DON'T RUN MINISTRY WITH CARNAL SENTIMENTS! (PART 3)
“Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him, What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, They are come from a far country, even from Babylon.” - 2 Kings 20:14
By the grace of the Lord, this is the concluding part in the series. For a good and clear understanding of what is being said, you may need to refer to parts 1 and 2 in the series which were published on the 11th of November, 2022 and the 13th of November, 2022 respectively by following this link : https://wordfortoday.netlify.app/ .
Note the manner and order in which Isaiah asked his questions in 2 Kings 20:14: "What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee?" Obviously, this is the divine or Heavenly order of approval or recognition for men. It's first of all about what a man has to say, and thereafter, you may consider where he comes from. It shouldn't be the other way round. This is so because preference should be given to what a man has to say rather than where the fellow comes from.
As it's peculiar with man since the great fall in the Garden of Eden, this divine or Heavenly order has been shelved or reversed. Instead of putting utmost consideration on "what saith", ie, what a man has to say (his message, which ordinarily should determine his worth) man has shifted emphasis to "from whence" (where people come from as the factor to determine their worth, value or fitness for a work or an office).
This is a satanically inspired aberration that has crept into the Church with the result that the work of the Lord is hindered because we find everywhere "round pegs in square holes". Emphasis has shifted from ability to nepotism, to favoritism and to tribalism. It's now the question of where you come from and not of your ability to perform. Sadly, you may possess the ability to perform and not be considered relevant; and worse still have a grossly incompetent fellow given preference. No wonder that the work of God suffers, with little or no progress made. This ought not to be so, and shouldn't at all be mentioned in the Church of the Living God!
From the account of Barnabas and John Mark (you'll find details in Parts 1 and 2 in the series), men ought to learn that the work of the ministry, or rather, Church work should never be run on principles of favoritism, nepotism or tribalism, but on the principles of truth, righteousness, ability, etc. Those that run ministry on the satanic principles of favoritism, nepotism and tribalism do so at the risk of Heaven's disapproval and rejection. Like we noted of Barnabas, the moment he chose John Mark, his nephew as ministry partner, he lost Heaven's approval for his ministry/work. Thenceforth, no mention of their names (Barnabas and John Mark) was made anymore in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles.
Indeed, so many works will not stand the test of Heaven’s fire on the last day, despite such works having won earthly admiration and accolades from men. So the Bible says in 1 Cor 3:13-15 that “Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.”
Have a good day!
PRAYER:
Dearest Heavenly Father, thank you for letting me know the order of Heaven's priority for men: 'what they can do before where they come from'. Help me also never to do your work with carnal sentiments, in Jesus name.