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I shared in the last devotional about the privilege of Priesthood that Abihu and his brother enjoyed. In a similar way, the Bible calls us royal priesthood.

Each privilege has an associated responsibility with it.  Abihu and his brother were not exempt from this, neither are we exempt from the high price of our calling!

Nadab and Abihu had died before the Lord when they offered profane fire before the Lord in the Wilderness of Sinai; and they had no children. So Eleazar and Ithamar ministered as priests in the presence of Aaron their father. Numbers 3:4

Abihu had done nothing to deserve the priesthood, but he and his brother enjoyed the blessing of being Aaron’s sons. Abihu and Nadab saw God, His greatness, and His magnificence (see Exodus 24:9-13). However, they chose to disobey Him. They took their positions for granted and became sloppy and casual. They may have assumed since their priestly position came from the fact that they were sons of Aaron that their privilege was here to remain!

My children have the privilege of having a car and driving it. They could not afford to purchase their car neither can they afford all the maintenance associated with having a car.  Our main requirement is that they need to drive it responsibly. Getting causal and sloppy can jeopardize the safety of the passengers in addition to putting other people in harm’s way. They can keep the privilege of driving the car as long as they take the responsibility of driving seriously.

God gives us privileges because we belong to Him, but we are required to follow His instructions in order to maintain our privileges. We can’t afford to take a privilege for granted! 

Abihu and Nadab had the same privilege that Joshua enjoyed, but these two took their position for granted & disobeyed God. Not only did they lose their lives, but they also lost the opportunity to leave a natural and a spiritual legacy.

God has given us the privilege of being His royal priesthood. That’s something that can’t be done on a part-time basis, but it is a 24/7 calling. This calling should impact every aspect of our lives. Those of us who are married, we need to consider our spouses a gift from the Lord and work towards maintaining our marriages strong and united. We also can’t take our jobs for granted. We are called to do our best as unto the Lord regardless of who is watching. Ultimately it is the Lord who gave us that job, and we represent Him to a lost world by serving our boss!  In ministering to others, we can’t afford to forget that God has entrusted His people to us. We are to love them and give our best as unto the Lord.

Let’s consider some of the privileges the Lord has blessed us with and remind ourselves of His requirements for the privilege!

When you think about priesthood, who comes to your mind?

Aaron took to himself Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab, sister of Nahshon, as wife; and she bore him Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. Exodus 6:23

Aaron was the right hand man to Moses, and he became the father of four sons. By the sheer fact that they were Aaron’s sons, Abihu & Nadab gained the privilege of being included in the priesthood.

Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and they saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in its clarity.  But on the nobles of the children of Israel He did not lay His hand. So they saw God, and they ate and drank.

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and be there; and I will give you tablets of stone, and the law and commandments which I have written, that you may teach them.”

 So Moses arose with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up to the mountain of God. Exodus 24: 9-13

Abihu and his brother were invited along with seventy elders of Israel to go up the mountain to a higher place to worship God! What a privilege for the two young men to walk beside Moses, Aaron, and the elders to get closer to God and worship Him! Notice that Joshua was part of this group as well.

The scripture tells us that these individuals “saw the God of Israel”. They had the honor of seeing God without being consumed by Him. They were even allowed to have a time of fellowship and communion with God and with one another. His holiness didn’t make them tremble. On the contrary, they had an enjoyable time of eating and drinking together. This was God’s favor on these leaders.

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 1Peter 2:9

Abihu and his brother inherited priesthood because of their father Aaron. Spiritually speaking, we inherit the priesthood because of what Jesus has done on our behalf. If we have made Jesus as our Lord and savior, we are priests as unto the Lord! There is a great favor and privilege associated with being considered royal priesthood. We get to see God and hear Him, and we can intercede on behalf of others. He reveals Himself to us and gives us power to do His work. We have the privilege of entering God’s throne room apart from our effort or works.

Do we appreciate our position as royal priesthood? Do we utilize our God given position to intercede on behalf of others and show Christ to them?

The privilege of priesthood comes with a great responsibility. I will share more about Abihu’s priesthood in the next devotional.

He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul;

He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Psalm 23:2-3

Did you enjoy taking a nap as a child? As a girl growing up in a small Middle Eastern town, the afternoon naps were very much part of my culture. In midday, people would go home to have lunch and take a little nap. During summers when we were with my grandparents, the same order still existed. However, the older kids (the teenagers) were not required to take a nap. They had the option to go out and play while everyone else was taking a nap.

As a 4 or 5-year-old taking a nap was not a problem especially if I could lie down right next to my Mom and play with her hair. However, when I was around 9 or 10 years old, napping looked like a punishment to my cousins and me. In our minds, only little people were required to take naps. The fact that we wondered what the older kids were doing wasn’t helpful either. When we put our heads down to nap, we hoped that it would be a short one, so as not to miss out on too much fun! If/when we managed to take a nap, we always felt refreshed and rejuvenated. Then we would rush down the stairs to find out what we missed while we were asleep. Most of the time, to our relief nothing had changed from the earlier hour!

Similarly, we wrestle to find rest for our souls. It’s interesting that the scripture tells us “He makes me to lie down in green pastures.” Sheep are fearful animals, so it is difficult for them to relax. The shepherd’s presence can help them to feel more secure. In the same way, when we know our shepherd is close to us, we can rest in His presence and enjoy what He has blessed us with for that day.

Jesus is our Great Shepherd, and He has good things to share with us who follow Him. It is His desire to restore and refresh our souls. We will not miss anything by resting; rather, we will gain fresh perspective and strength.The Lord knows that when our souls are restored, we can handle life and circumstances better. We can see things clearly and feel the strength of God.  

Lord, thank you for the provision of restoring our souls. We don’t want to resist resting today. Help us to appreciate it and allow you to refresh and restore our burdened and restless souls.

Are there issues which have caused heaviness, anxiety, or restlessness in your heart recently?

I praise God that He not only forgives us from past sins, but He also has an answer for our restless souls! We can’t live this life for any length of time and not need a healing and restoration of our souls. Our minds, emotions, and will are continually bombarded by worldliness, sin, and temptations, and they are in need of being renewed and refreshed. The Lord has an answer for our anxiety and restlessness.

I am reminded of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet. In those days, people wore sandals and walked in dirt paths. When they entered their homes, there was a need to wash their feet before they could sit down and relax. In a similar way, our souls are exposed to all kinds of toxic situations, imageries, and noise, and we are in need of being cleansed and refreshed on a regular basis.

The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. Psalm 19:7

God’s truth has a refreshing and restorative power in our lives. His word washes us from all the build up of dirt and smog that covers the soul. I had a friend who grew up in a very rough and painful circumstance. She would use Bible on tape during nighttime and listen to it for hours while she was asleep. She was allowing the word of God to wash her mind, imagination, and dreams even when she was not totally aware.

Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him. Psalm 62:1

It is easy to get stressed by all the expectation of the culture and get caught up with what everyone is doing if we are not watchful. The world system is designed to keep us driven to do more in order to feel complete and whole. There is no rest in this system! Our soul can be in anguish from various pressures: “Am I making enough money?” , “Are my kids involved in enough extra-curricular activities?”, “Should I get more education?”, “Do I need to be more involved?”, “Is my home too small?”, and the list goes on. Sometimes, the church culture can even create some unbiblical pressures in people’s lives. When we recognize that we are not capable or required to keep up with everyone else, our process of restoration begins!

When we have flu, the first thing the doctor asks us to do is to rest and drink a lot of liquid. In the same manner, our souls need to rest in God in order to get healed. Through His word, He helps us to get rid of toxicity in our souls, and we learn to rest in Him. He gives us clarity concerning our priorities and what should be important to us.

Rest in God removes a lot of issues such as anxiety, fear, worry, anger, restlessness, and so on. He is the source of our salvation, and He knows what we need for our future. The Lord can show us what we should be working on today in order to prepare for tomorrow. We can’t do it all, and we were never intended to. The more we rest in God, the less we will second guess ourselves about our choices and priorities!

Are there issues which have caused heaviness or restlessness in your heart recently? Take some time today to get in the Word of God and rest in Him. Let Him wash you through His word and allow His presence to comfort you and give you rest. When you soul is refreshed and renewed, you will see things differently!

What are the characteristics of someone whom God enjoys to rest upon?

“Heaven is My throne,
And earth is My footstool.
Where is the house that you will build Me?
And where is the place of My rest?
² For all those things My hand has made,
And all those things exist,”
Says the Lord.
“But on this one will I look:
On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit,
And who trembles at My word. Isaiah 66:1-2

According to above scripture, the characteristic of that kind of person is that they are poor and contrite in spirit, and tremble at His word. Isaiah penned these verses centuries prior to Jesus coming to the earth. Jesus restated the issue of poverty of Spirit in the New Testament when He preached in what is now known as the Sermon on the Mount.

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3

Those who recognize their need for the Lord on a continual basis will see the Kingdom of God. When we first accepted Jesus, we had a poverty of Spirit that led us to Him. We recognized that we are in need of Him and without Him we can’t truly live. In the same vein, we can’t forget where God has brought us from, and that we are always in need of Him.  When Jesus modeled the Lord’s Prayer to His disciples, He prayed that God would give them their “daily bread”. God has a joyful rest in a person whose main occupation is to be in awe of Him and who looks to Him daily for all things.

According to above scripture, the second characteristic of a restful place is someone with a contrite heart. Our heart condition can be very tricky. When things are tough, it’s easy to have a contrite heart, but when things are going well, we can get haughty. In good times, thinking that somehow we have arrived can easily deceive our heart.  Some people show up to church only when they are in a time of great need. They have a contrite heart and are willing to receive and listen for a while. However, once the pain subsides or their problem goes away, you don’t hear or see them again. That’s why the scripture tells us to guard our hearts with all diligence (Proverbs 4:23).

The third characteristic of a resting place for God is one who trembles at His word. As a New Testament believer, we enjoy and appreciate God’s love, but sometimes we forget that it is because of His holiness that Jesus had to pay the price to be crucified. God never changed His standards in order to have a relationship with us. We can’t ignore/minimize His standard of holiness now that we are His sons/daughters.

I love my children dearly, but in no way do I want them to take my instruction/direction casually.  My instruction is for their benefit, and I have a greater peace when they are doing right. God cannot rest in a place where He is not honored. Sloppiness and being casual with God will not produce peace in our lives neither does it prepare a joyful place of rest for God!

The Lord has everything He wants and needs, but He doesn’t have us automatically. What a pleasure and honor for the Lord to find a joyful resting place in us!

Where is God’s resting place?

“Heaven is My throne,
And earth is My footstool.
Where is the house that you will build Me?
And where is the place of My rest?
² For all those things My hand has made,
And all those things exist,”
Says the Lord.
“But on this one will I look:
On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit,
And who trembles at My word. Isaiah 66:1-2

God is the creator of all things, and there is nothing that He cannot provide for Himself.  God’s majesty is evident in the fact that heaven is His throne, and the earth is His footstool. Yet He will not force us to have a relationship with Him. His relationship with humanity is conditional based on our desire to seek Him. Because we have a free will, our intimacy and relationship with Him is a choice that He has given us. God is not going to push us to communicate with Him, but He desires very much to commune with us.

The Lord is looking to rest in His people. The above scriptures share the type of resting place God is seeking. First and foremost, God is not looking to dwell in elaborate buildings made with human hands. I’ve seen some of the most beautiful churches in the world including the Sistine Chapel in Rome. Many of those beautiful churches have been turned into awe-inspiring museums where they are just a tourist attraction these days. Those architectural buildings have become a place to be impressed with man’s artistry and skill. I’m sure many of those artists had the intention of glorifying God with their gifting and talents, but somewhere along the line, man lost focus of the creator and began to worship the created. God’s intention has never been to dwell in buildings.  Isaiah penned the above scriptures long before the Holy Spirit came to take residence in man.

Secondly, God is looking for a habitation not a place of visitation. He doesn’t want to just be present among us; He desires to rest in us. We prepare our hearts as a habitation and a dwelling place for Him. The word “rest” in verse 2 is different than the “rest” mentioned in Genesis 2 when God rested from creating the heavens and the earth. God’s rest on the seventh day meant that He ceased from work and from creating. The word “rest” that is used in the above scripture is about enjoying a time of tranquil quietness and relaxation. The Lord is posing the question, “Where is the place of My rest?”.

When you enter a house that is full of chaos, strife, and disorganization, it is not easy to relax in it. It doesn’t help when the host/ hostess tries to apologize for the unruly children, piled up bills, dirty dishes, or a smelly dog. The entire apology just adds extra noise to an unpleasant situation. If a person makes a habit of making excuses for their chaos rather than working on it, they will not experience rest in their homes! What is God looking for in a resting place?

I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.

Continued Series from “The Church…The Clash of Man’s Expectation & God’s Plan Series”

What is the role of church in a believer’s life?

Some believe since Christians have the Holy Spirit, read the Bible, and hear God for themselves, they don’t have the need for church leadership functions as the people in the Old Testament did. Here is what the scripture tells us:

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,  till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,  but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—  from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. Ephesians 4:11-16

The church is called to equip the saints for the work of ministry and to help them grow up. God established the five fold ministry gifts of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers to produce a healthy, united, and balanced church. These are leadership/governing functions, and they were created by design in the New Testament era to help the body grow up. The word “equipping” means to prepare and to prefect. God has established those functions for the benefit of His people, so they can be guided and shepherded in truth without people being tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine.

The church is not meant to be the only solution to a believer’s maturity, but it does have an important role to play.  The Lord will also work His own process in a believer’s life in which the person has to learn to yield to God, crucify the flesh, and live in the Spirit as a lifestyle. Each person has been given the Holy Spirit to commune with God and learn to hear His direction for their lives. As a believer begins to mature in the Lord, the role of church in their lives is not as intense as it was when they were babes in Christ. However, the necessity for doctrine, instruction, prayer, encouragement, accountability, service, and fellowship that a church provides does not go away until Jesus comes back for His bride!

If/when we align our expectations to what the Lord desires to do in His body, we are positioning ourselves for growth and maturity. Unfortunately, if we insist in having church our way, we will continue to be frustrated and disappointed. It will also arrest our development in our relationship to the Lord.

If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body?  And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? 1 Corinthians 12:15-16

In 1Corinthians 12, Paul gives the analogy of the church being like a human body with each part doing its function uniquely. Each part belongs to the body regardless of what the other parts think of it. When God calls us to a particular church regardless of how we feel or how others feel about us, we belong there. No other person has any more right to belong than we do. We don’t need to allow others to make us feel inferior. We are not lesser in value because we are not operating at a certain level/function.  We can’t lose our identity in the heat of the battle! This is where we have to fight for what God has spoken about belonging to the body and not shrink back because of disappointments or hurt feelings. I’m sorry if you have been hurt by any members or leaders in the church. Please forgive them. Trust God that He is not finished with you nor with the church!

These devotionals turned out to be a lengthy series because the Lord has been downloading them piece by piece to share them with you. Unless we look to Him, we can get drowned in the sea of carnality! Often times, the church dynamics are not simple, and they truly require seeking the Lord for clarity or else confusion can set in. The good news is that God sees all things and knows all things regardless of how things appear at the moment. He is not finished with His people. He is at work when we are not aware and praise God for that!

I hope these devotionals have given you God’s heart for the church as opposed to our expectations or the church culture.  It is important to examine our approach and perspective towards church in the light of the scriptures. We may need to Repent, forgive others, or ask to be forgiven depending on how we have handled tough church situations.

Jesus was crucified and resurrected, so we can have life! What hurt is worth holding onto in the light of His sacrifice? It is time to let go of our offenses, so God can heal and restore the body. He is coming back for His bride (a unified body), and each of us have a part to play to get the bride ready to meet her bridegroom!

Continued Series from “The Church…The Clash of Man’s Expectation & God’s Plan Series”

Is it important for a believer to be part of a local church?

Some believe that staying in relationship with other believers and having home gatherings is all you need as a Christian. They can even support their view by quoting Matthew 18:20 which states:

For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.

This scripture is taken out of context many times. Some who have been disappointed by the church, quote the above scripture feeling justified in not going to church. If you look at the context of this scripture starting at Matthew 18:15, you’ll find that Jesus is speaking about mending relationships between brothers and sisters in Christ. He is telling us that we should go to our brother, work out our offenses, and make things right. If/when we do this, Jesus is pleased and present amongst us!

Sometimes people stop going to church because they have tried a few churches, and they haven’t been able to find one that meets their expectations. It is not easy to find strong churches that are willing to stand for the whole truth and be balanced in truth and in grace! That’s why we need to appreciate and value the ones who do a good job in those areas and pray for them.

Have you been praying for the local churches in your area? Ministry is not for the faint-hearted, and it can be very difficult. The various churches and their leaders need our prayers to hold them up for the great task before them. This could even change a believer’s heart towards the local churches, and the Lord can guide the individuals to the right church for them. In order to settle in a church, we also need to examine our expectation against the word of God and see if there is an adjustment necessary in our perspective.

Where did the early believers gather? What did they do when they gathered together?

And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.  Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.

So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. Acts 2:42-47

The above scripture tells us that people gathered together at the temple and at homes! They received instruction in doctrine, broke bread, praised God, and had fellowship. These are all the elements of a healthy local church and a healthy believer’s life. When the early church did all those things, God was pleased and added to their numbers.

Some claim that in order to be ready for the upcoming persecution, we need to learn not to depend on the church or its members. The truth is that persecution will come, but the answer is not avoiding the church! This would be like a middle aged person saying. “When I am 90, I will be gumming my food, so I might as well start now and get ready for it!” That would be an absurd statement, and so is avoiding the church to get ready for persecution.  The key is learning the skill in navigating through church dynamics in such a way that we don’t get trapped by the bait of the enemy and keep our focus on Jesus!

I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.

Continued Series from “The Church…The Clash of Man’s Expectation & God’s Plan Series”

How do you view the role of  leadership at your church?

The role and the authority of a leadership team can look different in various churches. Sometimes it is greatly defined by the culture of a denomination/church rather than being strictly established according to scripture.

Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you. Hebrews 13: 17

As a church member, God gives us instruction in submitting to our leaders and helping their job to be a joyful task. The leaders have a great responsibility before God,  and they are ultimately accountable to Him. Relating to our leaders in a healthy and a Biblical way can be a great blessing, and it produces a good environment for growth. However, if we don’t relate right to our leaders, it can cause pain, frustration, and ungodly ties.

Sometimes the church members take one of two extreme positions in relating to their leaders.

There are some who tend to put the leadership on a pedestal of perfection. This group views the voice of the leadership as the voice of God and over time becomes passive in hearing the voice of the Lord for themselves. They tend to gravitate towards one person and follow them closely. The side effect of this approach is division and making the church political as Paul described it in (1Corinthians 1 :10-17). These individuals have a greater likelihood of conformity than being transformed because they are more enamored by a person rather than with Jesus! All is well until something happens and a leader disappoints them. Then they are completely distraught and disillusioned by the leadership.

Another group likes to see the shepherds as peers who happen to be the leaders in the church. The shepherd’s instruction and advice is not taken seriously but only as a suggestion. They feel the freedom to share their opinion on various matters and have no problem criticizing the leadership and backbiting those who lead the church. Since they are focused on leaders’ humanity and imperfections, they tend not to grow much in their faith. Their intent is to change the leadership and help them become enlightened.

I have not seen anywhere in the Bible where God was led by the opinion of man to put a particular person in place of authority or to take him down. If/when people chose to criticize their leaders, they were the ones who got into trouble with God! God does hold his leaders accountable, and He ultimately confronts any rebellion and sin in a leaders’ life. However He is not moved by man’s preference and neither does He choose to take care of a situation in man’s timetable.  

As believers,  we are called to keep our eyes on Jesus and not on man.  We will never completely understand what God is doing and how He is using a leader in people’s lives. Sometimes things will not make sense at all, but we are all called to look to Jesus and get our marching orders from Him. 

For some of us, it is time to stop being enamored by the icons in the church. This will take the pressure off the leadership to be perfect or act a certain way. It will also allow the fellow church members to relate to a leader in a healthy way. It will stop people elbowing each other to be seen by a leader. Properly relating to our leaders will change the atmosphere in the church by bringing fresh air of freedom, love, and authenticity. We can all go about our merry way living our lives as light and salt without making church complicated and ministry unattainable as it appears at times!

Obviously the shepherds have a role in understanding their great responsibility towards the flock. Knowing how to lead their congregation according to God’s will is of utmost importance. If you are in leadership, please study Ezekiel 34 and John 10. I used to spend an entire session covering these scriptures when I taught a Lay Pastoring class at the Rock School of Ministry. These scriptures share God’s heart for the leadership clearly and powerfully.  We all should count the cost of leading before accepting the responsibility of overseeing the people of God!

What are some of your church cultural values that cause unnecessary stress or expectation in your life? This doesn’t mean it’s time for you to leave your church. It may just mean to adjust your thinking, expectation, and even your relationships. This will help you not to get tripped up by some of the church issues that may not be as important to Jesus as they are to your church culture/members.

I will continue with this series in the next devotional.

Continued Series from “The Church…The Clash of Man’s Expectation & God’s Plan Series”

One of the important factors that we should consider when it comes to clash of man’s expectation and God’s plan is the church culture. If we spend long enough time in any church we will discern the culture of that particular church. We will see the flavor of the church and what they highly value. We will observe the goals that it sets for itself. Many of those flavors are God’s heart uniquely expressed in various churches which is beautiful to see. However, sometimes a church can set out goals that on the surface look very spiritual, but they can have negative implications.

Goals and Values

For example, a church that sets a timeline for planting new churches can create an unrealistic goal that makes people strive to reach it. While planting churches is a wonderful desire, it cannot happen in man’s timetable. Making it a goal, can cause a sense of failure in those who can’t reach it. For others it can drive them to create “Ishmaels” in attempting to meet the objectives that “man” has set.

For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function,  Romans 12:4

Another example of the church culture is the work of ministry. If  “ministry” is considered the most important job, it can set certain unrealistic expectations for the flock such as the following:

1. The work of “ministry” can become more important than the person we are ministering to.
2. Individuals can become performance driven.  Some are compelled to reach a pinnacle of success in “ministry” in order to feel validated or significant.
3. Some are convinced that unless they directly minister to others, lead a ministry, or work for the church; they are not fulfilling God’s call in their lives.
4. Imitation and competition can develop in order to appear successful.
5. Marriages can get strained because one spouse desires to do the work of the “ministry” and the other doesn’t feel led to do so.

Ministering to people is one of the hallmarks of the life of a believer, but the nature and the sphere of ministry will be unique to each individual. All of us are called to be ministers unto the Lord in whatever sphere we are.   The majority of people will not be called to do their primary work of ministry in the church but in their community. As the people of God, we should always contribute to the work of our local church, but we’re not necessarily called to make a career out of it.

God will use us in our daily lives if we are submitted to His authority and yielded to His voice. When ministry becomes part of our DNA,  we represent Him wherever we go. It is not a cloak that we put on and take off based on our duties and responsibilities in ministry. We are passionate to take the Good News of Salvation to those who are perishing and the words of encouragement to those who already know Him.

There is much more to say about the church culture. I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.