INTRODUCTION
In the first month edition of this quarter of the Christian News Today,which focuses on THE CHRISTIAN LIFE EXPERIENCE,we started with the theme: THE REVIVAL THAT WE ALL NEED.
Within the scope of this theme, we established that the: ‘’THE MINISTRY OF LIFE’’ is the need of the hour and thatthe two basic ingredients of revival, which are the operation of the ministry of the Word of life and the ministry of the Spirit of life is: THE MINISTRY OF LIFE.
And so, by the ministry of life, we are able to bring forth revelation for Christian life experience. But this month, we move on to the next vital experience, which is the Christian business life. The Christian life experience should have an overflowing effect on every aspect of the individual Christian life.
A fruitful Christian life should bear fruits, and one of such fruits is the Christian work life. This is the word of the Lord: ‘’Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law does he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper’’ Psalm 1: 1-3.
The fruitful business life of any Christian is the fruit of a fruitful Christian life.
By now, we know that the revival that we all need is the general awakening to the ministry of the word of life and the ministry of the Spirit of life. A conscious awareness of the power of these two is the need of the hour. And their operations is what is known as the ministry of life.
When there is revival and life is restored, and the same life keeps growing through various Christian experiences, there is a conscious birth of something most precious to man. It is the birth of purpose. To every living man that has the experience of true life by the power of the Word and the power of the Spirit, there is a clear understanding of purpose.
When the ministry of life is fully operational in the church and in the individual Christian, generating life and discharging life by the ministry of the Word and the Spirit, Walking in purpose becomes the order of life for the Christian man.
It is a chain effect; a state of cause and effect. A man of purpose and the Church in purpose are the product of the revival brought about by the ministry of life; through the operation of the ministry of the Word and the Spirit of God.
They are purpose-driven. They live because they have discovered that purpose is a product of life and life itself is also driven by purpose. So, if there are truly life-building experiences, it is necessary also to have life-raising experiences. Undoubtedly, the life that has been built up, should be raised up.
It is imperative for us to up raise up and our Christian business life needs to experience a lifting-up. In this month edition, we are looking at a very vital key on the matter of purpose: WALKING IN PURPOSE- Through the full circle of purpose. This is your message, your ministry and your mission.
May you really be blessed by this revelation. In Jesus’ name, amen.
WALKING IN PURPOSE;
Through the full circle of purpose’’.
Your Message, Your Ministry and Your Mission
There is an interesting story in the book of John which was about the identity of John the Baptist. The Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask John the Baptist about his identity. When they got to him, they asked him: ‘’who are thou?’’ John 1: 19.
And the man of purpose who is sure of his identity replied without any hesitation: ‘’ I am not the Christ…..I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.’’ John 1: 20, 23.
When purpose is established, identity becomes a reality. There is no one that lives in purpose and walks in purpose that can ever be in the dark regarding his or her identity. Your purpose is your identity, the purpose of your existence is your identity.
John the Baptist was called John the Baptist, not by reason of appellation, but by reason of identification with the purpose of his existence. When they asked him; who are you?
His response was ‘’ I am not the Christ,’’ rather ‘’ I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord.’’
He was certain. He was sure. He was specific and he was convinced. His purpose has become his identity and his identity has become his purpose. When your identity merged with your purpose, walking in purpose is the order of life.
But the revelation for our working life or business life transformation in this edition of the Christian News Today is the experience of the full circle of purpose. Walking in purpose is an experience that takes you through the life circle of living out Your Message, Your Ministry and Your Mission. By the power of the Word of life and the Spirit of life in motion, the ministry of life is set in motion. When the ministry of life is in motion, walking in purpose is a living experience.
Walking in purpose is a complete walk of purpose. We go through the full circle of purpose. Complete fruitfulness in our working life is simply by living our lives in conformity with the full circle of purpose. At this point, I think we can commence our walk round the circle of purpose.
Walking in purpose-Through the full circle of purpose
-Your Message.
Walking in purpose begins with a consciousness of your life and your message. Every life is a message to another life. The life that is worth living is the life that is established on the message that particular life carries. So, every life is a message carrier.
Ingrained in the very being of our nature is the message intended by the Creator through the individual life to his world and the world at large.
But we are ignorant of this dominant factor of life. This is the reason of the life void of purpose, resulting in emptiness of life. A sound understanding of your message prepares you for a life impact and great exploits. No message, no impact, and where there is no impact, there is certainly no exploit.
There is really nothing like a life without a message. What we have is a life ignorant of His message. So, if we are to walk in purpose, let us begin by walking in the understanding of our lives and our message.
A living soul is the life created with a message. A message is not a dormant gift or talent, neither is it a written coded message in the spirit of man; but something you have which others need. It is in you but must not remain in you. It must be given out. You were created with it and you therefore realize that you came into the world fully loaded with it. The bottom line is that you have to pour it out, empting it to your world before you depart from the scene.
The destiny of every one of us is attached to the very message each and every one of us carries in our being. That message is given to us as a vision and does not metamorphose into a message until it dawns on us that vision goes beyond self-satisfaction to meeting the need of others.
Your message goes far beyond you to other lives.
What you have is not a message until you realise that you have something that others need. You have something I do not have, in the same manner, I have something you do not have. Together we both live by giving to each other what we have that the other do not have. We live for each other.
Your life is a message to another life. I must comprehend this fact that message is a need to the world in need. This message is the heavenly deposit in my being by which I am to impact my world. It is instructive to know that Microsoft is to Bill Gate, is what preaching is to the Apostle Paul. Only the components and the compositions of the message differ.
Nonetheless, the common factor is that both Apostle Paul and Bill Gate realized that their peculiarities and individual life is a message for the world in need.
- Messages are to be read through and fully comprehended by the messanger.
- Messages are to be developed, nurtured and nourished unto maturity.
- Messages are given to every man and every man is born with the capacity to dish out what he has been given.
- Messages that bring forth other messages are the message of life. The message of life has the capacity to bring forth another after his own kind.
- Messages are particular and peculiar to every individual, in fact, there are no two messages that are exactly the same. This is the uniqueness of life and identity.
With all these in mind, we begin our walk through the circle of purpose with the reality of the fact that our life is a message given out and poured out to other lives on a constant basis. We must live with a consciousness that we are the message that people read daily and at the same time the message that people need on a daily basis. We have in us what it takes to give life with purpose and meaning to the living.
This is the gift that the Creator has given to every one of us individually.
It is your message.
Walking in purpose-Through the full circle of purpose
-Your Ministry
We must understand purpose and have a full conception of purpose. Purpose goes beyond your life and your message, it is a walk round the circle that takes you on and on, until you complete the full circle. Life and purpose can only be fulfilled if we have the complete experience of the full circle of purpose.
Living the life of purpose based only on your understanding of your message as your purpose and identity is a partial experience of the totality of purpose. Walking in purpose takes you on and moves you on from Your Message to Your Ministry.
It is so good for me to know that I have a message, and to be so conscious of the fact that I am created to give out something special and wonderful to my world. As great as this awareness could be, my message cannot really have the desired impact, unless I begin to see beyond message.
Beyond your message is your ministry. That message must not remain to you a message. Your message must become your ministry. Many truly understand purpose as the message we all have to deliver to our world. However, very few convert their messages to ministries.
The unconverted messages can be likened to laying eggs without hatching them. Living with the understanding of your purpose as your message surely may have brought forth conception and even get to the point of laying the eggs, but it can never crack up the outer layer of the eggs that the yokes which have been transformed to chicks may break out of the shells.
It takes your message becoming your ministry for you to have the delivery of your vision. Your message is without force and impact, it is when that message becomes a ministry that the power of purpose and accomplishment is activated.
The word ministry literally means service. That is, to render service and to attend to the need of others. So then, he who has a ministry is a minister. And a minister is someone appointed to serve. Therefore by ministering we render service and as ministers we are servants.
The word servant must be made clear. If ministers are servants and ministry is service, who do we serve as ministers and what do we serve those we are to serve?
Many are so very conscious of the message they have, but they are not messengers in the real sense of the word, not in the biblical context as the Creator intended it to be. A messenger in the biblical context is not just a medium whereby messages are given out, but a fountain of life.
Messages are not what we deliver by speech, neither is it what we deliver by passing out my knowledge, my understanding, my wisdom and my skills into other lives. It is the impartation of life. But, no one can pass out and pour out life into others without first becoming a minister of the true life.
However, I want you to know this – that just as there is no one without a message, there is also no one without a ministry. You need not search for your ministry, just identify your message; for your message is your ministry. What we all need for conversion to take place from a mere message to ministry is the consciousness of service and then we proceed to live our lives by giving out our message as a service to be rendered.
Never say you do not have a ministry, because you are not called into any of the fivefold ministry of Christ. That you are not an apostle, nor a prophet, nor an evangelist, nor a pastor and even a teacher does not mean that you are without a ministry in the body of Christ and in the world at large.
We all are gifted, but the gift varies. Gifting is not limited to the pulpit, but whatsoever you have is given for the benefit of your world and at the same time for the benefit of the kingdom of Christ on earth.
The word benefit is only realized not because of what I am able to receive from you, but what you have given out to me by service and what you have given out to God for his kingdom’s sake through service.
You are gifted to give it all out by service. Rendering out service through your gift, your talent and your potential is the conversion of your message to your ministry. Whatsoever you have by possession and whatever you are able to do by your ability is a blessing from God. But you are blessed that you might be a blessing.
The blessing that flows out from an individual to another without the consciousness of service and the attitude of a servant is not a ministry but a mere show-off, originating from self towards fulfilling a selfish end.
You are called to serve with what has been given to you. That which has been given to you is your message. Your ministry is your message. We all have a calling that goes beyond career, our calling is to minister our message.
Serve with your message and by serving you impact life.
Add value to other lives with your valuables. Those treasures in your possession – spiritual, mental, intellectual and material valuables – must be used to add values. Increase and enlarge other lives by your abundant. Make other life rich by whatever riches you posses.
In conclusion, let this mind be in all of us who has the desire to walk in purpose. It is the mindset of Christ. ‘’Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.’’ Philippians 2: 6-8.
‘’ ….but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many.’’ Mathew 20: 26-28.
What you and I need to become a real minister of God is the spirit and the attitude of a true servant of the most high God. Beloved, we are servant-leader, ministering and administering our gifts in the fear of the Lord. This is our message and our ministry, for we have no other ministry other than the message rendered unto the world in service to God and to humanity.
Walking in purpose-Through the full circle of purpose:
-Your Mission
Walking in purpose is a continuous chain effect that started from the great revival of the ministry of the Word of life and the ministry of the Spirit of life. The ministry of life generated by the combination of the forces of the Word of life and that of the Spirit of life set our lives in motion towards fulfilling purpose.
It is this motion that sets us on the circle of life and purpose. Life, indeed, is a circle that begins at one point and ends up at that same point. But right here, on the circle of purpose, we have successfully walked through life as a message, at the same time we have been able to convert our messages to our ministry.
Having a message and afterward a ministry is still not yet a complete circle unless our ministry becomes our mission. When a man lives out his message as a ministry, there is a transformation that takes place in the heart of that individual. It is the consciousness of a mission.
There arises a consciousness in the heart of a man walking in purpose; that his message is not only his ministry, that what he has been given to deliver to his world as a ministry is the reason and the purpose of his existence. It is the reason you are still alive.
Living with a consciousness of a mission changes our orientation about life and gives us focus as well as dedication and commitment towards a goal. We set goals and set up ourselves by dedicating and committing ourselves through perseverance to achieve them, because there is a mission born out of vision in view.
We have one sure and authentic source by which we can acquaint ourselves with living out purpose as a mission. The source is the life of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Jesus lived and fulfilled his purpose primarily because of His sense of mission. He knew very well the purpose of his existence and was fully committed to fulfilling the same purpose. That is no longer an ordinary message, neither is it a ministry anymore. But it is a mission-oriented mind.
On a particular day, His disciples brought food to Him and said to Him; ‘’Master, eat’’ and his response was,’’ I have food to eat that you do not know of…..my food is to do the will of him that sent me and to finish his work.’’ John 4:31; 32-34.
On another occasion when he was brought into judgement before Pilate to be judged by men, faced with the reality of crucifixion, He was asked to defend Himself. Then, He opened His mouth and declare His mission. Without flinching from the cross, He declared His mission.
‘’ To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth.’’ John 18: 37.
Mission is when fulfilling your purpose is more important to you than your life. Living your life with your mission in view is when fulfilling your purpose is your number one priority in life. It is setting your purpose above all.
The man who lives with mission in view lives daily by walking and working to achieve the desired end. He is willing to pay the price and sacrifice for the objectives, which is the purpose of his existence.
The truth is life is empty without mission. You may have a vision, a dream planted in your heart as a seed, but it takes a mission-oriented mind and mission-activated attitude to both nurture and bring forth the vision.
The power of mission is the force that transforms vision to a reality. We should not be the man of vision alone, but we should also be the man of mission. The man of vision lives by what he sees, but the man of mission work persistently and ceaselessly to bring to reality the picture of the desire conceived in the spirit of his mind.
It is impossible to stop the man on a mission. He is driven by a force beyond human origin. His optimism is complete and there is really no room for pessimism. His trust and his loyalty to the Lord that commissions his mission are on the increase every day of his mission-focused life.
To live, we walk in purpose. The essence of living is to complete the circle of purpose. Living with the understanding and the reality of your message and your ministry without your mission is an incomplete life. And (Needless to say that) an incomplete life is an unfulfilled life.
A sense of mission is what keeps us going despite all odds and opposition on our path. A sense of mission is what keeps us alive despite persecution and trials. It is my belief that the man on a mission to fulfil with the burning desire birthed by the Holy Spirit cannot be terminated until the mission is accomplished.
The fire of mission is ignited and fueled by the power of the Spirit of God resident in all believers. The Spirit of God creates a zeal and a passion so great within us for the object of purpose. The creation of this zeal is the reason for the unquenchable flame of love burning in us for the object of purpose. The burning zeal of mission makes the man on a mission to persistently be in pursuit of purpose.
What else could have kept a man like Paul going despite all of his challenges, persecution and trials? Of course, it was the burning zeal of mission and the fervency of such experience of flame in the heart that makes the man of mission to keep going. There is no battalion discharge from hell that can stop the man on a mission.
Hear what Paul has to say about all his confrontations in the pursuit of purpose fueled by the burning zeal of mission created by the indwelling power of the Spirit of God.
‘’ Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeying often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by my own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren.
In weariness and painfulness, in watching often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.’’ 2 Corinthians 11: 24-27.
Reading through all these experiences of Paul in pursuit of mission, you wonder what makes this greatapostle so thick and indestructible. The man seems to have many lives. Apostle Paul had only one life like every one of us. Only one life to live, but that life had encountered the indestructible life of Christ.
In addition to the reality of resurrected life made manifest in Paul, the Holy Ghost has ignited the burning fire of zeal, by which a mission-oriented and mission-focused life is achieved.
The more you try to kill the man on a mission, the more he lives, and the more you try to stop the man on a mission, the more he gains momentum. Paul was so sure of life; he knew he could not die until the mission commissioned by the Lord on his way to Damascus is accomplished.
To him, ‘’ to die is gain’’ philippians 1:21
Meaning, it is more profiting for him to die and to be with the Lord. But at the same time for him; ‘’ to live is Christ.’’ Phillippians 1:21.
There was a desire in him to depart and be with the Lord, but there are still more to do. He was so sure of life and so he simply chose to live because there still remains quite a lot to do. The man on a mission born of the vision of heavenly purpose lives a Christ-centred life. The Son of God, the Christ of the living God, dominates such a life.
This then is our conclusion – that life is a complete walk through the circle of purpose. Success is therefore not about material acquisition, neither is it fame nor position of power and authority. All these are merely the by-products of success.
Success is the fulfilment of purpose and purpose is not fulfilled unless we complete the circle of purpose. So, every man with a message to deliver takes the message and converts the message to a ministry. By so doing, he becomes a messenger who services the need of others with his message.
On the final note, as we daily minister to the need of others with our God-given messages, there arises a consciousness that we have something more than a ministry. We have a mission.
Since success is a divine ideal, the Spirit of the Lord works through us and with us to take us through the circle of living with a sense of purpose, a purpose-oriented life. That purpose-focused life is encompassed your message, your ministry and your mission. Beloved, success is a complete walk. It is the outcome of walking in purpose. May you succeed with your message, your ministry and your mission. Remain blessed.