HOW TO DO THE WORKS OF GOD
(First part)
Memory verse (John6: 28) “ Then they said to Him, What shall we do, that we may work the works of God? ”
I believe this is the question in the inner chambers of many believers’ hearts and minds. Many want to see results in their ministries; many want to see their preaching bring impact to people’s lives. Many want to see signs wonders and miracles following their preaching. Many pastors want to see the churches they are shepherding grow. Many have read every kind of book in the libraries about church growth but have not seen the results they anticipated. Many have attended every seminar about how to be a successful minister and leader, but deep down their hearts there is a sense of dissatisfaction. And the question remains unanswered! How can I become effective in my calling, how can I live a fruitful fulfilling life?
Now, am not trying to say that I have the answers and all other materials and seminars you attended are wrong, but I just want to throw some Biblical insight to someone I may not know God is leading me to touch. I pray that you open your spirit and allow the Holy Spirit to cause light to shine in your life. God has whole lot of ways of how to communicate his will to us.
All meaning believers with a hunger for God and who seek to fulfill their purpose for their creation live with these kinds of questions. And this is not strange; it’s the working of the Holy Spirit whom God sent in our live to lead us and guide us to live the life God intended for us. Questions like these: Why did God created me the way he did? What was I created to do? Why am I in this church? Is this all God want me to do? How can I know God’s calling upon my life? How can I fulfill the vision God has given to me? Yes I know God want my life to change but how can I see my life transformed? How can I see God’s power in my life and ministry? I don’t want to spend all my life chasing shadows. I don’t want to be in places I’m not intended to be in. I don’t want to study things I’m not supposed to be studying etc. We all share these issues. Am communicating this message to you my brothers and sisters prayerfully that the Lord may cause you know his will for your life with wisdom and spiritual understanding and that he may strengthen your inner man by his Spirit to fulfill your purpose in life. Amen.
Tomorrow’s subject, “We have to become disciples of Jesus”
(Second part)
Memory verse (Mark3: 14) : “ Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach ”
When Jesus chose his twelve disciples, his first goal was not to send them to preach but TO BE WITH HIM. For the period of three years Jesus walked with his disciples, he lived with them all the time and ate with them. They were with him and watched him pray. Ministry is caught not taught. They watched him how he ministered to needs of humanity. They saw his love for people. They watched him as he preached and taught the multitudes. He taught them and rebuked them. At the end of his earthly ministry he sent them to go to the world and make disciples of all nations. Men like Peter experienced His glory on the mount of transfiguration (Matt 17). They began to get the revelation of who he was (Matt 16: 13-18). The time they spent with Jesus transformed these disciples so powerfully and it was the preparation for the ministry God had called them to do, i.e. to preach.
The first goal of our lives should be to know Christ, to walk with him, to fellowship with him, to grow in our relationship with him and in our knowledge of him. Jesus is ready to send the Holy Spirit to help us all to know him. It’s the Holy Sprit who reveals Christ in our lives. It’s the Holy Sprit who brings us into daily communion with CHRIST. It’s the Holy Spirit who causes us to hear the voice of Christ etc. As we make it our number one priority to seek and to know him, He begins to change our lives. We begin to experience his presence, his power and love. The peace of God begins to fill our lives. The hunger for him begins to grow. The desire to be in his presence increases. He begins to deal with areas of our lives that needs pruning (John 15.2). He begins to give us the power to overcome the works of the flesh and worldliness in our lives. Transformation begins to take place in our lives. The way we think, talk and act change. Discipleship mean becoming like Christ in speech, thought and action. This is what is called Christ likeness. God wants you to have time with Jesus that you may be like him (Acts 4: 13) Satan is a thief, he like stealing your most precious time of being in the presence of God, but refuse! Make time to be in his presence for this is the key to power. When you are like him, you’ll do what he does.
Tomorrow’s subject, “Believing in Jesus”
(Third part)
Memory verse (John 6: 29) “ Jesus answered and said to them: This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”
Jesus’ answer to all those dear saints with these precious questions about their destinies and living meaningful and fruitful fulfilling lives is, BELIEVE IN JESUS WHOM GOD SENT. Our faith in Jesus and the finished work of the cross is what makes us flow in the works of God. Our intimacy with God produces the true knowledge of Him. And the knowledge of God produces faith. Daniel put it this way: those who know their God will be strong and they will do great exploits (Dan11: 32).
The more time we spend with God the more the Holy Spirit reveals to us Jesus and the work of the cross he accomplished. And the more revelations of who he is flood our lives the more faith that is built in our spirits. And when our faith in him grows greater and greater, we begin to believe him for great things. Miracles, signs and wonders begin to follow us as we declare his word. Exploits begin to follow our ministry. Your faith in God depends on how much time you spend with him (2Cor3: 18).
Keep building your faith in God. Keep feeding your faith on God’s word daily. Keep building your most holy faith by praying in the Holy Spirit, i.e. praying in tongues (Jude1: 20). Keep edifying your spirit (1Cor14: 2,4,14,15). Keep welcoming the Holy Spirit to help you mortify the works of the flesh as you pray in the spirit (Rom8: 13). Keep asking the Holy Spirit to help you in your prayer life (Rom8: 26-27). As you keep growing up in your faith in God, mighty things will keep happening in your life, it’s not by might nor by power but by the Holy Spirit (Zech4: 6). Know that it’s not the formulas or systems or methods or machines that do the works of God, it’s God who does his works through men as they allow him to flow through them. I know God can give us ways, methods, but they cannot work by themselves just because God gave them. Never let your focus be on anything God gives but on God the source. It’s the source that makes the resource to be effective. It’s God who made the rod of Moses do wonders. It’s God who caused the jawbone in the hand of SAMSON to do miracles. Focus on Jesus and the work of the cross and miracles will flow in your life and ministry. Amen.
Tomorrow’s subject: “ Compassion for humanity ”
(Fourth part)
Memory verse (Matt9: 36): “ But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd ”.
Whenever Jesus looked at hurting humanity, fire used to burn within his heart. He would become restless within his heart. He was moved with compassion for the people. This compassion used to precede the miraculous healings he did for people (Luke 7: 11-15). Jesus met a widow when she had lost the only son she had, when JESUS SAW HER WEEPING, HE HAD COMPASSION ON HER, and Jesus went ahead and raised up her son back to life because of compassion.
Compassion always moves us from the place of indifference and complacency and brings us to a place where we are uncomfortable about people’s troubles. It may be your relative. It may be your friends. It may be anybody you’re come across with a problem, with pain etc. This compassion can give birth to deep groaning of intercession (Rom8: 26-27). This intercession can cause God to intervene in that person problem and the miracle occurs. To Jesus, whenever this compassion rose in his heart, God’s power for miracles began to flow and healing followed. Spiritual compassion releases God’s power. And God’s power produces God’s miraculous works.
If you desire to do the works of God, then allow God’s love to consume your life. Paul said of it this way, the love of God constrains us (2Cor5: 14). When your life is full of God ‘s love, it compels you, it stirs you up, and it drives you whenever you think about the hurting people. And the Holy Spirit who dwells in us pours this love of God into our lives. To receive GOD’S LOVE WE NEED TO BE BAPTISED WITH THE Holy Spirit (Rom5: 5). And to activate this love and cause it grow, we need to keep praying in the Spirit more and more. When God’s love overwhelms your life, miracles will flow in your ministry and life. The world is hurting all around us and we need our hearts to be baptized in God’s love and we will see people in a different way. We won’t sit back and cross our legs but we will be moved to act and God’s power and supernatural provisions will come and we will touch our generation. You won’t be fruitless any more in Jesus name.
Tomorrow’s subject: “ You need the Anointing ”
(Fifth part)
Memory verse (Luke24: 49) “ Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”
After Jesus had commanded his disciples to go to the world and make disciples of all nations, he charged them to wait in Jerusalem until they were clothed with power from on high. This is divine equipment. The assignment was given to them and it was clear but they needed the equipment needed to get the work done. That equipment is the power from on high, i.e. God’s divine power or popularly called “ the Anointing of the Holy Spirit”.
Jesus’ ministry and life began to be productive and fruitful when this anointing came upon his life (Luk4: 18-19). His life and ministry touched lives of people, healed multitudes, raised the dead, met peoples’ needs etc. The scripture says: it’s not by power nor by might but by the Holy Spirit (Zech4: 6). God-given assignments are accomplished by God’s anointing.
I heard of a doctor who was in a train that got involved in an accident. Many people were bleeding and badly wounded. The doctor happened not to have been wounded. He began to walk through the victims of the accident before anything could be done to take them to the hospitals. He desired to do anything possible to save some peoples lives, but he said: oh, NO, I wish I had my medical gadgets. Some began to die before his eyes. He had the desire to save their lives, he had the knowledge needed to help but he lacked his medical tools. How many times have we looked helplessly at what the devil is doing to molest and torment humanity? You simply say, oh God, why should such innocent people suffer like that. Diseases kill people before our eyes. We feel bad about it, we know the scriptures and we know the Bible says we can do something to stop Satan’s works, but we are helpless. We are powerless. No anointing. We need the power from on high. We need God’s power. The apostles waited until they received it and they turned the world upside down with that power. It’s time for us to wait for the same anointing from God, so that we may do the works of God. God’s anointing will make your ministry and life significant in your generation. You have to hunger and seek for it day and night until you’ll give the devil a bloody nose. May your life be filled with miracles in Jesus name.
Tomorrow’s subject: “ Prayer and fasting”
(Sixth part)
Memory verse (Matt17: 18-21) “ And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, Why could we not cast it out? So Jesus said to them, Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting ”.
Jesus cast out a demon out the child that had challenged his disciples. They tried all the ways they had seen Jesus using to cast out devils but they failed. Then the disciples asked Jesus why they tried and failed; yet with Jesus it was possible. The first answer from Jesus was because of UNBELIEF. Then he went on further to tell them that that kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.
Prayer and fasting is connected to your faith. Faith is of the spirit and unbelief is of the flesh. Prayer and fasting is one weapon that put to death the works of the flesh. Fasting put the flesh to death and prayer empowers your spirit. That which empowers your spirit builds your faith. Prayer builds up your faith (Jude1: 20). The more you take time to fast and pray in the spirit, you build up your faith. As you build up your faith, unbelief is being broken down.
Dear beloved, we need to get back some of these weapons that Satan had stolen from the church. Prayer and fasting is one tool that the church of our day has neglected. It’s true prayer and fasting do not move God, it’s true that it’s not prayer and fasting that do the miracles, but prayer and fasting shape us, it destroy things in our flesh that hinder God’s power to flow in our lives. As you fast short to long periods with praying more in the spirit, you are doing two things at a time: you are putting to death the works of the flesh and you’re building up your most holy faith, i.e. you are making your flesh weaker and your spirit stronger. And in so doing, you’re positioning your spirit to receive the anointing from God that breaks yokes. The Bible has record of men of prayer and fasting who possessed the kind of faith that could do impossibilities. God wants to make your life fruitful and wants you to do His the works to change your generation.
Nice weekend and see you next Monday
