Chapter 6: Ministering in the Grace of the Lord

Bible Reading:            

I Thessalonians 5:28

II Peter 3:18

Romans 4:4-6

II Corinthians 8:9

John 1:14

II Corinthians 12:9-10

Introduction

Thank the Lord, this year His leading has allowed us to hold the first Overseas Special Conference. I sought and waited before the Lord as to what message He would like me to share in this conference. The Lord gave me a clear burden to speak about “The Way of Ministry.” The Lord Jesus Himself said in John 14:6, “I am the Way.” As far as the principle of ministry is concerned, Christ is our way. Nevertheless, in the actual ministry, have we really made Christ our way?

In the twenty-seven books of the New Testament, practically every book mentions about the matter of ministering. In last year’s Conference, we had adopted the four Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles as background for our messages in regard to the way of ministry. Although the central points discussed in each of the messages were different, the nature of the contents, however, was one and the same, Christ Himself. For instance, the people in Southern China eat rice. Although a lot of Chinese eat rice by boiling them, some also eat them in the form of porridge, while others steam them and make them into rice cakes especially during occasions like New Year….… Regardless of the way they cook and eat them, they are all derived from rice. The same is true with our ministry to the Lord. Whether it is preaching the gospel, visiting the saints, edifying the saints, or building up the church, etc., we have but one way: Christ alone is our way, and He alone is our method.

Our messages for this special conference are taken from the Epistles and the book of Revelation. Both the spiritual meaning and contents for our messages have been extracted from these books. With reference to the Way of Ministry as mentioned in the Epistles, the book of Revelation, the four Gospels, and the Acts of the Apostles -- in which areas are they different from one another? Both the four Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles emphasize the universality of the testimony as well as the expansion of work, while the Epistles, beginning from the book of Romans to the book of Jude, including the book of Revelation, emphasize on how this testimony is to attain to the realm of fullness.

Now we will be using the Epistles as background for our messages on how we can minister to the Lord so that the testimony may be established, and that the church may be built up.

The importance of building up the church is so that God may work in us, and that we may be dealt with and be built up by God. Therefore, much attention will be given to the aspect concerning life, particularly to the inward workings of the Holy Spirit. On the other hand, the expansion of work and the universality of the testimony emphasize mainly on the aspect concerning gifts, particularly to the outer workings of the Holy Spirit. Concerning the building up of life, most of the things mentioned in the Epistles are from Paul’s experiences in serving the Lord; because Paul’s ministry had attained to God’s standard, particularly in his later years, when he was about to bring to completion his commission, he said, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (II Timothy 4:7) Hence, his ministry had served as model and example for all of God’s children throughout the ages.

At the same time, most of the Epistles in the New Testament were written by the apostle Paul in accordance with the will of God. We cannot mention them book by book due to limited space, but we will simply sum them up by touching on the most essential points regarding how we should minister so that the testimony of the Body of Christ will be built up. The first message we would like to share is about Ministering in the Grace of the Lord.

If we carefully read the Epistles written by Paul, we will discover that at the end of each Epistle, he usually writes the words, “May the Grace of the Lord Jesus be with you always.” Sometimes he used “goodness,” and other times “grace.” Although the Chinese translations may differ from case to case, nevertheless they all refer to grace. Because Paul often mentioned these words when concluding his Epistles, he had, in effect, pointed out the way of ministry, which is, ministering in the grace of the Lord. In other words, for every Christian to serve the Lord and to build up the church, he must do so in the grace of the Lord. Regarding how one can minister in the grace of the Lord, we will mention five important points: 

1. What is Grace?

   Early on, we read in Romans 4:4, “Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation.” Just like among us, there are some sisters who work as school teachers. Suppose she was hired at a salary of P2,000 a month, as long as she reports for work and teaches her class at the designated time every day, when payday comes, she will surely be given P2,000 even without asking the school authorities because this is what she is entitled to receive. If the school pays her P200 less and she gets only P1,800, then she has all the right to demand whatever money is lacking because this is what she is supposed to get. Therefore when a man works, his wages are credited to him not as a gift, but as an obligation.

   1. God Did It for Me

      What, then, is grace? It is receiving freely without working for it. There are two explanations for grace. Outwardly speaking, it is God who is doing all the work for me, be it preaching the gospel, visiting believers, sharing in small group meetings, etc. Outwardly, it may seem that I am busy serving the Lord, but actually it is God who is doing all these for me. This is called grace. Brothers and sisters, in learning how to serve the Lord, we must know that God is doing everything for us. It is not I who can do anything, because any work done by me -- by my own strength, or by my wisdom and ways, is not counted as grace. Grace is God doing the work for me.

      We have young sisters among us who have just graduated from college and are now working as kindergarten teachers. We even have one who is a kindergarten supervisor. When a 4- or 5-year old child goes to kindergarten school, what does he do in class? Does he not merely eat, drink, and sing? These fun activities are even graded by the teacher. At the end of the semester when the report cards are given out, the child proudly shows it to his mother saying, “Mama, I did well in school.” His mother takes a look and indeed his grade shows a 99. O, the kindergarten student simply eats, drinks, plays, and sings, and gets a grade of 99. This is called grace. How incredible they think they were for getting a grade of 99 just by eating, drinking, playing, and singing, completely ignorant of the fact that the cookies they ate in school were prepared by the teacher; the milk they drank were mixed by the teacher; the singing, playing, and dancing were all taught by the teacher; and the children didn’t have to do anything at all. This is called grace. Thank the Lord! In serving the Lord, all is of grace. Everything is prepared by the Lord Himself for us. However, those who are ignorant and whose spiritual eyes are not yet opened tend to think that it was due to their efforts. You have to know that if the Lord takes back His Holy Spirit, no matter how busy you work from morning till night, you will still not be able to save a single soul.

   2. Christ as My Provision Within

      What is grace? Outwardly speaking, God is doing the work for me. Inwardly speaking, Christ is my provision. Jesus Christ is my source of provision within. The Gospel of John 1:14 says, “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us… full of grace and truth.” Here, it tells us that Jesus was the Word who took on flesh and came to the world to bring us abundant grace from God. Hence, when we believe in Jesus, the Word who became flesh, He also dwells in you and me. He provides for all our needs, so that we may experience Him. Christ, who is in you and me, becomes the source of provision. This is grace. Hence, Madam Guyon once wrote a song that goes, “Christ could have been born in Bethlehem for a thousand times, but if He does not live within your heart, salvation remains unaccomplished.”

      I remember the time when I was ministering in the southern region of the Philippines more than ten years ago. One day, I saw a store sign on the street that says “XX Father and Son Company.” It was a company put up as a partnership between a father and his son. I felt quite amazed because in Taiwan, I have never seen such kind of name. I found out later that this has to do with a father who made so much money from business that he wanted to hand down the inheritance to his son. So he put up a father-and-son joint venture corporation, with the son as the general manager and the father as chairman of the board. I immediately related my thoughts to the present time wherein Jesus and we (all the saints) have also entered into a father-and-son joint venture corporation to serve God together.

      Thank the Lord! The inheritance of our physical father is that of a limited corporation, but the inheritance of God, our Father in heaven, is an unlimited corporation because God’s riches are immeasurable. I believe the father-and-son corporation in the south certainly involved an enormous capital. As the general manager, the son takes charge of the business. It does not matter if he makes money or not. Even if he loses a million pesos, the father, who is a multi-millionaire, will certainly pay for his son’s losses. However, if he earns money, then that is even better. Since the father is a rich tycoon, he can provide for his son’s needs without limit. The son needs only to put his best into the business. The father does not care if the business loses money, as long as his son learns the skills of doing business.

      Let us take a look at the son, from the time he emerges from his mother’s womb to the time he is grown up, his father has been earning money to nurture him, to bring him up until he becomes an adult. Furthermore, his father provides him with abundant capital to start the business. The son inherits all these from his father; therefore the father is the son’s source of provision. This practical example illustrates how Christians minister in grace, which means that we are in partnership with the Lord. We work as general managers and the Lord’s boundless grace is our source of provision. Therefore in our lifetime, the first and foremost thing we have to acknowledge is that, the Lord is our source of provision in order that we may serve Him all our lives.

2. It is by Grace that Believers are Saved, become Victorious and Grow

   Today, many Christians have the misconception that after a person gets saved, he simply waits to go to heaven. He is ignorant of the fact that after he is saved, he needs to continue his pursuit for spiritual growth and learn to serve the Lord. Being saved by faith is but just an entry point.

   1. Saved by Grace

      Ephesians 2:8 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved through faith – and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.” Here it tells us that we are saved through faith, not by works. Is not this so? Has anyone among us who believed in Jesus ever purchased his rebirth with money or obtained salvation by works? No, not one. We are saved through faith. Any Christian, regardless of how great his sins may be, as long as he believes in the Lord, will be forgiven. As long as he believes, he will receive salvation. Since we have all experienced God’s gift of salvation, I need not mention it again.

   2. Victory by Grace

      In II Corinthians 12, the apostle Paul mentioned a thorn in his flesh that caused him much suffering. Three times he pleaded with the Lord to take this thorn away from him. In the Bible, the number “three” speaks of an important juncture, just like the Lord Jesus who prayed three times in the Garden of Gethsemane. When Paul pleaded three times with the Lord to take away this thorn in his flesh, the Lord answered him, “My grace is sufficient for you.” (v.9) Here it tells us about a spiritual principle, and that is, Christians gain victory by grace. No wonder Paul went on to say, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.” Formerly, these troubles were overwhelming, but now they have become my delight. Because the Lord’s grace is sufficient for me, by grace I am able to transcend and live a victorious life.

      Several years ago, I was able to visit the great city of New York for the first time. A brother took me to see the World Trade Center. It was a tall, majestic, and steadfast building whose top reached to the skies — a 110-storey skyscraper. We lined up with the crowd and took the elevator. It was not long before we got to the top floor of this tall building. As I stood on top of this gigantic building and viewed the entire great city of New York, I was amazed at the greatness of its architect. What amazed me more was the daily crowd of people who go up and down uninterruptedly to view and admire this huge structure, without even one of them taking the stairs from the ground floor all the way to the top. Brothers and sisters, I believe if someone would climb up ten flights of stairs, he will surely be out of breath. If he would climb fifty flights of stairs, I am sure he would be wailing out loud.

      But today, there are many Christians who rely on their own determination to live a victorious spiritual life. No wonder they get tired of being Christians and they no longer want to serve the Lord. Why is that? Because they feel that it is too much trouble for them. They are the ones who rely on their own efforts to climb up the skyscraper on foot, completely ignorant of the Lord’s grace that abundantly provides for them.  The Lord had accomplished everything for us, and all we have to do is to take the elevator to get to our destination. From this, we could see that it is neither by gritting our teeth nor by clenching our fists in sheer determination that we overcome sin, the world, and the flesh, but entirely in the grace of the Lord by which we gain victory.

   3. Growth by Grace

      Spiritual growth is not an exception. II Peter 3:18 says, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” Paul also said, “Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” (II Timothy 2:1) These tell us that it is not by law nor by one’s own self, but rather by grace that one gets to become a Christian. By grace, one is victorious, and by grace, one grows.

      Most of the Chinese homes in the Philippines have maids. Some girls as young as 12 or 13 years old were hired as house helpers at a monthly rate of 400 to 500 pesos. All that the maid does is work hard and be fed. With the passing of time, she grew up from a 12 or 13- year old to an 18 or 19- year old adult. All throughout this period, she gets paid while working, at the same time she also grows up from being fed. This, however, is not considered grace.

      Such is not the case with children. The moment they came out of their mother’s womb, they were nurtured. From age 1 to 2, then to 10, and all the way until they reach 20 and become adults, all the food, clothing, shelter, and the things they need, had been provided by their parents. Growing up in such a way is called growing up in grace. Up to this point, we cannot help but praise the Lord with a loud voice because we all grew up in grace. It is the grace of Christ that causes us to be saved, to overcome, and to grow. Hallelujah, what a grace! What a blessing!

3. Serving by Grace to Fulfill Our Ministry

   God called Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt for the purpose of serving Him in the wilderness. We who are redeemed by the Lord, likewise, have a divine commission, which is, to serve the Lord. But how do we fulfill our commission of serving the Lord? We must know that it is absolutely by grace that we can fulfill such a commission and entrustment. This is something very important which we must bear in mind. If everyone ministers by grace, we will certainly see the great blessings of the Lord.

   Last year, we mobilized the entire body of the church into ministry, and all the saints responded in one accord. Some assumed the burden of visitation, while others assumed the burden of preaching the gospel..…. Because of God’s mercy, over the last three years, more than a thousand people were baptized. This is the Lord’s blessing. However, there were some who, after a month or two of visitation ministry, grew tired and stopped doing visitations; while others, though putting pressure on themselves to keep going, had eventually lost their momentum because they did not know that they should rely on the grace of the Lord to fulfill their commission and entrustment. Because of this, we would like to mention two points.

   1. Serving by Grace will Enable Us to Overcome Weaknesses

      The Lord’s leading in each one of us is to bring us to the point of admitting our own weaknesses. A person who possesses spiritual fervor, or who has gifts, or who relies on his own fleshly nature to do things, will never admit his failures. He is unaware that his gifts were given by God. Hence, the Lord has to lead him to a condition of weakness and allow him to fail repeatedly, so that in the end, he cannot but admit that he is truly helpless. Right at that moment, the Lord will give you and I sufficient grace to undergo a spiritual turnaround, so that we may turn from relying on our fleshly nature to relying on His grace.

      The thorn in the Apostle Paul’s flesh made him aware of his own weaknesses. It also made him wonder how he could fulfill the ministry and accomplish the commission given him. But the Lord answered him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Paul then understood that God’s good will was to lead him into experiencing weaknesses so that he may yield himself completely to Him, so that he could no longer make resolutions on his own but totally surrender himself to the Lord. Immediately, he experienced the Lord’s grace and strength resting upon him. Hence he went on to say, “For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (II Cor. 12:10)

      I remember many years ago on the day just before the summer conference, I suddenly felt dizzy and nauseous; my stomach ached so much and I had diarrhea. At that moment I prayed to the Lord, “Lord, have mercy on me! I will be taking a long ride up the mountain early tomorrow morning to speak at the conference.” Halfway through my prayer, I vomited again until there was nothing left to vomit, and I felt even dizzier. I was completely drained of energy to vomit. I was not even able to go back to my bed to rest. Suddenly, the verse from II Corinthians 12:9 surfaced, “My grace is sufficient for you.” I placed my hand over my forehead, not only was I feeling dizzy, I also had a slight fever. However, the word of the Lord is powerful. The following morning at six, by the Lord’s grace, I was able to take the bus to Baguio. Halfway through the journey, I felt a lot better. When we arrived at Baguio, I was totally healed. Not only was I able to stand at the pulpit to preach, I was able to fulfill my ministry in a much better way than before. May glory be to God who bestows all grace!

      Although each person’s encounters and experiences are unique, God eventually uses difficulties to force you to a point where you want to let out a long sigh and no longer feel like serving Him. However in the midst of sufferings, persecutions, and hardships (as though you have come to a dead end), His grace suddenly comes on you and me to enable us to undergo a spiritual turnaround, so that we may serve Him by grace. Every time you feel like you are unable to continue serving Him, that is, when the Lord is leading you to the end of the road, right at that moment, you praise Him by faith saying, “Lord, I rejoice for you have brought me to this dead end, I know that now is the time to serve you by grace, now is the time to fulfill my ministry.”

   2. Serving by Grace will Enable Us to Overcome All Difficulties

      “Weakness” is internal while “difficulties” are external. Yet, we all need grace to continue serving. The Apostle Paul told us in II Corinthians 8, “And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy……” “Most severe trial” refers to the condition of being in desperate straits with no way out. In terms of experience, while ministering together with others, you’ve probably met some brothers and sisters who were not of one mind with you. Opinions differ and disputes prevail – such that you are unsure of whether to advance or retreat and you are unable to decide on which is right.

      Thank the Lord! Our church in Manila has been kept by the Lord. Everybody worked together in one accord in expanding the church. Some offered money, while others, time….. It was indeed very well-coordinated. However, all of us must be ready for possible difficulties ahead. As we work together in the ministry, if, and when, our opinions are locked in a stalemate, let us remember the grace given to the Macedonian churches, in that they had overflowing joy amidst their most severe trial. From the example stated above, we see once again that grace enables us to overcome difficulties. There is a hymn that goes like this:

      The cross that He gave may be heavy,

      but it never outweighs His grace…

      I am satisfied to know that with Jesus here below,

      I can conquer every foe.

      This is like ship in the vast ocean; when the tide recedes, the ship gets stuck in shallow waters and cannot move. But when the tide rises, it buoys up the ship and allows it to flow back on the water, and no boulder in the ocean is able to deter it. Hence, it gets to move forward freely. This is also true in the pathway of serving the Lord. Just like the ship which advances with the rising tide, we too are able to serve the Lord by His grace. If you and I do not rely on the grace of the Lord, then it will be difficult for us to move forward even one single step along this pathway of ministry.

      In Paul’s experiences of serving the Lord, he said this of himself, “For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them --- yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.” (I Corinthians 15:9-10) This clearly tells us that indeed all the apostles worked very hard, nevertheless Paul worked harder than all of them. “Yet not I (Paul), but the grace of God that was with me.” When it comes to the sufferings Paul had gone through in II Corinthians 11, we cannot bear to read on. He said, “I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea. I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold… ” However, he said, “Yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.” Paul was a true model of someone who served by the Lord’s grace. May the Lord be gracious to us and lead us into learning to serve by His grace as we fulfill His commission to us.

4. The Principle of Serving by Grace --- Allowing Others to Gain Through Our Nothingness

   Look at what Paul said about the principle of ministering by grace in II Corinthians 8:9. He said, “..…the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.” It says here that Jesus Christ is an abundant God. All the fullness of God dwells in bodily form in Christ. (Colossians 1:19) He is the treasury of riches without limit. However, when he came in the flesh to this world for our sakes, He was born in a small, crude, and lowly manger. Since childhood, He was brought up in a carpenter’s home in Nazareth. For 33 years, not only was he deprived of a comfortable and luxurious life, He was even humiliated and despised, mocked and rejected… for our sakes. This speaks of the grace of Jesus Christ. He became poor so that we may become rich.

   Here it shows us the principle of serving in grace, which is, through our nothingness, we enable others to gain all. Therefore in our ministry, if we stand in the position of having nothing, if we stand in the position of being poor, and if we look at ourselves as nothing, having nothing, and capable of doing nothing, as a result, others will be able to gain all. In simple terms, we enable others to gain all through our being nothing. This is the principle of grace. The moment we think that we have, then others will not gain any help from us; because the principle of grace is that you must stand forever in the position of nought, so that the Lord may manifest His all.

   The apostle Paul in Philippians 2:5-8 concretely mentioned how Jesus stood on the principle of grace. First, it mentions, that Jesus who was equal in glory with God, did not hold on to such equality, but made Himself nothing, meaning, He regarded Himself as totally nought. Furthermore, He willingly humbled Himself, taking the very nature of a servant. Not only that, He stood in the position of a sinner and submitted Himself unto death. O! Death means there is nothing left. Because this kernel of wheat had fallen to the ground and died, it produced many seeds, thus imparting boundless life to all.

   From here, we could see that as we minister, we must ask for the Lord’s mercy and grace so that we may learn to keep standing in the position of nought. Sometimes when I encourage brothers and sisters to share a few words in the meetings, they declined by saying they have nothing to share. I said, “Hallelujah! This is good.” If you have nothing, then the Lord will have His way. If you think that you have something, I would rather that you do not share. Because the principle of grace is that through our nothingness, others may gain everything. This is one who has full understanding of the way of ministry. The moment you think that you already have, then you have already fallen out of grace. We have to forever stand in the position of nought because that was also the first step that Jesus took: He humbled Himself and came to dwell among us, full of grace and truth.

   The second step was He emptied Himself so that others may receive provision. Jesus poured out His life, he shed His blood on the cross. The result is that we may have eternal life and have it more abundantly. Through emptying Himself of everything, He enabled us to richly gain all things. This is the grace of Jesus Christ. Not one of us is an exception. If we always see ourselves as nothing while relying on His grace to minister, we will discover that through us, many people will gain help and provision.

   After the People Power Revolution in February last year, Mrs. Aquino took office as president of the Philippines. Upon hearing this news, countries all over the world were concerned about her policy of running the nation. A reporter from Taiwan once interviewed the lady president, “Being the newly elected president, may I ask who had influenced you the most?” In return she asked the reporter, “Who do you suppose it was?” The reporter replied, “I guess it had to be Cardinal Sin.” She said, “No.” “Then who was it?” She said, “Someone you will never expect -- a Catholic nun by the name of Christine Tan.” She came from a well-known wealthy family and grew up in comfort and luxury. After her father died and left her a vast inheritance, she sold everything and distributed them to the poor in the slums. From then on, she stayed and suffered with the poor. Before Mrs. Aquino was elected president, the two had maintained close contact with each other. Because she sold off all her possessions and had given up her dignity, this had deeply moved and influenced the president. Hence, Mrs. Aquino has willed that in the future, if ever she will be elected president, she will look after the needy.

   When ministering, whether or not we can impart life and allow people to obtain help, it has nothing to do with our gifts. Christians nowadays give so much importance to eloquence. As long as they can collect testimonies, stories, and illustrations that sound interesting, then match them with Biblical truths to form a piece of sermon, they can go anywhere to speak. In our case, we do not take the pathway of gifts but rather, the pathway of life. We impart life and Christ to others. Our pathway is based on the principle of grace, and on how we impart life to people. We stand firm on the principle of grace, and constantly put ourselves in the position of nought, so that through our nothingness we enable people to gain all, to gain everything.

5. Learning to Minister in the Grace of the Lord

   Since serving in the grace of the Lord is so important, how then, in the practical aspect, do we enter into serving in the grace of the Lord?

   1. Entering into the Ministry of Grace by Faith

      Romans 5:2 tells us, “We have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.” Here, it clearly tells us that first of all, it is “by faith” that we can receive grace from the Lord. I believe no one here is not capable of doing this. Is it not so? If we have to pay a price, who then can serve? Hallelujah! It is by faith that we enter into the grace of the Lord, and as long as we do not stay out of grace, then everything will be fine. However, the moment we have doubts about the Lord and our faith wavers, we immediately stay out of the Lord’s grace. Therefore “faith” serves as the most basic requirement.

      Let us take a look at the Israelites during their forty years in the wilderness. The Lord had given them sufficient grace. Nonetheless from beginning till end, they harboured a sinful, unbelieving heart. Hence, they missed out on the Lord’s grace and were not able to enter into rest. (Hebrews 3:17-19) True, they were living under the law at that time, nevertheless the principle of grace was no different.  The principle of grace existed even before the laws were given.

      By faith Abraham received grace and was justified freely. After him, all of us became the descendants of faith. Like him, we also enter into grace by faith and receive the Lord’s grace by faith. 

   2. A Ministry that Boasts of One’s Weaknesses

      In Paul’s ministry throughout his life, we observe one special quality, and that is, him boasting about his weaknesses. How I wish all of us will boast about our weaknesses because whenever we acknowledge our weaknesses, grace not only flows unceasingly to us, we also receive grace from the Lord in the midst of our weaknesses.

      In the Old Testament, the prophet Elijah, whom God had greatly used, was a warrior of faith. His first training in the lessons of faith occurred in the Kerith Ravine. Day by day God sent ravens to feed him with bread until the waters in Kerith Ravine dried up. The Word of the Lord came to him again saying, “Go at once to Zarepath of Sidon and stay there. I have commanded a widow in that place to supply you with food.” He obeyed the Word of the Lord and went there. The widow of Zarepath was exceedingly poor. It turned out that Elijah was the one who sustained her life. After a long time of training in faith, Elijah’s faith grew. Then God sent him to Mt. Carmel to battle the prophets of Baal. By faith he prayed for fire, and fire fell down from heaven on the altar. Nevertheless, to one’s surprise, after having experienced such great victory in faith, he succumbed to the intimidating statements from the queen and became completely discouraged. Subsequently, he fled from Mt. Carmel to the desert to pray for death under a broom tree.

      Elijah’s prayer for death under a broom tree speaks of his faith that had weakened. Not only that, “he lay under the broom tree and fell asleep.” (I Kings 19:5) Symbolically speaking, “sleep” implies the end of the natural life. During this time, an angel prepared a jar of water and a cake of bread baked over hot coals, then he woke him up and told him to get up and eat. After he ate and drank, he went back to sleep. The angel came back the second time, touched him and told him to get up again and eat and drink, then he told him, “The journey is too much for you.” Strengthened by the food, he travelled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. Thereafter, he anointed Hazael as king of Aram, and Jehu as king over Israel. He also anointed Elisha to be the man who will succeed him as prophet.

      From this example in the Bible, we repeatedly see that when the natural man is being led by God to the point of weakness, God’s grace will then come and enable us to serve and fulfill our ministry by grace.

   3. A Ministry that Relies on Christ as Life

      Colossians 3:4 says, “Christ, who is your life.” How do we experience Christ as our life? By learning to abide in Christ and allowing Christ to abide in us. To put this to practice, we need to live a life of more praying and drawing near to the Lord. Better still if we could receive revelation from the Holy Spirit so we can see that it is not I, but Christ who lives in me. We must let Christ be our life, our wisdom, our righteousness, our holiness, our redemption, and our all…… for Him to lead us and to teach us.

   4. Humbly Looking to the Lord to Give More Grace

      James 4:6 says, “But He gives us more grace.” Meaning, all of God’s riches and grace are to be given to us. However, the words that follow this verse serve as warning to us: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Hence, we must all learn to humble ourselves, come before the Lord and look up to Him saying, “Lord, I need more of Your grace.” This was also Paul’s experience. After he met the Lord on his way to Damascus, throughout his life he never disobeyed the vision that came from heaven. He was constantly controlled by the vision of Christ, until the last years of his life just before he departed from the world, he wrote a letter to Timothy saying, “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners --- of whom I am the worst.” (I Timothy 1:15) Here it tells us that from the time Paul got saved until the time he departed from the world, he continually stood in the position of being the worst among sinners; he admitted his unworthiness to serve the Lord. Because he never departed from the position of self-humility, he received the greatest grace, and thus accomplished the commission that the Lord had entrusted him. May the Lord bless His words and lead us to enter into the reality of serving Him in His grace until He returns.

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