(Letter To The Young Minister)
– Pastor Bimbo Animashaun
DEAR YOUNG MINISTER, anytime you have opportunity to talk about those who contributed to your spiritual development or ministerial upbringing, then don’t be silent about it and don’t mince words.
You see, it’s been a trend in ministry for some young ministers on the basis of results to despise or talk low of the people who contributed to their rising and ministerial development.
But don’t ever be a part of that generation. It is pride and arrogance and it doesn’t end well.
People may applaud you especially if they’re not privy to your history in the call but you’re damaging your conscience and you’re sowing terrible seeds ahead of your tomorrow.
It is a wrong mentality to think that in ministry, results determine hierarchy. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
You see, while results are good, may I say very pointedly and very categorically that results don’t determine spiritual hierarchy.
Stop saying that you don’t owe anybody anything. There are indeed people in your life that you owe something – you owe them HONOUR, and that agrees with the spirit of the New Testament.
I want to say that again; there are people in your life whom you owe HONOUR.
The Apostle Paul gives the following admonitions:
ROMANS 13:7
Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; HONOUR TO WHOM HONOUR.
1 TIMOTHY 5:17
Let the elders that rule well be counted WORTHY OF DOUBLE HONOUR, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.
1 THESSALONIANS 5:12-13
12 And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;
13 And to ESTEEM THEM VERY HIGHLY in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.
These scriptures are very clear. You see, you don’t fight someone who has laid hands on you – it has spiritual consequences.
At every opportunity that you have to talk about those who have been a blessing to you, don’t ever keep quiet because of your “status”.
Young ministers who do this need to go back to the kindergarten in the School of Ministry – they’re misinformed and pride has become the king in their heart.
Someone got you saved, ministered Holy Ghost Baptism to you, and taught you the fundamentals of ministry before you moved on to connect with another person, and when you meet the same person in a public meeting, you use the following words for him, “Brethren, we have So-and-so in our midst. He’s one of the men that God is using in this generation …”.
My friend, YOU’RE NOT SERIOUS. You’re proud and arrogant. You have an opportunity to appreciate someone who went all the way for you and now, you’re talking like a politician.
You see, good is good and bad is bad. It will not reduce you and your so-called results to mention the roles that people played in your spiritual development and ministerial upbringing.
Young ministers do this and it is terribly unacceptable. When you were still bed wetting in ministry, someone cleaned you up and taught you lessons of eternal value.
And now you have the opportunity to talk about him at whatever level – public meeting, special celebrations, or among your friends, and you’re saying something like, “We have So-and-so in our midst. He’s a great man of God and he understands ministry well…”.
My friend, I say again, YOU’RE NOT SERIOUS. You’re trying to be politically correct, but you see, ministry is not politics.
Till Jesus comes, there are people I will prostrate for when I meet them and I will continually talk glowingly about them in public meetings, despite the fact that I may have greater “results”, wider coverage or greater visibility than them.
I have enough sense to know that those things, as good as they are, do not determine ministerial hierarchy.
You can’t take HONOUR away from me in ministry, and by God’s Grace, everyone around me knows that.
I am a strong, ardent and unrepentant believer in THE PRINCIPLE OF HONOUR in life and ministry – I honour the fathers and mentors, my colleagues and also sons and daughters.
Check this out; there’s no young minister who honours those ahead of him that doesn’t last in ministry.
You gain more trust and respect by recognizing the labour of those whom the Lord used to raise you, because it shows that you’re spiritually responsible.
Even if you’re no longer connected to a man of God, never keep quiet or silent on his contributions to your ministerial upbringing when you have opportunity to talk about it, so far he’s not against you and he hasn’t gone into apostasy such that associating with him will affect the public image of your ministry.
If anyone is against you and shows negative disposition towards your ministry, or he unrepentantly goes into doctrinal error thereby leading to apostasy, then you have a right under God not to associate with such a person, and this is very clear in Scriptures:
ROMANS 16:17
Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause DIVISIONS and OFFENCES contrary to the DOCTRINE which ye have learned; and AVOID THEM.
That’s the only exception to what I’m talking about. But generally speaking, you have to recognize the roles that people played in your ministerial upbringing, and you do this both PRIVATELY and PUBLICLY.
If you cannot do it PUBLICLY, then you’re proud and arrogant and you will need to deal with it now.
Public affirmation is very important, and our Lord Jesus Christ said something about it:
MATTHEW 10:32-33
32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
This is our Lord Jesus Christ talking here and validating public testimony and affirmation. There’s no greater witness than this!
You see, this is one of the major secrets of Bishop David Oyedepo; Papa doesn’t play with this principle.
He’s been following Kenneth Copeland for instance since the late 70s, and when you look at it, in terms of church ministry, you’ll find a branch of Winners’ Chapel in just one city of Nigeria being much more than the entire Eagle Mountain International Church (Kenneth Copeland’s church) in terms of numerical strength, yet Bishop still publicly affirms Copeland as his mentor and Kenneth Copeland lays hands on him regularly.
Now think about it; it’s about THE HEART. And I can tell you that not everyone has that kind of heart.
You will find someone whose church is not up to 1000 in number calling his fathers in ministry friends and saying that they started ministry together, yet the same guy is confessing to become the next “Oyedepo”. For where?
We need to be guided Beloved. Let this truth settle in your heart that you owe some people in your life HONOUR.
And as such, you will also need to privately and publicly recognize them and also sow into their lives. You owe them “a seed of honour”. Sow into their lives. Honour them.
Depending on context, be committed to their welfare at your level and stop giving the impression that you fell from Heaven.
When you appreciate those who raised you and have been a blessing to you, don’t just do it with mouth, send them a seed.
The bottom line is that you’re still going very far, so you can’t allow pride to limit you.
No matter the level of grace, influence and visibility we operate in today, all of us have had people who contributed to our ministerial upbringing and we also have people we look up to and are submitted to.
Recognizing the roles of these men and women in your life and acting correspondingly will make a whole lot of difference in your ministerial journey as you press towards the mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
May the Lord give us understanding.
Amen!
I trust this made little sense Sirs and Mas?
Grace Abounds!!!
Aphorism CITY 