KINGDOM COMMITMENT (Pt. 5)

By Joseph Akinola

THE CHALLENGE OF SERVICE 

(1Acts 6:11; Romans 8:35)

This Lesson would be the concluding part of this series. From all we have learnt from the beginning of this series, a summary of it is: Service is a way of sharing your Resources, Time, Personality and Life with others or a group of people in the Love of Christ.

Service is the proof of your love to God and the challenges of service are likened to a test/an examination which will always lead you to your place of rest. {If you are not thrown here and there in service (through errand), you cannot really enjoy the throne you will possess after your service}.

I want you to know that for every position, there is always an opposition (1 Corinthians 16:9 “For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries”). Because your service in God and to God will always lead you to a successful end/destination, lots of oppositions; such as the people around you, friend and foes, name it, will not want you to get to your destination in service, even the devil will want to distract, deprive and discourage you from becoming who you should be at the end of your service.

All the things you experience along your way in service are all called Challenges.

Challenge comes your way, not to separate you from the love of God but in order to make you closer to God and also, to make you become a matured Christian.

Amongst the things you would experience as challenges in service are stated below and how you respond to it will greatly determine How Much you would GROW as a Christian and How Far you would GO with God.

1. Persecution – Acts 6:11

2. Tribulation – trouble of all kinds Romans 8:35

3. Distress – Romans 8:35

4. Famine – Romans 8:35

5. Nakedness – Romans 8:35

6. Peril – Danger of life, health, etc. Here, you are exposed to lots of risks that can hamper and harm your destiny both Physically, Emotionally, Psychologically And Spiritually.

7. Sword – This literally means Death. The day you sign-up for Service, you are signing into a life or death mission.

Don’t forget that challenges are really not meant to break nor destroy you. Challenges are meant To Make and Refine you. It is how you respond to the challenges of Service that determines what becomes of you.

To scale through all the above stated Challenges Of Service, you need MATURITY.

Spiritual Maturity begins with one having the Fruits of the Spirit such as Love, Joy, Peace, Long-Suffering, Gentleness, Goodness, Faith, Meekness and Temperance – all stated in Galatians 5:22-23.

These fruits of the Spirit make every Spirit-filled Believer become a personality with a Magnanimous Heart, which enables the individual to be Very Generous at all he does, makes him to be Kind regardless the harsh whether/situation and Forgiving despite the offenses.

 

In our Subsequent Series, we shall be looking at the Lesson titled, The Holy Spirit and His Gifts.

KINGDOM COMMITMENT (Pt. 4)

By Joseph Akinola

THE REWARD OF SERVICE

(1 Timothy 5:8b; Matthew 6:33)

And according to the Law of Sowing and Reaping which states that, ‘For every giving that you make, there is a receiving’. Also, ‘For every service you render, there is also a commensurate Reward’.

The word, ‘Reward’ in English terminology is ‘Something Given In Return’ (I mean, desirable; given in return for what somebody has done), it is a kind of benefit received / obtained as a result of an action taken or a job done.

Coming back to the Kingdom terminology – For every Service you see the need and render in the House of God, God also sees the need for Decorating your life. Your service in the Vineyard brings the attention of heaven into your affair, makes the heaven intrude into your life affair/issues, because you have first committed yourself to the things of God and your Commitment has now committed God to do and go beyond your demands in prayer for you.

Note That, the day you register to volunteer in service in the vineyard, heaven opens an account for you where the reward of your service is deposited and also, you get/receive a Direct line to which you can communicate with the Almighty.

Amongst The Reward of Service are:

1. Eternal Life 1Timothy 6:19b

Your service per time in the vineyard is likened to an/the amount or deposit you make to secure for yourself a Life Insurance. You can never get for yourself a True Life, and Enviable End and a Colourful Future without service, mostly in the vineyard.

{Try go and trace history from ages, even in the secular, the people and personalities we still hear their names today to be great men and women are all a product of service. They gave themselves wholly and voluntarily; some after much persuasion; for Service and today, both the ones dead and alive, their names still live on even in the minds of the generations they left behind.}

Advice: Do you want to live on even after you are dead, or after you are no more in your Environment, Community, Organization/Company, Ministry/Church; then find something to do to SERVE Others and those you Served Well, Inspired and Treated Positively will find/Have Something To Remember You For.

2. A Blessed Livelihood /Life Exodus 23:25

{Here, God was talking to you & I that due to our service, He will bless our bread; this literally mean that, He will make you realize bountiful results regardless what you earn, that is, He would operate the Law of Multiplication on your Bread (earnings).}

Your service qualifies you for bread. Your service to God invokes / brings Multiplication to every result and earnings you make; He also preserves your life thus making you to live a sickness-free life.

Friend, do you want to shed weight? (I mean the weight of sickness, poverty, lack, confusion, emotional and psychological), then, please, find a way to serve. Because, a lot of things happen during service such as sickness that should take away your money and your life; anxiety that should take away your joy and happiness etc, are all being taken care of during service.

3. Service Brings Deliverance. Psalm 91:14a

You cannot be delivered from some oppressions of the Devil/wicked until you find a way to deliver your own potentials in the house of God. How? God takes care of the Cleaning and Management of your life when you Take Care and Manage His house with your Potentials.

4. Divine Lifting. Psalm 91:14b. Until you find a reason to serve in the vineyard of God, He will never find/see any reason to lift you beyond your Present status in every area of your life. High place is the heritage of the sons of God, but the son of God who will possess those high places/positions will first prove to God that ‘God, I qualify oooo’ before God delivers the high place into his hands. How? By/through your Ceaseless, Diligent, and Committed Service. Why? It is how well you serve that will determine how great you will be promoted and how well you will lead. Your service to God is a proof of your believe in His word that says, God is a rewarder of those that serve Him. Hebrews 11:6. Your diligence (persistent effort) at seeking God through your service makes Him to also be diligent/persistent at blessing and lifting you from your present status to a higher one.

5. God’s Honour and Public Recognition Psalm 91:15. Your service is a form of calling/bringing the attention of heaven/God to yourself. You want God to Notice you, recognize and honour (award) you, then lay your hand on something in His vineyard and He will certainly do so to you.

6. Your Service Earns You The Presence Of God All The Time. Psalm 91:15

His presence in your life will give you an ‘All Time Protection’ service where no trouble or affliction will be permitted to visit you.

7. Total Redemption. Psalm 91:16.

KINGDOM COMMITMENT (Pt. 3b)

By Joseph Akinola

QUALITIES OF KINGDOM ATTENDANTS (Continued)
Acts 6:3

1. Be Respectful: 1Timothy 6:1.

Respect is a must virtue if you want to succeed as a believer or an attendant in the vineyard. Each and every individual must first respect himself then also respect the other person; through this, the respect you give out will return to you and we shall all have a mutual agreement based on the Subject or Project we are taking on. Note that when there is no respect of each other, there can never be any agreement, and when there’s no agreement, the job will never be done accurately.

2. Be Teachable and willing to teach others. 2 Timothy 2:2.

To be teachable means to possess the ability to learn anything at anytime from anyone for any reason. Until you are teachable, you will not be qualified to serve. Because servants are learners – they are individuals willing and ready to learn all needed to be learnt in order to carry out any available assignment.

To be willing to teach others – This translates that, what you have learnt wasn’t for you to work on and work with alone, but it is also meant for you to teach others. Let others equally get a grip of that same knowledge that you have acquired to carry out that task. Note that operating the principles of teaching others give you (the teacher/trainer) more opportunities to learn new things and more privileges to step up (move on to a higher level in hierarchy). But lots of people neglect this principle. The reason why most people neglect this principle is that, they have no ability to see into their future, they are myopic; short-sighted and cannot see beyond their present state.

You don’t want to teach others because you have a feeling that he/she would be like you but the truth is, until your trainee/student be like you, you cannot be a better person, you cannot possess the qualities to qualify for your own next level. Until you have trained someone, you cannot be promoted. Teaching others is a sign of maturity, it shows that the seed of greatness is in you and until you can let go of a thing/knowledge/status/position, that thing is greater than you.

3. Be Faith-Filled. Acts 6:5 & 8

He/she must be full of faith. Faith is a way of life but it (faith) is traceable to the state (condition) of the mind. Your faith will be built on the quantity of the Word of God you have within you. Faith will always respond to the things/material your feed on. I mean the Word of God you consume in any form.

Your Faith can enable you to move the most unexpected mountain both spiritual, financial, material, etc. (Bible verse). You are called into the Ministry of Help as an Attendant in order to assist in carrying the hand of the ministry just as Aaron did and you need faith to follow Actively and Effectively in order not to make the kind of mistake Aaron made in making idol for the people.

How To Develop Your Faith?

a. Through the Word of God – (Acts 19:20). Read it always and make sure you understand it. Study the Word of God daily, by doing this, you are developing your inner spiritual prowess (ability), programming your mind to function in the realm of the Supernatural and this enables you function at the peak level spiritually; causing you to command the unusual to become usual and the natural to respond to the supernatural.

Until you saturate your mind with the Word of God, you can never grow in faith, and until the Word of God grows in you, you can never grow anything around you that refuse to grow.

b. Messages / Tapes (Resource materials) Romans 10:17. You are what you hear/listen to. You life goes in the direction of what you listen to. What you listen to programs your mind and it has a way of working either positively or negatively on your belief system which eventually becomes your faith.

c. Among the Lord’s Brethren. Hebrews 10:25. This indicates that you must not neglect the company of saints.

KINGDOM COMMITMENT (Pt. 3)

By Joseph Akinola

QUALITIES OF KINGDOM ATTENDANTS

Acts 6:3

A Kingdom attendant is an individual who has decided to give him or herself in helping, assisting and serving in the Vineyard.

An Attendant is always a Willing Candidate because the nature of his job demands lots of Willingness, Selflessness and Service to Others.

A Kingdom Attendant’s quality is likened to his/her Property, Characteristics, Features and Attributes.

In today’s lesson, we shall be looking carefully at the qualities (features or characteristics) an Attendant must possess in order to be able to serve effectively in the Vineyard. A Kingdom Attendant must:

1. Have Good and Honest Report – Acts 6:3

This is talking about the Testimony of an individual. What can/do people say about you beginning for your home to the church of God Almighty? Your testimony matters a lot as an Ambassador of your church; as this is your Track Record.

2. Be Spirit-Filled – Acts 6:3

An Attendant without the fullness of the Spirit will automatically be empty of the Spirit. The Spirit (Holy Spirit) is the Fuel (unction) you need to run your service, the Comforter (personality to pacify you when you are in distress), Director (someone to guide and direct you when you are short in idea, initiative and strength).

3. Be Zealous – Luke 2:49

This has nothing to do with Eye-Service.

Warning: Be Zealous and Don’t Do Eye-Service and if you are accused of doing it, don’t be discouraged.

4. Be Humble (Humility): 1Timothy 6:7.

Humility is a very great virtue every believer/kingdom attendant in the house of God must possess. Things/work of God does not demand you claiming level or status. God sees every individual equally, that is why He says in Acts 10:34, that ‘He is no respecter of persons’. But I can tell you that if you come to Him without your status and title, He will surely decorate you beyond your imaginations with several titles and you will be the Title (topic) of discussion to your world at large and you will now begin to qualify for the entitlements of the people based on the respect you had first shown Philippians 2:7. Jesus was a very good example of this – gave himself no reputation just for you and I. Jesus of Great Reputation was a good example of that and till today, He still reaps His own Entitlement from the world at large.) Hallelujah!

5. Be Wise: Acts 6:3,10; Proverbs 9:10

6. Wisdom is highly of God. There is no man without any connection with God (divinity) that has ever possess that virtue called Wisdom abundantly – Wisdom is a product of your fear of God; you walk into wisdom gradually as you show your fear for God and do ALL that He commanded (Proverbs 9:10). Wisdom is the receipts (proceeds) you get each time you do what God demands of you (fear him totally). When you possess this wisdom, you have already received the unction to accomplish great and difficult things with ease.

7. Be Liberal. 1Timothy 6:18.

Being Liberal means, being Broad-minded, Generous and being able to share. A liberal individual will be able to tolerate any form of nonsense based on his broad-heartedness and this will also allow him to be able to share anything with anyone at any given time. Advantage of being Liberal – Liberality launches you into the level of Unlimited Flow in resources and also makes you not to be stranded at any given time Proverbs 11:25. When you are liberal with things, you will open yourself up to unlimited opportunities and more will always be added to you periodically.

8. Be Pure (Purity): 1Timothy 6:11.

Purity begins with the state of a man’s mind. Ordinarily, no master will like or prefer a servant/staff that is not always clean and fresh, when you are clean and fresh, you will always be presentable and used repeatedly. The same applies to the issue of God. An unclean servant/vessel is an irritated entity to and before his master. Purity attracts the presence of God. You become a Must-Use and Most-Used vessel in the hand of the God and also a Formidable Force to your world at large 2Timothy 2:21. When you are pure/set yourself apart for God to make use of, you rip the benefit the most. Why? You will hardly complain about most things others complain about because you are a carrier of the Presence of God and in the presence of God, there is fullness of joy. Why the joy? The joy comes as a result of ‘everything falls in its rightful place’ for you. When you separate yourself, God will honour you and project you to your world for its (your world’s) due honour too.

Success is sure for you if only you will do EVERYTHING possible about ANYTHING you can do Something about now.

KINGDOM COMMITMENT (Pt. 2)

By Joseph AKINOLA

IMPORTANCE OF KINGDOM SERVICE 

Haggai 1:1-11

Service means ‘To provide/give something that the other party needs’. Service is very important in the Vineyard if the body of Christ (You & I) will grow and excel exceedingly at whatever we do.

Service means ‘To be useful and available at anytime and with anything you have with no reluctance’. God made you to be who you are today; He gave you that gift, time, money, name it; and until you give it back to Him through your Service to Him, you can never experience peace with all with all He had given to you.

The next things God demands from you after you had given your life to Him are all that you’ve got, and until you give them to Him you cannot enjoy life to its fullest Exodus 23:25 “And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.”

Bible says in Matthew 22:14 that “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

We, believers have all been called, but a few of us are privileged to be Chosen to Serve the Called.

Note that God will keep calling but have you wondered how all the Called will be served? THE CALLED WILL BE SERVED BY YOU AND I.

I am glad to let you know that it is a great privilege to serve. Service gets you anywhere, it opens you up to lots of Opportunities and Lessons in life. While serving, things happen; I mean all the things around you work for you without your consent Matthew 6:33. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” 

Until you Seek your God / Creator through your Service, nothing can be Added to you/Created for you.

You are not called to be served, but called to Encourage and Persuade others to Serve 2nd Timothy 2:2.

That gift of God upon your life was not invested in there just for you. As you know that no product will ever be created for itself (to serve itself), but others. God blessed you so that you can bless others Genesis 12:2.

1st Timothy 4:14 says, “Neglect not the Gift that is in thee, which was given thee….”

You have been endowed with the Gift of God and you must not neglect it in order not to be called a wicked man and not lose it (your life, your time, your gift, talent, skill and money). Remember in the Parable of the Talent, the wicked man was cast into outer darkness Matthew 25v26-30. 

“26 His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: 

27 Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. 

28 Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. 

29 For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. 

30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

But that will not be your portion in Jesus’ name. Using your gifts and ability multiplies your gifts and you personally.

Each time you neglect the assignment that is needed to be done in the vineyard, God gets angry and He gets you cursed because He knows that, you will not do that at your place of work, but this will not be your lot in Jesus’ name. Amen!

In Haggai 1:1-11, our Anchor Scripture; the Bible tells us that God was angry and He was pouring out His heart to His people (they are not unbelievers). You can be a better Person, Banker, Trader, Professional or Career Personnel; if only you can give yourself (everything about you) completely to Him.

Until you serve in the Kingdom/Vineyard, all that you Starve in life will not come to you/locate you.

Note today that you (your gift, talent, skill, expertise, knowledge, intellect, money, time and belongings) are needed in the body of Christ and until you give it, you cannot really have it Luke 16:11 (“Who will commit true riches onto your hands?”).

Your seemingly endless/interminable service makes you become an Established Personality both on earth and in heaven.

KINGDOM COMMITMENT Pt 1

By Joseph AKINOLA

KINGDOM COMMITMENT

Acts 6:3; Psalm 91:4-6

Kingdom Commitment is the assignment you take on as your own Personal Responsibility in the Vineyard (House of God). In our previous lesson, we learnt that, ‘It is how much you are committed to your assignment that will determine how much that will be committed into your hand/care’; which literally means that, your commitment level at whatever thing you do will determine your SUCCESS level. Bringing this principle into the body of Christ; Commitment means ‘you taking an assignment in the Vineyard as an obligation/your responsibility’.

Kingdom Commitment helps you walk through the hurdles of life with ease. Why? Because as you are attending to the needs in the house of God (not only financially, but also, Physically – {your manpower is highly needed}; that is, your presence, skill and time), God is also attending to the need pertaining to your life Matthew 6:33.

Isaiah 65:14
Kingdom Commitment is likened to you, not seeing and getting worried about what you are going/passing through, but you are so much concerned and consumed about what must not be wrong in the house of God and the REWARD is: Your unsaid prayers will always automatically attract answers.

Hear This - God will never be committed to anything you do at its OPTIMAL until you are committed to His things. Matthew 6:33 – He will never seek you to bless you with all that you need until you first SEEK Him through doing His things.

A Call To Service

• Bring the whole of Yourself, your Heart and all your Ideas into the things of God and God will bring/carry the whole of Himself, Power, Infinite Wisdom and His Presence into everything you do.
• Your destiny cannot be totally fulfilled until you have fulfilled your part in God’s kingdom.
• Until you show your Creator your love through your Worship and Commitment to His thing, He will never show you the blessing-side of Himself. Proverbs 23:26 says, “My son, give me thine heart” which means, ‘my son, LOVE me’. You cannot LOVE without GIVING as you cannot Give Him your Heart without giving Him your HAND, first. So, giving Him your hand will be a proof of your love TO Him.

FINALLY

Until you see the need for your Presence, Time and Skill in the House of God, God will never see any reason to answer to your need and be with you in times of trouble. Matthew 6:33.