MINISTRY LESSONS FROM JOHN THE BAPTIST

Luke 3:3-20

John 1:19-29

While meditating about ministry work the other time, my heart was drawn to John the Baptist and about the immense lessons we can learn from his life. John was a man whose ministry preceded the ministry of Christ. He was sent for the purpose of preparing the way for Christ. A ministry akin to a ‘ganda-ganda’.

Know your calling

A powerful tool (vehicle) going into a forest to make a way for the most beautiful of cars to be able to drive there. The ‘ganda-ganda’ only prepares the road and is not really meant to catch the attention to itself but focus on preparing the road for the coming ‘mzeke-zeke’ (Porsche cars).

John had this experience in his life. In his ministry many were convicted of their sin even the synagogue leaders of his time knew someone great has arrived and they sent people to enquire who he was. His answer was “I am not the Messiah, my job is to prepare the way for the one coming, there is one more powerful than me that’s coming. I’m not the main man. I count myself fortunate to have been chosen to be the one to herald His coming”.

John knew and understood his calling, he knew the boundaries of his ministry. When Christ appeared he said I need to give space to Him, He must increase and I must decrease.

John was forthright and bought no favours from anybody.

Fearlessness

Whatever God told John to do, he did without fear or favour. He chastised Herod for marrying his brother’s wife. The Bible records that Herod was uncomfortable with John. It appears the mere appearance of John the Baptist reminded Herod of his sin. John’s life was judgement to Herod’s actions. Despite the power and influence of Herod, John wasn’t intimidated to sugar-coat the truth to suit Herod, he spoke with all honesty leading ultimately to his beheading.

John knew his place, he bowed before Christ and stood before Herod.

Relevance

In his ministry John impacted society, many were convicted and converted. John’s ministry experienced phenomenal growth. Many came to him because of his witness. Soldiers, tax collectors and the rich. His message was relevant to each and everyone of them. Touching on the cancer that was eating society: corruption and greed. He told those who have to give to those who don’t have, the soldiers to be satisfied with their pay and not demand bribes, and the tax collectors not to collect more tax than necessary. A relevant message even for our generation.

Humility

We can learn a lesson of honesty and humility from him. The temptation with power is to exaggerate your role and feel you were chosen because of something great you have done or earned God’s election but it is by His grace.

With ministry growth and wonders happening we often let accolades and testimonies to make us big headed about the things we are able to do and forget it’s all about God. It is the Lord doing the work in and through us and sometimes we take the credit for His doing. We need to know and understand our place as instruments in the hands of an able God. A garden tool in the hands of an able gardener can never take credit for a well- manicured garden but many of us tend to do so.

Accolades and praises should never distract us from our purpose and calling. Many due to the desire for accolades have played to the gallery. We must not allow growth and wonders to graduate into self promotion and praise.John never allowed accolades get to him, even while others suggested he might be the Messiah.

What needs to consume us is the need to know Christ and the power of His resurrection like Paul, to have a deeper and closer relationship with him. To know and understand His heart for the nation and the world.

May God help us, give us the courage and boldness to speak truthfully what He lays in our hearts, to be uncompromising in our actions and not to choose the convenient path but tread the one He chose for us.

God bless you

Breaking nets, sinking boats and overtaken by blessings

Luke 5:1-11
Jesus was busy ministering to people and the crowds were pressing him on every side, He needed some space and platform to teach from. He saw a boat next to the shore. He didn't first go and ask for permission to use it, He needed a platform to minister, so He went into the boat.

He sees the owner and instructs him to push Him into the water. Jesus in His typical fashion takes charge of the situation, even when He needed a donkey or wanted to have the Last Supper with His disciples He just gave instructions that The Lord needs to use it. When He wants to use you, you can't dodge Him He will pursue you and use you. He is your creator and when He needs your service He demands.

The people relented for they recognized that all they have is His, it was created by Him. Going into the boat Peter pushed Him into the water. Jesus does His business of preaching, and after the sermon, the focus of the sermon isn't even mentioned but what happened next is what becomes the subject of this portion of scripture. Jesus gave another instruction to Peter, launch into the deep.

Peter was reluctant, he had just spent an entire night trying to catch fish and caught nothing. Jesus was about to change his fortunes. God sometimes will take you to the things you know very well and turn them upside down, things you know are not possible to take you to a new dimension- a dimension where all things are possible. A place where nothing is impossible. That's a dimension and place of faith.

There is a blessing in believing in the word of God and obeying Him. It was when Peter obeyed that His blessing came through.

An instruction from The Lord, a word from the Master mixed with your faith -a belief that He will do what He promised to will make you walk victoriously in 2015, His promise is all you need to change your health situation whether it has persisted for long or not. Whether your business has been struggling for years and not being profitable when He commands you to launch into the deep and fish once more all you need to do is to obey Him and see what happens next. It might even be in the same place where you spent all night toiling.

Peter obeyed and what happened next was beyond description. His nets were full, after a night of toil and not being fruitful, one Word from The Lord changed his fortunes.

When The Lord commands you don't say I've tried all the doctors and inyangas, I've approached everyone who knows and can help, I've done all there is to do and nothing came out of all my efforts. Just say at your word, I do and expect a wonder from Him.

Your efforts to evangelize before, your foray into business in times past, your efforts in the family, your efforts at school might not have been fruitful before but now The Lord instructs you to launch into the deep again, obey and see why He's capable of.

The very nets and boats that disappointed you for the whole night will be the ones to enable you to have a catch that will almost break the nets and almost sink your boats. You will be overcome with blessing you will need others to help you enjoy. God always blesses so we are able to share with others.

Peter was overtaken by blessings, His nets were breaking (overladen with the catch), his boat was sinking (full of blessings he couldn't contain), his storehouses( the boats ) couldn't contain the blessing.

When God blesses you this year, you will have no room to contain the blessings, they will overtake you, you will feel inadequate and undeserving of so much love, blessing and favour. You will be awestruck like Peter.

Sometimes God will direct you to do the things that you've done before, and says to you that you must expect different results - a phenomenon the world calls insanity- but if you take Him at His Word you are destined for a greater blessing. Faith is insanity- it's doing the things the world considers unthinkable. The things that normal and intelligent people cannot make sense of.

When He does so He prepares you for elevation and promotion. He says I can take you to heights you can never think of. For some of you it will be a sign that Christ has set you apart for a higher calling- ministry. You perhaps have been saying I can't accept your call at this level I first need to achieve 1,2,3 what He's about to do in your life is confirmation and you need nothing more than this to validate you.

The disciples had reached the pinnacle of their fishing career, the next logical step was expansion after a great catch and the Lord says its time for a transition of a different kind- from fisherman to fishers of men.

It may be time for a transition from fisherman to fisher of men, from being a shepherd of sheep to shepherd His people. You seek no other earthly success to validate your readiness to accept the call to ministry.When Peter, Andrew and the sons of Zebedee experienced much harvest, it wasn't for them to expand their business but for them to take a new direction ministry-wise. So for some of you it might be ministry-time. Peter & Co forsook all their success for a higher calling.

God bless you