Rembrandt's rendition of the Apostle Paul in prison
As a minister i am challenged by the apostle Paul.
First what he prays for the people he ministered to in Philippi to whom he wrote; he prays that
-
they will grow in love,
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they will grow in knowledge, in revelation, in discernment.
Question : What am I praying for the people i lead, what am i asking God to do in their lives, do i get so caught up in the temporal needs of people that i fail to cry out for inward transformation by the power of the Holy Spirit, and revelation of God?
Then he tells them that his joy will overflow in knowing that
- they are united in thought, in love, in feelings and that
- they are pursuing the same objective.
This is the thing that his heart desires for his people. Question :What does my heart desire for the people i lead; what makes me happy concerning them, what is the work of God in their lives that gets me excited, what kind of testimonies thrill me?
And , he encourages them to
- obedience,
- live a life worthy of the gospel, and still more to
- contend for the faith
- accept to suffer for the gospel
- be humble
Do i preach these things or i simply scratch their itch and nourish their carnal desires so they keep coming back to feed my famished ego every week; do i fear to call for obedience, godly living, humility, unity and an evangelistic lifestyle for fear of boring people? Paul did not.
I am challenged by Paul. My consistent prayer is God, whatever you did to Paul, do to me.
