Ministers' Conference
Date: Monday, 9th August, 2021
Speaker 1: Reverend Samson Ajetomobi
Jesus is the perfect example when we speak about sacrifice. He had come into a high stature when the demand of the cross was placed upon Him and could excuse Himself; yet, He chose to go to the cross and opened not His mouth when He was reviled against (Isa. 53:7). Sacrifice must be deliberate when it comes to the issue of ministry. When we look at the life and ministry of Jesus, and the authority He gave to the Church through His name, we also need to consider the sacrifice He went through to gain the name (authority). The sacrifices He made preceded the power embedded in the name.
“Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name…” (Philipp. 2:9). The name of Jesus has been made higher than every other name; and with this name, we have access to doors in the spirit. As such, this name should be highly revered. There is something special about this name that makes impossible things happen. We can use the name of Jesus to raise the dead amongst accessing other material blessings, but we cannot use our own names to do these things; because there is something special about the name of Jesus.
There are many things that defy human explanations. As a matter of fact, life is full of riddles and mysteries but there is One who has the key to all the mysteries of life. “And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.” (Rev. 5:5). Many weep over things they have no solution over, but we should not weep because there is the power of sacrifice embodied in the slain Lamb.
A heart of service is one that prioritizes the work of the Lord over comfort. I never had money to buy a car because the money that my wife and I had were used to take the gospel to the destitute, poor and all in need of the gospel. During the course of ministry, my wife was attacked by fetish people; they tried all they could, but Jesus showed up. We had a very unique meeting that day because the charms people had armed themselves with came falling off without any human aid.
Sacrifice is worship. Do not think of comfort when you have the privilege to worship. The voice in the Lamb’s blood is sacrifice. Anything you desire, you must pay a price for it. If you want a great marriage, career, education and so on, sacrifice is required. Every sacrifice is a loss to the giver but gives joy to the recipient. Some people think salvation is free, but it cost the life of a man – Jesus Christ.
The sacrifice of Jesus’ life is forever honoured, which is why many miracles are wrought in His name. “But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.” (Matt. 9:36). One thing Jesus possessed was compassion. Whenever He saw the multitude, He was moved with compassion. We are in a generation that is fainting, where people try to justify their actions based on their ideologies. This culture is gradually creeping into the church; but it is good to know that the Bible is absolute. You either take the Bible holistically the way it is or miss out completely on it.
Jesus always went after the faint; He was seen engaging sinners, eating with them and treating them as friends but the Pharisees could not understand this ministry because of their cloak of righteousness (Luke 15:2). If your ministry does not reach out to sinners, then you must re-evaluate it. Jesus was the most misunderstood Man because of the kind of company He kept. He was mostly misunderstood by the Pharisees and it is this same pharisaical mindset that is wrong with the church today.
Everyone should have the heart of sacrifice, for no ministry grows without sacrifice. This also plays out in natural life. We see that those who excel in the natural had things that they sacrificed. “For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. [20] And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; [21] To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. [22] To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.” (1 Cor. 9:19-22). Paul lived a life of sacrifice and we see some of the sacrifices he made in this scripture.
There are key sacrifices that you must keep as a believer. The first is the sacrifice to keep your consecration because no one would do this for you. Consecration is the caution you put around yourself. It is important to consecrate yourself because you can be tempted; even Jesus was tempted (Heb. 4:15). If the beauty of a sister can make you lose your consecration, then you are very weak. However, in marriage, you are expected to be seductive with your spouse. This is only allowed within the premise of marriage.
The second is the sacrifice of an unending prayer life. I made sacrifices for the kind of marriage I wanted. I spent most of my courtship time praying with my spouse. There was a day where we spent ten hours praying. This was a sacrifice that we made as against always having fun, and this also aided our consecration. Prayer is not effective if it is not based on the word of God. There is a difference between praying and having a prayer life. A lifestyle of prayer opens up the word to you.
The third sacrifice and consecration is having an active bible study lifestyle.
A ministry that is not founded on the principles above will not stand. Another key strength for a ministry is keeping healthy relationships, for ministry thrives on healthy relationships. A good shepherd will not give his pulpit to just any minister; he needs to ensure that no minister stands on his pulpit without the right spirit, so that the flock will not be corrupted.
The sacrifice of commitment has been lost but it must be restored in this generation. Our homes should also be decked with sacrifices. We must not lose our sense of sacrifice in our homes and especially in the aspect of giving, commitment, and love.