tVB 53: 6 CHURCH WORK TRAINING: FLAMES & FIRES

tVB 53: 6

CHURCH WORK TRAINING:

FLAMES & FIRES

In February of 1991, God showed me something rather unusual. He showed me a person who needed to boil a kettle of water on a stove, but did not know what to do. But things suddenly changed when another hand reached out and lit up the stove. As the flame grew, the water started getting hot. From time to time the flame would get bigger or smaller. Then the Lord said to me, “The water in the kettle represents the work of the ministry. The flame represents the ministry of Helps. The hand turning the lever represents leadership. When the flame is not applied, the work will not get done. Unless the leaders know how to 'fire up' the ministry of Helps, the work will not get done”. Whenever the flame got smaller, it meant that the work of the ministry slowed down, and vice versa. During that encounter, I received a commission to, “Go and teach on and beautify the ministry of Helps”.

Over the years, I have constantly seen how some local assemblies miss out on God’s best by not observing His divine work-style.

THE FATHER'S HEART BEAT

In that encounter, I felt the Father's heartbeat about the work of His kingdom through the local church assembly. He desires that called Pastors, their appointed leaders and church workers would operate with a synergetic relationship in spiritual service so that the assignment He gave that Pastor can be fulfilled. And my emphasis is on called Pastors. You see, it is only under a called Pastor that a God-ordained ministry vision can exist and thrive!

I am often asked, “How does one get workers to be committed?” I recently answered this question again at Vision Builders’ August 2011 Campus Conference ‘Fresh Fire’.

The Wordweb gives two definitions of Commitment;

1) The trait of sincere and steadfast fixity of purpose; and,

2) The act of binding yourself (intellectually or emotionally) to a course of action.

When it comes to commitment to spiritual service, a slightly different set of rules operate. Certain questions need to be asked BEFORE we can even begin to find practical answers.

QUESTION 1: WHO’S WORK ARE YOU (AS A PASTOR/CALLED MINISTER) DOING?

The person who directed the work you’re trying to do will determine who supplies the manpower. Did God or your personal goals and desires instruct what you are doing? If God did, then the onus lies on Him to supply the labourers. The Lord Jesus said, "The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” “Luke 10:2, NKJV. However, if it is your idea, you will have to provide your own labourers. God provides labourers for the work He commanded.

QUESTION 2: WHAT IS YOUR MANPOWER SOURCING / RECRUITMENT STYLE?

If you’re trying to carry out what God told you, then ask Him to send labourers into His harvest, just like the Lord Jesus said. In Acts 6:4, the Apostles said that the duty of the minister is to give himself ‘continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word’, while the day-to-day work of ministry was to be the responsibility of ‘men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom may appoint over that business’, chosen from within the congregation.

Finding Committed Workers

Members of a congregation reflect their minister’s way of doing things. Is he committed to anything he says? Then they will be committed to whatever he says. In his book, ‘The Ministry of Helps Handout’, Rev Buddy Bell published a prophecy from a pastor’s conference held in Florida, USA, sometime in the 1980s. I’d like to share it with you:

“There are those of you here, saith the Lord, who wonder how to inspire in your workers the loyalty and dedication you have seen demonstrated here. Here is the key. If you will submit yourself to Me, and discipline yourself to follow Me closely, showing unto me the same loyalty and commitment you desire your workers to show toward you, then I, the Lord, will inspire your workers to show that same loyalty and submission to you.

“To the same extent that you submit yourself to Me, I will inspire them to submit to you. Do not try to force them or manipulate them into being submissive. If you will simply set your eyes on Me and follow Me closely, then, without any conscious effort on your part, I, the Lord, will move upon men’s hearts to follow you as you follow Me and serve you as you serve Me. It is that simple, saith the Lord”

GOD’S EMPOWERMENT TRIANGLE

From this diagram, we see the processes. If you stay with it, you will get its predetermined results. God responds to His servant cry for help by raising the Helps ministry from members of the congregation to support the vision through different functions. This support may be appointed or voluntary based on their skills and gifting. He takes from the anointing upon His servant and places upon these helpers so they can do the work and gets results as required (see Exodus 11:16-17)

CHURCH MEMBERS IN THE HELPS MINISTRY: EMPOWERED TO SUPPORT

There are two types of support available for the work of ministry.

First is the Specific Assignment support. We see this in the example of the Deacons in Acts 6. They had a specific job – serve tables.

Second is the Non-specified Assignment. This type arises when a need is observed and the observer is in position to meet that need, either by reason of gifting, skills or divine endowment. We see the case of Dorcas who ministered to the widows through clothes-making (Acts 9:39). We also have the cases of people like Joses, surnamed Barnabas in Acts, who sold their lands and property and brought the proceeds to the apostles for distribution to meets needs of the brethren (Acts 2:44-45; Acts 4:34-37).

As a church member, there are three ways you can support your pastor.

One is as an appointed leader – not everyone will operate at this level.

Second is as a member of a unit.

Third is as already mentioned above. Volunteer unspecified service. However, there’s a need for caution, please. You will be offering a better support to your minister if you cross-check your intended unspecified volunteer support with the church authorities before action.

You do not have to be “called” into the five-fold ministry or become appointed as a leader in your church before you qualify to help your Pastor fulfill a divine assignment. Even as you are right now God has already placed certain gifts within you to help out some specific areas of your Pastor's God-given assignment. You are God's flame specially lit to enable an aspect of your Pastor's strategic assignment from God.

As a church member, adopt the attitude of the Lord Jesus, who said,

“...But I am among you as he that serveth.” Luke 22:27

As in the days that followed the appointment of the first deacons in Acts 6, this generation will see much more of the power of God in demonstration in our churches when there is more conscious synergy between called pastors and their church members via the helps ministry. This is God's design. Any way you look at it, each part is critical to the fulfillment of every Pastor's God-given vision!

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