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Pastoral Ministry- Pastors Ministering God's Word with Boldness- by Danson Mwaniki |
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A good minister of Jesus
Christ is one who studies the Word of God, the Bible, more than any other book. What people need to hear is what God has to
say, because this is what will give them the nourishment that they so desperately need. There is a lot of good that can be
found among the scholarly books that are out there, but we must never forget that in the Day of Judgment, none of us will
be judged by what this or that scholar said regarding a matter. The judgment will be based on what God had to say regarding
the matter.
The Bible teaches very clearly that God is looking for people he can use,
bless and honor in great ways. Here i want to talk of values that last and make a difference in our lives, so that God can
use us. In 2nd chorinthians 16:9, The Bible says that ".. the Lord searches all the earth for people who have given themselves
completely to him. He wants to make them strong." in 1Timothy 4: 16, Paul tells Timothy to "be careful how you
live and what you believe. Never give up. Then you will save yourselves and those who hear you .  bY Danson Mwaniki, MDiv. What would people say if we were
to ask them to describe a good minister of Jesus Christ? I am sure that we would receive all kinds of answers to this question,
but what do the Scriptures say regarding this very important question? There are many congregations of the Lord's church at
this moment that is in search of a sound proclaimer of the Word. I am sure many of them know exactly what constitutes a good
preacher, but there will be some who are using the wrong criteria in determining what characterizes a good evangelist. A
minister holds a very important position in a congregation in that it is he who will be bringing the Word of God to the people.
Therefore, it is very important that the right man for the job is chosen; otherwise, the souls of many people will be put
in jeopardy. Any time we have such a serious question to deal with, it is always best to go to God's Word for the answer.
What do the Scriptures say regarding the qualifications of a good minister of Jesus Christ? In Paul's first letter to Timothy, he wrote by inspiration concerning what
God considered a good minister to be. We read, "If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shall
be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.
But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. For bodily exercise profited little;
but godliness is profitable unto all things, having a promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come."
(1 Tim. 4:6-8)  Evangelist Wairimu Ministry "...
sole aim is to see this generation swept by God’s wave of salvation, and that every believer reaches his destiny. ......"
The early Christians stormed the citadels of hell and won. But they could never have done it without the presence of the Holy Spirit within them. They were under His control, guided by the Spirit, taught by the Spirit, empowered by the Spirit, and illuminated by the Spirit. These early believers were valiant, daring, dauntless, and undismayed in every situation. (Acts 4:33). We should be content with nothing less in the Christian life. The government and religious leaders could not shut the disciples up. The declared, “We cannot stop speaking what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). They were living bold witnesses of Jesus Christ. When Paul wrote to Timothy, he told him how the Holy Spirit had spoken expressly that some would depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits. How could this terrible tragedy be avoided? The answer would be to remind the brethren over and over of false teachers and false doctrine. Another thing that Timothy needed to do was to receive nourishment from the words of faith and of good doctrine. It does not take a genius to understand that a person cannot teach others what he himself does not know. |
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