1. True Ministry is Initiated by God. Sets the stage, starts the work, equips the workers.

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1 7 Pillars 1. True Ministry is Initiated by God. Sets the stage, starts the work, equips the workers. 2. What God Initiates, God Anoints. Provides the power and direction. 3. Ministry is Received not Achieved. Not an accomplishment of men, but an assignment given. 4. True Ministry is not the Result of Our Efforts, but of our Surrender. We do not get God s results with our effort; He gets them through our surrender. 5. God gets the Glory for His Ministry. If men get glory, we are on the wrong track. 6. The Church is an Organism, not an Organization. Working together, yielding individual motivations to the life of the Body. 7. The Role of Church Leadership is not to do all the work of Service, but to Equip the Body. Looking at how the leadership in an equipped church is to function. Dr. G. Campbell Morgan said: The man who loves Jesus, but who shuns God s method, is a stumbling block to Him.

2 PILLAR 3 - True ministry is not achieved, but received. I. Relying upon the Lord - Defining Received Ministry II. III. Resisting the Lord - Examples of Achieved Ministry Recognizing & Resting in the Lord - Examples of Received Ministry I. Relying upon the Lord - Defining Received Ministry True Serving of the Lord is an outflow of first and foremost Following Him. There is NO true ministry for the Lord if there is no recognition of His leadership, no faith. The road of ministry is littered with those who have striven to accomplish great works for God doing their best to be biblical, stay focused, to make an impact on this world for Christ all good motives but with no divine power. But doing so in and of their own strength rather than in the infinite strength of the Lord True ministry is not achieved, but received. Dad: a. You see, true ministry is not us coming up with a good idea and asking God to bless it. b. It is learning to join God in what He is doing. c. Even when we have a sense that something is God s will, that doesn t necessarily mean it is His timing.

3 d. Often there is a time of waiting between our awareness of a need, and God raising up a solution. e. We are responsible to wait in faith on the Lord until He gives direction and then act in faith on that direction. II. Resisting the Lord - Examples of Achieved Ministry Lives which were not reflecting the Fruit of the Spirit but rather the deeds of the flesh in relationships, in personal spiritual growth in Christ, and in ministry. 1) In Relationships divided, factions, jealousy, strife The Corinthians who were walking as mere men in other words they were walking in the flesh rather than the power of the Spirit and as a result looked no different in their actions than unbelievers 1 Corinthians 3:1 3 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, 3 for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men? 2) In Personal Spiritual Growth The Galatian believers trying to achieve the righteousness of God through the works of the law rather than hearing with faith

4 Galatians 3:2 3 This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? 3) In Ministry The Ephesian church which was doing good things but had left their first love Revelation 2:2 4 I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; 3 and you have perseverance and have endured for My name s sake, and have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. III. Recognizing & Resting in the Lord - Examples of Received Ministry Acts 8 Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch o Recognized what the Lord was telling him to do o Rested in the reason why Acts 9.6 Saul it will be told you what you must do o Saw the bright light, heard the voice and surrendered o Obeyed, and went in to the city to wait for further directions Acts 9 - Peter and the lame man Aeneas o Recognized the need o Trusted the Lord for the healing

5 Acts 10 - The Gentiles the sheet being lowered down Cornelius the Roman centurion o Understood the Lord s hand in the message the sheet as well as the timing of the men coming to the house to ask for him o Trusted the Lord in following the men to a Gentile s home a Roman centurion - Cornelius Acts 13 - Paul and Barnabas set apart by the Holy Spirit for the first missionary journey Acts 13:2 While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. o Were ministering to the Lord FIRST asking for insight etc o Obeyed the Lord as the HS set apart Barnabas and Saul to the work One of the most interesting examples is in Acts 16:6 10: They passed through the Phrygian and Galatian region, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia; 7 and after they came to Mysia, they were trying (impf) to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them; 8 and passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. 9 A vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing and appealing to him, and saying, Come over to Macedonia and help us. Paul and company NOT being permitted by the Lord into Asia and or Bythinia then gave Paul the

6 Macedonian vision of a man asking him to come to them 10 When he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. Immediately! It comes from the word euthus it means straight forward, without any hesitation. To walk with God, you must not try to force your plans into His will. You just allow Him to change the course. Zb Moldova Proverbs 16.9 says The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps. Romans 8:14 says For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. a. The phrase being led is the present passive. b. God is leading them. c. I believe that whether we are conscious or not of God s leading He is always leading His Children. 1. Ministry is received Not achieved! a. It is joining Him! b. Walking with Him and allowing Him c. To direct our paths! 2. It is allowing the interruptions of life a. To become opportunities b. For Him to do through us what we cannot do!

7 Conclusion: Our beliefs about The Christian life is reflected in and through our activity If our ministry activity reveals that we think a. we don t need God, and or b. that God expects us to DO for Him, then we have missed the reality of our need of His grace, Christ Himself, and we are role modeling a false gospel. Received On the Lord On His Word On His ability On His wisdom Focus Achieved On the problems On our thinking, our creativity On our Personalities (Saul) On our solutions & experience On His plans which He reveals as we go On our plans we must fulfill