BELIEVING A LIE

He said unto him, “I am a prophet also as you are; and an angel spoke to me by the Word of the LORD, saying, ‘Bring him back with you into your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.’ ” But he lied unto him. – I Kings 13:18 

This is the story of a prophet lying to another prophet. It is the story of an old prophet lying to a young prophet. It is the story of a true false prophet lying to a true prophet. Unfortunately, the true prophet allowed himself to be deceived by the false prophet. 

This was a classic case of religious lie – of one religious man lying to another religious man. There are many religious people who are lying to their members. 

There are many lies going on in our religious house: 

Their Teachings Are Lies

“But there were false prophets among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you… and many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you…” (2 Peter 2:1-3)

Their Miracles Are Lies

“Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved” (2 Thess. 2:9-10).

GOD DOES NOT WANT YOU TO BE DECEIVED

“Do not be deceived” (2 Thessalonians 2:3; Galatians 6:7), yet many are victims of lies and deceptions. 

THE LIES PEOPLE BELIEVE

1.  Baptism Is Not Necessary For Salvation

a). Luke 7:29-30 tells us that rejecting baptism is rejecting God’s purpose. 

b). For salvation to be attained, Baptism is a must (Mark 16:15-16).

c). Baptism saves (I Peter 3:21).

d). There is only one baptism (Ephesians 4:5).

     This baptism is not for infants, it is not sprinkling or pouring of water, but a burial in water (Romans 6:3-5; Colossians 2:12; cf. Acts 8:38-39).    

2.  Christians Are Under Obligation To Keep And Obey The Old Testament Law

a). The Law and The Prophetic Ministry were relevant until the era of John the Baptizer (Luke 16:16).

b). Christ is the end of the Law and righteousness to every believer (Romans 10:4).

b). While the Law came through Moses, Grace came through Jesus Christ (John 1:17).

c). Today, we are not under Law, but under Grace (Ephesians

d). Scripture is clear that Christians are not under the Old Testament, but under the New Testament (Hebrews 8:6-13)

3.  Just Attend Any Church of Your Choice

a)  God has His Church (Matthew 16:13-18; Colossians 1:18; Romans 16:16) and men have their churches. It is a lie to say, “Church does not matter” because it does. Ephesians 5:32 says, God is interested in His Church

b) Denominationalism is the creation of man, not God (I Corinthians 1:10-14). 

c)  The question is, Are you a member of “The Church of the First Born” (Hebrews 12:22-23)?

4.  Every Worship is Acceptable to God

a). This is a blatant lie. Even in the Old Testament, people were interested in worshipping God the exact way He desired (Exodus 8:27).

b). God is interested in a certain kind of worship (John 4:23-24).

c). There are different kinds of worship:

     i. Vain worship (Matthew 15:7-9).

     ii. Ignorant worship (John 4:22; Acts17:23).

5.  Christians Should Pay Tithes

a). They are quick to quote Malachi 3:8-12 as a proof of this falsehood. Truly, tithe payment is in the Old Testament part of the Bible, but Christians are not required to pay tithes. Tithe payment was for those in Old Testament (Numbers 18:20-27; Hebrews 7:5, 11-12, 18).

6. Avoid Those Who Say, “God Spoke To Me.”

    a) This was the problem of the prophet who was lied to by the Old deceiving Prophet (I Kings 13:18).

    b) Always cross-check whatever you are told by anyone using the Bible (Acts 17:11).

    c). God’s Message is complete. Therefore, do not allow any visioner, dreamer or prophet to deceive you (Galatians 1:6-9).   

CONCLUSION

There are many people out there who are in the business of lying and deceiving people. You will be blamed if you allow yourself to be lied to and deceived.   

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHURCH AND TRAINING INSTITUTIONS

And he went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the Kingdom of God. But when divers were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that Way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus. And this continued by the space of two years; so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks - Acts 19:8-10

 PREAMBLE

Acts 19:9 tells us that Apostle Paul established a training institution, which he operated for about two years. This institution was a training ground where he nurtured budding preachers of the Gospel and then unleashed them upon the world to proclaim the undiluted Word of God. No wonder, Acts 19:10 declared “…that all who dwelt in Asia heard the Word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.”   

“…School of one Tyrannus” may refer to a school owned by a person called Tyrannus or a school located in a place called Tyrannus. Whatever be the case, a school was operated where preachers of God’s Word were trained. The school may have operated for two years and closed shop or may have operated a two-year curriculum of training, which today serves as a model for two years program of schools. Whatever may have happened, training occurred: churches were involved and preachers were trained!

IMPORTANCE OF TRAINING

Training is a critical factor in human resource development. If medical professions recognize the need for training of their workforce, if engineers, teachers, security operatives, financial institutions and all manners of professions recognize the need for training and retraining of their members or staff, how much more would the Church of our Lord not ensure that her preachers and ministers are properly trained!

Congregations must be in the vanguard of advocating for the training and retraining of her most critical workforce. If there are no pools of intellectual and theological resources, the Church of tomorrow will become endangered. We must continue to re-sharpen our focus by continually equipping those who will take the baton of our Congregational leaderships by reminding them to hold forth the core elements of our message (cf. II Timothy 2:2).

WHY THE CHURCH MUST BE INVOLVED IN TRAINING  

The distinctive nature of New Testament Christianity makes her a lone voice in the wilderness of modern day religious confusion and cacophonic ministrations. Proliferation of religious houses have taken centre-stage where story-telling and entertainment of the like of Athenians’ experiences are replicated (Acts 17:16-23). Today people flock to religious houses to “hear something new.” We must take Holy Spirit’s injunction to Titus, an evangelist, seriously. In Titus 1:10-12, Paul wrote,

For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision: Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake. One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are always liars, evil beasts, slow bellies.

Nothing best describes our modern day religious environment than what we find in the above Scripture passage. There are many empty talkers on various media of mass communication and in various religious houses whose mouths must be shut because they teach and preach things they are not permitted to for the sake of financial gains.

We live in an age of advancements in virtually every area of life. Ministry is becoming increasingly challenging as human societies move from simple to complex. Human beings are becoming more and more enlightened. Therefore, those who must minister to them in spiritual matters must endeavour to keep pace. As a rule of the thumb, pulpit is supposed to be above the pew not the other way round.

Training raises the human capital of our preachers and teachers to be more proactive and responsive. Divergent voices which are trying to weaken the Church’s voice would be properly coordinated if we meet on training grounds to cross-pollinate Biblical ideas and moderate our differences. 

IMPORTANCE OF PREACHERS’ TRAINING

Benefits of formal Biblical training of our preachers to the Church of our Lord cannot be overemphasized. Jesus set a powerful example when He took twelve ordinary men and for a space of about three years schooled them on Kingdom matters. Even though they were ‘commoners,’ a kind of rag-tag, the confidence they exuded after the training and the boldness that characterized their ministrations pointed to the direction where they had been (Acts 4:13). Apostle Paul’s training under Gamaliel (Acts 22:3), an eminent Jewish theologian of his era (cf. Acts 5:34) and his continued education in Jesus’ doctrines were so impactful that as he stood to speak, he towered intellectually above his audience. His elocution, carriage and charisma swept his audience off their feet that one man described him as a man with “excessive learning” (Acts 26:24). 

Brethren, if Roman Catholics could train their priests for upwards of fifteen years before being deployed to man parishes. If our denominational neighbours could invest fortunes on their ‘pastors’ to ensure that they are well trained before manning their pulpits, then the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ would be seen to lag behind if we do not engage in effective training of our ministers. We must train and retrain our preachers. I would not know where I would have been today without the training I received in Church and Bible/Preachers’ training institute that I attended.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHURCH AND TRAINING SCHOOLS

The relationship between the Church and Preachers’ training schools is that one lays the foundation upon which to build superstructures of the Faith while the other builds; one plants the message while the other waters the message. It is a perfect arrangement of Town and Gown. It is so symbiotic that the absence of one will be greatly felt by the other. While congregations financially support preachers’ training schools, these institutions will in turn become feeders of congregations because the people they train will at the end serve with existing congregations as well as many who will chart new paths by going to virgin areas to plant new congregations (cf. Romans 15:20).    

Our American Brethren know the importance of ministers’ training. Schools such as David Lipscomb, Abilene Christian, Faulkner, Bear Valley, Brown Trail School of Preaching, Freed-Hardeman, Harding, Heritage Christian, Lubbock Christian, Memphis School of Preaching, Ohio Christian, Oklahoma Christian, Pepperdine, Sunset International Bible Institute, Tennessee Bible College, York College, etcetera were all set up by members of the Lord’s Church in America and are heavily sponsored by Congregations of the Lord’s Church all across America. Some were purely for preaching purposes while others combine ministerial training with secular education.

Training institutions exist for the Church. Therefore, the Church should support these institutions. It is in her best interests to do so. To do this, Congregations should send their men to be trained and support them fully; they should make occasional as well as regular donations of money and materials; take lead in securing lands and construction of permanent structures for these institutions.

Today, health and educational institutions such as School of Biblical Studies, Jos; Western Nigerian Christian College, Ogun State; Nigerian Christian Bible College, Abak, Akwa Ibom State; Nigerian Christian Hospital, Nlagu, Abia State, Nigerian Christian Seminary, Asa Nnentu, Aba, Abia State, Nigerian Institute of Arts and Theological Studies, Nlagu, Abia State as well as School of Biblical Studies, Awka, Anambra State are all testimonies to institutions owned and funded by members of the Church of Christ. How well these facilities are funded largely unknown.

If we as a church family must be relevant in the scheme of things today and tomorrow, we must put our hearts where our mouths are. Leaving a legacy for the Church’s posterity entails that we must be futuristic in our plans and programs by ensuring that our gains in the present are consolidated by strategically empowering our training institutions to continue to serve the theological and spiritual needs of the Church.

The spillover effects of the Church’s supports and funding of our training institutions are enormous:

1.  It will ensure a continued pool of theological and intellectual resource for our Congregations.

2.  Our capacity as a church family to contain divergent voices will increase.

3.  Our capacity to contend earnestly for the Faith will also increase as we will have in abundance not only men who are well equipped but men whose confidence in themselves and in God’s Word cannot be in doubt.

Congregations MUST SUPPORT our training schools. We must empower our Bible training schools as individuals and body corporate with our financial resources and expertise in different areas of life to ensure that our present is consolidated and our future guaranteed. To do so is akin to what Samson did. He took three hundred foxes, bound them tail-to-tail, set them on fire to set afire the land of the Philistines (Judges 15:4-5). By supporting our training schools we will be gathering men together, set their spirits on fire to set our communities afire by God’s Word.

Paul did that at Tyrannus supported by congregations and the result was tremendous. More congregations were planted and nurtured all across Asia. The people our Lord left behind to ensure that the message He had brought to the world and the Vicarious Sacrifice He had made on Calvary’s Cross were properly propagated by the men He had spent three years plus training and equipping.

CHURCHES AND TRAINING SCHOOLS: A WAY FORWARD

I would like to request our training institutions to adopt a mentoring strategy. If lawyers after training would be sent to serve and be mentored in chambers before setting up their own practice; if medical doctors after spending years in medical schools are required to undergo a mandatory one year Housemanship programs before being allowed to work as medical doctors in public or private health institutions; if graduates of higher institutions are required to do their one-year mandatory national youths service programs in different areas before being allowed to work, I would want to propose that our training institutions should adopt a mentoring approach in ensuring that our newly trained preachers are deployed to serve with experienced preachers in their serving congregations where they will be groomed in the art of lesson and sermon preparations, practical aspects of ministry; understudying those in the field on how they deal with congregational problems so that when they finally take up congregational appointments it will not be a trial-and-error experience for them.

Bible shows that Joshua understudied Moses, Samuel understudied Eli, Elisha understudied Elijah, Timothy and Titus understudied Paul. This mentoring program can last between three months and one year as the case may be. If this mentoring program is adopted, it will go a long way to help.              

CHALLENGE TO PARENTS AND CONGREGATIONS

Parents should encourage their sons to take to preaching as a career and then send them to preacher training schools (I Samuel 1:11, 24-28). Our Christian sisters should be encouraged to marry preachers. Congregations should encourage their members to consider preaching, send them to training institutions and support them fully.

We would notice that today we are in short supply of preachers. Let any congregation advertise for vacancy for the position of a preacher, it would take quite a while before one shows up. Reason is that we are in short supply of preachers. The only way to mitigate this is to encourage more men to go into preaching, not because they are jobless but because the Lord needs them to serve as preachers in His Congregations. The more preachers we graduate, the more congregations we can establish.

The secret of the fast growth of The Redeemed Christian Church of God lie in their aggressive mobilization and training of preachers and deploying them to serve in their parishes. The policy of RCCG is that there should be a parish of the church within a considerable distance.

To encourage men to take to preaching, we must stop running our preachers down, stop demeaning their persons and treating them as if they are ‘errand boys’ for our Congregations. Preachers must and should be treated with respect, make provisions for their wellbeing and ensure that their future are secured. Then, and then we can be sure that preachers will preach their hearts out.

Our Lord is depending on His Church to take the message of salvation to the world (Ephesians 3:10). Bible training institutions are willing to assist Congregations of our Lord achieve this objective. Therefore, let Congregations partner with our schools to ensure that this is realized. When this happens, it will become Partnership that Works! 

THE PREACHER AND HIS WORK

 

“… upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” – Matthew 16:18

 

“As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison. Therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word” – Acts 8:3-4

 

“Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed” – Acts 14:22-23 

“Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” – II Timothy 2:1-2

When the Church of Jesus Christ started, She was met with great persecutions. It was these persecutions that helped to spread the Word. As the Church spread, there were needs for ministers to be appointed to take care of the spiritual and theological needs of these new congregations. As always, there were few preachers and many congregations. For this reason, brethren were recruited from amongst congregations to fill these needs. This was why Apostle Paul told Timothy to ensure that he passed on the things he had heard from him to “faithful men who would be able to pass the same to others” (II Timothy 2:2).   

Preaching or ministry is not a tea-party and was never meant to be one. When you accept the invitation to be a preacher, you have accepted a challenging and rewarding career in the royal court of Heaven. You will automatically become the King’s Herald as well as the Enemy’s target. If you remain committed to your Calling, not only will Heaven honour you, God Himself will reward you (John 12:26). 

Preaching is not a call into the paparazzi or the razzmatazz. It is a solemn call to duty, which requires uncommon courage, commitment, can-do-spirit and Sterling-worth integrity. 

Preaching is the prince of all professions. Of all professions known to mankind, it is only the work of preachers that have spiritual and eternal significance (Romans 10:13-14; I Timothy 4:16). Other professions, no matter how highly placed they may seem begin and end here. Perhaps, this explains why when God sent His Son to earth and thought of the work He was to do, the only work He considered princely enough was preaching. Jesus lived and died as a preacher. 

The works of preachers are of great significance: moulding characters and shaping destinies of those they preach to. Preachers are like medical doctors – always on call. They are like lawyers – always arguing cases, presenting the best sides to issues, negotiating and mediating between persons. In fact, preachers are conflict managers extraordinaire. The job descriptions of preachers are all–involving. Basically, preachers have their hands in all pies. 

Preachers’ works are tasking and energy-sapping. Preachers have been described as, “Wounded healers.” They, in spite of their personal challenges must provide hope to the “hopeless” and strength to the weak. They must be at the scene where a Christian Brother or Sister is hurt, someone dies, at the hospital, at the police station, at an attorney’s, etcetera. At II Corinthians 11:27-29, Apostle Paul describes what an average preacher does in the course of carrying out his daily calling: 

In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is offended, and I burn not?

 

Preachers seek to build faith in people and to prepare them for the life beyond this realm. Preachers seek to make people earthly and heavenly useful. At II Corinthians 6:10, Paul again describes some of the Sterling-Worth contributions of Ministers in people’s lives: “As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.”

Preachers have invested and are investing lots of resources in people through their teachings and preaching. Often, great ideas emerge out of preachers’ teachings and preaching which the audiences apply to become great in societies. Preachers have to dig deeper to be able to make lessons applicable and achieve their intended meanings. 

WHO IS A PREACHER?

Wayne Greeson (2016) defines the Greek word ‘Kerux” translated "preacher" to mean “…a herald, a public proclaimer from the king who authoritatively declares the king's law to the people which must be obeyed.” He says that there are three terms in the New Testament that describe God's worker known as a preacher. These words are not only descriptive of the worker, but the work God expects of him. These terms are: minister, preacher and evangelist. 

WHAT IS THE WORK OF A PREACHER?

The work of a preacher is short and simple: PREACH THE WORD! His work is not to do ministry, but to prepare the saints for the work of ministry (Ephesians 4:11-12).  The preacher’s God-assigned work is to guard the Faith, command and teach the truth (I Timothy 6:20; I Timothy 4:11). He is more of a Watchman and Coordinator.

A preacher is not a caretaker of the church’s property. His primary constituency is Ministration of the Word! He is not to leave the Word to serve tables (cf. Acts 6:1-4).

In the absence of an Eldership, a preacher fills in the role of Church leader. As a leader, you must appreciate that Effective leadership in the Ministry revolves around five keys: Association, Initiation, Consultation, Delegation and Coordination. 

By Associating yourself with members of the Church where you minister, you will be able to discover both real and felt needs of the Church, which will help you to Initiate programs of action to meet those needs either for spiritual or numerical growth. You will then Consult with the Congregation after which brethren are Delegated to points of needs while you Coordinate the various activities of the Church. In the Church, everyone is a “minister.” That is to say that everyone must fill a need of and in the ministry. Your ability to provide value-added leadership will be determined by your willingness to know how to use human instruments to meet given needs at given times. 

PREACHING WORK IS DEMANDING

By default, preaching is not for lazy people. If you are spiritually, intellectually and physically lazy, Ministry is not for you. You must be spiritually at alert 24/7, physically active and intellectually sound and engaging.  

See, a preacher is expected to be a Know-it-all person. Because a preacher ministers to variegated classes of people, cutting across all professional divides, you are expected to personally minister to each of them. You are expected to be at home with history, economics, politics, law, current affairs, education, philosophy, theology, just name them. You are expected to know at least a little of everything and everything about the Bible. 

To function effectively, you must have an open mind and be teachable. You must have a voracious appetite for knowledge. Aside making in-depth Bible studies a daily routine, you must read widely. Read scholarly works, autobiographies, newspapers, magazines, just name them. Endeavour to familiarize yourself with Brotherhood publications. To remain relevant, you MUST go for higher studies. You must continually upgrade your knowledge and qualifications. You must not allow the knowledge margin between the Pew and the Pulpit to be too wide in favour of the pew. You must as a matter of necessity empower yourself, educationally and skill-wise. My personal experiences in the quarter of a century I was in active pulpit work shows that any preacher who must survive, especially in Nigeria must have a skill. You have to earn your own money (be a tent maker, Acts 20:33-35) to be able to meet personal and family needs. 

GUIDEPOSTS FOR SUCCESS IN MINISTRY  

There are numbers of guideposts that I want to share with you as you go into the field. My recommendations might differ from another older preacher’s, however, each man has his own experiences and speaks from his own perspectives. My recommended guideposts are: 

1.    Be a Man of the Book

Your Authority as a preacher is The Book – The Bible. Your knowledge of the Bible is what gives you power and authority. You must study it to master it because that is what will prevent you from being embarrassed amongst Brethren and those outside the Faith (II Timothy 2:15; II Timothy 3:16-17; cf. Acts 26:24; Daniel 9:2).   

You must be a man of Book, Chapter and Verse (Isaiah 8:20; I Peter 3:15; I Peter 4:11). 

2.    Feed The Flock

This was Jesus’ instruction to Peter at John 21:15-17. Your work is simple: Feed God’s people! Teach them the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27). You must be careful with the kind of spiritual food you feed the Church (Hebrews 13:9).  

Your work as a preacher is that of Technical Adviser. Your work is not to do Ministry. Ministry is the work that God has entrusted into the care of the Church because the Church is His Divine Orientation Agency (Ephesians 3:10). The impression that has been created in the minds of many for a long time now is that the work of Ministry is that of the exclusive preserve of preachers and Church leadership. This is totally wrong. The Scripture reveals that the work of the preacher is that of “Technical Adviser” (Ephesians 4:11) while the actual work of the Ministry is left into the hands of the “Saints” (Ephesians 4:12). 

Ministry thrives when God’s people are adequately oriented,  encouraged and equipped for the work of service coupled with the  willingness of every member of the Body of Christ to volunteer himself/herself (Psalms 110:3; Psalms 68:11). What the Minister and the Eldership should do to ensure effective leadership in their given localities is to employ Samsonic principle of setting his instruments on fire to set the community afire (Judges 15:5). 

To obtain enough resources to feed the Church, apart from studying the Bible, read good books written by Brethren. Look for good sermon and Bible Study outlines on doctrinal issues as well as those that will encourage the Church. Each time you listen to a good message, get a copy of it. Do not be ashamed to request for Bible study and sermon outlines from experienced preachers in the field.    

3.    Implant Jesus

The greatest responsibility of a preacher is to make Jesus known; to implant Jesus in the hearts of those he ministers to. Apostle Paul’s heart-touching message at Galatians 4:19 remains every preacher's challenge: 

“My little children, of whom I travail in birth again UNTIL CHRIST BE FORMED IN YOU.”   

 

God’s ultimate desire is to see that every believer conforms to the Image of His Son (Romans 8:29b). Your goal, therefore, is to see that Christians die to themselves daily (I Corinthians 15:31) and that Jesus increases in them as they decrease in themselves (John 3:30).   

If you succeed in this assignment, you will have no problem in your work as a preacher because each person would be “established and rooted” in Jesus Christ (Colossians 2:6-7). When this happens, there will be less infighting, less lethargy and more commitments in the things of the Lord. How would you be able to do this? By expounding to them the “Whole counsel of God” (Acts 20: 27). 

4.    Avoid The Pitfalls of Encomiums  

Close your ears to accolades and focus on your calling. Often, the mistakes preachers make is to allow themselves to be carried away by commendations. Some will say that you are a “powerful man of God.” Thank them, but do not let such statements get into your head. You must remember that God did not call you to be “powerful,” but to be a “faithful” man of God (II Timothy 2:2; Luke 17:10). It is this faithfulness to His Word that He rewards. 

5.    Strike a Balance Between Doctrinal Integrity And Moral Purity

I Timothy 4:16 should be your motto. One of the greatest assets of a preacher is a thorough knowledge of God’s Word. You must be a Book, Chapter and Verse preacher. Your teachings and ministrations should be in accordance with the Law and Testimony (Isaiah 8:20; I Peter 4:11). You must hold forth the mystery of the Faith (I Timothy 3:9). You must abide by the Doctrines of Jesus Christ without which everything you do would become pure balderdash (II John verses 9- 11). You must be doctrinally sound. Arm yourself to the teeth with Restoration Movement principles of New Testament Christianity. 

Closely associated with doctrinal integrity is moral purity. Holiness is the beauty of the believer. You must remind yourself daily of I Timothy 4:12. 

To maintain moral purity, you must rein in your hormone. Moral prodigality will remain a stain on your Christian and ministerial garments. Maintaining moral purity on a daily basis must remain your prime goal daily. When you soil your moral garment or compromise your morality, you will succeed in destroying a beautiful career ahead of you. Therefore, avoid compromising relationships with female members. Even if you are made of steel, do not pray or counsel any Christian Sister alone or in private except you are accompanied.   

6.    Focus on Your Call, Not On The Pecks of Your Office

You are God’s Mouthpiece where you are. You are called to sound the trumpet, to preach the Word. Therefore, be instant in season and out of season, to rebuke and exhort with all longsuffering (II Timothy 4:2). 

You are not called to pamper people to hell, but to push them into Heaven. How can you accomplish this? Someone affirmed: “Let your sermons be bullets, not buckle shots.” There should be no “What went wrong” sermons – every sermon must be a message.  

Remember that you are called to feed the flock, not to feed on the flock.  

7.    Magnify Your Ministry

At Romans 11:13, Apostle Paul affirmed, “For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I MAGNIFY MY MINISTRY.” What does this say to you, servant of God? – You must go about your duty with dignity! Do not make mockery of your calling and office by engaging in any kind of pettiness. You must not allow anyone to undermine your work.  Titus 2:15 says, "These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee."   How do you magnify your ministry? Your life, carriage and commitments will.  

8.    Have a Working Knowledge Of Those You Minister To

Know your members. Know where they live and what they do to earn their living. Do not be standoffish. Visit them in their houses, farms, workshops and stalls.

Apostle Paul’s statement at II Corinthians 11:23-28 suggests that he had a working knowledge of the people he ministered to. 

9.    Draw a Work Plan (Proverbs 24:27)

Plan your work and work your plan. You should have a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and yearly plan of work. These plans should include targeted number of conversions, restorations, teachings and projects to initiate and execute. 

CONCLUSION

If you do these, you can be sure that your progress in Ministry will become evident to all.  God bless you all.  

ME, MYSELF AND I: DETHRONING THE SPIRIT OF NEGATIVE SELF-IMPORTANCE

And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things in common. And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, and laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need - Acts 4:32-35.

 

If there be, therefore, any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, fulfill ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus - Philippians 2:1-5.

 

Cultivate the understanding that the self is not really an independently existing entity, and begin to view self instead in terms of its dependent relation to others. Although, it is difficult to say that merely reflecting on this will produce a profound spiritual realization, it will at least have some effect. Your mind will be more open. Something will begin to change within you. Therefore, even in the immediate term there is definitely a positive and beneficial effect in reversing these two attitudes and moving from self-centeredness to other-centeredness, from belief in self-existence to belief in dependent origination - Dalai Lama XIV. 

The spirit that should prevail amongst Christians is the spirit of Community, not an individualist spirit. Jesus died to make us a kingdom of priests (Revelation 1:6a), not islands. Beneath the Cross every ground is level – Hilary Johnson Chukwuma Chukwurah.   

An orchestra was playing for a group of wealthy guests. When they concluded a particular performance, the conductor who obviously was carried away by the group’s wonderful performance announced, “Now, I shall perform for you …!” No instrument responded to his command. He repeated his announcement using the first person singular. Again, nothing happened. A voice spoke from behind him, “Do not say, ‘I’; say We!” He immediately corrected himself and announced, “Now, we shall perform for you …!” The instruments came alive and delivered a most commanding performance.  

Without controversy, we live in a Me, Myself and I generation; a generation where self is the epicenter. The end-time spirit of I is the spirit of negative self-love (II Timothy 3:1-5). It is characterized by “Me first” mentality and reinforced by self-importance where self is past, present and future. In this era, ego is celebrated. 

I would like to commence my presentation by highlighting Biblical characters who demonstrated Me, Myself and I mentalities and those who repudiated them in what I call the Negatives and the Positives:   

THE NEGATIVES

In Scripture, several characters displayed the Me, Myself and I mentalities at various points in their lives. Amongst these were:

King Hezekiah

After King Hezekiah was healed of his sickness and had his life extended by almost twenty year, he blew the fuse. God was angry with him for showing Babylonian emissaries the secret treasures of his kingdom. In displaying His displeasure, God told him that he had jeopardized the interests of Israel and then gave him two options: to accept calamity in his days or have it occur in the days of his posterity. Selfishly, King Hezekiah chose the second option. He sealed the future of his children and that of the nation of Israel when he said to Prophet Isaiah,

“…Good is the word of the LORD which thou hast spoken. And he said, Is it not good, if peace and truth be in my days?” (II Kings 20:19). 

He was not thinking of others but of himself. His self-centeredness blinded him to sufferings that awaited the people he would leave behind.   

King Uzziah

King Uzzah was one young man who began life on a beautiful plane because he leaned on God’s Word through Prophet Azariah. As long as he paid heed to God’s directives, he prospered and did well. However, when he allowed self-importance to take center-stage of his life, he began to falter: he took laws into his hands, despised others and finally destroyed a beautiful life God had in store for him. II Chronicles 26:16 gave this sad commentary on the life and times of King Uzziah: 

“But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense.” 

When self is on the driver’s seat, catastrophe results. We can actually destroy ourselves by ourselves or save ourselves by ourselves. 

Prodigal Son

Driven by thoughts that centered only on himself, this young man went to his father and in seven words, “…give me my share of the inheritance….”  communicated to his father his desire to live life the way he wanted it. Filled with thoughts of self, he took his own share of his inheritance and nearly destroyed himself.

We can become spiritual prodigals who live for ourselves when we allow self to dominate our relationships with God and others.   

Judas Iscariot

To say that Judas Iscariot was one of the rarest privileged men to associate with Jesus is to say the least. He threw that privilege to the garbage bin when he allowed self-interest to destroy a beautiful career ahead. His self-centeredness was revealed when he went to enemies of our Master to say to them, “…what will ye give me…? (Matthew 26:15).

Note:

One of the most outstanding languages of self-centered people is Me. Amongst these characters x-rayed, you would notice the refrain, Me. Self. I. These characters and their ilk are not the only culprits. We are all involved.  

THE POSITIVES

In Scripture, several characters also displayed that they were not controlled by Me, Myself and I mentalities at various points in their lives. Amongst these were: 

Abraham

Being a man of considerable spiritual maturity and one who was altruistic, faced with one of the most destructive challenges any person could face – resource control, Abraham demonstrated that self was not the epicenter of his earthly existence. In a situation that would have pitched him and Lot at daggers-drawn, Abraham said, 

…Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren. Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left - Genesis 13:8-9. 

John the Baptizer

John the Baptizer demonstrated uncommon leadership spirit and sportsmanship when his followers reminded him that the man (referring to Jesus) he had baptized earlier had taken the shine off him and that he was recording an avalanche of followers, John refused to yield to the demeaning spirit of self-exultation. Rather than being bitter, he fought the urge to politicize the work of God. He said to his followers: 

…“A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven. Ye yourselves bear me witness that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him.’ He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease” - John 3:27-30. 

Apostolic Injunction

Knowing the evil effects that Me, Myself and I mentalities could have on people, especially in Christian communities, Apostle Paul led by Holy Spirit enjoined Philippian Christians as well as Christians everywhere to de-emphasize self and to emphasize others and community attitudes:  

If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others - Philippians 2:1-4 

The Christian Magna Charter

In what could be described as Christian Magna Charter or Christian anthem (Motto), Christian life is summed as one that self has taken the backseat while Jesus has taken the drivers’ seats of individual Christian lives, Holy Spirit spoke through Apostle Paul who penned: 

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me - Galatians 2:20. 

BASIS OF THIS PRESENTATION

When we worship God in spirit and in Truth, we naturally tend to forget about self but when we stop worshipping God, we start worshipping self. When self is at the center, God is relegated to the background and other people become an afterthought. In this situation, God’s business becomes secondary while our individual activities become primary. 

Serving God requires absolute surrender. It is one thing to be converted, but another thing to surrender. The greatest gift we can give to the Lord is personal surrender. The gift of self is the greatest gift (II Corinthians 8:1-5). God cannot move until we remove the things that inhibit the move of God in our lives and in our congregations – the spirit of self-importance.           

WHAT IS SELF-IMPORTANCE?

Thomas Kevin observed that “Pride is nothing more than us highlighting us.” The universe of self-importance revolves around Me, Myself and I. 

Roya R. Rad observes that self-centeredness is an indication of self-importance and wanting to be the center of attention. Self-centered people confuse ‘self-caring’ to being self-adulation.”  Self-caring means that you have concern for others, but not at the expense of yourself. It is the ability to strike balance.

CHARACTERISTICS OF SELF-IMPORTANT PEOPLE

Self-important people are always on self-protection mode. There is a part of them that they do not like and are trying hard to cover. They are always wearing invisible masks. They are natural energy vampires. They can be arrogant. Some of the characteristics of self-centered people are:

1.     Arrogance and taking too many measures to protect their self-images. 

2.     Inward insufficiency. They may look ‘too confident’ on the surface but feel inadequate in their inside. They are in search of ego feeders. That is why they use other people to fill up their inner gaps. 

3.     Intolerant of differences. They devalue others and put them at lesser positions. They lack abilities to feel confident internally. They feel sense of superiority by seeing others as inferior. They cannot accommodate different viewpoints. When you disagree with them, they fall out with you.

4.     Unable to have long lasting relationships. For them, people are either very good or very bad, depending on who admires them and who does not. In other words, if you fulfill their wishes, you are good; if you do not, then you are bad. They can be your friend one minute and an enemy the next.

5.     Possess self-esteem holes. Self-esteem is how well-developed our senses of self are. For self-important people, there are lots of holes in this area that need to be filled.

6.     Maximize their importance but seek to minimize that of others. They run you down by telling how important they are, asking, “Do you know me?” “Do you who I am?” “Do you know where I have been?” “Do you know the position that I occupy?”...   

SELF-LOVE: IS IT REALLY WRONG?

Self-love is not completely wrong. Love for self is encouraged (Matthew 22:37-39). Self-love is only wrong when one thinks of self more than he/she ought to (cf. Romans 12:3-4). If I truly love myself, I would have to ascribe to others the same measure, not above or below. It must be the self-same affections (Matthew 7:12).                                  

Balanced self-love is healthy. It gives people senses of worth, and value; it encourages hardwork, discipline, focus and healthy competitive spirit. It helps people to develop self -respect and deep senses of fulfillment and belonging. 

CHRISTIANS VERSUS ME, MYSELF AND I MENTALITY

Where spirit of self-importance envelopes an individual, he/she becomes trouble waiting to happen (James 3:16). 

Life is only meaningful when we live lives of altruism, that is, putting others ahead of us (Philippians 2:3-4). When we live for others, we reproduce the life of Christ in us because He counted us as more important than Himself. Because He did, today the world is all His, considering the fact that billions of souls have given their lives to Him (II Corinthians 5:14-16). 

One of the greatest battles we must fight in life is battle against self-importance (II Chronicles 26:16). Until you conquer yourself and subdue it to the point of where others become important, their opinions counting and their interests as paramount as yours are to you, you are dominated by Me, Myself and I mentality.

Every new creature in Christ has died to self, has become alive to God and to others.  In Christ, “I” is an old story. “I” no longer lives but Christ is the one who is alive (Galatians 2:20). Christ must increase but I must decrease (John 3:30). To overcome, I must be “crucified.” This can only be realized when I die daily (I Corinthians 15:31-32). Our individual daily assignments would be to kill “I” and to ensure that “I” is not as it used to be. 

If a grain is planted but does not die, it will not spring to life to bear more fruits (John 12:24). Death must occur for our true personalities to emerge. So long as self remains on the throne, our true spiritual personalities will remain unrealized.   

When we de-emphasize self, we will discover new senses of purpose, freedom and power. We will discover that life is more pleasurable when lived for God and for others. 

DYING THAT HE MIGHT LIVE (JOHN 3:30; GALATIANS 2: 20)

Throughout New Testament Scripture the principle of self-crucifixion and Christ’s exaltation are quite pronounced (II Corinthians 5:14-15). Self is represented by the word, “I”. This word is rooted strongly in the fallen nature of man. For the real nature of man to thrive, the fallen one must consistently die and diminish. The fallen nature is the Adamic nature but the real living nature is Christ nature. These two are present in each of us. It behooves, therefore, that the one we desire to live must live while the other dies. However, the Lord desires that we let self die (Matthew10:38-39) so that Christ can live in us and through us. 

Two great men of God in New Testament realized that this is imperative and in their respective lives were determined to let Adam die for Christ to live. To them, “Dying that He might live” was a mandate:

§  John the Baptist - “He must increase but I must decrease” (John 3: 30)   

§  Apostle Paul - “It is no longer I who lives but Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2: 20). 

Who is presently reigning in your life - you or Him? If it is you, please let self die. But if it is Him, let there be an increase of His nature in your life daily. 

ME, MYSELF AND I VERSUS GOD’S WORK

Self should not the epicenter of earthly existence. Where self rules, God’s work is relegated to the background. We will not be sensitive to the needs of God’s work and will find it increasingly difficult to lend spiritual, morale and financial supports.                                           

We must not be at ease in Zion (Amos 6:1). We must not be like those in Prophet Haggai’s day who felt unconcerned over the well-being of God’s Work. They were busy building their businesses and developing their careers so much so that God’s House and work were left in states of ruin (Haggai 1:9).                                                                       

Life teaches that only a few things are REALLY IMPORTANT – that is, labouring at the foot of Jesus Christ (Luke 10:38-42). Eternity will not reward us for the things we enjoyed but for the things we sacrificed for God, His Work and for others.   

SAVE MYSELF FROM MYSELF OR DESTROY MYSELF BY MYSELF

We have been saved from our sins through faith in Jesus and in His vicarious sacrifice on the Cross at Calvary. We also must endeavour to save ourselves from ourselves – our pride, our worthiness, temperaments, selfishness, and from our self-wills.

It is an established fact that man is his own best friend and his own worst enemy. This was King Uzziah’s undoing. His self-worth destroyed him. King Uzziah’s life provides lessons on how not to let self-importance destroy us and others: 

§ We must learn not to think highly of ourselves (Romans 12:3; II Chronicles 26:16).

§ No matter how well-placed we may be academically, socially, economically and spiritually, we must never lose sight of the fact that we are what we are by the grace of God (I Corinthians 15:10). Uzziah never learned that lesson (II Chronicles 26:5, 15-16; cf. Ecclesiastes 9:11). 

CONCLUSION                                                                                                 

There is no gainsaying that God created us with senses of self-worth. This self-worth is what enables us to live reasonably and responsibly. However, when self-worth degenerates into negative self-importance of Me, Myself and I, it is then that we must step aside to allow God’s Holy Spirit redirect our focus on who we really are and what God expects each of to be. 

We must defeat negative self-importance by encouraging Community spirit, de-emphasizing self but emphasizing Jesus and others. Biblical discipleship demands self-denial and cross-bearing (Matthew 16:24-25). 

God bless us in Jesus’ name!          

 REFERENCES 

Roya R. Rad ( 2010). “How To Deal With Self-Centered People.” Self Knowledge Base and Foundation, A non-profit dedicated to public education. www.SelfKnowledgeBase.com 

Tina Vasquez (2008). “Common traits of the self-centered person: How to recognize and deal with self-centered people,” Published January 09.