Write therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later Rev. 1:19

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1 No 43: December Write therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later Rev. 1:19 In this edition: Contents 1.0 A MORE EXCELLENT MINISTRY LESSONS FROM JESUS TRIP TO THE CROSS (MATTHEW 26-28) CONCLUSION HIS PROMISE FOR YOU: Isaiah 46:3-5, JOSEPH ARIMATHAE AND HIS NEW TOMB ENLARGING YOUR COAST Isaiah 54: BE STRONG IN GRACE THE MINISTRY OF ANGELS (TO MANKIND) FOR WIVES: WHEN DESIRE BECOMES SIN A SURPRISE FOR YOU A DIVINE PACKAGE ALREADY PREPARED FOR YOU: Luke 10:40-42; 12:29-31; Jeremiah 1:12, 29: THE SPIRIT OF DAN: CONTENDING WITH THE SPIRIT OF THE HORSE AND ITS RIDER SAMUEL 17: A MORE EXCELLENT MINISTRY Hebrews 8:6 (KJV); But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. Ministry refers to a commission, a task committed into one s hand, a call, a divine assignment, an office obtained/occupied for a specific purpose, a commitment, a service, a servant executing another person s command, a work burden ( see Numbers 4:12,47 Acts 6:4, 20:24) The ultimate purpose of ministry is to is to preach (discourse; proclaim; tell; testify; testimony; witness) and teach (correct; instruct) the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world, (Acts 20:24)

2 The text above refers primarily to the new priestly ministry attained by the Lord Jesus, compared to the old Aaronic ministry. For the purpose of this article, a more excellent ministry is a promotion from a proven earlier ministry. 1.1 LESSONS FROM JESUS TRIP TO THE CROSS (MATTHEW 26-28) And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples, Ye know that after two days is the feast of the Passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified Matthew 26:1-2 The last two days to the cross reflected dividends of Jesus previous ministry on earth that qualified him for advancement into the office of a more excellent ministry. What are lessons to learn from this, for all who aspire for A MORE EXCELLENT MINISTRY? Some of the features for your next phase of A MORE EXCELLENT MINISTRY include:- 1 You need to have finished the present course of ministry Matthew 26 verse 1 2 You may be required to associate with scorned rejected ventures 26:6 3 Your good works will be a positive memorial for you 26: Your time for promotion to the next cadre is at hand 26:18 5 It has been written of you in the divine agenda 26:24 6 A submission to His will for you to enter the next phase 26: Scriptures/Prophesies about you and your calling must be fulfilled-yield to it, pray NOT against it neither attempt to twist the father s hand against his will verses 26:54, 56, 27:35 8 Shalom! Keep your peace and fret not verse 26:63 9 Despite betrayals, hindrances and obstacles on your way to A MORE EXCELLENT MINISTRY (from brethren), prophesies (on you) shall be fulfilled 27: There will always come along your way a Simeon of Cyrene to help you carry your burden on the way to fulfilling your destiny 27:32 11 At a stage, you will feel as if your heavenly father, God himself, has abandoned you to yourself 27:46 12 Many supporters will be with you to the very end, including secret (unknown) disciples and (prayer partners) 27; 55-56, To the very end of your present ministry, the adversaries and enemy will still fortify against the fulfilment of the condition(s) for your divine promotion to A MORE EXCELLENT MINISTRY 27; After paying the ultimate price of full surrender to his will for you to qualify for A MORE EXCELLENT MINISTRY, a new day/dawn beholds you into A MORE EXCELLENT MINISTRY 28:1 15 Divine assistance, in form of the angel of the Lord, will be dispatched specifically to your aid to release you into A MORE EXCELLENT MINISTRY 28: The stones of the adversaries rolled against your open doors will be rolled away 28:2 17 The gatekeepers employed by satan against your resurrection into A MORE EXCELLENT WAY will become as dead (men)! 28:4 18 You will be commissioned into a more excellent ministry in proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ and making disciples of NATIONS. 28: Amen 1.2 CONCLUSION Having a ministry calling is just a first step. Fulfilling the call is another thing. Being diligent and faithful to the end is yet another. It is when we are faithful in little that greater is committed into our hands (Luke 19:11-26).

3 Having passed the initial tests of faithful diligence in current assignments, we are being individually called to a MORE EXCELLENT MINISTRY. Not just a ministry, a good ministry, a very good ministry, an excellent ministry, but a more excellent ministry of proclaiming the gospel of Christ! The basic qualification as uttered by the Lord himself is in Luke 22:42: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. Selah: Read and imbibe the spirit of Psalm 40: 6-8, , Matt 6.10; 26:42 and Hebrews 10:5-9. Amen Ibadan, HIS PROMISE FOR YOU: Isaiah 46:3-5, JOSEPH ARIMATHAE AND HIS NEW TOMB And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulcher, and departed. Matthew 27:60 Investing in a tomb hewed from a rock by a rich man must certainly be a costly, precious one. Giving up that precious investment for an apparently vanquished crucified Jesus was a manifestation of sacrificial love and faith in an un-risen Lord...What are you holding so tightly that you cannot give up for thine Master and Saviour? Ambitions? desires? your plans? your business?, your job?, your marriage? your family? Your skill? your talents? Your investments Like Joseph, your plans, projects, investments are needed for a better divine purpose, if you are willing and available to let go to Him! Ibadan, ENLARGING YOUR COAST Isaiah 54:2 Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD. Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes; For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited..isaiah 54: 1 3 YOU are the one to do the enlargement- by yourself! YOU are the one to stretch the curtains- by yourself! YOU are the one to spare not- by yourself! YOU are the one to lengthen thy cords -by yourself!

4 YOU are the one to strengthen thy stakes -by yourself! In 2 Kings 13:14-20, we read: Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died. And Joash the king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over his face, and said, O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And Elisha said unto him, Take bow and arrows. And he took unto him bow and arrows. And he said to the king of Israel; Put thine hand upon the bow. And he put his hand upon it: and Elisha put his hands upon the king's hands. And he said, Open the window eastward. And he opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot. And he shot. And he said, The arrow of the LORD's deliverance, and the arrow of deliverance from Syria: for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou have consumed them. And he said, Take the arrows. And he took them. And he said unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground. And he smote thrice, and stayed. And the man of God was wroth with him, and said, Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times; then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it: whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice. And Elisha died, and they buried him. And the bands of the Moabites invaded the land at the coming in of the year. The ball is in your court. You could choose to be like the man with infirmity by the pool for 38 years, resigned to your present state with lots of genuine excuses (see John 5:2-7). Or you could choose to have the spirit of desperate Esau of Genesis 27:30-40, whose restlessness had broken the yoke of the supplanting Jacob, by Genesis 33: 9. Ibadan, BE STRONG IN GRACE Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 2:1 Grace (unmerited favour) greatly and powerfully abounds to you abundantly and sufficiently in Christ Jesus, from God (Acts 4:33, Romans 5:15-20, 2 Corinthians 12:9), but you are weak in the application of this grace. Be strong in the Lord and in the abundance of his grace! Amen THE MINISTRY OF ANGELS (TO MANKIND) Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? Hebrews 1:14

5 Literally, an angel (Greek angelos ) is a messenger (or servant) of God sent with specific message, job and/or assignment to minister to (i.e. to care for) specific individuals or a church or brethren or servants of God generally (Rev. 1: 1, 19:9-10; 20: 22:6,9) According to both Dake's Annotated Reference Bible and Cruden s Complete Concordance, an angel could be a celestial being but could also be a person, a minister or pastor of a church (Rev. 2:1,8, 12, 18 etc) Dake s listed 104 appearances of Angels to man, and 26 works of angels in the life of a man. The Lord Jesus, as man, being one of those angels ministered to: Matthew 4:11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him Some of the ministry of angels to man include i. Minister supply to saints 1 Kings 18:5-7 ii. Companionship in fiery furnace, afflictions and from the mouth of lions Dan 6 iii. Help to strengthen and reinvigorate after satanic ministrations Matt 4:11 iv. Sent with revelations and divine messages Acts 10:3-6 v. Bringing answers to prayers Daniel 9, 10; Acts 10 vi. Directives and Instructions from above Matthew 1:20-24; Acts 8:26, 27: vii. Divine helpers in the apostolic task of preaching the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Hebrews 1:14. Mark 3:14 02 October FOR WIVES: WHEN DESIRE BECOMES SIN..You shall want to rule over your husband, but he shall rule over you. Genesis 3:16b (Easy-to-Read Version) But if you don t do what is right, then sin is crouching at you door, but you must rule over it (Genesis 4:7 Easy-to Read Version). 7.0 A SURPRISE FOR YOU In 2 Kings Chapter 4 is the story of the rich Shunemite woman of great spiritual perception and hospitality, who had willingly and consistently served the Man of God Elisha through the ministry of help. Despite her desolation of childlessness, she was living in submission and godly companionship with an old Husband. But her works spoke for her, leading the Man of God to address her problem, giving her the greatest surprise of her life: 4:16 And he said, About this season, according to the time of life, thou shalt embrace a son. And she said, Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto thine handmaid. 4:17 And the woman conceived, and bare a son at that season that Elisha had said unto her, according to the time of life. This is your season. Prepare to embrace the greatest surprise of your life IF YOU BELIEVE! (See John 14:10; 1:50-51 and Acts 26:27). Be not like Zechariah (Luke 1:13-20). Rather Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper. 2 Chronicles 20:20). Amen Ibadan,

6 8.0 A DIVINE PACKAGE ALREADY PREPARED FOR YOU: Luke 10:40-42; 12:29-31; Jeremiah 1:12, 29: He has spoken. Call, pray, seek, search and expect your package 9.0 THE SPIRIT OF DAN: CONTENDING WITH THE SPIRIT OF THE HORSE AND ITS RIDER Genesis 49:17 Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward. And of Dan he said, Dan is a lion s whelp: he shall leap from Bashan. Deut 33:22 Joshua 19:47: And the coast of the children of Dan went out too little for them: therefore the children of Dan went up to fight against Leshem, and took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and possessed it, and dwelt therein, and called Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their father. In the spiritual battle against the Islamic spirit that still desires to dip the Koran into the sea on Arabic horseback, the Church needs to employ the spirit of Dan! 01 Nov SAMUEL 17:40 The weapons that will grant you success are in you, with you and just around you. May the Lord open your eyes to discern them. Amen O house of Jacob, Come and let us walk in the light of the Lord Isaiah 2:5 By the Lampstand. No. 43 Ibadan. December 2007 LAMPSTAND LETTERS Publisher/Editor: Dr TayoBabalobi, Lampstand Letter Ministry, University Post Office Box 4150, Ibadan, Nigeria. editor@lampstandletters.net Tel +234 (0) Access the online versions: Engage with our Yahoo Group at: groups.yahoo.com/group/lampstandletters