It has been discovered that when an error is peddled by many voices long enough, people tend to believe it as the gospel truth. This psychological reality is what has come to pass concerning ministry assets today. Modern preachers and ministers believe that Attendance, Building and Cash (A.B.C) are the sure and fundamental asset of flourishing ministry of today.
That is why they get involved in:
a. Magic
b. Marketing
c. Management and
d. Material things to draw as may crowds to their meetings.
Modern ministers hold the high view and practices that this A.B.C of ministry must be in place as the greatest asset or prove of their ministry worth to God and men. Unfortunately, this widespread error cannot stand in the light of hard Bible truth, which we must re- examine again for our own good.
A. The Greatest Asset of God: PEOPLE – Deuteronomy 32:9-10; Exo. 19:4-6
People have much more value to God than all the animals, flowers, hills and beauties of this world. God loves people and they are His only inheritance among all His creation. The eternal purpose of God is to have the soul of men to be with Him forever. The portion, heart and inheritance of God are His people (Ephesians 1:9- 12).
The eternal purpose of God (Eph. 2:13-22) in creating the world, sending Jesus and creating new heaven and earth is shown in these five truths:
- God eternally wants Peculiar people for Himself-Exod. 19:4-6; Luke 14:26-27
- God eternally wants a Bride for His Son Eph. 5:25-32; Rev. 12:2; Isa. 54:5
- God eternally wants a Spiritual House Hebrews 3:6; Rev. 21:3-4
- God eternally wants a Victorious Overcomers-2 Cor. 2:11; 1 John 4:45
- God eternally wants His own Family Eph. 3:14-15
- God eternally wants one Body of His Son -Eph. 2:12-16; 3:5-9; John 17:1
Throughout the ages, this is the eternal purpose of God. People and souls, not buildings are the portion and purpose of the Lord. God loves people and deeply desires to be with people and have His own people with Him eternally – Prov. 8:22-31; Luke 2:13-14.
Every genuine minister and ministry after God’s heart must therefore see people as their greatest asset. The great value place on people by the Lord is the same value our ministries must place on souls of men.
B. The Worth of A Soul – Mark 8:36-37
The human body is the house in which the soul lives (2 Cor. 5:1-2). Man is not only flesh and bones. He has soul and spirit in the body. When Jesus talked of the seriousness of losing one’s soul, He joined soul and spirit together under the single word, soul. The body lives for a while and then is buried in the earth. It is the soul that lives forever (Gen. 2:7; Eccl. 12:7)
- The soul is of great value because it was created by God and will go back to God – Eccl. 12:7
- The soul is of great worth because it will never die-Mark 8:36-37
- The soul is of great value because Jesus died to redeem it-1 Peter 1:18-19
- The soul is of great value because it is rare -not comparable.
- The potentials of the soul to be like Jesus one day denotes the value – Romans 8:29
- The lostness of a soul is irreversible, irreplaceable, immeasurable and inexcusable.
The world is vanity, cannot be gained, nor kept, cannot satisfy and will eventually fleet away when compared to the soul of man. It is this soul of man that is worth more than the whole world that God sends every ministry to redeem, restore, revive, revitalize in God and for God.
C. Soul Winning or Soul Damning Ministry? 1 Thes. 5:23
Modern ministries are much more into soul damning efforts than soul winning; simply because of the following:
- God sees a soul as precious Ministers see them as bait, step and sucker.
- God sees people as soul and heart Ministers see them as mind and mentality.
- God sees the heart as sinful and wicked – Ministers see them as intellect, emotion and thinking.
- God sees them to be converted, transformed – Ministers see them as reformation and mindset changing.
- God sees them from within – Ministers see them from without.
- God sees them for fruits of godliness – Ministers see them for physical results to show.
- God sees them as eternal seeds Ministers see them as donations and income route.
- God sees ministry as calling – Ministers see ministry as career.
As a result of the erroneous ways that modern ministers view people today, we have not used ministries to win souls for God, but damn them to hell. Sound conversion, genuine encounter with Christ, transformation from within that affects one’s life radically have not been the case in most churches. Rather, cultural Christianity, moral talk shows, secular role modeling, swagger and worldly standards are what have crept into modern churches.
Recommended Reading
THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGEMENT
PULPIT POWER FOR TRANSFORMATION
The God of the Second Chance: Restoration After a Fall
D. Ministry that Heals, Not Hurt People-2 Cor. 7:2-3; 1 Tim. 1:12; Col. 4:17; 2 Tim. 4:5
Ministry comes as a result of personal encounter with the Lord. True ministry is God putting something inside you to reach out to bless, edify, uplift, heal and add value to others. True ministry is to HEAL others, not hurt them. Your ministry must bring the healing of God to sin-sick souls, bodies, families, lives and destinies.
1. Your soul must be saved and touched by our Lord Jesus.
2. The healing blood of Jesus must have washed your soul clean from sin.
3. You must preach the gospel of salvation of souls by Jesus.
4. Give people the opportunity to repent and accept Christ into their heart.
5. Stop preaching the motivational talks that only address the mind and not touch the soul.
6. Invest in soul winning, soul-enriching teachings, preaching, praying and edification.
7. Be a channel of power and anointing of the Holy Spirit.
8. Lead people to spiritual formation – Holy Spirit and knowing God encounters.
9. Power of 4 they must engage the scriptures devotion 4 times a week, at least.
The Power of 4 Research says: “The life of someone who engages scripture four or more times a week looks radically different from the life of someone who does not. In fact, the lives of Christians who do not engage the Bible most days of the week are statistically the same as the lives of non-Christians.”
Someone who engages the Bible four or more days a week is:
- 228% times more likely to share their faith with others.
- 231% times more likely to be discipling someone else.
- 60% times less likely to feel spiritually stagnant.
- 59% times less likely to view pornography.
- 30% times less likely to struggle with loneliness.
- 31% times less likely to struggle with forgiving others.
- 41% times more likely to give financially to their church.
- 218% times more likely to give financially to cause other than their church.
The worth of any ministry is in proportion to the souls that are saved, rescued and prepared for eternity, not in material buildings, cash and attendance. Soul winning and soul enrichment is the true asset of any ministry. It is what will remain after every other thing has been consumed by fervent fire of God’s judgment.