The Ability to Equip the Church begins with Prayer and Ministry.
In the life of a believer in Christ, a special task has been set-aside for you, although it could be more than one particular task. But the question is how you work that task. The ability to equip the church depends on you working your task.
When you receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, you automatically gain power, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you” (Acts 1:8) that power is the ability which would enable you to work that task.
However, many have misunderstood that power, with the result of the church being lack in certain areas. That power is the birth of your ministry and the planting of a seed in a renewed garden, and the way how that seed get to grow and blossom into your ministry is through your pray.
Because the seed you have received is not the spirit of the world, but the spirit, which is of God, you must connect with God, the giver of the seed, and the way that you connect with God is of course through pray, this is that you would know the things that are freely given to you of God, in order for you to fulfill your ministry.
What pray does is unite the Holy Spirit with Himself, the unification of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit is the revelation into pray being manifested, thus, the back- bone of the church is pray, but God has to be unified.
The Apostle Paul said unto the church of Corinth, concerning spiritual gifts, he would not have them ignorant, that they should know that they speak by the spirit of God called Jesus Christ, if you say Jesus is Lord, it is by the Holy Ghost you speak. Here we see the Apostle Paul speaking concerning the gifts about the unification of the Trinity.
Your gift is your ministry, there are diversities of ministry, but it is the same God, which worketh all in all. Gifts are given to all man to profit withal, whether there be healing, faith or miracles, you ministry is from God. Your ministry is part of a body that is needed to make up a whole (church). Your ministry would not survive without extensive pray.
(11 Corinthians 12:14) – “For the body is not one member, but many”. (KJV)
The body is the complete church of God, this is called the body of Christ. In order for Gods body to function accurately, every ministry needs to be operational, less the body is disabled or malfunctioning.
If you take a look at the natural body, if all of its parts are not functioning as they were created to work, it’s very defaults to walk on one foot, even if you have a prostrated or a wooden leg. After a while you will get accustom to using that false leg, but it’s not like the one that needs to be attached to the body. In the same way your individual ministry is needed for the body to be complete. Your minister needs to be attached.
Concerning pray in the church, the church also would not survive without pray being the central part of its functioning. There is no other way to receive instruction from the head of the church but through pray. The communication channel must be kept open in an operational mode.
For example, healing by it self is of no good without faith. In the same way speaking in tongues openly is of no good without the spirit to clarify what is said, all ministry is needed.
But the most important of all, prayer ministry absolutely needs to function in the church at all times. This is the ministry that the church is depending on. God looks to the pray warriors to fight the enemy head on with pray so His information would reach the church body.
The purpose of the prayer ministry is to actively encourage and promote prayer within the life of the church, by being open and responsive to the working of the Holy Spirit.
Christian leaders need to pray for and with each other on a regular basis. But we particularly need to support Christian and push our fellow leaders, whether in the church, or in society. Leaders face many challenges and obstacles - balancing the roles of pastor, priest, preacher, church leader, and administrator, besides other roles they may have such as husband or father. Those Christians in secular leadership positions face the challenge of remaining true to the gospel in a complex and difficult world. Like it or not, Christian pastors will have cast upon them heavy burdens of expectation, with society ready to condemn any weakness or mistake.
Leaders must be men and women of pray, but we should equally expect to support our pastors in pray. Survey on pray estimated that less than one quarter of churchgoers pray regularly for their church leaders. Here I offer some thoughts that may help you pray for your leader in your personal pray time through the week. If you have more than one leader, you could spend a week praying for each one.
Pray for leadership is the spiritual equivalent of filling a balloon, giving the church the potential to grow in its mission, following the wind of God’s Spirit. Two things will help this, the whole church, or as many as possible, sharing the task of praying for their leadership, - praying for the broader leadership in the church, not just those who are in full-time positions of leadership or who are ordained, All leaders need your pray, because the enemy attacks the leaders first.
For example, the apostle Paul knew the importance of praying for leaders. He requested prayer five different times in his epistles.
“Brethren, pray for us” (I Thessalonians 5:25, NKJV). Paul told the Thessalonians that he was praying for them and affirming their gifts of faith, hope, and love (I Thessalonians 1:2-3). At the end he asked them to pray for him, probably expecting them to pray for his faith, hope, and love to be increased.
“Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in your prayers to God for me” (Romans 15:30, NKJV). This is a more specific request for personal intercession. He asked them to pray that his trip to Jerusalem would be successful and that he would be protected from enemies waiting for him there.
“You also helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the gift granted to us through many” (II Corinthians 1:11, NKJV). After Paul spoke of being delivered from death, he asked the Corinthian believers for prayer, he knew intercession could be a matter of life and death.
“For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:19, NKJV). Paul depended on the prayers of others for justice to be done and for him to be released from prison.
“I trust that through your prayers I shall be granted to you” (Philemon 22, NKJV). This reference could easily be overlooked, but Paul again wrote from prison and wanted to visit his friend Philemon. He had faith that God would answer Philemon’s prayers to that effect. In others words, leaders need your pray.
Pray for leadership is not an option, but rather a necessity. Especially Christian leaders, they need a greater concentration of prayer and intercession because they have more responsibility and accountability. They are more subjected to temptation, they are more targeted in spiritual warfare, and last but not least, they have more visibility and are subject to gossip and criticism. I challenge you and encourage you to pray at all times.
Carl Mathis author of Life is What You Make It – Seven Steps To Moving Forward, Carl website http://www.carlmathis.com or http://www.carlmathisbooks.com
When you receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, you automatically gain power, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you” (Acts 1:8) that power is the ability which would enable you to work that task.
However, many have misunderstood that power, with the result of the church being lack in certain areas. That power is the birth of your ministry and the planting of a seed in a renewed garden, and the way how that seed get to grow and blossom into your ministry is through your pray.
Because the seed you have received is not the spirit of the world, but the spirit, which is of God, you must connect with God, the giver of the seed, and the way that you connect with God is of course through pray, this is that you would know the things that are freely given to you of God, in order for you to fulfill your ministry.
What pray does is unite the Holy Spirit with Himself, the unification of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit is the revelation into pray being manifested, thus, the back- bone of the church is pray, but God has to be unified.
The Apostle Paul said unto the church of Corinth, concerning spiritual gifts, he would not have them ignorant, that they should know that they speak by the spirit of God called Jesus Christ, if you say Jesus is Lord, it is by the Holy Ghost you speak. Here we see the Apostle Paul speaking concerning the gifts about the unification of the Trinity.
Your gift is your ministry, there are diversities of ministry, but it is the same God, which worketh all in all. Gifts are given to all man to profit withal, whether there be healing, faith or miracles, you ministry is from God. Your ministry is part of a body that is needed to make up a whole (church). Your ministry would not survive without extensive pray.
(11 Corinthians 12:14) – “For the body is not one member, but many”. (KJV)
The body is the complete church of God, this is called the body of Christ. In order for Gods body to function accurately, every ministry needs to be operational, less the body is disabled or malfunctioning.
If you take a look at the natural body, if all of its parts are not functioning as they were created to work, it’s very defaults to walk on one foot, even if you have a prostrated or a wooden leg. After a while you will get accustom to using that false leg, but it’s not like the one that needs to be attached to the body. In the same way your individual ministry is needed for the body to be complete. Your minister needs to be attached.
Concerning pray in the church, the church also would not survive without pray being the central part of its functioning. There is no other way to receive instruction from the head of the church but through pray. The communication channel must be kept open in an operational mode.
For example, healing by it self is of no good without faith. In the same way speaking in tongues openly is of no good without the spirit to clarify what is said, all ministry is needed.
But the most important of all, prayer ministry absolutely needs to function in the church at all times. This is the ministry that the church is depending on. God looks to the pray warriors to fight the enemy head on with pray so His information would reach the church body.
The purpose of the prayer ministry is to actively encourage and promote prayer within the life of the church, by being open and responsive to the working of the Holy Spirit.
Christian leaders need to pray for and with each other on a regular basis. But we particularly need to support Christian and push our fellow leaders, whether in the church, or in society. Leaders face many challenges and obstacles - balancing the roles of pastor, priest, preacher, church leader, and administrator, besides other roles they may have such as husband or father. Those Christians in secular leadership positions face the challenge of remaining true to the gospel in a complex and difficult world. Like it or not, Christian pastors will have cast upon them heavy burdens of expectation, with society ready to condemn any weakness or mistake.
Leaders must be men and women of pray, but we should equally expect to support our pastors in pray. Survey on pray estimated that less than one quarter of churchgoers pray regularly for their church leaders. Here I offer some thoughts that may help you pray for your leader in your personal pray time through the week. If you have more than one leader, you could spend a week praying for each one.
Pray for leadership is the spiritual equivalent of filling a balloon, giving the church the potential to grow in its mission, following the wind of God’s Spirit. Two things will help this, the whole church, or as many as possible, sharing the task of praying for their leadership, - praying for the broader leadership in the church, not just those who are in full-time positions of leadership or who are ordained, All leaders need your pray, because the enemy attacks the leaders first.
For example, the apostle Paul knew the importance of praying for leaders. He requested prayer five different times in his epistles.
“Brethren, pray for us” (I Thessalonians 5:25, NKJV). Paul told the Thessalonians that he was praying for them and affirming their gifts of faith, hope, and love (I Thessalonians 1:2-3). At the end he asked them to pray for him, probably expecting them to pray for his faith, hope, and love to be increased.
“Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in your prayers to God for me” (Romans 15:30, NKJV). This is a more specific request for personal intercession. He asked them to pray that his trip to Jerusalem would be successful and that he would be protected from enemies waiting for him there.
“You also helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the gift granted to us through many” (II Corinthians 1:11, NKJV). After Paul spoke of being delivered from death, he asked the Corinthian believers for prayer, he knew intercession could be a matter of life and death.
“For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:19, NKJV). Paul depended on the prayers of others for justice to be done and for him to be released from prison.
“I trust that through your prayers I shall be granted to you” (Philemon 22, NKJV). This reference could easily be overlooked, but Paul again wrote from prison and wanted to visit his friend Philemon. He had faith that God would answer Philemon’s prayers to that effect. In others words, leaders need your pray.
Pray for leadership is not an option, but rather a necessity. Especially Christian leaders, they need a greater concentration of prayer and intercession because they have more responsibility and accountability. They are more subjected to temptation, they are more targeted in spiritual warfare, and last but not least, they have more visibility and are subject to gossip and criticism. I challenge you and encourage you to pray at all times.
Carl Mathis author of Life is What You Make It – Seven Steps To Moving Forward, Carl website http://www.carlmathis.com or http://www.carlmathisbooks.com
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