THE SECRETS OF A SUCCESSFUL MINISTRY!

THE SECRETS OF A SUCCESSFUL MINISTRY

The word Minister is a Latin word meaning Servant. We are servants of the Most High God, in the sense that He has sent us to work with Him. Because more than anything else, we are His children. This morning I want to talk to you about the secrets of success in the Ministry. By the grace of God, I have discovered the secrets of a successful Ministry which I want to share with you. I believe if you are willing to do what the word of God says, I am sure your Ministry will succeed.

How did I discover these secrets? It is by studying the only one who I knew succeeded beyond all measures. That is our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. God used only one verse in the scripture to open my eyes to these valuable secrets – Acts 10:38 “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with Holy Ghost and with Power; who went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devils, for God was with Him”.

There are 2 major secrets in the verse:-
a. Anointing
b. Divine presence.

A. ANOINTING: - Jesus was anointed with Holy Ghost and with Power
i. It is possible to get the Holy Ghost and no power
ii. It is possible to get power and no Holy Ghost
iii. It is possible to get both Holy Ghost and Power –
Acts 1:8"But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth"
Zech.4:6 "Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts."

If you examine the life of Jesus Christ, you will discover that everything He did on earth from the beginning to the end was done through the Holy Ghost.
1. He was conceived by the Holy Ghost.
2. He was baptised by the Holy Ghost
3. He did His examination by the Holy Ghost – Matt.4:1 "Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil."
4. All His preaching He did by the Holy Ghost
5. He did not perform a single miracle until He had been baptised in the Holy Spirit.
6. Jesus died through the Holy Spirit – Heb. 9:14 "How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?"
7. He was resurrected by the Power of the Holy Spirit
8. He did all His Post Resurrection works through the Holy Spirit – Acts. 1:2"Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:"

From His conception to the very moment He was lifted from this world, It was the Holy Spirit all the way. Now if Jesus needed the Holy Spirit that much, how can you think you will succeed without the Holy Spirit.
DISPENSATIONS: We are now in the dispensation of God the Holy Spirit. There are three dispensations of the Holy Trinity.
1. Dispensation of God the Father – Old Testament
2. Dispensation of God the Son – Yes to come at the Millennium
3. Dispensation of God the Holy Spirit - Now

B. DIVINE PRESENCE
Jesus succeeded in His earthly Ministry because God was with Him. You need the divine presence of God to succeed. Why?

1. you cannot handle the devil alone, he is older and wiser – James 4:7 "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
2. You need divine intervention of God to succeed for genuine signs and wonders
3. There is a difference between divine backing and divine presence. Divine backing gives you authority while divine presence gives you power.2Kings 6:1-3 (1. And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too strait for us. 2. Let us go, we pray thee, unto Jordan, and take thence every man a beam, and let us make us a place there, where we may dwell. And he answered, Go ye. 3. And one said, Be content, I pray thee, and go with thy servants. And he answered, I will go.")
4. There is a possibility of working for God and not with God. Moses – Exo.33:12-15(" 12. And Moses said unto the LORD, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight. 13. Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people. 14. And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. 15. And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence." )
5. You need divine backing to exercise the Authority given in Mark 16:15-18. ( "15. And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. 17. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18. They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover."
6. The moment your will is not in line with His will, you are on your own and that is failure. The moment your plan crosses His plan, you will be in greater trouble – Like if God wants you to be in a town outside London and you insisted it is London for you. Remember Gehazi and his leprosy.

C. HOLINESS: -
The two major things you need, Anointing and Divine Presence comes down to one thing – Holiness
1. You need holiness for the anointing to flow – Heb.1:9" Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows."
2. The secret of divine blessing is holiness – 1Peter1:15-16." 15. But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 16. Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy."
3. You want God to be working with you? Birds of the same plumage flock together – Amos 3:3, "3.Can two walk together, except they be agreed?" He is a Holy God.

D. CALL TO MISSION:-
The call to Mission is the logical outcome of the changed life. We are changed into His image who said “As the Father has sent me, even so I send you”. It is the out of the Holy Spirit’s vision that sees a lost world as Christ saw it, and is willing to follow in His footsteps. The field is the world; beginning at Jerusalem – where you were when you were converted. The opportunity of going to foreign lands is only available for the few. The called ones are those who have heard God saying “who will GO for me” and who have answered, “Here am I Lord send me “Isa.6:8
You must be ready to pay the price for your call – Moses willing to be blotted out of the Book of life for His brethren. – Exo.32:32, Paul willing to be accursed for his kinsmen – Romans 9:3. The biggest mission field before you today is our beloved UK – which has been described as the 2nd most ungodly nation next to Japan.

THE FATHER'S BLESSING."I pray for you today as you read this message. You will not fail, you will not fall, you will not fade, you will not falter in the call of God on your life. The Lord will work with you, He will work around you, God will work through you and He will work against your enemies and like Paul, you will reach your goal, Like Joseph you will fulfill your dream and your destiny and like Jesus you will succeed beyond measure in the mighty name of Jesus." (Amen).
EMMANUEL=GOD WITH US.