The Message And The Method

Apostle Grace Lubega

1 Corinthians 12:4-6(KJV); Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.

There are diverse ways of ministry.

For example, Christ practiced diversity in His healing ministry; at one point he laid hands on blind men(Matthew 9:29-30); at another time He simply told him that his faith had made him whole and at another(Luke 18:42), He spat on the ground, made clay of the spittle before He touched the blind man’s eyes(John 9:6).

Diversity does not mean the absence of the Unity of Faith, but rather it demonstrates the many sidedness or the manifold nature of the wisdom of God.

However, regardless of diversity, the Unity of Faith has one underlying principle: the message must be sacred, the method is not.

Methods of healing may vary; methods of service may vary; methods of teaching may vary but the message of Christ in its truth and perfect integrity is absolute; it is what ought to be preserved at any cost.

It is an error to exalt the method above the message and to regard the method as the fountain of truth.

It is an error to assume that because a man or woman of God does not teach, heal or demonstrate the Spirit in the exact manner like another then one of them is a false minister.

The question should be, ‘Is the Christ exalted and lifted up?’

Be at liberty to heal as led by God but remember that the important thing is the message of healing as taught and demonstrated by the Christ.

Be at liberty to teach as led by God but be mindful of the fact that the true doctrine that lifts Christ is the basis of all sound teaching.

Be at liberty to serve as led by God, never forgetting that our primary service is to God Almighty and to His son Jesus Christ.
Hallelujah!

FURTHER STUDY: Romans 12:4-8, Ephesians 4:4-13

GOLDEN NUGGET:

Regardless of diversity, the Unity of Faith has one underlying principle: the message must be sacred, the method is not. Be at liberty to heal as led by God but remember that the important thing is the message of healing as taught and demonstrated by the Christ; Be at liberty to teach as led by God but be mindful of the fact that the true doctrine that lifts Christ is the basis of all sound teaching; Be at liberty to serve as led by God, never forgetting that our primary service is to God Almighty and to His son Jesus Christ.

PRAYER: Father God, I thank you for the great family of the Church in which you have placed me. Thank you for the gift of your precious Holy Spirit that has blessed us with the diversities of ministration. I walk in the wisdom of one who upholds the message of Christ above the methods of ministry, for methods did not save us, Christ and the message of redemption is the basis of my salvation. It is in this knowledge that I serve, give and minister. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Why We Preach The Grace: The Word Of Faith

Apostle Grace Lubega

Romans 10:5-8(KJV); For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them. But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

The righteousness of the Law seeks after actions; it is about what you do.

For this reason, our theme scripture clearly says, “Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, that the man which DOETH those things shall live by them.”

However, the righteousness of faith SPEAKS. Paul says, “But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise.”

The law will always be about what you do or do not do. Faith is firstly in WHAT YOU SPEAK.

You have received the righteousness of faith. Your health begins with what you speak about it; your finances change based on what you say about them; your ministry grows based on what you speak.

The word in your mouth changes or destroys what is around you. The scriptures have called it the WORD OF FAITH.

A Christian who has understood the righteousness of faith is he or she who has learned to speak forth the Word.

Having believed the Word in your heart, SAY IT; SPEAK IT OUT

Speak great things upon your business!

Speak vitality upon your marriage!

Speak great success upon your career!

Speak godliness and prosperity upon your nation!

As you speak, the manifestation will follow.

As you speak, your body is aligned to those words; as you speak, everything around you will start to respond.

Glory to God!

FURTHER STUDY: 2 Corinthians 4:13, Romans 3:21-22

GOLDEN NUGGET:
A Christian who has understood the righteousness of faith is the one who has learned to speak forth the Word. Of God Having believed the Word in your heart, SAY IT.

PRAYER: Father God, I thank you for this great and wonderful knowledge. I have received and embraced the righteousness which is of faith, my inheritance and my portion in Christ. This righteousness speaks, and so Lord, I speak forth the Word. I declare and decree that I am blessed in everything that I do; that I am the head and not the tail; that I am a wonder; that my marriage is a success; that my career is a success; that I am shining with the glory of God. As I speak, I see increase, I see transformation, I see multiplication and I frame my world. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Spirit Of Prayer – 2

Apostle Grace Lubega

Zechariah 12:10(KJV); And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the SPIRIT OF GRACE AND OF SUPPLICATIONS: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.

Prayer is a spirit.

He is in the business of constantly moving us to pray; not just in the morning when we wake up or in the evening when we sleep or in church when others are praying but whenever the need of heaven and of the Spirit demands it.

The scriptures have called Him the SPIRIT of grace and supplications.

Because He is a spirit of GRACE and SUPPLICATIONS, no child of grace can fail to pray; there is always and consistently an abundance of grace to pray.

Until you understand Him as such, you will always pray as a matter of duty and not out of relationship.

It is this same understanding that will cause you to consider prayer not as an option but a LIFE.

This life is one of the constant leading of the Holy Spirit as we yield ourselves more and more to Him.

When you embrace this life, every time there is a necessity, He will nudge your spirit to pray.

It will not matter where you are; whether you are driving or in the middle of a meeting.

As you feel the nudge to pray, speak in tongues; wordlessly bubble tongues beneath your breath. That’s our life of victory!

FURTHER STUDY: Luke 18:1, 1 Thessalonians 5:17

GOLDEN NUGGET:

Prayer is a spirit. Because He is a spirit of GRACE and SUPPLICATIONS, no child of grace can fail to pray; there is always and consistently an abundance of grace to pray.

PRAYER: My Lord, thank you for the Spirit of prayer, for the constant grace to seek your face, for the urgency of the Spirit that moves me to pray in the very moments when I need to. This is my life! I know when to pray and what to pray. I am fully yielded to this, God. That is how lives are saved because you move me to pray; that is how destinies are aligned, because you move me to pray. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Spirit Of Prayer – 1

Apostle Grace Lubega

Luke 18:1(KJV); And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.

Years ago, before we learnt the truth about communion and blessed fellowship with God, we always fainted in prayer.

We counted minutes in prayer and wondered absentmindedly why the clock ticked slowest when we were praying. That was fainting in prayer.

In those moments, we interceded for our parents and our siblings, our relatives on the maternal side and on the paternal side, our neighbours, and our neighbours’ relatives.

A whole twenty minutes later, we would then wonder idly who else needed their issues mentioned before God. That was fainting in prayer.

In those times, we occupied ourselves with the thought that everyone else was watching us pray and so we had to put on a good show, acting the presence of God and yet we were our only audience; not even God was.

That was fainting in prayer.

You can never learn to pray until you know God.

You may mumble things to Him in a monologue but you will not be truly praying.

Until you understand the eternal realm of God, time will always be a factor when it comes to the things of God.

In true prayer and communion, earthly time literally freezes as the eternal things fill one’s experience.

May you learn to pray in this understanding.

FURTHER STUDY: Romans 12:12, Matthew 6:6-8

GOLDEN NUGGET:

In true prayer and communion, earthly time literally freezes as the eternal things fill one’s experience.

PRAYER: Father, thank you for this instruction in prayer. I embrace this understanding and choose to pray daily in this knowledge. I know that in the many things prayer is, it is also about the place from where I pray. I am an eternal spirit and so I choose never to pray from the earth but from the heavenly places; I learn from He who lives to make intercession for the saints; I tap into heavenly conversations. To the glory of your name. Amen.

A Lesson From Jonah

Apostle Grace Lubega

Jonah 4:10-11(MSG); GOD said, “What’s this? How is it that you can change your feelings from pleasure to anger overnight about a mere shade tree that you did nothing to get? You neither planted nor watered it. It grew up one night and died the next night. So, why can’t I likewise change what I feel about Nineveh from anger to pleasure, this big city of more than a hundred and twenty thousand childlike people who don’t yet know right from wrong, to say nothing of all the innocent animals?”

The Book of Jonah ends on an interesting note; it doesn’t end with Nineveh but with a conversation between Jonah and the Lord over Jonah’s unjustified anger about Nineveh’s repentance and the Lord’s subsequent mercy.

It ends with God dealing with His servant on a pertinent character issue; about the need to understand God’s heart and His mind.

In the grand scheme of things, the story of Jonah was about more than God delivering the city of Nineveh but the Lord dealing with His minister.

When you trace your steps backwards through the story, you will discover that whatever happened to Jonah was orchestrated by God to develop a certain character in him.

Look at the fish, the east wind, the guord and the worm.

Each time the scripture referred to these, it used the Hebrew word ‘manah’ which means to “appoint” or “prepare”.

God appointed and prepared the fish to swallow Jonah in Jonah 1:17; the Lord appointed and prepared a guord in Jonah 4:7; the Lord prepared and appointed a worm to destroy the guord in Jonah 4:7; the Lord prepared a vehement East Wind in Jonah 4:8.

All this goes to show that in all his ups and downs, God’s hand was present upon Jonah.

The end of it was to teach Jonah; to create in him a proper character of mercy and forgiveness.

Beloved saint, God is in your story no matter how it looks.

He is working through it all to grow you into the minister that you must become.

He is causing you to grow and to understand His mind.

See His hand in every situation no matter how ugly. He is working it for your good.

His name be praised!

FURTHER STUDY: Romans 8:28, 2 Corinthians 4:17-18

GOLDEN NUGGET:

God is in your story no matter how it looks. He is working through it all to grow you into the minister that you must become. He is causing you to grow and to understand His mind. See His hand in every situation no matter how ugly. He is working it for your good.

PRAYER: Loving God, thank you for this knowledge. It is a blessed assurance to know that your hand is upon me; you are in every detail of my life, working all things for my good. I choose to see your part God, not to observe any lying vanities but to behold your glorious mercies in every situation. No matter how bad, I see love. The worm worked for me, the east wind blew for me, the great big fish worked for me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Heaven Has Distinctions

Apostle Grace Lubega

1 Corinthians 3:13‭-‬15 (KJV); Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.‬‬‬‬

Whoever believes in Jesus Christ as his or her LORD and savior is a candidate for heaven, but not everyone who goes to heaven is ready for it.

Take the example of one of the criminals that hang besides Jesus at the cross. He said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:42-43 NLT). He went to heaven immediately, but that does not mean that he was ready for it.

At the beginning of salvation, one is a babe, and over time, he or she is expected to mature in the Word, the anointing and in service unto God, so that when the Great Shepherd appears, they will receive a crown of never-ending glory and honor, (1 Peter 5:4 NLT).

When a man Labours well, His Lord says unto him, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21a).

Every man is called to be a worker of the kingdom because the Bible says, “Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire.
And if any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he shall be saved; yet so as by fire.‬”

This simply means that some people will get to heaven, but their works will not stand the test of eternal fire.

Child of God, you have to understand that what you are doing on earth counts; it is these labours that define your crown and reward.

FURTHER STUDY: 1 Corinthians 9:24-25, 1 Peter 5:1-4

GOLDEN NUGGET:

Child of God, you have to understand that what you are doing on earth counts; it is these labours that define your crown and reward.

PRAYER: Father God, I thank you for this great Word. I thank you because you have taught me to number my days that I may apply my heart to wisdom every day of my life. I mature in your Word, the anointing and my service unto you because I understand I have been called; I am an ambassador of heaven; a worker of the kingdom of God; By grace, I labour mightily to do my part and fulfill my mandate. In Jesus’ mighty name. Amen

Godly Addictions

Apostle Grace Lubega

1 Corinthians 16:15-16 KJV); I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and [that] they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,) That ye submit yourselves unto such, and to every one that helpeth with [us], and laboureth.

Not every addiction in this world is folly or scandalous.

Our theme scripture reveals how the house of Stephanas ADDICTED themselves to the ministry of the saints.

When you are addicted to something, you have no power against it.

Addicted men are not conscious of how much time they have spent in pursuit or consumption of a certain drug or habit; but rather they are so consumed by the very act, that it becomes hard to differentiate between them and the very act.

Some people attend church service but are not addicted to ministry.

Others worship but are not addicted to worship. Others pray but are not addicted to prayer.

One of the attributes of addiction is pleasure.

The degree of pleasure something stimulates is the degree to which you will be addicted to it.

Paul says he could spend and be spent for the gospel because it was an addiction.

He declared that necessity is laid upon him because he was addicted. The men and women of the early church rose above the fears of persecution because they were addicted to the gospel.

God is calling you to a life of divine addiction; not just to have a taste of heavenly pleasures but to get addicted to them.

Get addicted to the Word.

Get addicted to His presence.

Get addicted to winning souls.

Get addicted to service to God.

Hallelujah!

FURTHER STUDY: Psalms 16:11, Psalms 119:135

GOLDEN NUGGET:

God is calling you to a life of divine addiction; not just to have a taste of heavenly pleasures but to get addicted to them.

PRAYER: My Heavenly Master, I give you praise for this great day. Thank you for your Word and divine presence that defines my ultimate pleasure. The hunger to see your glory fill the nations satiates my soul and causes me to stay addicted to the work of Ministry. Service is my addiction! Prayer is my addiction! The Word is my addition. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Things That Make Ministers: Keep Your Word

Apostle Grace Lubega

Psalms 15:3-4(MSG); Don’t hurt your friend, don’t blame your neighbor; despise the despicable. Keep your word even when it costs you.

A minister of God must be able to keep his or her word at every cost.

Creation trusts God’s Word because He is faithful to it and because it is in His nature to be true. (Joshua 23:14, 2Corinthians 1:20).

If you really believe God’s Word to be true, you ought to be true to your own words.

Since you are God begotten, your word ought to be sure and your commitment trust worthy.

Your “YES” should mean “YES” and your “NO” should mean “NO.”

If your words are not true, you will also begin to doubt the Word of God, because deception is in your heart.

You will be judged because of any careless words you speak(Matthew 12:36-37).

Words have power and those who are careless with words cannot be trusted with God’s power.

It is WISDOM to be careful with your own words.

If you commit yourself anywhere in ministry, fulfill it. If you say you are going to pray, pray. When you make a vow before God, fulfill it, KEEP YOUR WORD (Deuteronomy 23:21-23).

FURTHER STUDY: Matthew 12:36-37, Proverbs 13:3NIV.

GOLDEN NUGGET:

A minister of God must be able to keep his or her word at every cost.

PRAYER: My great Lord, I thank you for the wisdom of staying true to every word I utter. I am fully aware of the power in every word I speak. I choose to keep every promise and word I utter with the full assurance that you work in me both to will and do according to your good pleasure. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

The Kindness Of The Rod

Apostle Grace Lubega

Psalms 141:5(KJV); Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head: for yet my prayer also shall be in their calamities.

Rebuke is a kindness!

The Psalmist in our theme scripture further reveals that such reproof is an excellent oil.

What an attitude! What a perspective on chastisement!

It is kindness for God to rebuke you or to be rebuked by a spiritual authority.

More than that, you increase and excel in the anointing [the oil] by reason of it.

Yes, no chastisement is pleasant for the moment that it lasts but how about you look at it as an addition to you and not a subtraction?

How about you see it through the eyes of God, as kindness, as an opportunity to multiply in the things of the Spirit?

Christians who do not see chastisement in this light sometimes walk away from the gospel.

Christians who see rebuke in this light grow in the things of God.

May you embrace this wisdom.

FURTHER STUDY: Hebrews 12:6-8, Hebrews 12:11

GOLDEN NUGGET:

It is kindness for God to rebuke you or to be rebuked by a spiritual authority. More than that, you increase and excel in the anointing [the oil] by reason of it.

PRAYER: My loving father, I thank you so much for this wisdom. I heed to counsel from spiritual authorities and take rebuke in the wisdom of one who knows that it grows me. My spirit is receptive to chastisement because I understand that it is founded on love. By this knowledge I grow and flourish in the courts of the Lord. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Things That Make Ministers: Pangs

Apostle Grace Lubega

Galatians 4:19(KJV); My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you

Every minister of the gospel who understands the pangs of ministry must be able to endure men.

You may be crying for the anointing, for a big ministry and for the opportunity to serve in one capacity or other but are you ready to endure men?

Every increase of a ministry in numbers also comes with the increase in the number of possibly ‘difficult’ individuals.’

Will you be patient with them? Will you endure like a woman suffering birth pangs?

Some might insult you while you pastor them, some might go out of their way to subtract from your labours and make your life hard, will you continually bear the pain of a shepherd?

You may love a person and give them priority and tomorrow, they will walk out of the ministry on the slightest whim; you may serve another with all your heart and the next day, he will turn against you.

What do you do when your patience is stretched to breaking point? Will you continue to travail as a woman with birth pangs because Christ must be formed in them?

Will you pray for them, love them and still believe in them?

As a minister, you endure that hardship like a good soldier.

God did not send us to the righteous but to the difficult, the crazy and the stubborn.

Because you have pangs, you must make the choice every day not to take your hand off the plow.

That is a minister!

FURTHER STUDY: 2 Timothy 2:3, Luke 9:62

GOLDEN NUGGET:

Every minister of the gospel who understands the pangs of ministry must be able to endure men.

PRAYER: My loving father, I am most grateful for your Word. I am strong in you because my strength is begotten of love. I endure hardship of all kinds like a good soldier conscious of the pangs by which Christ is formed in men. By my travails of love, patience and prayer, I see fruit everywhere I stand as a minister. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Checking The Madness Of The Minister

Apostle Grace Lubega

2 Peter 2:16(KJV); But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man’s voice forbad the madness of the prophet

Ministry is not supposed to be a show business; it is a divine office ordained by God for equipping of the saints for the work of ministry.

I say this with the greatest sadness; that we live in a generation where it has been dramatized and turned into some sort of “show off” of the gifts and not divine purpose to serve.

A number of ministers have turned the gospel into entertainment and gain, with pomp, so much that they are starting to become idols of men in this world, not servants of God and man as the Word implores.

As God exalts some, they become an idol to worship not ministers given due honour for their service to the Lord (Sadly, many believers don’t know the difference between worship and honour).

Some ministers have become the thing most expensive to access that money has to be paid to get to them.

It is a wonderful thing to flow in the gifts of the spirit, but it must be exercised with wisdom and in fear of the lord.

The liberty of the Spirit is not the vindication of the same Spirit, wisdom is (Luke 7:35).

If a minister exalts self and draws attention to self and not to Christ, it goes against the testimony of the wisdom from above. It’s rather earthly, sensual and of the devil (James 3:13-15).

Unfortunately, many men are beyond the reach of this understanding, hence will not see the love that edifies, but an attack on “the person.” It takes “beasts of burden” to rebuke them. God help us!

FURTHER STUDY: Colossians 3:17, John 12:32, 1 Corinthians 14:33

GOLDEN NUGGET:
It is a wonderful thing to flow in the gifts of the spirit, but it must be exercised with wisdom and in fear of the lord. The liberty of the Spirit is not the vindication of the same Spirit, wisdom is (Luke 7:35)

PRAYER: Lord, I thank you for this great Word. In this day and time, I stand on the foundation of wisdom because it is the stability of my times and the strength of my salvation. I am as strong as I am wise in the things of the Spirit. In all that you have given me access to, I exercise wisdom, never to stumble the brethren, never to destroy another. To the glory of your name. Amen.

In The Grand Scheme Of Things

Apostle Grace Lubega

Jonah 3:10; 4:1-2(KJV); And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not. But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry. And he prayed unto the Lord, and said, I pray thee, O Lord, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.

God’s plan of compassion, forgiveness, and deliverance outshines any need for a man to see his prophetic utterances come to pass. Jonah did not understand this at all.

His mind was set on the destruction and fall of Nineveh as he had prophesied it that he overlooked God’s desire to save them at any cost.

In our present day, this mindset is still existent. Some ministers are more concerned about their prophecies coming to pass simply to prove that they are men and women of God.

It is inconsequential if you prophesy disaster and it doesn’t come to pass because you took the initiative to pray against what you saw; it does not make you less of a man or woman of God.

If anything, it is a mark of maturity.

If the Lord shows you something negative that is about to happen, get on your knees and pray about it or invite the congregation to join you in praying about it.

Don’t broadcast it then rub your hands with glee, waiting for the day it will come to pass so you can pounce around as a great minister of the gospel.

God reveals to redeem. He has a program of forgiveness.

Let this mind be in you child of God. In all things, we look to the grand scheme of God’s plan and desire to save. It is about Him, not us.

His name be praised!

FURTHER STUDY: 2 Peter 3:9, Romans 2:4

GOLDEN NUGGET:

God’s plan of compassion, forgiveness and deliverance outshines any need for a man to see his prophetic utterances come to pass.

PRAYER: Father God, I thank you for this great wisdom. I understand the loving kindness by which you draw many and I emulate it in all things. I understand the responsibility that comes with the things you reveal; the responsibility of prayer and intercession and of standing in the gap. I am faithful in this understanding and never seek my glory but yours. In Jesus’ name. Amen.