Power In Ministry

1 Corinthians 4:20

For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.

The concept of the anointing seems to be lost in the Church of today. This is because the people of God are given to sensationalism as is seen by our tendency to ensure that the music is thrilling, and our preaching, exciting. Many select a church home not based on the Word of God and the leading of the Holy Spirit, but based on feelings and emotionalism.

Additionally, as iniquity abounds, so does church politics. People move from church to church as a way of making a statement; but are blind to the operation of the spirit of iniquity that they have submitted to. They have entangled themselves in church politics and offenses, and by their stance, they have no problem putting themselves or their families’ spiritual welfare at risk.

2 Timothy 4:3-4

3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

As the scripture above shows, we are truly living in these days. The evidence of a fallen Church is all around us. Ministers use the pulpit as weapons against their brothers and sisters in the Lord. They use it as a mouth of iniquity. The people are celebrated as trophies in a collection, rather than souls that must be nurtured and made fit for the Kingdom.

Nevertheless, it is the Bible that is opened from Sunday to Sunday and from service to service. The Word is being taught. Even as we examine ourselves in these things, I want us to also consider something that Jesus said, and whether we truly believe it or not.

John 15:4-6

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the

vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

The scripture above is the whole concept of ministry in a capsule. Ministry must be performed by the Holy Spirit! The only way we can co-labor with Christ in His Ministry is if we abide in Him. If there is any confusion in you concerning what it means to abide in Christ, He makes Himself very clear. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you (John 15:7). David the prophet voiced this same principle saying, Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee (Psalm 119:11). Those who keep His commandments hidden in their hearts walk sinless before their Father every day.

Now we know that these commandments are already spiritually written upon our hearts with the ink of the Holy Spirit. However, there must be a protection of the Word in you. You must value the Word enough, to walk by it and never reject it. When we naturally walk in the Word of God in every situation, we are abiding in Christ.

Jesus makes the point clear however, that ministry is only performed by Him. Without Him we can do nothing. Therefore, when we abide in Christ it is then that we qualify to be used by God. His anointing will rest upon us to exact the works of ministry in the earth.

Now it is important to take you back to the point made about the misconception of many concerning the anointing. This is necessary because many are walking in error! The anointing is not “good preaching,” and emotionalism isn’t its evidence. The anointing has a very specific purpose and is manifested according to this purpose. Let us examine the following scripture.

Isaiah 10:27

And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.

The anointing destroys the yoke of bondage in the lives of people. A yoke is a wooden cross piece that is fastened over the necks of two animals and attached to the plough or cart that they are to pull. Spiritually, the yoke is the power or influence of Satan that binds the people to him. In the lives of the unbeliever, the yoke is the power of Satan that holds the soul in captivity. However, in the lives of the saints, the yoke of bondage is their own preference for sin. God’s anointing has the power to destroy the power of Satan and a preference for sin. It changes the desire of the heart to that of righteousness. It creates a holy habitation for God.

The anointing is more than just getting the music on point, and loud preaching. No, it is the power of God to make a change in the heart and that cannot be done by any natural thing or by any natural means.

Once again,

1 Corinthians 4:20

For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.

The Kingdom of God is not in word. We as a Body have relied on simply our faithfulness to preach. We teach, disciple, counsel - the whole works, and the people have remained the same. This is because the gospel is not in word only but in power.

1 Thessalonians 1:5

For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.

True ministry is not without power. It takes power to destroy the influence of Satan in a heart. Even our faithful ministry of the truth is not sufficient. Our ministry must be accompanied by the power of God - the only thing capable of changing a heart. Only those who abide in Christ can come forth with the power of God to destroy the yokes in the lives of the people.

Moreover, our abode in Christ is our assurance that God will indeed work with us to bring about a change in the people. Our confidence that the people will indeed grow up into Christ is dependent on our own abode in Christ. As He said, …He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing (John15:5).

Bringing forth fruit is automatic to those who abide in Christ. It is a joyful expectation. For this cause, we, as ministers, must be willing to suffer rather than to sin. We must choose to abide in our infirmities with joyfulness, than to reject self-denial and abide in sin. The leaders of God have refused to truly abide in Christ. They have settled with “good services”, yet their people remain fornicators and adulterers, liars, and backbiters.

However, steadfastly abiding in Christ will engender the anointing in a life. The anointing is the operation of the Spirit of God to impact the lives of the people of God. That anointing can go where the preacher cannot. It will impact them even when they are far apart from one another.

Are you willing to abide in Christ and live a life of self-denial, that you may qualify for the anointing of God? Do you love God’s people enough to present yourself as a living sacrifice to God that they may be spiritually developed? The real question you must answer is, “Why do you want to be a minister?”