I have been thinking about
mortality for some time now, mine, that is.
Do you realize that one day I will
be dead, gone, not around anymore? Of course that is if the Lord tarries.
I have therefore been reflecting
on my spiritual heritage as a minister.
Think of this as a will to all
those I minister to through all the forums God has afforded me. It is therefore
a message calling us to action to help me actualize this vision.
I want us to look at the
scriptures to understand what I am talking about.
Priests served from thirty to
fifty years, according to God’s clear command.
Now, let me ask this question.
Why does a minister retire (leave active, frontline ministry) when he is still
strong and active? Where does he go since he is still exempted from pursuing
other employment as ministry is his inheritance? What does he do between 50 and
the 70 to 80 years a normal man lives? Does he retire to the beaches to just
laze around waiting to die?
Of course not.
God intended the retired minister
to venture into instruction. He would start mentoring and guiding new
ministers. He would offer oversight on the kind of ministry they were offering.
He would train them on the kind of ministry they would be executing.
In other words, they moved from the
frontline to the strategy centre; to the headquarters if I may call it so.
They simply started passing their
ministry and spiritual DNA to a new generation of ministers. They used their
experience with God to guide those young ministers as they served God.
I am now past fifty. And this has
disturbed me since I approached fifty because I was aware of what the Bible had
instructed ministers in God’s house. Incidentally, I remember that though I
responded to God’s call early, I was called to leave employment as I was
closing in on thirty. David became king at thirty, Joseph became Prime Minister
at thirty, Jesus started His public ministry at around thirty, same with John
the Baptist.
Having been involved with
discipleship over the years I know I have been raising believers who know God
enough to minister to Him as well as reach the world with the Gospel. I have people
all over the world I can proudly call my children who are bearing fruit for
Christ.
But I am here talking about
inheritance. I want heirs.
Secondly, do you realize that the
said minister on retiring would not hand over the ministry to his biological
children? Why? The age gap would most likely disqualify his children. You see,
even if they married much earlier those days, a twenty year gap between a
father and his children was not usual, at least according to what we see in the
scriptures.
But there is another reason. A
child has an entitlement mentality, treating ministry more as his right instead
of the privilege it is. He will therefore assume so much as he ministers, many
times missing out on their responsibility to God. Remember Eli’s and Samuel’s
sons? Also why did Jesus not have any of His half-brothers in ministry until He
ascended?
That brings in another challenge.
Their lack of connection to God personally may lead them to corrupting the
ministry as they really do not understand it. It is said that the father to one
of the most famous and irreverent motivational pastors was very sound, a far
cry from his joker son who took over the reins of that ministry.
Another problem with a son
inheriting his father’s ministry is his lack of exposure to warfare. He has
been under his father’s canopy for as long as the father was around. He
therefore did not develop his fighting muscles when the father was living as he
took all the flak. His taking over leadership after the demise of his father
opens him to immense warfare, warfare he may never have imagined existed as his
father had shielded him. Imagine learning war on the battlefield or boxing in
the ring!
A minister therefore grows other
ministers, ministers who will hand over the ministry to his children as that is
their inheritance, but after their growing enough to know God on their own
terms. Then the whole tribe becomes ministry oriented like the priests and
Levites through this reproduction.
That is why a minister should be
preparing other ministers intensely after attaining that special Biblical age.
Remember Paul had to be made a
prisoner to be able to do that? He was so active and strong that he needed God
to put the brakes on him. Then he was able to start the writing ministry. He
also became more involved in mentoring and giving responsibility to his
disciples to take on more ministry responsibilities. The same Paul who could
not bear Mark accompanying him in ministry could walk with Onesimus, even
Demas.
I want to start focused
preparation of ministers on the skills I have so far acquired. And I want the
preparation to make them as wholesome as God has made me.
Call this a precursor to City on
the Hill, a vision I have posted on the blog of making wholesome ministers who
must not have support to thrive on the mission field as they have requisite
skills. It is only that this time I want to start with a small pool of ministers
to concentrate on. I want to focus on my competencies to build other ministers.
I want to borrow from my ministry experience to help build those God has called
to those ministries.
What ministries?
I have been a singer, choir
organizer and instrumentalist. I have been involved in evangelism and am an
evangelism trainer. Of course I have been preaching since I responded to God’s
call. I am a teacher of the word. I am a writer and editor and develop
Christian writers. And of course I am an encourager.
On the technical side I have been
in technical training since form 1. I therefore have competencies in most basic
technical fields. I am also media trained.
What concerns me here, however,
has to do with the skills that will enhance those ministries.
Who am I looking for?
I want people sensing a call to
evangelism, preaching or teaching; Singers or people passionate about singing and
playing instruments for God; People seeking to serve God by managing sound
systems; People looking to develop camera and other media skills as their
ministry; People sensing a call to missions. Plus of course people who just
want to serve God without knowing exactly where to or how.
What is difference between this
and the way things are done?
Ministers normally treat their
ministry as autonomous, independent of others. That is why most singers and
instrumentalists will leave church after their performance and preachers do not
see the need to sit through the service, coming in just before they preach. We
have children’s workers who never attend service. Yet God sees the church as
one body that should be meshing seamlessly as it ministers His love to the
world.
Another challenge we will deal
with is the superstar mentality in ministers. Once a minister gets to ‘fame’,
they become brittle and not subject to rebuke whatever they may do. They will
not be corrected. No wonder many singers start their own churches so that they
are not subject to anybody else. And that goes for any other prominent minister
(I call them performers). They will rarely, if ever, submit to anybody else
after their ‘success’ and ‘breakthrough’.
Another thing we tackle is the
exclusive nature of ministry. It is surprising that a singer wants to be called
a musician yet the only thing they can do is a solo act. They can’t play a
single instrument or harmonise with anybody else. They can’t even arrange any
instruments. The only thing they can do is sing after tracks somebody else
made. And many times it is the same with instrumentalists and preachers.
The main reason we must have
someone who knows and has been involved with such ministry is to deal with the
wow factor. Most pastors are unable to handle stardom because they really do
not understand what it is. A silver edged tongue is therefore treated as too
special to rebuke. I have handled being the only person handling an instrument
that it was christened my name. I have handled choirs, even started them. Yet I
never grew horns because I was submitted to God’s word. I therefore will have
no problem shutting someone out if they think their gift or talent qualifies
them for special treatment. Again the partners we have been praying through
this are also people who are gifted, experts in their fields and so would have
no stardom seizures when someone has character issues, especially if they will
stop growing because they think a gift is all they need.
Let me add something else I think
is very important. It was recently that I came to learn that most musicians,
even Christian ones did not have any instruments and instrumentalists (I learnt
it as we were discussing this). They just composed a song and went to the
studio that would provide session instrumentalists. The sad fact is that
probably no studio was run by a believer, let alone a committed one. It
therefore meant that someone would in the morning be playing morally depraved
songs and in the afternoon be playing ‘anointed’ songs. I do not know whether
you know that there are Muslims who play instruments and even back up Christian
‘worshippers’. You see, to them it is just business.
So much for the anointing of the
song!
We can never be able to produce
an anointed song if anybody and anything in the whole process does not carry
the anointing. Remember the fly in the ointment?
Yet how many ‘Gospel’ singers (I
have explained why I do not call them musicians) care to know the spiritual
state of the studio and everything their recording would involve? In fact I
find one of the most prominent producers of choirs and ‘worshippers’ in his
shop contentedly enjoying a puff after a hard day’s work of producing
‘anointed’ music and music videos.
That may be the first thing we
want to tackle. We intend for any song done by our team to have the anointing
from beginning to end. This means the team will be growing together,
ministering together and recording together.
In short, we intend to make a
team united in their desire to serve God by applying their skills, talents and
competencies. They will grow together as they are trained and mentored by older
and more experienced ministers.
Of course we will not shy from
rebuking and correcting. But the context is love and concern for growth. And
that is why we need old people. They do not care for impressions and so will
pursue God’s agenda without fearing being misunderstood. They will not seek to
win the approval of anyone provided they have God’s approval. And the young
people will not have problems being corrected, even rebuked because they are
sure no one is after their image.
How do we identify the people to
develop their skills? I believe God has His own ways of choosing people. Those
who know me know that I allow God the autonomy of choosing whom He will for me
to be involved in. And He is best placed to trim to the number He desires.
Ours is to set up structures for
this.
I remember my times in student
ministry when I would announce an activity and three times the number the
budget would cater for would register and I just prayed. Incidentally only the
number required would come on the actual date. It is only once I turned away a
friend, but for breaking the rules we had set for the activity.
But that does not mean we will
not dismiss people. Only that it would not be for the purposes of reducing the
number. We would not hesitate to dismiss anyone when their values clash with
our core mandate.
As an example, if someone dressed
immodestly, they will not be allowed to minister however gifted they may be. An
unteachable spirit will open one to dismissal as a superiority (I cannot do
menial jobs, I came to sing not clean and carry equipment, I am a preacher and
not backup singer) spirit. One who does not know how to deal with rebuke will
disqualify themselves as Christian character is essential to the training we
will be offering.
But we believe that God has the
first batch He has prepared to take us to that level of ministry and so we will
not be wasting much of our time on non-essentials.
We will be exposing them to
everything from singing to instruments to sound systems to audio recording and
camera work and editing.
Incidentally, as I have seen a
lot in ministry, one may discover that what they thought was their core
ministry was only the entry point to other ministry as training and
discipleship proceeds. Someone who thought they were singers may discover their
strength is in video production even as the evangelist discovers he perfectly
fits in leading in song. And it works across the board.
There will be loving and firm
instruction by people who have been involved in the ministry they are
instructing on as well as the clear call of God in their life.
We will have a lot of instruction
on the scriptures. Then using the scriptures to explore and explain callings
and visions we will be handling. We will use the scriptures to examine the
songs being sung, from the lyrics to the instrumentation. We will devote a lot
of time in the study of the Bible.
Then we will be training on the
skills our team has; Music and singing skills, various instruments, sound
systems, audio and visual recording and editing.
They must learn how to give an
effective testimony in a short time. Remember anytime Paul gave his testimony
he aroused a lot of response and reaction?
Our practical sessions will be
actual outreach that we will record. We will identify a location (preferably a
location someone is burdened for). We will set up the equipment and start a
normal open air service where the singers sing, the preachers preach and the
evangelists get their chance to share the Gospel. Then we will liaise with the
neighboring churches on how the fruit will be managed though we will still
pursue the follow up as part of the training. Of course we will go anywhere one
of us is invited to minister.
How do I intend to accomplish
this?
This is where I require your
prayerful partnership. It concerns some of you who have been asking how they
can be involved in and support the ministry God has called me to.
I will need a media van. By this
I mean a van that has a public address system, a mixer and facility to record
good audio as well as carry a few people. We will also need video cameras. We
will need instruments, at the most basic being a keyboard and a guitar or two.
Of course we will need a good computer for editing.
But it doesn’t have to be bought
as a media van as the costs would be prohibitive. We (I already have a few
partners who have caught the vision) want to customize a van(preferably high
roof) by fitting all those gadgets
without taking so much space as we will need seats for the teams as that van
should be sufficient for ministry.
On a greater scale we could have
a truck or bus that is customized to be fully media equipped and self-contained
to take teams for longer term missions on the same terms; growing younger
ministers with the supervision and mentoring of older and spiritually mature
ministers who preferably have crossed that Biblical age. It will also have
camping and cooking equipment.
We will then get back and examine
the way ministry was done with the purpose of improving it. Then it will be
edited as a whole and then separated so than the songs can be compiled
separately as well as the preaching. This is more so that progress can be
gauged as we progress. It is essential for growth to know where one starts and
the progress.
We will then be sure that our
productions have passed the test of spiritual and Biblical relevance.
Let me add another thing we are
doing though it does not strictly fit in this.
Of course you know that I have
been in the books ministry (not just writing and editing) for a long time.
We have very many books (they can
fill a pickup) as of now and want to have a library. A partner has offered a
room but we need shelves for the books to be useful. Once we get them, I will
also bring my personal library so that we can build believers through offering
them wholesome reading materials. Of course any other person with a similar
burden can avail books or whatever they can for this ministry. Our students
will make maximum use of the library. Give us those shelves. We do not need to
tell you that you are also welcome to benefit from this library. By the way if
you have a room in town you can give for this we will be very grateful. But we
urgently need shelves. I could make them if I got timber though it would take
quite some time due to my other ministry responsibilities. But just give what
you can.
Another ministry I have been
involved in is challenging and assisting people not only appreciate the Bible
but also be consistently reading it. We have been availing Reading Plans for
the same as well as speaking in many churches and forums. As of today we have
given over fifteen thousand such. In fact I have started putting them on the
inside cover of my books for the same reason. Of course we will be continuing
with the same.
We have also been availing
affordable Audio Bibles. You realize that most people who make them make them
unaffordable for most people, whatever argument they may use in defense. This
is because the prime targets of Audio Bibles are the illiterate and due to that
will be severely disadvantaged and unable to afford. We therefore download free
ones and put them in gadgets (radios, MP3 players, etc.) and modify them (my
training) so that the only thing they play is the Bible. The cost would be to
recoup the purchase of the gadgets. We have given out very many of these so far.
On that, we intend to use our
production facilities to record vernacular Audio Bibles as very few have them.
We trust that God will give us people dedicated enough to read the Bible in
their language so that we can have adequate and affordable Audio Bibles in
vernacular.
We will not be starting a church
and so will not be taking the people we will be growing from their churches.
That is unless one of the team is called to start one. Then we will help him
start one from evangelizing the area he is called.
We therefore expect the churches
to benefit from this new crop of ministers. How?
Imagine ministers without
attitude and entitlement? Imagine a lead singer who will arrive in church early
to arrange and clean seats? Imagine a pastor who cannot be sabotaged by a
disappearing instrumentalist as he will then pick up the instrument and join
the singing team? Imagine a singer who does not become a grasshopper once his
songs make them popular? Imagine an evangelist who will only sit at the front
when he is preaching? Imagine a minister who dreads special treatment and will
easily mingle with the people he is ministering to?
That is what we intend to be
producing; Ministers who will serve God first instead of the churches they are
serving in; ministers who will not threaten to move elsewhere when their
temporal wants are not met as they are serving at God’s pleasure and calling;
Ministers who won’t be swayed by money or other inducements because they are
deeply rooted in God’s word.
As a very important aside,
suppose our worship in everything from training to mentoring to ministry
pleases God that His cloud descends on us? Suppose what happened when David
played the harp before Saul happens; demons flee, sicknesses get healed,
conviction sets in on the rebellious, conversions happen? Suppose revival
breaks out from this new season God is calling me to?
Let us pray.
Who will join me?
