. I can show him how, but he must apply the principles I have taught him.
As ministers of the Gospel of Christ, we must teach the Children of God to know God as their Father, and for them to walk with Him practically.
Look at the sons of Sceva; they were sons of the chief priest. Because your father is successful, it does not mean that you will also be successful because both of you are related. Same goes in our Kingdom, because your father may be powerful, it does not mean that you too will be powerful, unless you learn the principles and undergo the training of the Lord.
The sons of Sceva said to this man who was
demon possessed, “...we adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth...”
In other words, we don’t know Jesus, we do not even know the authority that this name carries, but we have seen or heard Paul use it, and it worked for him, so since it worked for Paul, it should work for us, so in this name that we know Paul uses, we adjure you to come out.
Imagine, foolishness of the highest order!
Know God, grow in the grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Growth is mandatory in the physical. The physical is a manifestation of the spiritual, and most of the time a shadow, imitating or foreshadowing what ought to happen in the spiritual realm.
Children of God ought to grow, God is not just in the business of forgiving, He is more interested in your growth in His knowledge, that you may effectively walk with Him, and fulfill His purpose. Every child of God gets to know God the more they think about Him, the more they think about His Word. Pretence will not take us anywhere; perfect your relationship with the Holy Spirit. To know God is eternal life, to know the only true God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent
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