Good day and welcome to another interesting edition of Forms and Patterns. I'm so glad to bring the Word of God to us once again on this same platform. In the last edition, we began looking at The Dynamics of Ministry. The essence of Forms and Patterns is Ministers and Ministries. And so, as we continue in that series, understanding the dynamics of ministry from another angle in this podcast, I believe we'll be better prepared for the execution of the assignment of God on our lives. I want us to open our Bibles if we have our Bibles with us to the book of Ephesians chapter 4. I will read from verse 1-6.
I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
I'm sure you understand that our focus is the ministry. And so, we are looking at The Dynamics of Ministry. Even though we are many, even though we differ in our genders, even though we differ in our understanding and knowledge, even though we differ in our backgrounds, we differ in the places that we were born, and the places that we live in right now. But one thing is common to all of us. And that's what want to look at, realizing the dynamics of ministry in this podcast.
The Bible began with I, therefore for the prisoner of the Lord. Now, at this moment apostle Paul acknowledged that he was the prisoner of the Lord and he was proud of it. He was confident, because that was his calling because there was a statement, he even made in chapter 6 that I want us to read. Ephesians 6:19-20, see what he said: “and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”
He says, for which, for the purpose, for the same reason that I am an ambassador in chains. At this point, he referred to himself as an ambassador of Christ in chains. And in chapter 4:1; he called himself the prisoner of the Lord. Now, what he called himself are the things he ascribed or he described himself as, are not the thing that many of us would be comfortable to identify with. He did not call himself just an apostle of Christ, or a prophet, a servant of the Lord who is doing mighty works, he did not call himself a king or a royalty, he referred to himself as the prisoner of the Lord. And in another instance, he called himself an ambassador of Christ in chains.
This is to help us understand the spirit, the understanding the maturity of this minister called apostle Paul. He had gotten to a point that he began to beseech, he began to beg, he began to plead with us, and he said to us, that we just like him, should walk worthy of the calling with which we were called. The question is: what were you called? By what has the Lord called you? Are you responding to the call? Has the Lord called you a farmer, a fisherman, has the Lord called you a teacher, has the Lord called you a carpenter, has the Lord called you, an engineer, a doctor, has the Lord called you a lawyer? Are you responding to that calling? Are you fulfilling the details, the spirit of that calling? Are you becoming one with the call of God on your life? This is a food for thought for us.
It says: I beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called. You see, understanding the dynamics of ministry brings us to the place of realization that what you are called is the reality of your ministry. If you do otherwise, if you live otherwise, then you are living outside of your ministry, you are not fulfilling your ministry, you can't be rewarded by God. If you want God to be able to say indeed, this is my beloved Son, this is my beloved daughter, this one, I'm proud of him, this one, I'm pleased with him. This one I am pleased with him, my spirit is pleased with him, then it must be that what you have been so called for what you have been so called as, that's who you are, and that’s what you do.
Now to help us understand how we can live or walk worthy of the calling of God on our lives, apostle Paul said in verse 3: with all lowliness, these are the instruments, these are the tools, these are the things, the requirement. If any human, any man, any woman, any apostle, any prophet, anybody will fulfill his ministry by walking worthy of his calling, or her calling, what must happen is that we must be able to find lowliness in such a person. The person must embrace gentleness, long suffering, bearing with other people, you see, it will be difficult for you to fulfill your ministry if any of this is missing.
It says: endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. What has made many of us to be unable to walk worthy of our cause is the absence of these things in our lives. Many people are not lowly in their heart. Many people are not gentle. Many people cannot suffer for a long time. They can only bear for a while they cannot tarry in the place of suffering. They can't bear with other people in love. They cannot tolerate people; they cannot accept other people into their space. And they don't know how to understand that even though we could be many we are one spirit. And so, it's important that we keep the unity of that Spirit in the bond of peace.
We have not been called to warring with one another. We have not been called onto factionalism; we have not been called onto strive, onto competition. We have been called onto unity. And apostle Paul said, by the Holy Spirit that there is one body, Christ has one body, and he has one spirit, just as you and I were called in one hope of our calling. We have one Lord, we have one faith, we have one baptism, one God and one family. I began to meditate further and I realize that we have one family, we are members of the household of one faith. We are members of the household of one Lord; we are members of the household of one baptism, and one God.
Haven realized this, it is expected of us therefore in ministry, to be lowly in our hearts, to be gentle, to be able to suffer long, to be able to bear with one another. And to be able to keep the unity of Spirit in the bond of peace. I believe when we begin to walk in the reality of these things, we will be able to connect with our callings and become one with it. What is the essence of a call, when the one who is called is different from the call upon his or her life? The truth is, whoever you're being called, whatever you have been called by the Lord, that's who you are. It's beyond your name. It is your identity. It is the life you must live. It defines the process you must pass through. It defines the things that you must have, and the things you must not have. And so, I beseech you, just like apostle Paul that you should walk worthy of the call of God on your life.
The call of the Lord on your life is a high calling. It's a lofty call. It's a great call. It's a calling that is enviable, but if it must become a reality in your life, if men must see you and see the man, the woman that God has called you, the man, the woman God has created you, you must embrace loneliness of heart. Be gentle, be able to suffer long, and keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. God has not called us, once again, to strive. God has not called us to divisionism, to factionalism, to sectarianism. God has called us to the unity of the Spirit.
You remember what apostle Paul said in the book of Ephesians 4:13. But for the purpose of deeper understanding, let me start from verse 11. See what the Bible says. “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith [can you see it once again] and of the knowledge of the Son of God [not the knowledge(s), the knowledge of the son of God], to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ…”
That is the ideal place we must be, that is the expectation of God for our lives. If that must happen, we must begin from today to embrace lowliness of heart. Don't be high-minded. Don't be arrogant, don't be puffed up. Don't be full of yourself; be lowly in your heart. The Bible speaking about Jesus saying there was no comeliness to Him. He was humble. He was gentle, I'm sure you understand the fruit of the Spirit. They are the character of Christ Jesus, there is long suffering, there's gentleness. So, if you and I must also fulfill the ministry that the Lord has called us into, we must embrace lowliness of heart, gentleness, longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, and keeping the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Till the next time I bring you another interesting edition on this same series, I want you to remain in the Lord, understanding that it is not enough for you to be called, your life must reflect the call on your life; you must become one with the calling of God on your life. And this is the character of the call, lowliness, gentleness, long suffering, and bearing with one another in love, not discarding or rejecting people, not discriminating among ourselves but uniting in the Spirit.
