Genesis 1: 2 -3.
And the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
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Brethren, only light can drive away darkness. We need light to change the present state of the church. When the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep, God introduced light. May the light of God shine in our hearts as we glean from his mind in Jesus' name!
1 John 1:5 (NLT)
This is the message we heard from Jesus* and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all.
Listen, to be in a position and to have the means to do something is not the same as being chosen and appointed by God to do it. King David had it all to build the temple; he had the resources, but it wasn't his divine mandate to make it (2 Samuel 7). When the Lord made known the one ordained to build it, he didn't hesitate to transfer the resources he had at his disposal to the right individual. It takes a kingdom mindset to act that way. Read 1 Chronicle 22: 7 -19.
In the case of King Saul, it was the direct opposite. He wasn't supposed to offer sacrifice as a King. That was the Job of the Priest, but he waited for Prophet Samuel to come, who doubled as Priest, but he delayed; Saul when ahead and offered sacrifice to the Lord, something entirely out of the jurisdiction of his assignment (1 Samuel 13: 6 -14.
That is the major crisis the body of Christ is facing. Individuals called to be effective intercessors, musicians, and financial partners under leadership ministries prefer to promote themselves to the front line instead of serving God faithfully, where he has placed them in wait for future re-deployments.
There are individuals running ministries and churches today merely because they have the money to pay for a facility, not because they have the mandate to do so. They prefer doing that than identifying those chosen to function in that capacity to give them their support. Money is not everything!
There are also people heading ministries and churches merely because they can attract people through music, intercessory gifts, and prophecies. It is worth noting that a gift alone can't build people, but the word taught by someone with a bit of every ministry. It takes this dimension to build God's army, not a mere gift.
People are bound to be lopsided under an individual whose sole message is deliverance or prophecy from January to December. That is the dilemma the present Pentecostal, and Charismatic movement is into in several quarters.
A large congregation established via the manifestation of a "gift" of healing, deliverance, or prophecy does not indicate that the person there is mature enough to raise or build the people. People may fill a building because they need physical healing and deliverance. However, the individual there may still be a baby Christian who needs to submit to those with expanded grace for mentorship.
It takes great humility and understanding of the way the kingdom of God works for one to see things in this light. The truth many don't want to accept is that a large congregation is not equal to spiritual maturity.
Philip the Evangelist went to Samaria, and the Lord wrought great miracles through him, which brought the entire city to Christ; however, God took him to Gaza and brought in Apostle Peter and John to establish the people in the knowledge of God.
Miracles may attract a large crowd, but it takes the proper teaching and unveiling of the word to develop and establish the people in the truth.
When someone who is supposed to teach Sunday school becomes a General Overseer of a church because they can attract people via the operations of the gift of healing, prophecy, and deliverance, it spells out doom to people under such individuals.
The kingdom of God grows via effective networking; just like a vehicle needs several parts working together to function effectively, so is the kingdom of God. However, it is vital to note that the components of a car, no matter the role they play in the effective functioning of a vehicle, are not designed to become the driver. Some people are suitable as a part, but they don't feel that's good enough; they prefer the driver's seat.
If every component in a car chooses to become the driver, you would not have a car, and you would not also have anyone as the driver. A vehicle must first exist before a driver is required. Those who have ears should hear. To be in a position to do something is not the same as being chosen and appointed to do it.
PONDER!
DrBenard Etta
GFC Visionary
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