INTEGRITY; LITMUS TEST FOR GOOD AND FAITHFUL STEWARDS
BY: APS. ALEXANDER N. Y. KUMI-LARBI
INTRODUCTION:
Definition
of terms
Litmus test
·
Something (such as an opinion about a political
or moral issue) that is used to make a judgment about whether someone or
something is acceptable
·
a test in which a single factor (as an attitude,
event, or fact) is decisive
Litmus paper
·
A coloring Material that turns red in acid
solutions and blue in alkaline solutions used as a very rough acid-base
indicator
How do we
differentiate right from wrong; light from darkness, upright from schemes, just
from unjust?
·
Through rough indicator - INTEGRITY
Luke 16:1-15;
shrewdness
According
to Solomon in Eccl 7:29
“See,
this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many
schemes.”
ESV
Proverbs 11: 1
“A false balance is an abomination to the
Lord,but a just weight is his delight.”
Human beings are responsible and accountable to God for everything we
possess. There are five major areas of life that all believers are responsible
and accountable to God.
·
Life that is, what one has received.
·
Time
- what you has been allotted, this includes the number of years to live on
earth
·
Talents
– what one is given to use
·
Possessions
- what has been entrusted to you
·
Finance
– what one has labored for.
In going about our normal lives it has been
observed that we prefer using schemes to being upright
From Matthew 25 Jesus talks about three
indicators that would be used to separate people
Thus OIL, TALENT, and Giving (helping
others)
But
let us be mindful of the fact that God is a just God whose scales are honest.
Matt 25:21-27
21 His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant;
you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.
Enter into the joy of your lord.' 22 He
also who had received two talents came and said, 'Lord, you delivered to me two
talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.' 23 His lord said to him,'Well done, good and
faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you
ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'
24 "Then he who had received the
one talent came and said, 'Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you
have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your
talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.'
26 "But his lord answered and said
to him, 'You wicked and lazy servant,
you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not
scattered seed.
NKJV
Definition
Upright: honest, responsible and moral:
Scheme: a plan for obtaining an
advantage for yourself, especially by deceiving others
Integrity
1.The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles
that you refuse to change; Cambridge Advance Learners’ Dictionary
2. The quality or state of being complete or
undivided: completeness – Encarta
dictionary
3. Mathematics: any number that is not a fraction or
decimal
Every human is born with a conscience and therefore
that ability to know right from wrong. Choosing the right, regardless of the
consequence is the hallmark of integrity.
People with integrity have nothing to hide or fear.
According to John Maxwells, an expert in
leadership, "people will do what you inspect not what you expect";
but I want say that integrity, which
someone defines as “ what one does when no one is watching“, appears to be the
most critical aspect of leadership in which leaders are mostly found wanting.
The world in general and the church in particular needs men
and women who cannot be bought; Whose words are their bond; who keep character
above wealth; who will make no compromise with wrong; who will be as honest in
small things as in great things.
WHO
IS A STEWARD?
A steward is a person who takes care of another
person's property. The master called "his servants and entrusted to them
his property" (Mt 25:14, ESV).
A steward is a person who takes care of another
person's property. Stewards were people who had the full confidence of their
masters. They had been given their positions because they had proved their
trustworthiness before their masters.
Abraham had a steward called Eliezer who was very
trustworthy (Gen 24:2-4, 12, 55; 15:2-3).
Joseph, was a steward who was given trust to take care
of all the household of Portiphar (Gen 39:4)
Good and faithful stewards always serve the purpose of
their masters.
W. W. Wiersbe had said that “in order to understand
integrity, we must first realise that two forces are at work in our world
today: God wants to make integers; Satan wants to make fractions.”
Passage: Matt
25:24-30 (The Message)
24 "The servant given one thousand said, 'Master, I know you have high standards and
hate careless ways, that you demand the best and make no allowances for error.
25 I was afraid I might disappoint you, so I found a good hiding place and
secured your money. Here it is, safe and sound down to the last cent.'
26 "The master was furious. 'That's a terrible way to
live! It's criminal to live cautiously like that! If you knew I was after the
best, why did you do less than the least? 27 The least you could have done
would have been to invest the sum with the bankers, where at least I would have
gotten a little interest.
28-29 "'Take the thousand and give it to the one who
risked the most. And get rid of this "play-it-safe" who won't go out
on a limb. 30 Throw him out into utter darkness.' (THE MESSAGE)
Analysis
The same commodity, talent, was given them; but according to
their abilities.
From the passage we see the three stewards exhibiting some
common characteristics and behaviours of stewards such as Faithfulness,
honesty, truth, cover up and lies.
These brought the distinction between the good and bad
stewards.
The first two stewards who had five and two talents were men
of integrity and therefore worked hard to bring results without complaining
because they knew their master’s standard. However, the one who had one said “I
know you...”
It is amazing if he indeed knew his master. He failed to meet his expectations;
he said 'Master, I know you have..
1.
high standards and...HE LOWERED THE
STANDARD
2.
hate careless ways...HE WAS CARELESS
3.
that you demand the best...PROVIDED POOR
RESULTS
4.
and make no allowances for error...MADE
A BIG MISTAKE
If indeed he knew him, then he should have done what the
master would expect from him.
Does it mean he was living in fear while working with the
master?
If so, then he was living a dual life with the master. A life of pretence and
hypocrisy
Integrity was a virtue the third man lacked. He pretended to know his Master;
he did not trust him; he did not love him. He called him Master, but he was a
hypocrite.
He could not even do that which was consistent with his own
thoughts, "I know that you could harvest where you have not sown". If
he could harvest where he had not sown, what about where he had sown? He would
harvest more. So he should have worked hard to bring results.
Those who know their master work for him, without fear or hypocrisy.
Dan 11:32
“Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt
with flattery; but the people who know
their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.” NKJV
The third man was unfaithful and therefore was not only unrewarded, but he also
suffered punishment. The Master reprimanded the unfaithful servant, and then
took his talent from him. The man with the most talents received the extra
talent. If we fail to use our talents for the Lord or fail to execute our
responsibility, we are in danger of losing it for the faithful one.
Live Question:
If the master told the steward who brought the talent
“intact” without increase “wicked and lazy”, what would have happened if there
had been a decrease in the talent?
Are we working to bring increase, maintain or decrease the
grace, talent and other resources God has given us?
Some important quotes
“Integrity is telling myself the truth. And honesty is telling the truth to
other people.” ― Spencer Johnson
“Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody’s going to know
whether you did it or not.” ― Oprah Winfrey
·
“Character is what you are in the dark” D L
Moody
Every human being is born with a conscience and therefore that ability to know
right from wrong.
·
Living with integrity is one of the great
challenges in our society today. But it is one of the key attributes of a great
person and Christians.
Choosing the right, regardless of the consequence is the
hallmark of integrity.
·
People with integrity are bold and have nothing to hide or fear.
Job 31:6
6 Let me be weighed on honest scales, That God may
know my integrity. NKJV
·
How will we fare when
we are put on God’s honest scale?
The Rechabites (Jer 35:1-18)
1.
They were obedient,
faithful and loyal to their forebears by maintaining their values.
2.
They did not succumb to
prophetic influence which could cause them change their stand and believe
3.
They remained faithful
even in "darkness"
Uriah - 2 Sam 11:1-13
2 Samuel 11:11
Uriah said to
David, “The ark and Israel and Judah dwell in booths, and my
lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field. Shall I
then go to my house, to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? As you live,
and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing.”
THE CHURCH AND THE SOCIETY NEEDS MEN AND
WOMEN
• Who cannot be bought
• Whose
word is their bond
• Who
put character above wealth - good name is better than riches
• Who
will make no compromise with wrong
• Who
will be as honest in small things as in great things
As stewards how do we weigh on the following scales?
Fulfilling the great
commission: Matt 28:18-20
Classical Pentecostals believe and
preach the four-square gospel – Jesus the Savior, healer, baptiser and the soon
coming king.
·
The four-square gospel
·
Jesus the
savior, - We are saved by believing/accepting Jesus Christ as LORD, We
preach Christ and Him Crucified 1 Cor 2:1-2; Acts 4:12
·
Jesus the
Healer – He is our healer (no medium; we pray to him and receive our
salvation) – a true Pentecostal does not move around for “pray for me”. He
prays for himself and others.
·
Jesus the
healer is in you...Acts 10:38
·
Instead of teaching people to be independent, people
have made themselves thin gods.
·
Jesus the
Baptizer
·
Luke 3:16, “John answered, saying to all,"I
indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal
strap I am not worthy to lose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and
fire.” NKJV
·
Jesus the
soon coming king – Jesus will SURELY come again – John 14:1-3
What
message is being preached all around these
days?
·
Prosperity, fame, being
the head and not the tail.
Motives and
motivation in doing God’s work
Why do people want to be in full-time ministry?
·
Ministry, is it a call or career?
·
God calls busy people not idle hands
Living our lives as
Christians
a. Col
1:10 – Live a life worthy of Christ and one that pleases him
b. Salt
and light:
Matt 5:13-16
13 "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt
loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for
anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. 14 "You are the light of the world. A
city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it
under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone
in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they
may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. NIV
2.
SALT: Where is the salt to check
corruption in Ghana and the church? Where is the salt that would prevent decay
and also give taste?
3.
LIGHT: Where is the light that should
drive away darkness?
4.
John 1:4-5 “In him was life; and the
life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness
comprehended it not.”
Prayer life
a. Prayer
life: the Content of prayer must be based on The Lord’s prayer
a. Pray
for spiritual understanding – Eph 1:15-22
b. Pray
for strength through the Spirit - Eph 3:14-19
c.
Pray for the infilling of the Spirit –
Eph 5:18
d. The
prayer pattern of the early church - Lord make me and use me NOT Lord give me -
Prayer for power and boldness to live and work for God is what must engage us
(Acts 4:23-31).
e. Praying
about things we don’t mean – The Lord’s prayer (Don’t just; in line with
scripture)
f. Do
we fast when we declare fasting?
g. Contentment
– 1 Tim 6:6-10 (Money matters and other related issues)
Others issues for consideration
• Infidelity
- immoralty
• Transparency
• Dealing
with the Opposite Sex
• Exams
malpractices
1 John 1:5-7
This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto
you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we
have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not live by the
truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship
one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all
sin.
·
It can therefore
be said that integrity is demanded in both secular and religious aspects of
life. However, while secular organisations/establishments demand limited amount
of integrity, Christians stewards are expected to exhibit the full level of
integrity.
·
This is the
reason why scandals involving Christians readily make headlines.
CONCLUSION
John 1:4-5 “In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”
·
This is step one
toward inner darkness – hypocrisy, lying to other people about our fellowship
with the Lord. There are many ways we can do this: preaching what we don’t
practice, praying things we don’t mean, and pretending to do what we don’t do.
"The situation indeed is growing more serious,
for now we are not only lying to others, but we are also lying to ourselves and
believing it! Hypocrisy has now become a way of life for us, and we see nothing
wrong with it. Hypocrisy has given way to duplicity." W WWiesbe
·
It has been
observed that integrity, as a virtue is imperative for Christian leadership.
Without it, the name of the Lord and His church are brought into disrepute.
Potential converts are also likely to remain in their sins. It is therefore
necessary to resolve to be men and women of integrity. Church structures must
also be tailored in such a way to make it possible for leaders to live lives of
integrity, while at the same time making it difficult for corruption to thrive.
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his
commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed
into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.
Topic: Overcoming Your Giant
1 Sam 17
NB: This message was presented by Elder Prince Oduro-PENSA UCC at Ghana National College SHS, Cape Coast Hand over ceremony
Using David as a personality, he told the house that everyone in one way or the other have to face a giant in his life. He said that as students preparing for exams, the exams may be seen as a giant and as incoming executives, the various offices they will occupy may be their giant but if only they will know the God they serve, shun negativity from people(discouragement and intimidation), use only their tested weapons/armour (Ephesians 6:13_17) and encourage themselves with the past victories God has worn with and for them as David did then they will be victorious.
He said that negativity does not only come from friends or the pew but also the pulpit or authority and admonish them not to allow for intimidation but work assiduously in the power of the Holy Ghost and they will be victorious.
He cautioned them to add to their charisma the character needed to sustain the special gifts God has given them and added that they should always wait on God's appointed time because the waiting period is the character development moment _ David received the anointing at age 15 to be King but had the appointment at age 30. For the fifteen years, God was working on his character so as students and incoming executives of pensa, they should always learn to wait on God for the appointment and excellence will follow.
Using David as a personality, he told the house that everyone in one way or the other have to face a giant in his life. He said that as students preparing for exams, the exams may be seen as a giant and as incoming executives, the various offices they will occupy may be their giant but if only they will know the God they serve, shun negativity from people(discouragement and intimidation), use only their tested weapons/armour (Ephesians 6:13_17) and encourage themselves with the past victories God has worn with and for them as David did then they will be victorious.
He said that negativity does not only come from friends or the pew but also the pulpit or authority and admonish them not to allow for intimidation but work assiduously in the power of the Holy Ghost and they will be victorious.
He cautioned them to add to their charisma the character needed to sustain the special gifts God has given them and added that they should always wait on God's appointed time because the waiting period is the character development moment _ David received the anointing at age 15 to be King but had the appointment at age 30. For the fifteen years, God was working on his character so as students and incoming executives of pensa, they should always learn to wait on God for the appointment and excellence will follow.
INTEGRITY; LITMUS TEST FOR GOOD AND FAITHFUL STEWARDS
BY: APS. ALEXANDER N. Y. KUMI-LARBI
INTRODUCTION:
Definition
of terms
Litmus test
·
Something (such as an opinion about a political
or moral issue) that is used to make a judgment about whether someone or
something is acceptable
·
a test in which a single factor (as an attitude,
event, or fact) is decisive
Litmus paper
·
A coloring Material that turns red in acid
solutions and blue in alkaline solutions used as a very rough acid-base
indicator
How do we
differentiate right from wrong; light from darkness, upright from schemes, just
from unjust?
·
Through rough indicator - INTEGRITY
Luke 16:1-15;
shrewdness
According to Solomon in Eccl 7:29
“See,
this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many
schemes.”
ESV
Proverbs 11: 1
“A false balance is an abomination to the
Lord,but a just weight is his delight.”
Human beings are responsible and accountable to God for everything we
possess. There are five major areas of life that all believers are responsible
and accountable to God.
·
Life that is, what one has received.
·
Time
- what you has been allotted, this includes the number of years to live on
earth
·
Talents
– what one is given to use
·
Possessions
- what has been entrusted to you
·
Finance
– what one has labored for.
In going about our normal lives it has been
observed that we prefer using schemes to being upright
From Matthew 25 Jesus talks about three
indicators that would be used to separate people
Thus OIL, TALENT, and Giving (helping
others)
But
let us be mindful of the fact that God is a just God whose scales are honest.
Matt 25:21-27
21 His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant;
you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.
Enter into the joy of your lord.' 22 He
also who had received two talents came and said, 'Lord, you delivered to me two
talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.' 23 His lord said to him,'Well done, good and
faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you
ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'
24 "Then he who had received the
one talent came and said, 'Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you
have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your
talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.'
26 "But his lord answered and said
to him, 'You wicked and lazy servant,
you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not
scattered seed.
NKJV
Definition
Upright: honest, responsible and moral:
Scheme: a plan for obtaining an
advantage for yourself, especially by deceiving others
Integrity
1.The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles that you refuse to change; Cambridge Advance Learners’ Dictionary
1.The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles that you refuse to change; Cambridge Advance Learners’ Dictionary
2. The quality or state of being complete or
undivided: completeness – Encarta
dictionary
3. Mathematics: any number that is not a fraction or
decimal
Every human is born with a conscience and therefore
that ability to know right from wrong. Choosing the right, regardless of the
consequence is the hallmark of integrity.
People with integrity have nothing to hide or fear.
According to John Maxwells, an expert in
leadership, "people will do what you inspect not what you expect";
but I want say that integrity, which
someone defines as “ what one does when no one is watching“, appears to be the
most critical aspect of leadership in which leaders are mostly found wanting.
The world in general and the church in particular needs men
and women who cannot be bought; Whose words are their bond; who keep character
above wealth; who will make no compromise with wrong; who will be as honest in
small things as in great things.
WHO
IS A STEWARD?
A steward is a person who takes care of another
person's property. The master called "his servants and entrusted to them
his property" (Mt 25:14, ESV).
A steward is a person who takes care of another
person's property. Stewards were people who had the full confidence of their
masters. They had been given their positions because they had proved their
trustworthiness before their masters.
Abraham had a steward called Eliezer who was very
trustworthy (Gen 24:2-4, 12, 55; 15:2-3).
Joseph, was a steward who was given trust to take care
of all the household of Portiphar (Gen 39:4)
Good and faithful stewards always serve the purpose of
their masters.
W. W. Wiersbe had said that “in order to understand
integrity, we must first realise that two forces are at work in our world
today: God wants to make integers; Satan wants to make fractions.”
Passage: Matt
25:24-30 (The Message)
24 "The servant given one thousand said, 'Master, I know you have high standards and
hate careless ways, that you demand the best and make no allowances for error.
25 I was afraid I might disappoint you, so I found a good hiding place and
secured your money. Here it is, safe and sound down to the last cent.'
26 "The master was furious. 'That's a terrible way to
live! It's criminal to live cautiously like that! If you knew I was after the
best, why did you do less than the least? 27 The least you could have done
would have been to invest the sum with the bankers, where at least I would have
gotten a little interest.
28-29 "'Take the thousand and give it to the one who
risked the most. And get rid of this "play-it-safe" who won't go out
on a limb. 30 Throw him out into utter darkness.' (THE MESSAGE)
Analysis
The same commodity, talent, was given them; but according to
their abilities.
From the passage we see the three stewards exhibiting some
common characteristics and behaviours of stewards such as Faithfulness,
honesty, truth, cover up and lies.
These brought the distinction between the good and bad
stewards.
The first two stewards who had five and two talents were men
of integrity and therefore worked hard to bring results without complaining
because they knew their master’s standard. However, the one who had one said “I
know you...”
It is amazing if he indeed knew his master. He failed to meet his expectations;
he said 'Master, I know you have..
he said 'Master, I know you have..
1.
high standards and...HE LOWERED THE
STANDARD
2.
hate careless ways...HE WAS CARELESS
3.
that you demand the best...PROVIDED POOR
RESULTS
4.
and make no allowances for error...MADE
A BIG MISTAKE
If indeed he knew him, then he should have done what the
master would expect from him.
Does it mean he was living in fear while working with the
master?
If so, then he was living a dual life with the master. A life of pretence and hypocrisy
If so, then he was living a dual life with the master. A life of pretence and hypocrisy
Integrity was a virtue the third man lacked. He pretended to know his Master; he did not trust him; he did not love him. He called him Master, but he was a hypocrite.
He could not even do that which was consistent with his own
thoughts, "I know that you could harvest where you have not sown". If
he could harvest where he had not sown, what about where he had sown? He would
harvest more. So he should have worked hard to bring results.
Those who know their master work for him, without fear or hypocrisy.
Dan 11:32
“Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt
with flattery; but the people who know
their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.” NKJV
The third man was unfaithful and therefore was not only unrewarded, but he also suffered punishment. The Master reprimanded the unfaithful servant, and then took his talent from him. The man with the most talents received the extra talent. If we fail to use our talents for the Lord or fail to execute our responsibility, we are in danger of losing it for the faithful one.
Live Question:
The third man was unfaithful and therefore was not only unrewarded, but he also suffered punishment. The Master reprimanded the unfaithful servant, and then took his talent from him. The man with the most talents received the extra talent. If we fail to use our talents for the Lord or fail to execute our responsibility, we are in danger of losing it for the faithful one.
Live Question:
If the master told the steward who brought the talent
“intact” without increase “wicked and lazy”, what would have happened if there
had been a decrease in the talent?
Are we working to bring increase, maintain or decrease the
grace, talent and other resources God has given us?
Some important quotes
“Integrity is telling myself the truth. And honesty is telling the truth to other people.” ― Spencer Johnson
“Integrity is telling myself the truth. And honesty is telling the truth to other people.” ― Spencer Johnson
“Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody’s going to know whether you did it or not.” ― Oprah Winfrey
·
“Character is what you are in the dark” D L
Moody
Every human being is born with a conscience and therefore that ability to know right from wrong.
Every human being is born with a conscience and therefore that ability to know right from wrong.
·
Living with integrity is one of the great
challenges in our society today. But it is one of the key attributes of a great
person and Christians.
Choosing the right, regardless of the consequence is the
hallmark of integrity.
·
People with integrity are bold and have nothing to hide or fear.
People with integrity are bold and have nothing to hide or fear.
Job 31:6
6 Let me be weighed on honest scales, That God may
know my integrity. NKJV
·
How will we fare when
we are put on God’s honest scale?
The Rechabites (Jer 35:1-18)
1.
They were obedient,
faithful and loyal to their forebears by maintaining their values.
2.
They did not succumb to
prophetic influence which could cause them change their stand and believe
3.
They remained faithful
even in "darkness"
Uriah - 2 Sam 11:1-13
2 Samuel 11:11
Uriah said to
David, “The ark and Israel and Judah dwell in booths, and my
lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field. Shall I
then go to my house, to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? As you live,
and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing.”
THE CHURCH AND THE SOCIETY NEEDS MEN AND
WOMEN
• Who cannot be bought
• Whose
word is their bond
• Who
put character above wealth - good name is better than riches
• Who
will make no compromise with wrong
• Who
will be as honest in small things as in great things
As stewards how do we weigh on the following scales?
Fulfilling the great
commission: Matt 28:18-20
Classical Pentecostals believe and
preach the four-square gospel – Jesus the Savior, healer, baptiser and the soon
coming king.
·
The four-square gospel
·
Jesus the
savior, - We are saved by believing/accepting Jesus Christ as LORD, We
preach Christ and Him Crucified 1 Cor 2:1-2; Acts 4:12
·
Jesus the
Healer – He is our healer (no medium; we pray to him and receive our
salvation) – a true Pentecostal does not move around for “pray for me”. He
prays for himself and others.
·
Jesus the
healer is in you...Acts 10:38
·
Instead of teaching people to be independent, people
have made themselves thin gods.
·
Jesus the
Baptizer
·
Luke 3:16, “John answered, saying to all,"I
indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal
strap I am not worthy to lose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and
fire.” NKJV
·
Jesus the
soon coming king – Jesus will SURELY come again – John 14:1-3
What
message is being preached all around these
days?
·
Prosperity, fame, being
the head and not the tail.
Motives and
motivation in doing God’s work
Why do people want to be in full-time ministry?
·
Ministry, is it a call or career?
·
God calls busy people not idle hands
Living our lives as
Christians
a. Col
1:10 – Live a life worthy of Christ and one that pleases him
b. Salt
and light:
Matt 5:13-16
13 "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt
loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for
anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. 14 "You are the light of the world. A
city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it
under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone
in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they
may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. NIV
2.
SALT: Where is the salt to check
corruption in Ghana and the church? Where is the salt that would prevent decay
and also give taste?
3.
LIGHT: Where is the light that should
drive away darkness?
4.
John 1:4-5 “In him was life; and the
life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness
comprehended it not.”
Prayer life
a. Prayer
life: the Content of prayer must be based on The Lord’s prayer
a. Pray
for spiritual understanding – Eph 1:15-22
b. Pray
for strength through the Spirit - Eph 3:14-19
c.
Pray for the infilling of the Spirit –
Eph 5:18
d. The
prayer pattern of the early church - Lord make me and use me NOT Lord give me -
Prayer for power and boldness to live and work for God is what must engage us
(Acts 4:23-31).
e. Praying
about things we don’t mean – The Lord’s prayer (Don’t just; in line with
scripture)
f. Do
we fast when we declare fasting?
g. Contentment
– 1 Tim 6:6-10 (Money matters and other related issues)
Others issues for consideration
• Infidelity
- immoralty
• Transparency
• Dealing
with the Opposite Sex
• Exams
malpractices
1 John 1:5-7
This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto
you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we
have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not live by the
truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship
one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all
sin.
·
It can therefore
be said that integrity is demanded in both secular and religious aspects of
life. However, while secular organisations/establishments demand limited amount
of integrity, Christians stewards are expected to exhibit the full level of
integrity.
·
This is the
reason why scandals involving Christians readily make headlines.
CONCLUSION
John 1:4-5 “In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”
·
This is step one
toward inner darkness – hypocrisy, lying to other people about our fellowship
with the Lord. There are many ways we can do this: preaching what we don’t
practice, praying things we don’t mean, and pretending to do what we don’t do.
"The situation indeed is growing more serious,
for now we are not only lying to others, but we are also lying to ourselves and
believing it! Hypocrisy has now become a way of life for us, and we see nothing
wrong with it. Hypocrisy has given way to duplicity." W WWiesbe
·
It has been
observed that integrity, as a virtue is imperative for Christian leadership.
Without it, the name of the Lord and His church are brought into disrepute.
Potential converts are also likely to remain in their sins. It is therefore
necessary to resolve to be men and women of integrity. Church structures must
also be tailored in such a way to make it possible for leaders to live lives of
integrity, while at the same time making it difficult for corruption to thrive.
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his
commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed
into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.
Topic: Overcoming Your Giant
NB: This message was presented by Elder Prince Oduro-PENSA UCC at Ghana National College SHS, Cape Coast Hand over ceremony
ARISE AS A GOOD STEWARD OF GOD TO IMPACT GENERATION
Mounting the podium at the beginning of the semester is the current PENSA president, Elder Ebenezer Kusi. He led the church in the exposition of the second semester theme for the 2014/2015 spiritual year. The theme for the semester is, “Arise as a Good Steward of God to Impact Generations.”
He read from Matthew 25:14-17 which reads "For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. 15 And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. 16 Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. 17 And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two.” KJV and Luke 15:18 which says “I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee” KJV
Isaiah 60:1 reads “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.” KJV and Ephesians 5:14 also reads “Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.”KJVElder Ebenezer Kusi urged the house that we ought to arise to the call of God and in so doing, Christ will shine on us. “We have a father who will always open His arms to us. Let us not perish in our sins, but let us rise and shine and go to the Father because the Father is always ready to accept us, but He likes genuineness”. He detests those who ask for forgiveness but go back to their old self and sin again with the biblical thought that, ”the good I want to do I’m unable to do it but the evil I do not want to do, that I keep on doing”. He also said that your inability to rise will cause people to die, mix their way, lose hope (because someone’s hope depends on you), fall, grow weary, backslide, or even leave the church (gathering of the saints). Hence, we should arise because God has crowns awaiting us. There is the crown of righteousness (2 Timothy 4:8), the crown of life (James 1:12 & Revelation 2:10), crown of incorruptibility (1 Corinthians 9:25-27) and the crown of rejoicing (Matthew 28:19-20) of which we as Christians ought to attain. This is because these five crowns awaits us. He asked the church, “if a new bible be written today will your name be found in it?”
He concluded that, “even if you are dead, Christ commands you to arise from your dead as said in Mark 5:22-43.
And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet, And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live. And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him.
You need to arise and build so that God will have a testimony about you this year.
God bless us all
Source: pensa-ucc.org
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