MONDAY - 30TH JANUARY, 2023
MORNING WINGS DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE - Olusola & Oreoluwa ADEJUMO
WHAT THEY CALL MINISTRY! - Helpmeet Series 003
Acts 6:3-4, KJV
"3 Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. 4 But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word."
What's the response of the apostles to the need for fair distribution between the Grecians and the Hebrews? Their response isn't that it's no matter but that, "they've been given, lent, sold out already to a cause." It is this saying that announces their unavailability to take the other role being availed them by opportunity.
Let me ask, "what is ministry?" I'll say "it's something to give oneself to." In responding to their need and satisfactorily answering them, they said, "look ye out for seven men...but we'll give ourselves to prayer and the ministry of the word." So, the preaching (and consequently the teaching of the word) is a ministry? Whoa! Wow! What an opening! So, it's a thing to give oneself to? So, it's a thing to be sold out totally to? So, it's a thing to make one's life? So, it's a thing serious enough as to collect one's whole time? I'll say it is. It's this discovery of having being occupied and consumed without remnant or availability that made the apostles say, "look ye out for seven men...but we'll give ourselves to prayer and the ministry of the word." Off course, they'll give themselves to prayer and the ministry of the Word which ahead of time they've had the practice of giving and dedicating themselves to. Meanwhile, this fresh saying is just to serve as a commitment to a fresh proposal and a solver of doubt if queried as to what they'll be spending their time on. No wonder, the Bible says some elders are worthy of double honour.
I Timothy 5:17, KJV
"Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine."
Would it say they are if the ministry of the word is not something you give yourself to and yet something that swallows and occupies wholly its host and his time? We all know whatsover we give ourselves to is what will use us and our time the most (and the best). If that be, the Bible declares that they are worthy of double honour for having laboured in the Word. Searching the scriptures by reading, studying or researching for correctness and alignment in order to order men's lives is hardwork and sure a thing that could collect your whole time and life.
Only few ever knows what it wholly means to labour in the Word and doctrine. And then, only very few knows what it means to labour in doctrine (though they know what it means to labor in the Word). When you labour in the doctrine, you first labour to search out what has been spoken out of the mouth of one and then affirmed by another (making two) or more witnesses as fit for practice and whole to order living. It can't become a belief or tenet if we can't at least trace it to two or more places in the Bible. After setting this forth, then you contend for it that it is retained by often teaching it, desiring and having men to do it because God by his repetition of it and giving it to us sees it fit that by it we live our lives by afore recommending same. The hardest part of that is seeing men do it as one generation goes and another comes. Some changes and U-turn may want to be effected to it but it becomes the sole responsibility of those "elders" who are called to labour in the word and doctrine - (what men may live and pattern their lives by) to continually teach and repeatedly teach it in order to align the path of the strayed as they also rebuke false teachers and setter forth of false doctrines. This is where contention for faith comes in (Jude 1:3).
Also, they were to give themselves to prayer like Anna who dedicated herself to prayer and fasting (Lk.2:37). When you give yourself to prayer, you pray it without ceasing. You take it as a profession. If not, the apostles won't be able to build shield and hedge in the spirit round the flock the Holy Ghost made them overseer over. You'll just begin to hear that Brother A died and sister B is kidnapped and then without recovery. The devil will just be playing games on their soccer field but once prayer becomes their profession and ministry also, they'll purchase lives with it and the centre would hold. When Peter was kept in prison but prayer was made without ceasing for him typifies making prayer a profession or work. It's at that level you'll have some breakthroughs that only making prayer a profession could have delivered (Acts 12:5).
Imagine such hardwork. Would you not have the disciples not becoming servers with this? If they do, would they have the time to pray, search and research the Bible for truth and doctrine to be set forth for practice. Won't men rather gain say over them and many souls be lost to false doctrine because of their neglect? They'll rather be held accountable by God for giving ground for false teachers to rise in the absence of truth and have their flock. Being masters, they'll not have been excused but rather judged with a stricter standard indeed. God would not have understood them at all neither would they have heard, "welcome o faithful servant into your reward."
I ask you once more, if they had given themselves to serving tables, where would they get the ample time to find out truth to teach and time to pray? How will they know the biblical way to settle a dispute and when to indeed leave a man to himself? How, if not by studying to find out? How will they know this and many more? It's to have time for this prayer and the ministry of the Word that made it a necessity having deputies - the chosen seven. So, we thank God for those who relieved our apostles of their burdens as to be able to hold the centre of the calling. Thank you deputies! You're making it happen.
PRAYER: Lord, restore the vision of lead men that are lost. Call them to priority. Give them intercessors and good deputies.
BIBLE IN A YEAR: Exodus 8:1-9:35; Matthew 19:13-30; Psalm 24:1-10; Proverbs 6:1-5
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