The Mark Of A Minister: The Fruit

Apostle Grace Lubega

1 Corinthians 9:1(KJV); Am I not an apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? are not ye my work in the Lord?

As a minister of the gospel, you must have visible fruit and this fruit are the people whose lives you have changed for the cause of Christ.

For this reason, Paul asks the Corinthian church, ‘are you not my work in the Lord?’

You must bear fruit that remains. That is, you must have people that are loyal to the vision and call of God upon your life.

People are not kept in ministry by manipulation; they are not kept in ministry by flattery; they are not kept in ministry by promotions and monetary rewards.

Christ set a pattern for us. He said of those that the Lord had given to him, no man could pluck out of his hand (John 10:28). He knew how to keep those that had been entrusted to Him.

The first thing is to know those that are yours and those that are not.

Sadly, there are ministers who never keep people for long. In their ministries people come one day and they leave the next. The faces are constantly changing.

It doesn’t mean that people should never leave your ministry. Granted, there are those who will leave. You do not need to fight to keep them. They may not be yours to pastor because you have not been called to pastor the whole world.

But, you must know how to open the front door of ministry and lock the back door. You must know how to get people in and keep them in.

FURTHER STUDY: John 10:28, John 15:16

GOLDEN NUGGET:

As a minister, you must know how to open the front door of ministry and lock the back door. You must know how to get people in and keep them in.

PRAYER: Father, I thank you for this Word. Thank you for the priceless principles that build ministry. I receive this in meekness to know that which you have entrusted in my care, to let go of that which is not mine and with wisdom keep that which is mine. In this knowledge and understanding, I grow every day. In Jesus’ name, Amen.