2nd years Term 4 2 Week 4 final Week

0:07 Good evening students. If you are ready, you can switch on your cameras. We're going to go straight into the lesson tonight. I am planning on finishing with ministerial excellence tonight. So, I want to get going as soon as possible. So, let's just pray together. Father, we thank you tonight for the honor and the privilege that we once again have to come together and to be taught your word, Lord, to be encouraged in your word, to be equipped in your word. And I thank you, Holy Spirit, that even as we start the evening off, that we can open up the evening and that we can open up our hearts to you, Holy Spirit, that you will come and that you will do a work in the hearts of each and every one of these students. Thank you that you will

0:52 be the teacher that will teach through every teacher tonight in Jesus' mighty name. And everyone says, amen. Amen. Awesome stuff. Okay, so we have completed keys 1 to 4 in uh ministerial excellence. And tonight, we're going to continue with 5 and 6. Um So, just to recap, we did key number one was dedication. It's your decision. So, you need to make a quality decision to answer the call of God. Key number two is singleness of purpose. In other words, you cannot be double-minded. You have to be focused on that which God has called you to do specifically. And number three, follow the leadership

1:39 of the Holy Spirit. So, be totally led by the Spirit. And then, key number four, strip away the things of the world. Remove anything that hinders your relationship with God. So, key number five then is look to the word day and night. Look to the word day and night. Joshua 1:8 says meditate on the word of God day and night and you shall make your ways prosperous. And I think that is the the key scripture to everything to making your way prosperous in anything in ministry, in life, in marriage, in business, everywhere is meditating on the word of

2:26 God day and night. In other words, totally being saturated with the word of God. That you are living the word of God. That the word has become so a part of you that you just can't help it that when you open up your mouth it's just word coming out of you. So, number one, the word produces what nothing else can produce. Nothing else can fabricate what the word of God can do in your life. Looking to the word of God will produce things in your life and ministry that cannot be obtained any other way. The word of God will increase your faith. It'll give you wisdom and understanding.

3:11 And it will teach you how to apply your faith. Because you see it's no use having faith and it's no use having knowledge but you don't have the wisdom how to apply it. Proverbs 4:5-7 Get wisdom, get understanding. Forget it not, neither decline from the words of my mouth. Forsake her not and she shall preserve thee. Love her and she shall keep thee. Wisdom is the principal thing, therefore get wisdom and with all thy getting get understanding. So, wisdom is the principal thing. That means wisdom must become priority in your life. Um if we remember

3:59 correctly, I think it was Solomon that pra- that prayed and he asked for wisdom and because he asked for wisdom God gave him the riches. Everything else followed because he asked for wisdom. So wisdom is the principal thing. Where do we find wisdom? We want to make wisdom the principal thing, where do we find it? We find it in the word of God. Which means you need to delve into the word of God to find those pearls of wisdom in the word of God. 1 Corinthians 1:30 tells us that Jesus Christ has been made unto us wisdom. 1 Corinthians 1:30 and then John 1:14 tells us that the word became flesh and

4:45 dwelt among us. John 1:14. In other words, Christ is then the living word. We know that. John 1:1 also. So when you fill your life with his word, you are allowing the wisdom of God to influence the way you think, the way you speak, and the way you live. When you are filled with his word, you are allowing his wisdom to influence the way you think, speak, and live. It's important to understand that knowledge and wisdom are not the same thing. I think a lot of people confuse that. They think it's the same thing, but it's not. Knowledge is knowing what the word says.

5:33 You've read it, you've heard it before, you know what it says. Somebody asked you what did John 3:16 say? You know John 3:16. That's knowledge. You have knowledge of it. Wisdom, however, is knowing how to apply the word. Knowing how to apply it. So you can memorize hundreds of scriptures, you can quote the entire Bible, you can know the Bible off by heart, but if you don't know how to apply the word in everyday situations, that knowledge means absolutely nothing to you. And this is one of the things I want you as Bible school students to really understand. You didn't just gain You

6:19 didn't just spend 2 years to gain knowledge. You didn't waste 2 years to gain knowledge. You could have just bought all these books and read them by yourselves right? So, it wasn't about gaining knowledge. These 2 years was helping you to understand how to apply the knowledge. Helping you to learn how to apply this knowledge that you've gained in every area of your life. So, when you find yourself in a difficult situation, you know, what does the word say? When you need to make a decision, what does the word say? You're not going to go by your emotions. You're not going to be led by your emotions, but you're going to be led by what does the word say? When you are ministering to someone, when you are going to be faced

7:04 with different situations, which you are going to be. I mean, you can study You can go in-depth counseling studies, and you can get your PhD DD in counseling, but I can promise you you are still going to be faced with unique situations every single time you sit down with people. Because people are unique. People go through different situations. And if you are not going to have the knowledge and the wisdom on how to apply the knowledge of the word of God and be led by the spirit, then you are going to be stuck in a rut. So, you're going to really need the knowledge and and the wisdom led by Holy Spirit how to truly minister to people. So, number two, the word gives you

7:50 access to God's wisdom and favor. The word gives you access to God's wisdom and favor. Proverbs 4:8-9. Exalt her, and she shall promote thee. She shall bring It's a lot of shh shh shh yeah. Thee to honor when thou dost embrace her. She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace, a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee. It's like shh shh shh >> [laughter] >> The King James is uh testing my English here tonight. So this passage specifically is speaking about wisdom. She is wisdom that he's referring to. So when you honor the wisdom of God and

8:36 allow his word to guide your life, it will preserve you and it will lead you in the right direction. We understand that thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. So the word will lead you in the right direction. The ornament of grace, it says she shall give to thine head an ornament of grace. That speaks of favor and honor. Favor and honor. Now we understand that God's grace is not something you work for, it's not something you earn, but it's something that has always already been achieved through the finished work of the cross. It's a gift that we receive through the finished work of the cross. Acts 10:34 says God is no respecter of

9:23 persons. So it's not like you know Andrew received grace um and it's only Andrew that received grace. He's not He's no respecter of persons. So whatever is available to Andrew is available to every single one of us, but we need to learn how to receive it by faith. So everything in the Bible is available to us, but we have to learn how to receive it by faith. Romans 10:17. So then how does faith come? If we need faith to receive the favor and the the honor that God has for us, this ornament of grace, of favor and honor. If we need faith to receive it, how do we then increase faith? You guys

10:09 know this one. Romans 10:17, so faith comes by hearing, by hearing the word of God. So, we're going back to how important it is to be in the word of God. The word of God is what strengthens you. The word of God is what transforms you. The word of God is what encourages you. The word of God is what builds you up to face this life. So, when faith increases, we become better equipped to receive and walk in what God has promised. So, tell yourself, I have to increase my faith. I think that's something that we can all pray every day is, "Lord, give me a greater measure of faith.

10:56 Give me your faith." Cuz the Bible talks about the God kind of faith. So, we know that to every man has been given a measure of faith. So, when we get saved, we get a measure of faith, but then we increase that faith in the word of God, by spending time in the word of God, but then we can also trust God for the gift of faith. And I don't know about you, but I'm I'm truly trusting God for that, that gift of faith, where you just you don't even regard anything. It's just you the faith is just there. The God kind of faith is just there. You have God's faith. And I mean, that's the kind of faith that spoke and humanity or creation came to be. He just spoke a word and through the faith of his spoken word, creation came to be.

11:44 That same kind of faith we have access to. The Bible says, "All things are possible to those who believe." So, where's the issue? Is the issue in the fact that we have the ability, we have the power, we have um whatever else, or is the issue with the fact that we don't believe? The issue is with us. We need to change. We need to increase our measure of faith because God has already given us everything to our disposal that we might possibly need. We've got the blood of Jesus, we've got the anointing, we've got the supernatural power of God, we've got the glory, we've got all the keys, we we've got the word, we've got everything we

12:31 need. We only have to learn how to apply it with faith. So, Proverbs 3:19, "The Lord by wisdom has founded the earth. By understanding has he established the heavens." Hebrews 11:3, it tells us that the worlds were framed by the word of God. And then Mark 11:22, "Have faith in God." There's Proverbs 3:19, Hebrews 11:3, Mark 11:22. I'm trying to go a little bit slower today. Are you guys keeping up with me? Eventually after 2 years. >> [laughter] [gasps] >> So, God has given us faith and he's

13:18 given us his word to teach us how to walk in that faith. Faith without the wisdom to apply it will leave you struggling in situations where God has already given you direction. Number three, God's word teaches you to think like he thinks. God's word teaches you to think like he thinks. Isaiah 55:8-9, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." So, many people read the

14:03 scripture and then they think, "Well, I mean God's thoughts are higher than mine, so I'm never going to understand him." And then they just kind of give up. But then if we continue reading, verse 11 says, "So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth. It shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please." In other words, God has given us his word so that we can begin to understand his ways. So, if we read his word, we will begin to understand the way God thinks, and then his thoughts will become our thoughts. His desires will become our desires. Because we become so indrenched in who he is that it becomes a part of

14:48 who we are. So, it doesn't It's not impossible to think the way God thinks. If you just read his word, you will begin to think the way he thinks. 1 Corinthians 2:16 says, "But we have the mind of Christ." And 2 Corinthians 10:5, it tells us to bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. So, we spoke about in key number four, ridding of the things of this world. So, we cannot continually think like the world and expect to operate according to the wisdom of God. So, we need to change the way we think. We need to change the way we reason. We need to get

15:34 understanding and wisdom to apply the understanding. Our minds must be renewed. And that doesn't happen automatically. It really just that It's It takes time. It takes devotion. It takes discipline. Being disciplined, saying, "But God, I really want I want to have your mind. I want to have your thoughts. I want to think the way you think." And being disciplined to be in the word day and night, as much as you can. Being like Jeremiah who was so hungry for the word of God that he ate the scroll. So, I You know, are we really that hungry for to hear God's thoughts, to think the way God thinks.

16:21 Number four, exalt the word, not yourself. Exalt the word, not yourself. Proverbs 4:20-22. My son, attend to my words, incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes. Keep them in the midst of thine heart, for they are life unto those that find them and health to all their flesh. So, the instruction here is very clear. Attend to the word. Keep it in your eyes, keep it in your heart, and allow it to change you. Allow it to transform you. Don't just be hearers of the word, but become doers of the word.

17:10 Then it says, very interesting, exalt the word, not yourself. In other words, don't build your ministry around your personality. Don't make yourself the center of attention. It's all about me and I'm so awesome and I'm so anointed and I'm so wonderful because everything we have is because of what Jesus has done. So, our main focus is always to turn the attention to Jesus, to glorify Jesus, to give him all the honor, to exalt him and him alone. So, don't become more concerned about your reputation than the truth of God's word.

17:56 So, that means sometimes people aren't going to like you. People are going to have a lot to say about you because you refuse to compromise. If the word says it, you're going to say it, whether it's going to tickle people's ears or not, whether it's going to make people uncomfortable or not, because at the end of the day, it is not about you. And I want to encourage those of you I mean, I said it earlier I think in the first week I mentioned that we all going to go into different spheres of influence. Not everybody is called into fivefold ministry. Not everybody's going to stand behind a pulpit. But there where you are is your pulpit. God is going to use you there where you are and you must be prepared to be used by God regardless of whether it's in full-time

18:41 ministry or not. You have to say God, here I am, use me whether it's in the marketplace, whether it's in the education system, whether it is serving in different departments in church, or whether it is behind the pulpit. But then also acknowledging that you're going to have to stick to the truth of God's word. Sometimes you're going to have to have some hard conversations with people. You're going to have to tell them some things that's going to be very difficult. And it takes a mature leader in Christ to stand firm as to what the word of God says and not to be um not to compromise. And I mean you you're going to have people that are going to attack you, people are going to say things about you.

19:27 But the Bible says, blessed is he who is persecuted for not my name's sake. So you are going to you're going to go through some things, but you just stick to the truth of God's word. You do not sway. You do not compromise. You do not say things just because you you're scared what people are going to think, what people are going to say, maybe they're going to reject you, maybe they're going to call you all kinds of funny things. No, you stick to the truth of God's word. If there's a problem, you apply the wisdom of God. If there's confusion, you return to the voice of God, to the word of God. It says that's his voice. You return to the word of God. Don't ever take credit for what the Holy Spirit has done. And don't try to make yourself look more

20:15 anointed than anybody else. It's not a competition. You just be you. Anointed as much as you are, whether it is a bit or a lot, just be you. Don't try and make yourself look more anointed than anybody else. So, your responsibility is always to lift up the name of Jesus and not yourself. Then the Bible says in 1 Peter 5:6, if you humble yourself therefore under the mighty hand of God, he will exalt you in due time. So, in other words, if you are going to exalt him, if you're going to lift him up, if you're going to glorify him, as you lift him up, you're going to go up with him. That is actually what the word submission means. To get under and to push up. So, if I'm

21:00 submitted under Christ, as I get under Christ and I push him up, I glorify him, I magnify him, I exalt him, I'm going up with him. So, I will eventually get to the place where I will be exalted for his name's sake. Never forget that last spot. You will not be exalted for your own name's sake. You will not be exalted to magnify your ministry and how awesome and amazing you are. You will be exalted to lift up the name of Jesus. So, don't chase after a position, just pursue the purpose of God upon your life.

21:46 The positions will come. Don't focus on that. The doors will open up. Opportunities will come. Just focus on serving and doing what God has called you to do, and at the right time, he will exalt you. Not man, he will. Because if man is going to exalt you, then you are going to be dependent on man. But, I don't know about you, I don't want to be dependent on any man. I'm dependent on God. He's my source, he's my provider, and at the right time, he will open up the right doors for me. Now, I just want to go through the doors that he has for me. I don't want to go through any other doors. And that is a constant prayer for us specifically in ministry that God would shut the wrong

22:32 doors and that he would open the right doors cuz we just want to go through the right doors. Amen. Number five, the word must remain the foundation of every service. So, practically speaking, if you are going to be ministering in a home cell, in a prayer group, in one-on-one, behind the pulpit, the word must always be the foundation of everything you do and say. It's I I think I've I've mentioned this to you guys before. Um Pastor Benny says, "Too much spirit, you blow up. Too much word, you dry up. But together, you grow up." So, we can never get to a point

23:18 where we are and I mean we are led by the spirit and we are Holy Ghost junkies and we love Holy Spirit. We love the move of the Holy Spirit. We love the supernatural power of God moving and touching lives and you know, all of that and we and we fall that. We're not against that, but we can never let the spirit take over and have no word. Because the word must always be the foundation. The word is at the end of the day what is going to bring the transformation in people's lives. The word is what is going to renew minds. It is what's going to establish people in truth. So, we must always give people the word because you might notice that sometimes not everybody is open for the move of

24:05 the spirit. And if you're not going to give those people a word to stand on, a foundational word to stand on, they're going to leave your presence thinking these are a bunch of crazy people. But if you always have a foundation of the word, they can stand on the word whether they understood the move of the spirit or not. Eventually, the more they're going to grow in the word, the more they're going to gain understanding as to the move of the spirit. But if we don't give them the word, they have no understanding. So, it's very important always make the word foundational to everything that you do. Don't just allow the spirit to move, but also on the other side, don't just give dry word. Don't just be a boring dominie.

24:50 Let the spirit move because it's the the spirit that prepares the heart for the word. It softens the heart for the word to fall on fertile ground. So, those two must work together. The word and the spirit must be together. Number six, you must become saturated with the word. And this is a a personal thing. You need to ask yourself, how much time are you truly spending in the word of God? Not your time that you're spending for Bible school and doing assignments or if you're preparing a message, not that time. I'm talking about just reading the word of God for yourself, studying the scriptures for yourself.

25:39 How much time are you spending in the word of God? And that's something only you can answer. And you need to kind of do a little bit of introspection to determine is that enough? Because if we are talking about making sure that your reservoir is full. Your reservoir needs to be full from time in the word of God and time in his presence. If your reservoir is running on empty, eventually you're going to mean nothing to nobody. So, it is important that you minister as a minister, whichever capacity that might look like, that you are ministering out of the overflow of your reservoir. Not tapping it and you know, not like our current government that's not doing

26:26 maintenance and those kind of things and eventually the reservoirs to dry. No, we we do our daily maintenance. We make sure that we are daily filling our reservoirs, that we are ministering out of the overflow. So, if you are serious about your calling, you must become serious about your spiritual discipline. The enemy doesn't play games. He is seriously out to get you. He's out to derail you. He's out to get you off of your purpose, off of your assignment because he knows that if you are going to be focused, if you're going to be disciplined, you are going to wreak havoc in his kingdom. So, he is serious about getting you off the track. He's serious of bringing

27:11 all kinds of different distractions, and sometimes those distractions could be good things. They're not necessarily bad things. Sometimes you can be so busy with the work of the Lord that you forget about the God of the things. You you need to actually make your relationship with the Lord priority, and not allow any other distractions. Yes, we serve we serve wholeheartedly, we give our best, but you cannot let anything become more important than your personal relationship with the Lord, the time you are spending in his word, the time you are spending in his presence. That must be priority. You have to be disciplined. Just like an Olympic swimmer has to train for hours every day to prepare

27:57 themselves to go to the Olympics to win the gold medal, we are training for the battlefield. And the more disciplined you're going to be in your training, the more successful you are going to be at the end of the day when you get into the battlefield. Because if you are not spiritually strong, if you are not prepared spiritually, if your muscles are not strong spiritually, you are going to be in the battlefield for a day or two, and then the enemy is going to take you out. And that's something that we don't want to see. We don't want to see anybody start something and not finish it. Paul speaks about I have run my race, I have finished strong. So, we want to make sure that you finish your race strong. You're not going to start something and then bow to all kinds of

28:44 different um attacks of the enemy because we we're not even going to give him any glory of any attacks that he sends our way. We we just going to be so focused and so disciplined on what God has called us to do and we're going to build our muscles so strong that he you know, some people are I don't actually want to say this is a poop in the wind. I don't know if anybody doesn't understand that. Their spiritual muscles are so tiny. Like they they didn't put in the work especially in the early days. In your early days of salvation and ministry at you know, like putting in the the hours of prayer, the hours of in being in the word of God, standing the word of God because the Bible says study to show yourself approved. So, we have to go through that process. So, you get these people they just got saved. Um

29:32 they ordain themselves and there's no covering, there's no submission and they become this the went ones, not the sent ones and the went ones go out into the battlefield and they want to try and go against the enemy, but the enemy has better knowledge than they do. And it's like a month, two, maybe maybe two, three years. You know, some of them hold a little bit longer, but then one wind and they just blow over. And then they have, you know, church hurt, ministry hurt and they want nothing to do with the church, they want nothing to do with the Lord and they're so hurt, they're so bruised, but whose fault is it at the end of the day? Nobody but their own. Because they sent themselves when they weren't ready to

30:18 face the enemy. So, you cannot go into the battlefield if you aren't spiritually mature, if you aren't spiritually strong and even if you have then spent five years like Apostle praying for nine hours a day and reading the the of God and being transformed, you cannot go on only yesterday's oil. You need fresh oil every day. So, yes, that determines that's important in the early days, but as you continue, it is still just as important. So, be careful for neglect. Let that be a warning. Write it somewhere where you can see it every day. Be careful for neglect. The enemy only needs a little tiny little space

31:06 to get a foothold in the door. And once he gets his foot into that door, he is going to barge in with all of his might, all of his force, and all of his forces, and he's going to come and wreak havoc. So, you don't want to give him any foothold. You want to make sure that you are constantly in the word, you are constantly being transformed, your mind is being renewed, your flesh is being crucified, and you are being raised in Christ as a better man. Amen. So, don't allow next week, your last day, or maybe some of you're going to be busy a little bit longer than that because you're still going to be busy with assignments, but once you have written your last exam, once you've done your last assignment, don't let it be

31:53 the last time you study the word. Let this these two years truly have been a seed of hunger in your heart. Now, you've learned how to properly divide the word of God. You've learned how to read the word of God. You've learned how to understand it in context, how to um apply it in context. So, now, don't don't stop. Build on the the foundation that you have now learned the last two years. Amen. Number seven, the word trains your flesh to follow the spirit. The word trains your flesh to follow the spirit. Hebrews 5:12-14

32:39 talks about when we mature, you know, we don't need the milk anymore, but we now need to start eating the the meat of the word. So, you are beyond the milk, right? You are all at the meat. So, verse 14 says, "But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." So, note those words, "by reason of use." So, spiritual maturity comes by practice. It comes by discipline. You must practice applying the word. You must recognize You must be able to recognize the difference between right and wrong,

33:26 truth and lie. And then you must learn to bring your thoughts and actions in agreement with the word of God. We know Romans 12:1-2 talks about re- renewing your mind by the word of God, presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice, and being transformed by the renewing of our minds. So, many things we do every day becomes habits. You get up in the morning, you first have a glass of water, you go to the toilet, you go brush your teeth. It's It's a habit. It's something you do without thinking. You just do it. You don't have to think about every time you get in the car, every movement you

34:12 make, you know, when you go from gear one to gear two, or when you, you know, put your foot on the clutch. It's not things that you think about anymore. It's It just consciously, subconsciously, you just do it because it's become a habit. So, the same principle needs to be applied in your spiritual life. If you are continually going to respond to situations with fear, then fear is going to be your default response. If you are continually going complain about everything and everyone, then complaining is going to become a habit. If people see you, they're going to think, "Oh, you see, yeah, she comes." All that she has to say is just negative. You know, you Anybody know people like that? Like you see them

34:57 coming already and you're like, "Oh, Lord, not today. I don't have the strength for this person." I'm not the only one, okay? >> [laughter] >> Uh so, but but oh, through the word and through the help of the Holy Spirit, those patterns can change. So, if you're going to recognize, "I have a problem. I complain. All I do is complain. I I'm negative about everything." If I recognize that and I submit under the word of God and I allow the word to transform me, then those patterns can change. I can learn to respond in faith. I can learn to speak the word of God. I can learn to walk in love. I can learn to control my tongue. So, the body is not

35:44 um in control of the spirit. The spirit needs to be in control of the body. The body responds to what we tell the body to do. So, once a habit has been formed, the body is actually just responding on what your mind is telling your body to do. So, we need to need to come to a place where your body becomes subject to your spirit man. Your body responds to your spirit man. So, we don't have to be controlled by old habits. Galatians 5:16 says, "Walk in the spirit and he shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." Walk in the spirit.

36:29 So, you don't have to spend your whole life trying to manage the flesh while neglecting your spiritual life. You can strengthen your spirit and by strengthening your spirit, you will renew your mind and you will begin to walk in the spirit and not in the flesh. The number eight, honor the house and the leadership you minister under. So, excellence in ministry is not only about how well you know the word, but it's also about how you conduct yourself. So, we're talking about um applying the word. So, true minister of excellence walks in a spirit of honor.

37:15 Honor for God, honor for his people, honor for the leadership of the house where you might minister. Um and it's it's the same principle. If you're going to go to another man's house, you are not just going to even though you might be as a man the priest of your house, you are the priest in your full capacity, but when you go to another man's house, you are now no longer the priest of that home. You submit under the priest of that home. It's the same principle in the kingdom. You might be the boss of a business, but when you go to another business, you can't just go bossing everybody around. It's not your business. It's not your place. Know your place. There's order in the kingdom of God and there's something

38:01 called a spirit of honor. Honor those in positions of authority. So, when you step into somebody else's house, specifically now in ministry, if you step into another church and you are being either entrusted to minister or you're there as a guest, you have to remember that you are not there to take over. You are not there to prove that your way is better than theirs. And you know how hard that is. Um especially if you are in, you know, spiritual churches and you go to another church as a guest, say for example, somebody's invited you for a baby um baby baptism at a traditional church. And you sit there and you just see everything that's wrong and everywhere

38:48 where Holy Spirit is being grieved. Do not do that. You cannot do that. It's not your house. It's not your place to go around telling them that you know you you guys are missing the mark. You guys are so off. You got And I've known people that have done that and it actually does more harm than good because they are like, "Who do you think you are?" kind of vibes and it ruins relationships. So, keep quiet. Stay in your place. Know your place. Pray for them if you feel like things are totally out of line and you don't have to go back there. Thankfully, you don't. But know your place. You're not there to prove that your way is better. You're not there to promote your own vision. You have been entrusted with an opportunity. If you are there to

39:34 minister, you have been entrusted with an opportunity to minister to that house. So, the priest of that house, for example, has entrusted you with his flock, with his people. So, it is a trust thing. You cannot go and break that trust. So, that opportunity must be handled with humility and honor. Romans 13:7 says, "Honor to whom honor is due." So, that is always honor the set man and woman of God publicly and privately. The moment you get the opportunity to speak, whether it is in front of the church, whether it is just for a leadership meeting, whatever it is, always honor

40:20 the set man and woman of that house for giving you the opportunity and for entrusting you with their people, with their sheep, with their pulpit, whatever the case may be. So, you honor them publicly and privately. You never speak as though you are the final authority in that ministry. You don't talk like, you know, you know better and what do they know? You don't have private conversations with their people, um you know, talking bad about the pastor behind their back saying, "Oh, you know, I also don't agree with what your pastor is doing." You don't do that. You honor the set man and woman, whether you agree with them or not, publicly and privately. You never undermine their leadership, and you never use a pulpit invitation to criticize the culture or

41:07 the direction of the house. You are there to build up. You are there to strengthen. You are not there to break down. Even if you um are doing school ministry, if you're going to those schools, honor the principal, honor the leadership for entrusting these kids to you, for giving you this opportunity to be able to speak to the kids. And do not say anything bad about the principal, the leadership, the teachers, or the school. You are there to build up. So, don't assume that because you are anointed, you can do just whatever you want. The anointing doesn't excuse dishonor. So, before you minister, always ask the questions. What time must I arrive? How long do I have to minister?

41:54 Is there any guidelines I need to be aware of? Is there anything specifically the leadership wants me to honor, wants me to discuss, anything specifically? What is the flow of the service? So, you honor their flow, whether that is a flow you are used to or not, you honor their flow. It's their house, not your house. And you know, these might sound like silly questions, but these things will truly um give you favor. If you honor the set man and woman, God will favor you, and he will give you favor with man because you honor. Honor is a principle in the kingdom of God we cannot bypass. So, if you're going to honor the set man and woman, God is going to give you favor with him and favor with man.

42:42 These will uh these small things will quickly reveal your character. Never assume freedom. Always ask permission. Don't assume you can just do whatever you want because you are being led by the spirit. You are still under the submission of the set man and woman of that house. And never impose your way honor the house. The way you honor others reveals the kind of leader you are becoming. That's a inner ouch one, right? Okay, key number six. I want to try and do this one as quick as I can cuz I want to have enough time for three. Okay, key number six. Spend time

43:27 fasting. Spend time fasting. So, number one, fasting is part of a disciplined spiritual life. It's not simply a religi- religious activity. It's not something we do because we want to impress God or we want to get God's favor. It is something we do because we want to build our spiritual muscles. Matthew 6:16 says, "Moreover, when you fast." So, fasting is not a matter of if, it's a matter of when. You are going to fast at some point in your life. It's just a matter of when. So, he wasn't teaching his um or he was just Jesus was teaching his disciples how to fast with the right heart and attitude. So, fasting doesn't make God more

44:13 willing to help you. It positions you to respond to him. So, God doesn't Fasting doesn't change God. It just positions you to respond to him. It makes your um It opens up your spiritual eyes and your spiritual ears. It makes you more um perceivable if I can say that. That's the right word. Um cuz uh someone else's dis- I think it was John's disciples asked Jesus' disciple or Jesus, "Why aren't your disciples fasting?" And Jesus said, "Because the bridegroom is with them." So, they have not need to fast because the bridegroom is with them. But when the bridegroom goes away fast, what does that mean? It means if

44:58 you're feeling spiritually disconnected, you're feeling like you're not hearing God anymore the way you used to, if you're feeling there's maybe a brass heaven, your prayers aren't being answered, that is a great time to fast because fasting brings you closer to the bridegroom. Number two, there are two general types of fasting. There's a proclaimed fast and there is a personal fast. So, proclaimed fast is when your pastor calls a fast or when the president calls a fast and we fast corporately for a corporate reason. Where do we see this in the Bible? We see it with King Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20 when he called a fast and they fasted until they heard the Lord.

45:43 They asked him for help. And when they heard the Lord, that was when they stopped fasting. So, there's times when you're going to have to stop trying to figure everything out and you're going to have to make time for the Lord. You're going to have to seek his face in fasting and pray. So, personal fast, that is something that you choose yourself or you may might be led into a personal fast. Uh Matthew 6:16-18 gives clear instructions regarding that. Jesus specifically talks about when you fast, anoint your head, wash your face, that you appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy father which is in secret. In other words, don't fast like the hypocrites. Don't look like you're fasting. Don't let everybody feel sorry

46:30 for you because you're fasting. Whatever you're going to do in secret will be revealed in public. You don't have to reveal it publicly because then you already have your reward. But if you're going to do it in secret, God will give you your reward. Um number three, fasting helps us become more sensitive to the Holy Spirit. That's what I said earlier. So, it's not that God's gone quiet, it's that we have become distracted. So, fasting just removes the distractions and aligns us with God again. It creates a space to set those things aside, to pray, to worship, to meditate on the word, and to seek the Lord

47:16 without constantly feeding our natural appetite. So, it's not about getting God's attention, it's about giving him our undivided attention. Remember, pray must also go with fasting. It's a time of dedication, separation, consecration, seeking God, seeking his word. And if you are just going to be um abstaining from eating food and you're not going to really dedicate this time to fasting and pray, being in the word, then you might as well just call it a diet because that's all it is. You're going to lose some water and then 2 weeks after you start eating normal again, you're going to pick up all of

48:02 that water and extra weight as well. So, rather just do a proper fast and make it worth it or leave it. But, don't waste your time and God's time by calling it a fast when you're not seeking him. The purpose of a fast is to seek him. Don't just fast because everybody else is fasting. Fast to seek him. Then number four, decide the purpose of your fast. So, it's important to have a purpose, to put something before God. This is why you are fasting and be concentrated on the purpose, devoted to the purpose. Then number five, the fast that God has chosen. We know Isaiah 58 talks about the fast that God has chosen.

48:48 Um I'm not going to, for the purpose of time, read all the scriptures, but it specifically says that God is not interested in whether you have eaten or not, but he's interested on how you treat people. So, you could be fasting only water for 100 days, but you can still be a jerk. And those 100 days mean nothing to God if you're not going to change the way you treat people. So, you cannot claim to be fasting while continually mistreating people around you. You cannot say you're seeking God while refusing to help somebody who is in need. So, if it is in your capacity to help people in need, do it, especially when fasting because you are more spiritually aware of situations around you. If you can help, help.

49:36 So, fasting must produce something in the way we live. It must affect our attitudes. It must affect our generosity. It must affect our compassion. And it must affect the way we treat other people. Because why? God's heart is people. He died on the cross for people. Ministry is about people. So, when you fast, you have to get a heart for people. All people. Especially your enemies. I know, ouch, right? Number six, remove accusation and strife from your life. Remove accusation and strife from your

50:23 life. Isaiah 58:9 says, "If you take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity." So, when you fast, you have to remove accusation and strife from your life. Remove the pointing of the finger. Remove judgment. Remove the way you treat and you speak about other people. So, we have previously spoken about strife in ministry and all of that, so I'm not going to go too much about that. But, you cannot afford to continually be living in a fence. You cannot continually be be an opinion about everybody else and what everybody else is doing and thinking you are better than them. You cannot be accusing people. You must just stay in your lane,

51:10 do your thing, and God will reward you for staying in your lane, doing your thing, not being focused on what everybody else is doing. So, learn to forgive, learn to speak with grace, learn to honor others, whether they return it or not. You're going to give an account, and they're going to give their own account. So, whether they return it or not. Number seven, fasting should lead to greater ministry. Verse 10 to 11 in Isaiah 58 speaks about satisfying the afflicted soul and the Lord guiding his people continually. And verse 12 speaks about restoring what has been broken.

51:56 So, the purpose of spiritual discipline is not simply to make you feel more spiritual, it's to prepare you to live and minister more effectively. Prepare you to live and minister more effectively. The more time you're going to spend in God's word, the closer you're going to get to him, the more sensitive you are going to become to him, the more sensitive you are going to become to his people, to the needs of his people, the more you're going to develop a heart of compassion, like Jesus when he saw the crowds, um you know, being sheep without a shepherd, he had he was moved with compassion. That's what's going to happen to you. The more time you spend with him, the more time you spend in his word, the

52:41 closer you get to him, the more you are going to be moved with compassion, and the more you are going to become obedient to the voice of Holy Spirit. Number eight, practical guidelines for fasting. Number one, decide the purpose of your fast. Number two, commit the fast to the Lord. Number three, fast in faith, not to impress people. So, one, decide the purpose of your fast. Two, commit the fast to the Lord. Three, fast in faith, not to impress people. Four, spend time in the in the word, in

53:28 prayer, and in worship. Spend time in prayer, the word, and worship. Number five, remain available to minister to others. Don't become a closet warrior. Jesus spent time with his father, but then he went out and he ministered to the needs of his people. You cannot just be a closet intercessor, and you are always praying for everybody, but you're never allowing God to use you. Number six, trust God for his help, and remain sensitive to his leading. Trust God for his help, and remain

54:14 sensitive to his leading. Remember, fasting is never a substitute for obedience. You can fast until you're as skinny as a bone, but if God has told you to do something and you're not doing it, you're never going to see the breakthrough. So, fasting is never a substitute for obedience. So, in closing tonight, the formula for success. The formula for success. Three practical principles that will help you get success or excellence in ministry. Number one, find the will of

55:00 God. Find the will of God. Fast and pray until the will of God, the purpose of God for your life specifically is revealed to you. You have to find your purpose. That's your number one thing. Once you found your purpose, everything else is built on that. If you know that you know that you know that you know that this is what you have been called to do, then no storm, no wind, no attack, no nothing will be able to um let you think otherwise. You are going to know that this is what God has called you to do and you're going to be totally focused on that and that alone.

55:45 Number two, once you know his will, stand firm. Stand firm. Remain humble and accountable, but don't allow endless hesitation to become an excuse for disobedience. When God's direction is clear and confirmed by his word, step out in faith. Remember, whatever he tells you to do, just do it. Take that step of faith. Walk on the water. Number three, get the job done. Just do it. Those are three simple keys, simple

56:31 principles, but if you focus on those three principles, you are going to see success in life, success in ministry. So, if God has called you to preach, preach. If he's called you to evangelize, evangelize. If he's called you to make money, make money. If he's called you to be a teacher, be a teacher. Just do what he's called you to do. Amen. There's going to be opposition, there's going to be challenges, there's going to be moments when things don't go according to plan, but stand on the word. Stand on God's promises and remain humble and teachable and open to the leading of Holy Spirit and you will get to the end. You will remain faithful

57:18 until the end. Hebrews 13:20-21 says, "Now the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen." Amen. So, I want you guys today where we are to just close your eyes and I just want to pray a prayer over you guys. My last prayer over you. Thankfully, I know I'm still going to see you, so that at least makes me feel a little bit better. So, I want you to just close your eyes.

58:05 Father, I thank you tonight that I can bring each and every one of these students before you. And Lord, I thank you for this journey, this 2-year journey that they've been on. Thank you for every sacrifice that they've made. Thank you for every hour that they've spent studying your word and every challenge that they've overcome, some more than others, but thank you for every truth that has been deposited into their hearts. Father, tonight as they come to the end of this course specifically and next week to the end of their total 2 years, I pray that they will understand that this is not the end of their calling. This might be the end of 2 years of training, but it is the beginning of being used by you, of being taught even greater things

58:53 now that they have the foundation. I thank you that you will continue to build on that foundation. That this will be a beginning of a new season of responsibility for them. I pray that every student will carry the spirit of excellence, that they will do everything that they do unto the best of their ability, knowing that they are doing it not unto man, but that they are doing it ultimately for the Lord. Knowing that you, oh Lord, you alone are our reward. And when we do things for you and not to be seen by anybody, to be recognized by anybody, but just doing things in obedience to your will and your plan for our lives, that you will surely reward us, Father. You are faithful to your word. I thank you that they will have

59:39 excellence in their character. They will have excellence in their conduct, excellence in their commitment to you. Now, I pray, Father, let dedication burn in their hearts. Let them be totally dedicated, committed to your plans for their lives, Father. Your will, your purposes. I thank you that they will not be people who will turn back when things become difficult, but that they will stand firm, stand firm in the calling, stand firm in the knowledge that you are with them, that you will never leave them, you will never forsake them. I thank you that they will not be people who will compromise when they are faced with opposition. I thank you that they will remain faithful to the call of God upon their lives. Father, establish singleness of purpose upon them. Remove

1:00:27 every trace of double-mindedness, remove fear, remove insecurity. I pray right now, Father, I bind every spirit of insecurity, every spirit of fear, and I thank you that you have not given them a spirit of fear, but of love and of a sound mind. In the mighty name of Jesus, establish them firmly on your word, oh God. Holy Spirit, I pray that you will direct their every footstep. That you will be your you will be their guide. That you will teach them to recognize your voice. Sensitize them to your voice. Sensitize them to your guiding. In the name of Jesus. Teach them to minister with compassion, wisdom, and boldness. That they will never become so

1:01:14 confident in their own ability that they will stop depending on you. Help them, Holy Spirit, to recognize that without you, we are absolutely nothing. But I thank you that each and every one of these students will remain totally dependent on you, Holy Spirit. That they will gain an even deeper relationship with you, Holy Spirit. That you will become truly their Paraclete even in the years to come. That you will be their teacher. You will be their guide. You will be their comforter. You will be their counselor. Everything they need will be found in you, Holy Spirit. And that your anointing will increase upon their lives. That you will give them a greater ability to do things outside of their natural ability as they face

1:02:00 opposition, as they move forward in the calling and in the purposes of God upon their lives. I pray that they will always reflect the character of Jesus Christ. That they they will walk in integrity. They will walk in humility. They will walk in love. They will be vessels of honor prepared for every good and perfect work that you have called them for. Father, I pray that your word will become the foundation of their lives. Let them never ever stop studying. Let that hunger for your word never ever be quenched in the name of Jesus. Let them never become satisfied with what they already know. I pray that they will uh I pray for discipline in prayer and in

1:02:47 fasting. That their spiritual lives will never become empty religious routines, but that they will continually seek your face. Continually seek your presence. Continually seek your will in every circumstance, in every situation. Lord, let them never ever ever forget why you called them. Not for fame, not for recognition, not to exalt themselves, not for position, but to serve you and to serve your people. Let them always remember that it's about your people. It is all about your people. Father, I pray tonight that you will stir up every gift and every calling. Stir it up in the name of Jesus. Even as

1:03:32 they hunger for the giftings, Lord, that you will give unto them that which they desire in the name of Jesus. Let none of them settle for an ordinary Christian life when you have called them to live lives totally, completely surrendered to you. I commission them now, Father, to go and fulfill the work which you have entrusted them with. I plead the blood of Jesus over their lives. I plead it over their destiny. I plead I plead it over their ministry, and I plead it over their families. And I thank you that nothing in all of hell shall be able to stop them from accomplishing that which you've called them to do. And we give you all the glory and all the praise. And we thank you for the honor we've had in the last 2 years to be a part of

1:04:20 their journey. But we are so excited to see what you are still going to do in and through their lives in Jesus' mighty name. And everyone says, amen. Amen. God bless you, students. All the best with your last assignments and exams. And we will see you then at graduation. Teacher, I'm sorry for going over my time, but you can have an extra hour next week. >> No problem, Pastor A. Thank you so much. >> God bless you, students. >> It was such a good session, and we're going to jump straight into the next one. If you do need to just get something or go somewhere, just put your camera off and do it quickly. But we are going to also wrap up prison epistles, hopefully, in one session.

1:05:07 Um I'm going to try my best. So, we've been looking at the letters, and before I go into that, I'm about to forget a very important announcement. Pastor Amanda spoke on making sure that you are graduation. If you do not book your robe, then you will not graduate. So, please make sure that you book your robe with me. Uh we're saying to the first years, be gracious and kind towards me because I would like to have a good fruitful December, meaning I need those robes to be booked and ready um so that I can at least have them ironed and nice and straight. I know Gauteng,

1:05:52 uh you guys have still a little bit of time, but it would be great if I can just have your sizes and everything so that I can prepare everything um for you in advance. Then also remember to get your fees paid and make sure if you're doing it for enrichment that you've caught up all your classes. If you're doing it to get a report and get those 90% then make sure that that is submitted because I would ideally like to start working on reports on the 20th of November. If my plea for a good December holiday doesn't work, please remember I have three birthdays between now and Christmas. Meaning that I've got a very full schedule and still your reports. Meaning, please students, get that um you know

1:06:37 ready as fast as possible for me. Help me to be able to have that Christmas, right? So, can I have your support? Your unending love towards me. I'm just looking at the faces. I just want to see last year who kept me from having a good Christmas. All right, I'm just just having a look how many like Lord, just bring back to my memory those that didn't submit. All right, so please make sure that um you have that ready, that you've submitted your uh Jotform, that you've booked your size robe. By now you should know which size to get. If you don't know, just book Moralisa's size. I will have an extra size or two with me. And then yeah, we are wrapping up. Can

1:07:24 you believe it that it is literally one more week left, right? Um by show of hands, I'm not going to get through the whole of the book of Acts. Uh do you want to do a session next week with me, or do you want me to record it? Record it. One vote. One. It means you can finish I mean, I can literally record it tomorrow, and you can finish a week earlier. For some argue counts is five, cuz they had all five fingers in the screen. So, that I I saw five go up there. All right. Then, I'm I'm going to wrap up this evening. It would give you a week extra um to be able to then finish up, and I can literally just tomorrow sit tomorrow night and record and have it up for you.

1:08:11 That will help you guys quite a bit. But, let's get cracking. I know that I can finish this one in this hour. We were busy looking at the prison epistles. If you know what you need to do, you need to look at one of those letters that Paul wrote, um which all of them are pretty much sermon notes to the church, and write about the one you found the most profound and why. All right? So, Colossians chapter 3, and I'm going to be picking up in the amplified. If I can get there. Colossians chapter 3, and I'm going to start at verse one. Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ to a new Sorry, I'm going to change out of the amplified, otherwise I have to read too much.

1:08:57 Let me look for the We'll go for the easy-to-read version. Let's see this one sounds nice. Okay. You were raised from dead from death with Christ. So, for what is in heaven, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. Think only about what is up there, and not what is here on Earth. Your old self has died, you know that new creation realities. And your new life is kept with Christ in God. Yes, Christ is now your life, and when he comes again, you will share in his glory. So, put every evil out of your life. Sexual sin, doing anything immoral, letting sinful thoughts control you, wanting things that are wrong, and do not keep wanting more and more for yourself, which is the same as worshipping a false god. God will show

1:09:44 you his anger against those who don't obey him because they do these evil things. You also did these things in the past when you lived like them. But now, put these things out of your life. Anger, losing your temper, doing or saying things that hurt others, saying shameful things. Don't lie to each other. You have taken off those old clothes, the person you once were, and the bad things you once did. Now, you are wearing a new life, a new life that is new every day. You are growing in your understanding of the one who made you. You're becoming more and more like him. In this new life, it doesn't matter if you're Greek, Jew, circumcised, or not. It doesn't matter if you speak a different language, or even if you are an Israelite. It doesn't matter if

1:10:31 you're a slave or free. Christ is all that matters, and he is in you. God has chosen you and made his you his holy people. He loves you. So, your new life should be this. Show mercy to others. Be kind, humble, gentle, and patient. Don't be angry with each other, but forgive each other. If you feel someone has wronged you, forgive them. Forgive others because the Lord forgives you. Together with these things, the most important part of your new life is to love each other. Love is what holds everything together in perfect unity. Let the peace that is in Christ give control your thinking. It is for that peace that you were chosen to be together in one body, and always be thankful. Let the teachings of Christ

1:11:18 live inside you richly. Use all wisdom to teach and counsel each other. Sing songs, hymns, and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts. Do everything you say and everything you do should be done for Jesus your Lord. How many of us fail in that one so by the way, just putting it out there. And in you do and give thanks to God through Jesus. Wives, be willing to serve your husbands. This is the right thing to do following the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and be gentle to them. Children, obey your parents in everything. This pleases the Lord. And fathers, don't upset your children. If you're too hard to please, they might want to stop trying. Servants, obey your masters in everything. Obey all the time when they can't see you. Don't just

1:12:03 pretend to work hard so that they will treat you well. No, you must serve the master with honesty because you respect the Lord. In all the work you're given, do the best you can. Work as though you're working for the Lord. Um not to an earthly master. Remember that you will receive the reward from the Lord who will give you what he promised his people. You are you are serving Christ. He is your real master. Remember that anyone who does wrong will be punished for that wrong. The Lord treats everyone the same. So again, this echoes and screams Romans which you've done with me. It screams new creation realities which you've done. This is really a piece that you take out when people are battling with

1:12:49 relationships. When brethren are fighting, when there is disunity, this was really a message that Paul sent to the church about setting our mind on things that above. Firstly, if you're thinking about things that are above, that are in heavenly places, the things of earth, we sing that song will slowly fade away. If I'm so busy in my heavenly focus, earth cannot be my focus. Okay? Have you tried to look out of the car windscreen and drive and look at this out of the sunroof at the same time? You can't. So what your focus is really and truly matters. And students as second Jews, not only, and this is why I do these

1:13:36 epistles with you, these letters with you because not only are these letters important for you to preach and teach from, but it's important for you to know who you are. It is important to do a checklist. It is important to ask what you've been focusing on. It is important to ask yourself, as we read in verse 5 to 10, are you still putting off the old? That's easy. I no longer indulge in the things of the world, but are you putting on the new? Right? These kinds of things, the character of a new man, the new creation realities, are we doing these kind of things? Are we in the right kingdom kind of relationships? Are we acting correctly inside of these

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