THREE STAGES OF SPIRITUAL MATURITY IN CHRIST: MINISTRY (4)
(Message by Tanny Keng)
1. Ministry
a) Remember that Jesus commands us to follow after Him. He has already gone before you and prepared the way and He is there waiting for you. The same voice that called you into salvation is still calling you, but now into good works. Just as we are saved by God’s grace it is His grace that does the works through us.
(Ephesians 2:8-10 KJV)
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: {9} Not of works, lest any man should boast. {10} For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. God always leads into triumph no matter. (2 Corinthians 2:14 NKJV) Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.
b) In the ministry stage we learn to walk in the power of hope. As we learn to be led by God’s Holy Spirit we will begin to have hope for things that may seem impossible. Such as hope that a person will be saved that to the rest of the world may seem hopeless. God may give you a vision of where you will be in the future or a great idea on how to reach more people for the kingdom. Hope and vision are the same when we are being led by the Holy Spirit to build up the body of Christ.
(Romans 15:13-14 NIV)
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. {14} I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another.
c) There seems to be a principal that when you begin to move into new areas of ministry that opposition comes. Remember that right after Jesus was baptized by John, and just before He began His ministry on earth Jesus was led up by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1). All suffering is always for our benefit. It may be that God allows this to happen so that we toughen our resolve and to help us to focus more on Him instead of the worldly circumstances that come against us. It may be to cause us to have a greater dependence on Him for the victory so that we will know without any doubt that the success came from Him. It may be that when our weaknesses are revealed to ourselves that it can cause us to have more humility so that more of His grace and strength will intervene for us.
The End ...
1. Ministrya) Remember that Jesus commands us to follow after Him. He has already gone before you and prepared the way and He is there waiting for you. The same voice that called you into salvation is still calling you, but now into good works. Just as we are saved by God’s grace it is His grace that does the works through us.
(Ephesians 2:8-10 KJV)
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: {9} Not of works, lest any man should boast. {10} For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. God always leads into triumph no matter. (2 Corinthians 2:14 NKJV) Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.
b) In the ministry stage we learn to walk in the power of hope. As we learn to be led by God’s Holy Spirit we will begin to have hope for things that may seem impossible. Such as hope that a person will be saved that to the rest of the world may seem hopeless. God may give you a vision of where you will be in the future or a great idea on how to reach more people for the kingdom. Hope and vision are the same when we are being led by the Holy Spirit to build up the body of Christ.
(Romans 15:13-14 NIV)
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. {14} I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another.
c) There seems to be a principal that when you begin to move into new areas of ministry that opposition comes. Remember that right after Jesus was baptized by John, and just before He began His ministry on earth Jesus was led up by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1). All suffering is always for our benefit. It may be that God allows this to happen so that we toughen our resolve and to help us to focus more on Him instead of the worldly circumstances that come against us. It may be to cause us to have a greater dependence on Him for the victory so that we will know without any doubt that the success came from Him. It may be that when our weaknesses are revealed to ourselves that it can cause us to have more humility so that more of His grace and strength will intervene for us.
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