CONTACT FOR IMPACT (A WORD TO MINISTERS) Part 1
By: Pastor Jack Siame
No man has ever been effective in THE WORK OF GOD who did not first cultivate and sustain a strong relationship with THE GOD OF THE WORK.
There are two contacts that underline ministry work
1. Our contact with God
2. Our contact with men
The first leads to the other. The power of the second grows out of the first. OUR CONTACT WITH MEN CAN HAVE NO REAL IMPACT ON MEN IF WE HAVE NO REAL CONTACT WITH GOD, THEIR MAKER.
• The Closet & The Pulpit
Luke 5:16, “And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed.” As a result, “…it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that…the power of the Lord was present to heal…” We can see here that it was His contact with God that made Him effective in His ministry to men.
THERE IS NOTHING WE CANNOT DO AFTER WE HAVE PRAYED.
Our contact with God enables us to do what ordinary men cannot do.
FACE GOD BEFORE YOU FACE MEN, AND YOU WILL FACE THEM WITH GOD’S POWER AND GLORY. Face men before facing God, and you will face them with emptiness and dryness.
Luke 4:14 KJV
AND JESUS RETURNED IN THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.
Where was returning from? From facing God, and from yielding Himself fully to Him, giving no place to temptations.
BEHIND EVERY POWERLESS, FRUITLESS, EMPTY MINISTRY AND LIFE IS AN EMPTY CLOSET.
The Lord said, “…WITHOUT ME YE CAN DO NOTHING.” (John 15:5). If the action was born from your fellowship with God, it’s empty – no matter how good and promising it appears, it’s nothing – you are doing nothing!
An empty closet is the reason behind empty messages, empty songs, empty services, which have a form of godliness, sound in speech, but lacking in ability to chance the hearer. They promise BIG things, but are weak to perform what they promise.
THE MINISTRY OF A PRAYERFUL MAN IS WITH THE DEMONSTRATION OF THE SPIRIT AND POWER. There is always evidence in his ministration that he is in touch and in tune with God, always.
• “They Had Been With Jesus” (How To Have Boldness)
Acts 4:13 “Now when they saw THE BOLDNESS of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, THAT THEY HAD BEEN WITH JESUS.”
Peter and John had boldness before men and devils because they had been with Jesus. Can those who listen to you tell that you have been with Jesus?
ONLY THOSE HAVE TALKED WITH GOD CAN BE BOLD ENOUGH TO TALK FOR GOD.
BOLDNESS TO FACE GOD IS FOUND IN THE WORD. BOLDNESS TO FACE MEN IS FOUND IN PRAYER. If we are weak in the word, we will be weak before God. And if we are weak in prayer, we will be weak in ministry. No fire, no power, no boldness.
In Acts 4:24-31, we see that they were bold before God in prayer because of the word that addressed the situation they were facing. And then it says, “And when they had prayed…they were filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.”
We stand with boldness before God because of the word. We stand with boldness before men, devils and circumstances because of God.
They were filled with the Holy Spirit (God), as a result, they spoke the word with boldness
