Successful Ministry

One thing that has been standing out to me lately is ministering out of the abundance within us.

In Romans 15:29 (amp) I know that when I do come to you, I shall come in the abundant blessing of the Gospel of Christ.

Paul had a confidence that when he came to them that he wasn't just come just him as a person, but that he would come in the ABUNDANT BLESSING. Abundant means: Present in great quantity; more than adequate; over sufficient 2. well supplied; abounding 3. richly supplied. So Paul knew that when he came that there would be a great quantity of blessings coming with him. That it would be more than adequate to meet the needs of who he would come in contact with.

How do you enter into your everyday life? With abundance of blessings or just barely enough to get you by in what you have going in your day?

We had my hero Mrs. Dodie Osteen at our church recently. She was in a room full of people she did not get to talk to every person. Yet every person I talked to said that they felt as though she had personally ministered to them. Wow! Think about that!!!

That so challenged me. She had such an abundance on her life that when she came into a room everyone felt the abundance of love, grace, mercy etc. then without her even speaking to them personally they felt ministered to. That I believe is some of what Paul was talking about in this verse. Being so full of the goodness of God that just coming into a room he would have enough that the room would be filled with what he had.

Ministry and life is won through having this kind of abundance I believe. I think that our spiritual self is a lot like our natural bank account. There needs to be deposits in it to keep the bank account functioning. I believe the problem with the church in general today is that we have people stepping into pulpits that are spiritually just struggling to keep themselves afloat...never mind having a fullness to pass on to others. No deposits have been made.

Frank Demazio said it best. "You should have enough joy, happiness, faith to fill a room no matter what wherever you go".

I think of Benny Perez. When he steps on the platform and ministers the room is filled with faith and an excitement. That which is in him spreads throughout the room. He comes into a service as Paul did with an abundance of blessings. That is why people leave healed, encouraged, and set free.

What a challenge to live a life that you have so much deposits of the word inside of you that you can give deposits of joy etc. into anyone and you don't miss it because you are carrying so much of it. Just like in our natural account you can't write a check if there is no money backing it the check will only come back as a hot check. Same with spiritual things. If you don't have the deposits inside of you through time in the word prayer etc. then when you lay hands to minister you are ministering out of your soul and not the spirit.

Let your WE rise up!

I was reading my Bible in John 3 1-21 this morning. This is the story about Jesus and Nicodemus talking about being born of the spirit. For those of you that don't know Nicodemus is trying to understand spiritual things with his natural mind which is impossible to do this. He is trying to comprehend how one can truly be borne again.

verse 11 is what spoke to me:

I assure you most solemnly I tell you, we speak only of what we know (we know absolutely what we are talking about); we have actually seen what we are testifying to (we were eyewitnesses of it). And still you do not receive our testimony (you reject and refuse our evidence-that of myself and of all those who are born of the Spirit).

Think about Jesus goes from talking about what He thought up until this point, and the rest of the text Jesus only talks about Himself as singular. This one verse He speaks of Himself plural....

The Holy Spirit began to speak to me....Nicodemus was going through his life singular all a lone trying to figure things out by himself. All he had is what he could see touch, feel, and what the facts were that were given to him from his education. A lot of people go through life living a singular you life. They think they are going through things and that God put them down here to figure it out on there own.

The Holy Spirit spoke in my heart when you become a believer you are no longer a you---you become a WE. There becomes a WE that is inside of you that is bigger than any obstacle, trail, death, job loss, death or any thing that can come your way. That no matter what the outside situation says the inside WE in you changes you from a singular being that was once left to figure things out on your own to something that is so powerful. So powerful that the WE inside of you can conquer anything any YOU can send our way any day of the week.

You see as Jesus spoke to Nicodemus here He said "we know absolutely what we are talking about we have actually seen what we are testifying to''. All this time Jesus was telling Nicodemus His point of view, until the WE inside of Him had to speak up and let Nicodemus know that the WE knew that God was so real.

You see you may have problems today. Things may be so hard and you might be at the end of your rope wondering how you can make it another day. Jesus wants you to know something. That the voice that spoke the world into existence is inside of you. The power that opened blind eyes is inside of you. The healer of the broken hearted is within you. The one who parted the Red Sea and brought manna is right in you this moment. The WE inside of you needs to rise up!!!!

You are no longer just a you (singular) everywhere you go---you have been made a WE(plural). Never again do you have to fight life a lone! Greater is HE that is inside of YOU then he that is in the world!!!!