FOCUS ON CHRIST, NOT RESULTS, SHORT NOTES ON VISIBILITY IN MINISTRY BY APOSTLE AROME OSAYI
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33,NIV)
As simple yet powerful this verse of Scripture is, some ministers do not walk with God long enough for it to become true in their experience. This is because they fail to realise that ministry is all about Christ, His kingdom and righteousness .
Yes, it’s all about Christ!
The privilege of serving the Lord on this side of eternity is something that’s non-renewable. Once we transition past time, we will be gone for good, forever. This is why it is important to evaluate everything we do in the name of the Lord by eternity!
Eternity-driven ministry must be founded and focused on Christ. Christ is the centre and circumference of the kingdom. Everything issues from Him and consists in Him. Our focus must therefore be on Him.
There is a body-wide malaise, of epidemic proportion, that’s currently plaguing the church in our day: it’s the gospel of material results. This gospel measures success in ministry by material results: money, influence, power, properties etc. There is nothing bad about material blessings. God actually blesses His people materially as the good shepherd that He is. But material blessings are not the point, Christ is.
It breaks my heart each time I see ministers of the Lord Jesus, especially young ministers, chase shadows and darkness in the name of RESULTS. You will not believe how far some of these brethren drift into the quarters of iniquity just to get ‘OUTSTANDING RESULTS’ in ministry. In doing this, they completely shift their gaze from He whom all this is about: Christ!
The Bible gives the formula for inheriting the promises of God: FAITH plus PATIENCE (Hebrews 6:12).
Faith plus patience prepare the vessel of the minister for the increase that only Good can give. The increase that only God can give is the safest for the soul because it has no attendant sorrows. If we grow by the Lord’s increase, we leave behind a pure legacy of faith by which countless generations can prosper in God. Anything outside this breeds nothing but darkness and shadows — cozy hub for the maximum infestations of hell!
Am I saying there are no real, overwhelming material-related pressures in ministry? Of course not! That’s exactly why faith must be tempered with patience. Otherwise the minister would become goaded by these pressures to seek for increase outside of Christ. Faith blended with patience equips the minister to wait on the Lord, depend solely on the Lord, become very secure in God and remain content with the grace of God doled to them by the Holy Ghost per time. This makes the minister moved and moveable only by God within them —not by the multitudes of activities around them!
Two years ago, when the Lord had us complete our international headquarters building —the Remnant Christian Network Embassy, Someone said, “Apostle Arome Osayi does not preach prosperity yet God prospers him and his ministry.” My reply to this has always been that we we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; preach nothing else but Christ crucified because in Him all things (including material prosperity) consist. Our focus is therefore Christ, not results. Though the increase of God comes when Christ alone is the focus!
It is impossible to make Christ number one in your ministry and not see the Lord’s outstretched arm in action!
Focusing on anything else apart from Christ is putting the cart before the horse. It is impossible to advance on the path of spiritual progress this way.
A minister who does not make Christ their sole focus will serve themselves and be wholly beholden to mammon. And in time, their entire service delivery would become the mill of iniquity.
The reason why there is a lot of compromise and perversion in ministry today is that ministers simply find the adventure of seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness drab and unfashionable. They say, ministry without results brings insults, so they slink outside of Christ to hustle for results at the expense of their communion with the Lord. But, they seem to trivialise the fact that ministry without focus on Christ attracts fierce punishment on judgement day!
Pray for mercy. Our generation must serve Jesus and Him alone!
To be continued…
With love from your brother,
Arome Osayi.
#ApostleAromeOsayi
#Minister
#ministry
#rcnglobal
#Naijasermons