Competent as Ministers

Page Ministerial Office in the KOG….17/4/2014

Bible Reading 2 Cor. 3 vs 5- 18

At our last meeting we spoke explicitly about the KOG; What it means? The KOG is God’s way of doing things. Who brought it? About 2000 years ago, Jesus Christ brought the KOG. We also spoke about what the KOG is not? We said the KOG is not church, but it is the foundation for church (Matt 16 vs 18-19). We said the KOG is not a religion, hence why Jesus Christ was not very popular with the Pharisees and the teachers of the law.

We also emphasise however that the KOG according to Luke 4 vs 18 -19… is good news, freedom for those held prisoners, recovery for those who the bible says the satan has blind folded, release for the oppressed and the proclaiming of the year of the Lord’s favour… We said the KOG epitomises the operation of heaven on earth and we saw examples throughout the bible of how Jesus went about doing good, healing those who are oppressed of the devil.

We reiterated that healing is a key operative system of the KOG, and that disease is not a fancy word but it is anything that has come to take our ease away and so it must not be taken lightly but militantly attacked and rebuked in the name of Jesus. We concluded by saying that the KOG is God’s way of doing things and as God’s people we are obliged therefore to seek, not as one of the things we seek like career, family, children, well-being or health , but we are obliged to seek FIRST the KOG AND ALL THESE THINGS, God will add to us.

We added that there is God’s way of healing us that includes staying healthy, there is God’s way of clothing us that includes glorifying us, no shame; there is God’s way of supplying our needs, which will be according to his riches and he adds no sorrow to it. So if the KOG is what Jesus Christ brought to earth and it is so important that he didn’t mix his words when he was appointing his disciples.

The Bible says in Luke 9 vs 1; When Jesus has called the twelve together, He gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, vs 2 and he sent them out to preach the KOG and heal the sick…  During this season some 2000 years ago, the bible made it clear that Jesus suffered many things for us, he was crucified, he died and was buried but God raised him on the 3rd day; On the 4th day, He began to address his disciples in Mark 16 vs 15 – 18; Luke 24 vs 46 – 48,; and he said …these sign will follow those who believe; In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people and they will get well”. …and you are witnesses of these things; vs 49 I am going to send you what my father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.

I could imagine the disciples looking at each other, wondering how can this be; especially Peter, who three days ago was cursing vehemently as he denied Jesus or was it Thomas who wouldn’t believe unless he saw the hole in his hands or the others who about a week ago were cut up in a dispute about who will be considered the greatest (Lk22:24) so consumed with position and popularity/fame or is it the rest of the disciples who couldn’t even drive out a demon in a child in Luke … They all sounded like the classic story of failures and the whole speech from Jesus sounded more like mission impossible; to be given this huge task of furthering the KOG appeared impossible.

The Pharisees and the teachers of the law must be so relieved that they had finally seen the end of this radical called Jesus and his disciples. They must have thought it was the end of the so called KOG preaching and demonstration. Little did they know, just couple of weeks later, a group of people were together in an upper room in Jerusalem and there came what looked to be tongues of fire, separated and rested upon them, they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and they began to speak in diverse tongues and the world has never been the same since… So much so that the tabloids began to read… … a crippled man from birth can now walk Act 3:2 …who are these people? … Unschooled, ordinary men are doing wonders… How did these timid, unschooled, fearful, ordinary fishermen by profession, failure in most of their experiences ended up turning the world upside down for the KOG…?

This brings us to our text for today, 2 Cor. 3 vs 5-6.. Paul bided to explain what happened just as the disciples tried to explain in the Act of apostle… He said vs 5 Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. Vs 6 He has made us competent as ministers of a NEW THING (call it covenant/gospel/movement). We are not competent ministers but we have been made competent as ministers. What does this mean? The word ‘Minister’ dates back to the 13th century (1300) and its original meaning is “one who acts upon the authority of another”. So what Paul was trying to explain is that our competency/capability, our sudden ability to convey the KOG is nothing to do with us, it based entirely on us believing enough to act upon the authority of Jesus Christ.

They certainly did not have what it takes in themselves to move mountains, heal the sick, give sight to the blind, cast out demons talk less of Peter’s shadow healing the sick, or the boldness to stand before multitude to preach the good news of the KOG. There must have been some injection of power so much so that the bible says in Act 4 vs 1- 7 that the elders, rulers and teachers of the law saw the courage of Peter and John and realised that they were unschooled, ordinary men… they took note that these men had been with Jesus. They must have some guts. Or better put they must be acting upon serious authority of a greater one… The authority they had then (Act 4 vs 7), which is available to us today is that … …In the name of Jesus every knee will bow. We are not competent in ourselves but we have been made competent as ministers…

We have so many believers, who Jesus Christ clearly died for, the bible says he was wounded for us, he was crushed for us, he was punished for us, he was beaten for us, they spat on him because of us, he was pierced for us… How could we then allow this grace to be in vain? Some could say, surely Gold is not talking about me because at least I have given my life to Jesus Christ; I have accepted him as my saviour and Lord, which is great! Yet the devil is being allowed to have a free roam in our lives or the lives of people that are dear to us. The bible refers to that in Hebrew as “a believe that is in vain”… it is in vain because we have refused to act upon the authority of Jesus Christ. Casting out demons, healing the sick, releasing those who are under the captivity of satan…frustrating what the devil is doing in our body, in our home, in our children and in our nation, this is why we have been saved, this is why we have been washed by the blood of Jesus and given the name that is above all names that in the name of Jesus every knee must bow… every sickness must go, every attack of the devil in marriages must stop… In other words, we are saved to be made competent as ministers.

Not necessarily to start a church but to bring the KOG to everywhere our world reaches. So our conversations will bring freedom to somebody, our prayers will heal the sick…the minds of people will be opened to understand the scripture of truth as we speak to them….so our children will be saved…. Not in our authority but in the authority that comes from the all-mighty and all-knowing God. How come there are many saved but only few safe…? Safe from the arrows of the enemy, safe from the fiery darts of Satan, safe from attacks that the evil one is launching every day to destroy homes, families, marriage… The bible says that Satan prowls around like a lion looking for whom to devour… so we are conscious as believers to act upon the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ… the focus is to act upon… and those that will act must first believe (have faith) and faith comes by hearing Gods word which is what this moment is about; to expound God’s word until faith grows in each one of us enough to begin to act.

Ministration:  The original meaning for the word “save” in the early 13 century is ‘to deliver one’s soul from sin and its consciousness’, in the mid 13c it means ‘to deliver or rescue’. Jesus Christ came to deliver our souls from sin and its consciousness as he hung on that tree 2000 years ago and to complement that he rescued us from the peril and attack launched continuously by satan and his emissary by giving us the authority to cast out satan.

My conclusion today is equivalent to Jesus’ last words on the cross some 2000 years ago… ”It is finished”, we are saved so that we can be safe, set free, recover from sickness, and have those chains broken, and get our children off the hook of satan, so we say satan the blood of Jesus is against you and that settles it. Because by what power and name can we cast you out? It is by the authority in the name and the blood of Jesus Christ. I pray this day that by the eye of faith we may begin to see clearly without a shadow of doubt the authority that God has freely given us in Christ Jesus at this Easter. Amen.

Prayer: We stand in our ministerial office and speak the KOG to our home/our body/ our lives/ our nation/ our hospitals / our patients. We speak out in the name and by the blood of Jesus Christ; chains are broken in this place….. Stretch out you hand and heal in this place… Act 4 vs 30 Institute/set-up/inaugurate/authenticate and confirm the KOG in our lives 7 in this land. Let your Kingdom come OH GOD! Amen. Jewel/Gold