Believers Convention 2024 (Day 2 Morning Session)
Date: Monday, 19th August, 2024
Minister: Rev. (Mrs.) Mercy Ezekiel
Topic: The Blessings and Hazards of the New Testament Minister
Bullet Point Excerpts
1. One cannot become a New Testament minister without passing through hazards. People do not want to hear these things; they would rather prefer to ride on the wings of success without knowing what opens the door of success. To become a minister, you must go through a process.
2. Hazards mean pitfalls or dangers. As a minister, there are times you go into pitfalls or pass through dangers that could make you cry but are unknown to people around you. This happened in the case of Paul when he ‘besought’ the Lord, but the Lord said to him, “My grace is sufficient for thee” (2 Cor. 12:9).
3. The glory of the Old Testament is gone. That glory has to do with the law, and the law is a killer. It exposes us to dangers but grace covers us. However, this does not mean that we should be in grace and continue in sin (Rom. 6:1). The belief of “once saved, forever saved” is a lie!
4. One of the hazards that New Testament ministers face is peer pressure. When a minister wants to look like others due to peer pressure and begins to run helter-skelter or get into dubious things because of it, he will get into trouble. Everything has its season; when your season comes, nobody will stop your manifestation.
5. The second hazard is arrogance and pride; it makes one lose the presence of God. This is what brought Satan down, and it is disturbing many ministers today. One who is proud will begin to despise those who helped him up, saying that they are of the old times and are under the law. The enemy is a thief; he has come to steal, kill and destroy. Many ministers right now are very proud.
6. Another hazard is disobedience to authority where you serve. Mankind disobeyed God, and God regretted creating man because their thoughts became full of evil continuously (Gen. 6:5). One can begin by being obedient to spiritual authority but can suddenly forget how he was helped and begin to disobey.
7. Some ministers are quick to start their own ministries; they do not wait to receive blessing from those above them. Blessing is very important in whatever you do. Spiritual authority might look like something one can despise, but it is God who bestowed authority upon men in such capacities. Therefore, we should not look down on them. We should not repay good with evil. Touching a minister is touching the oil on his head, so do not disrespect authority (Rom. 13:1-2).
Blessings!