MINISTRYPHOBIA (Part Three)
FEMI A. Falade
A wise proverb says, “When the purpose of a thing is not known, abuse is inevitable” but I say, “When the vision behind a thing is unknown failure is inevitable”. Why did I come this way? It is because, I came across that scripture that traced the stumbling (over one another) of God’s people to the lack of vision, (Prov. 29:18). When there is no vision is saver to when there is vision but no one gets its clarity. This is one of the reasons for Ministryphobia in many ministers of the gospel till this day.
No man lacks assurance like a man who is walking with a deemed sight of what God has for Him. He cannot say where he will end his journey. He cannot boldly say, “God sent me”. Men who cannot say God sent them are the one sending God to send them. Let me remind you that the next cause of Ministryphobia I am discussing in this part is UNCLEAR VISIONS/LACK OF ASSURANCE.
A brother in the faith will always say I should don’t call him a pastor yet. His claim is simply that, he had not gotten enough assurance to ascertain that he has been called into the “pastorhood”. I remember he said, ‘the day he had a “serious” encounter with God and God says to him, “{mentions his name}, I call you to be a pastor” and perhaps he is walking in the street one day and sees a mad man and prays for him, and then he gets his healing that is the day he would know that the Lord is truly calling him. To another missionary I met in Jigawa state of Nigeria, he said everyone is called to missions and we need not wait for one special call or encounter before we can do the work of evangelism. The two views, finding their roots back to the scripture directly or indirectly beam a light that “vision is required”.
If you are not sure of His calling to a specific ministry, why do you attempt to start? You are not sure you have been given admission into a higher institution yet, you want to start registration? How does an assurance of one’s calling come? How does clarity of the vision at hand concerning a ministerial endeavour come? It comes from the Sender following this organogram.
There is first a positioning to hear or get a vision from the Lord according to the order of Habakkuk chapter two verses one and two. But you see, without relationship with the Sender which would make you know He is the One speaking and that He is speaking in that dimension, you might miss out the word for that season. So, vision comes as the Lord speaks or reveals His will to us over the time.
But you see, vision only does not birth a level of assurance you need to overcome Ministryphobia. There is an irreplaceable role played by faith. This is simply because it takes faith to birth assurance. Faith, Hebrews 11:1 puts it, is “the assurance of things hope for……”. So, before faith can emerged, there must be a hearing. Hearing what? Hearing the word of the Sender- The Lord. So the vision you have is to help you believe in the one that speaks to you and that generates faith in the Sender. It is this faith that births assurance. Any assurance birthed by this process of clarity cannot be shaken to a great extent.
However, your consistency with the vision and the word of the Sender, the relationship you maintained with him and the level of love you have for Him will further births an undeniable assurance in you.
So, vision comes knowing and encountering God, encountering God births hearing of God’s word, hearing of God’s word births faith and faith births assurance. May God give us understanding.
In the next part, we shall check another cause of Ministryphobia which is PAST RECORDS AND SELF ASSESMENT. Blessed be the name of Him who works all things according to His counsel.
Peace and happy Sunday!
…..To be continued
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