Understanding Purpose in Christian Ministry (PART 2)
By Pastor Raphael Adegoke
I beseech you by therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:1-2)
Thank God it’s another beautiful week. It is a week the Lord has made in which we shall rejoice and be glad. Last week, we began to examine purpose by laying a foundation on the expediency of the same. This week, we shall examine the first basic step in understanding the purpose of God.
When purpose is not known, abuse is inevitable. Any minister that will not wander in life, call and ministry must understand the purpose behind anything he does. This starts by understanding the purpose of communion and communication with God in the Christian ministry.
It is unfortunate that many ministers are still yet to come to understand that the primary purpose of prayer and the Word of God, which are essential for communication and communion with God is conformity to the image of Christ. Anything short of this is a waste of precious time, and sometimes not just ours only, but the people we lead.
It is in the place of communion that we get to understand the mind of the Father, get details about His specific assignments for us and get to understand our limitations, but if care is not taken, we may take communion with the devil for communion with God or communication with him for communication with God. That’s why we cannot underestimate or overemphasize the marks of genuine communication. “But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” (2 Cor. 11:14)
The scripture is clear on the deceitfulness of Satan and the surest ways to exposing him are: (1) presenting our bodies unto God a living sacrifice, (2) non-conformity to the world (3) transformation (through the renewal of mind). Without these, we can never ever prove the good, acceptable and perfect will of God. This is the foundation to knowing and proving the will of God for our lives.
So, for there to be effective communion or communication, where ministry purpose is discovered, we must live a consecrated life, become free from worldliness (worldly passion, worldly ambition, worldly mindset, e.t.c), and must renew our mind daily with the Word of God. The Word of God gives us the kingdom perspective, mindset and view. It helps us to supernaturally manifest the mind of Christ. “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:5).
Pastor Raphael Adegoke is a Pastor in Christ Apostolic Church (Nigeria & Overseas) and a Lecturer in Christ Apostolic Church Theological Seminary.
