Transcription
Romans 12:13 Amplified Bible classic edition it says contribute to the needs of God's people sharing in the necessities of the saint pursue the practice of hospitality.
So as a member of the Kingdom, one of those things expected from you is to contribute your quarter in God's family. And I plead with every one of you, please, in your biological family, contribute. Always try and do the little that you can. One very principal key of wisdom that the Lord has taught us is that little is better than nothing. And you have no power over tomorrow. Don't wait until for perfect conditions at every point of your life. Do whatever you can. Make your contribution.
There are so many ways you can contribute. There are so many ways you can help. There are so many ways you can intervene for the sake and benefit of some member of the family. Please, I plead with you, wherever you reside, starting from the house where you reside, try to contribute. Even when you are sharing an apartment with someone, or you are leaving with a family for free, initially look out for any way you can contribute. And do this consistently.
If you reside the street or the estate where you reside, they could have an association. Once in a while, there will be a collective need or project. Please contribute the whatever you can, whatever you can at every point in time. It's another way of showing people that are watching us the kind of heart that we have in the Christian faith. For those of you who have reached a particular age in life, you may belong to an old boys Association, old girls Association. Please make your little quarter of contribution whenever the need arises.
In Romans 12:3 it says, contribute to the needs of God's people. Contribute. Let people remember you anywhere, anywhere you find yourself in life. Let people remember you for good. Let people remember you for good. Contribute to the needs of God's people.
Some of you have advanced in your field, in your career, in your industry. Someday there will be an opportunity for you to do something that will benefit a member of the House of God, or sometimes even the church, even the church. Intentionally do all you can to help and make that thing happen. Contribute to the needs of God's people, sharing in the necessities of the Saints, pursue the practice of hospitality.
To contribute means to give something in order to achieve something together with other people. It is required from us as Christians, and we should practice this not only in church but also in our biological families. Practice it with our classmates, community of classmates. Practice it where you work. To contribute means to also to boost or advance the progress or growth of something. Things you can do to advance the progress of the church or a member of the church. When you contribute to something, you do things to help make it successful.
There are attributes of a healthy church, and from time to time we remind ourselves of these attributes so we can see where we are doing well and also identify one or two areas where we may need to do more. There are some key attributes of a healthy church, and one is that a healthy Church must must be a Holy Spirit led Church. A Holy Spirit led Church. Two, a church whose beliefs and doct are drawn from the Holy Bible. Three, a church that takes evangelism and soul winning as a major priority and trains all members to do likewise. Four, a church that aggressively follows up new converts until they become the disciples. Five, a church that prepares its members to make heaven. Six, a church that emphasizes repentance, Holiness, and a Godly lifestyle. Number seven, a church that trains its members to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit, especially love, faithfulness, and humility. It a church that teaches and trains its members to be very sound and knowledgeable in the word of God. A church that teaches and trains its members to be very sound and knowledgeable in the word of God. When you step into any church, watch, check if majority of the members are writing when the message begins. That is one of the ways you will know a church that is sound. A church that is sound. Number nine, a church that teaches es and trains his members to engage in fervent prayers and consistent intercession. A church that teaches and trains its members to engage in fervent prayers and consistent intercession. Number 10, a church where high quality praise and worship is consistently offered to God. A church where high quality praise and worship is consistently offered to God. Number 11, a church that believes in the demonstration of the power and Gift of the Holy Spirit, including healing, deliverance, and miracles. Number 12, a church that caters for the diverse needs of different age groups in the congregation. A church that caters for the diverse needs of different age groups in the congregation. For instance, the children, the teenagers, the youth, the women, the men, the elders, they are intentionally and systematically being ministered to. Number 13, a church that has a leadership team of God-fearing men and women. God-fearing men and women, not gifted men and women, not charismatic men and women. Leadership team of God-fearing men and women. A church that consistently trains its members to also become good leaders. 14, a church that is well structured in leadership, administration, rules, and procedures. A church that is well structured in leadership, administration, rules, and procedure. A church where there is order and discipline. A church where there is strict compliance with rules and procedure. That's a healthy church. And number 15, a church that is very hospitable and caring. A church that is genuinely concerned and supportive of the welfare, career, and financial needs of its members. 16, a church that places high value on marriage and family relationship. It consistently teaches its members on how to conduct themselves as Christian husbands, fathers, wives, mothers, sons, and daughters. 17, a church that trains and empowers its members to succeed in their career and calling. A church that trains and supports its members to succeed in the seven mountains of influence: religion, that is religion, family, education, economy and business, government and politics, media, arts and entertainment. That's a healthy Church. A church that focuses only on religion is delving in the path of extremes. 18, a church that is free of racial, tribal, or gender bias. Most senior leadership of the church, you are not going to see only men. In a healthy church, and most times where you see only men, for especially a church that has been on ground for many years, you are seeing the the the the the power of the human factor because where you have that strong mindset that young people cannot be in leadership, women cannot be in leadership, even when the Holy Spirit is saying something should be done that is contrary to that mindset, they will hold on to their mindset. But a healthy church is a church that is free of racial bias. Not a church only for blacks or a church only for whites. Not a church that is primarily for a particular tribe. Not a church that is primarily, you know, favored, primarily favors leadership only from the male gender. If only we will allow the Holy Spirit to lead and direct and choose, certainly we would have women in leadership in churches, and we will have young people, young men as ministers in churches. If only we allow the Holy Spirit to lead. Number 19, a church that is actively involved in the programs and goals of the larger body of Christ. Always watch out for this. We are just part of God's family. The moment you die as a Christian, there is no Redeem, there is no Deeper Life, there is no Jesus Assembly, there is no MFM, there is no Winners. You step up to Paradise as a born again Christian who served God. We are all just part of a larger body. It's just part of God's wisdom that he chooses to raise different denominations. We are part of the same family, especially within the Pentecostal community, because we share the same beliefs. Like in this ministry, we have a zero tolerance for anything fetish, anything fetish. There is nothing like Jesus plus where you mix church with some dark or fetish practices. From time to time, we have zero, zero tolerance for that. So, a good church should not operate in isolation. There are other good churches, and there is usually an umbrella like the PFN, the CAN. So a good church should also identify with those with the with the with the umbrella of churches in their community. And lastly, 20, a church that is responsive to the needs of its community. They use their resources, manpower, and skills to engage in projects in the community. Can we please put our hands together for the men's fellowship? The men's fellowship because I remember in the tenure of our brother that has just handed over the baton, you know, there was in one of the conventions, the Saturday of that convention, the earlier part of it was or the week before was dedicated to some community outreach within our immediate vicinity, and the community sent us word to appreciate that initiative.