Ordination

PREFACE

So you think you have been called into the Ministry? The truth of the matter is EVERYONE is called into ministry. Jesus gave the clarion call when He issued what we refer to as “The Great Commission” to his disciples in Matthew 28:19-20:

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”

The difficulty is that far too many individuals who say they have accepted Christ as their savior and are Christians, are not demonstrating the character of a disciple of Christ. Being a disciple means that we follow the teachings, share the thoughts and priorities, have the same passions and goals, and exhibit the character of the one we are following. Many individuals accepted Christ’s redemptive work at Calvary years ago, and that is enough for entry level salvation. Yet, they have not advanced or matured to the point that they have become true disciples because they have not developed the “mindset” of Jesus Christ. That mindset is not something you receive the moment you repeat the sinner’s prayer or give the pastor your hand and join the local church. That mindset is the result of a guided journey by the Holy Spirit, causing you to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). Growing in grace stems from your increased knowledge of Christ and the full extent of the work He accomplished for you at Calvary. The more you learn of Him, the greater will be your desire to be like Him. The undeniable evidence that you have developed the mindset of Jesus is your unrelenting “thirst” that He expressed as He cried out from the cross, “I thirst.” Humanity believed at the time He was expressing His human need for natural water. On the contrary, Jesus’ thirst was for the souls of men He envisioned coming into the Kingdom when His mission was complete. I imagine He also longed for the fellowship of His Father, who could no longer even look upon Him because He had BECOME the very thing He had so willingly TAKEN UPON Himself … man’s sin (2 Corinthians 5:21):

“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the

righteousness of God in him.”

While on earth, Jesus’ mind was always occupied with doing the will of the Father who sent Him. It was His full focus, which He so aptly expressed to His disciples as they left Him in search of natural food:

“Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.”

John 4:34

The Bible declares that we are to be IN the world, but not OF the world (John 1:10). When we are OF the world, we do what the world wants to do. However, when we have been transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:12) we will have the mind of Christ which pushes us beyond what the world wants or sees as important. With the mind of Christ, YOUR life’s agenda becomes HIS agenda. What is His agenda? That none should perish, but that everyone repents (2 Peter 3:9). His agenda is total healing for the soul, mind, and body. When HIS agenda becomes YOUR agenda, you will begin to prepare yourself to be an instrument in His hands that is fully yielded for His purpose. It is at that point you begin to live your life on purpose. Until His agenda becomes your agenda, you are not ready for this journey.

God had plans specific to you (Jeremiah 29:11). He knew every road you would wander down and every corner you would turn, so He began preparing you for your spiritual destiny from the moment you were conceived. He very painstakingly and lovingly invested the time and energy necessary to get you to the point you are today, fully accepting your call to Ministry and investing your own time and energy into your own spiritual development. You now work in partnership with the Spirit of God on this journey.

You are on the road to ordination, a major phase in your presentation as a fully equipped and acceptable Minister of the Gospel. As you enter this phase, do so prayerfully, reverently, and with great expectation for a higher level of servitude in the future than ever before. You should also expect and prepare yourself for new spiritual challenges because of the stand you are now called to take. Don’t get confused; some of the challenges may manifest as challenges in the natural, when in reality, they are spiritual. Weapons will form against you that you had no idea even existed. Weapons will form against you that you didn’t think the enemy could invent! The good news is, however, that you have it on the greatest authority (the Word of God) that “No weapon formed against you shall prosper...” (Isaiah 54:17). You should be both excited and humbled at the opportunity to officially become a member of the special task force known as The Kingdom Builders on Earth.