4th April, 2022.

DO THESE TO YOUR MINISTER OFTEN Pt.4

Hebrews13:17 Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you. NIV

SUBMIT FOR DISCIPLESHIP

Those days when I was unsure of what God wanted me to do in ministry, I thought I would pastor a church like every other person so I visited a church a senior pastor told me to check. The purpose of the visit was to check them out in case I would love to pick up a pastoral role with them. I attended that service but nothing clicked in my spirit. Deep down, I knew I was in the wrong place but I learnt something from the first timers card they gave me. In the card, they asked "Will you like we pastor you"? Ever since I gave my life to Christ, no one has ever asked that question from me. That church wanted to be sure their first timers are willing to submit to discipleship and their training structures because that's the best way to grow and mature them in the Lord. Sometimes, people leave churches for several reasons but more often than not, under the pretext of "I'm not being fed properly in that church" or "I'm not growing spiritually there". One question we need to ask is: "Did you submit yourself for discipleship and the training structures of that church before reaching that conclusion"?

Often, most people who complain about their churches have not even explored all the avenues for growth in that church before taking their exit. As a church member, move from the level of membership to discipleship. Your pastor's ministry can't be fruitful and beneficial to you if you don't allow him to pastor you by way of discipleship. Failure to submit to laid down training structures and discipleship in that church puts you at the level of a passerby. Some persons feel cool hanging around pastors or ministers of the Gospel. They're cool with being seen around spiritual people especially those in ministry but they are unwilling to submit to their leadership. Some love to be part of a popular church yet they've not submitted to discipleship. Unfortunately, some pastors have members who attend their churches and have become church workers but their allegiance is somewhere else. They are being discipled from afar by another preacher whom they don't even have access to but they fail to honour and receive the ministry of their pastor. You can't be taking instruction from several places and be loyal. If you're like that, please change. The child that eats around doesn't grow. Our mothers know that.

It is better to be under a pastor whose discipleship&training structures you'll submit to than to identify with a church whose training structures you reject. For a long time, I've been very selective in mentoring people because some persons love to identify with me but they're not ready to submit for thorough training. Some persons just delight in pointing to Pastor "XXX" as mentor and trainer but they're not submissive to his leadership. Stop hanging around preachers or spiritual people to boost your ego. Your pastor will give account over make his job easy: "Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you" (Heb13:17 NIV).