KEY SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 12:28 ” And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues”.

There is another area of. Service in the body of Christ which is not normally talked about, yet it is very. Important. This is a kind of service or ministry not appointed by any man, but the Holy. Spirit stirs the hearts of certain individuals to play this role.
We now look at the ministry of helps. The New Testament is filled with many examples of the ministry of help. The word “helps” in Acts 27:17 speaks of the rope-like cable that sailors used to wrap around the ship during a storm. This is a supporting ministry. The ministry of help is what God wraps around us to hold us together in our stormy times.

The Bible mentioned seven people who ministered in this area of help. For example, there is Phebe, in Romans 16:1-2 Paul said “I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the church, that ye receive her in the Lord, for she has been a securer (helper) of many and of myself also”. Phebe was a helper. She carried the book of Romans to Rome for Paul at his request. Though she was not a preacher, Phebe helped to spread the gospel.

Lydia was another helper who supported Paul. We find in Acts 16:14-15, “And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.

And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us”.

She provided lodging in her house in Philippi for Paul and his group.

In Exodus 17:8-12, Aaron and Hur held up Moses’ hands during a battle. The victory of the Israelites depended on whether Moses’ hands were up or not. These men supported his hands which were getting too tired to remain up. This made Israel win the battle.

Every man of God needs helpers to help him to succeed. Our Lord needed helpers who provided things like a place for his last supper, the Colt he rode on to Jerusalem, and even Joseph of Arimathea who gave him his tomb when he died.

These helpers normally make great sacrifices for most men of God. It may surprise some of us to know that in heaven some of these helpers would receive greater rewards than some of these men of God. Why would this happen? The truth is that a number of these helpers are so faithful and make more sacrifices than the man of God. It would therefore be just right that God who sees more than the human eye sees would definitely reward them more than the man under whom they served.

Let everyone play his role to the best of his or her abilities. What is most important is to do everything in sincere love for God. and his people.

PRAYER

Lord, I pray for all helpers who make various levels of sacrifices to help God’s work move on very well. May you strengthen them to fulfil their services on earth.

FURTHER STUDIES.

Exodus 17:12 But Moses’ hands were heavy, and they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat thereon, and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.

John 19:38 ” And after this Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore and took the body of Jesus”.

KEY SCRIPTURE Ephesians 4:8, 11 ” Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. And he gave some, apostles; and some,prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;”

As we consider these ministerial gifts, I wish to state that women are also keenly involved. In the office of the prophets, several women across the bible were prophetesses. I am putting this across because several people have resisted the place or the role of women in the front line to do God’s work.

Shall we go through the bible and consider some of the women who were prophetesses?

Exodus 15:20 “And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances”. As a prophetess, she exercised, some level of authority over some of the people.

The next one is Deborah. She was a judge in Israel. Judges 4:4 “And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time. “In those days, judges carried so much authority. They were like kings.

2 Kings 22:14 ” So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asahiah, went unto Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college;) and they communed with her”.

Isaiah 8:3 “And I went unto the prophetess, and she conceived, and bare a son. Then said the LORD to me, Call his name Maher-shalal-hash-baz”. This woman was Isaiah’s wife.

In the New Testament was Anna. Let’s see what the scriptures said about her. Luke 2:36 “And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity”;

Please let us note that God is not a respecter of persons. Anyone who would purge himself or herself from sin and dedicate himself or herself unto God would be a vessel met for the master’s use. The Bible described Anna as a woman who married for only seven years, and her husband died. From then she lived in the temple fasting day and night for eighty-four years (Luke 2:37). If a person dedicates herself this way, won’t the Lord visit her and tell her secrets that other men may not know?

God’s dealings with people are purely based on one’s dedication (Acts 10:34, 35). The male gender is indeed God’s first choice, yet God would accept the woman who avails herself to seek the Lord. At the resurrection story of Jesus, Peter and John with Mary Magdalene went to seek Jesus but these two gentlemen left when the angel told them Jesus had resurrected. Mary did not go but tarried there. The Lord appeared to her and asked her to give a message to the rest of the disciples. John 20:18 KJV ” Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her.” Mary acted at this moment as a prophetess.” She was the available vessel for the master’s use

PRAYER

Lord, I pray that every child of God will set him or herself apart unto you so that you can likewise use them for whatever you intend to.

FURTHER STUDIES

Luke 2:37 “And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day”.

2 Timothy 2:21 ” If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work”

KEY SCRIPTURE: Ephesians 4:8,11 ” 8‘ Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. 11‘ And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;”

In 1st Corinthians 12, we learnt about the nine supernatural gifts of the Holy Ghost. We see in our key scripture another kind of gift. This time, it is ministerial gifts or ministerial offices.

A ministerial gift is a man or woman who is divinely endowed with the ability to function as an apostle, a prophet, an evangelist, a pastor, or a teacher to build the church of God. Each office has the unique supernatural gifts that go with it.

The Bible says such men are gifts to the body of Christ, that is, the church. We would consider the office of an apostle in detail. The Bible states clearly the purpose of these ministerial gifts:
Eph 4:12 KJV For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

An apostle ranks first in the order of authority and impact of operation among the ministerial offices. The word apostle means one sent with full power of attorney to act on behalf of another. He is sent to act on behalf of the Lord Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Ghost. An apostle is not called by man or made by man. No one also makes himself or herself an apostle. It is purely divinely appointed Galatians 1:1 Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)He is sent to do work for the Lord and therefore must be fully submitted and subjected to the Lord Jesus. An apostle normally functions in all of the nine supernatural gifts of the Spirit

Some people also claim there are no apostles in our times, and rather, it ended with the apostles in the bible. God still raises apostles in our days. The apostle is different from the other four offices because he has the ability to function fully in any of the other offices. This is why the apostle is ranked first in the ministerial offices and not the prophet. Any person, whether a man or woman with an apostolic calling, has the ability, the authority, and the anointing to raise a church without any outside help. He could also stay there to establish a school and send them forth to go and play various roles in the body of Christ. He can also set up a governing board for the church. Titus 1:5 “For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee”:

Today, the title apostle has become common with one not having the gifts and divine authority that go with it. 2 Corinthians 12:12 ” Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds”.

I pray the church of God would be circumspect in the way we go about giving these titles or appointing ourselves to such offices. All things must be done well to gain the right impact in the body of Christ.

PRAYER

I pray that in these last days, the Spirit of God would raise more men and women with an apostolic grace to speed up the end-time work of the church of God, in Jesus’ name I have prayed.

FURTHER STUDIES

Acts 4:33 ” And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all”.

Acts 9:27. “But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus”.

KEY SCRIPTURE: Exodus 7:12 ” For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods”.

Every child of God must be very much aware that the devil always seeks to counterfeit the gifts of God. He does this to confuse men about the power of God and that of the devil.

In our key scripture Satan through King Pharaoh of Egypt caused his magicians to work a miracle to challenge God’s power and hardened the heart of the king. In this instance Moses’ rod which had become a serpent swallowed that of the magicians of Egypt. God would always overpower the devil if only Christians would stand for him.

The following story illustrates how the devil counterfeits God’s power.

A village in Java a town in Israel, is dominated by mostly Christians. The following story explains how it happened.

Some years ago, a young Dutch Christian lady missionary came to that village preaching about Jesus and his power to save. A witch doctor confronted her, telling her to leave the place because they could not live on that land together. He explained that he works miracles there and she can’t also come and talk about miracles. This lady missionary said she was not going anywhere. The witch doctor said they should go into a contest to prove who was more powerful, implying the winner would take over.

They announced this contest to the neighbourhood, whilst this witch doctor fasted for three days, and the lady missionary did her normal preaching activities in the village. On the fateful day, the villagers gathered, while the two people met in the arena. The witch doctor asked the lady to act first to prove how powerful her God was, but she declined and asked the man to go ahead. This witch doctor lay on the floor and instantly began to rise like a log of wood lifting itself from the floor. He got to about a knee high and remained there.

The lady did not know what to do. She asked the Lord, and He told her to push him down with her foot and cast the devil out of him. She did exactly that. The demons in him came out and the man came to his normal senses asking “Where he was? ” He had been filled with the demons for so long a time that he had lost touch with the real world. This man accepted Jesus with the whole village.

All the miracles he did were demonic Satan is still using his agents to counterfeit the miracles of God and many are deceived. The lady needed the courage to stop him. We have to also stop these people from canvassing for people to come for money rituals etc. Christians have true power and must be bold to confront these people with the gospel and the power of God.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, I pray for boldness for all Christians to arise and boldly preach the gospel, that through thy power they may stop these witch doctors deceiving many.

FURTHER STUDIES:

Acts 13:9-11. “Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him, And said, O full of all subtlety and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness, and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.”

Acts 8:9. “But there was a certain man, called Simon, which before time in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one:”

KEY SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 12:9 ″ To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; ”

How can one receive this gift of faith? I believe this is a question most of us would be asking.

The gift of faith comes with a lot of spiritual responsibilities. All things are possible to the man who has faith, and therefore, one must not just be a wishy-washy Christian to operate in this gift. 2nd Timothy 2:21 says “ If a man therefore purges himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified and meet for the master’s use and prepared unto every good work”. The first step is to be sanctified or set apart unto the Lord. It is a heart for God and exalts the Lord, that would fully trust Him against all odds. A man living in sin has no fear of God, yet faith is a great fear of God that makes one fear nothing else.

One can receive this gift by desiring it. 1st Corinthians 14:1 “follow after love and desire spiritual gifts….” Fasting and prayer have been one means to accelerate your desire for the things of the Spirit, Jesus said “ This kind goes not away but by prayer and fasting”. Matthew 17:21. Many great men of God who have been used mightily by God were people who fasted a lot. Some were called into the ministry and imparted with the gift of faith because they were waiting before God in fasting and prayer. The following is how God speaks about the man who fasts and does it rightly in Isaiah 58:12. “And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places, thou shall raise the foundation of many generations and thou shall be called the repairer of the breach. The restorer of paths to dwell in”. This is a description of the man of faith.

This gift can also be received through associating with a man of God, with the gift of faith. This could be a personal association that is to live and relate with him or her directly, or indirectly, through watching his teaching materials and listening to his teaching materials. In Acts 4:13, the Bible said the scribes and Pharisees said, considering the boldness of Peter and John, that although they were unlearned, they had been imparted with the faith of the Lord Jesus.

Another way to partake of the gift upon the man of God is to honour him with your substance. Isaac asked his son Esau to prepare a special food for him so he could bless him.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, I pray that, out of what I have learnt, help me to avail myself of these things, so I would experience the gift of faith and become a blessing unto my world. In Jesus’ name, I have prayed.

FURTHER STUDIES.

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”.

Romans 1:11” For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established”;

KEY SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 12:9 ” To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit”;

We now look at the last group of the nine supernatural gifts or manifestations of the Holy Spirit. This is the power gifts: This comprises the gift of faith, the gift of healing, and the gift of working miracles.

These are called power gifts because they all affect changes in situations. Power is the ability to cause a change.

We would consider the gift of faith in this study. Faith, according to Hebrews 11:1, is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Faith is joining with the supernatural God to bring about changes in the natural world. Faith is God working through a man to do supernatural things in the natural realm by the agency of the word.

There are various kinds of faith. We have great faith (Matthew 8:10). Little faith (Matthew 6:30), (Matthew 14:31). Weak faith (Romans 4:19). There is also a supernatural faith: This is called the gift of faith. (1st Corinthians 12:9).

The Bible described Stephen as a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit. This simply means he was yielded to the Holy Spirit, or the Holy Spirit had absolute control over him. The result is having supernatural faith. Anyone with this gift of faith is an amazing man. He lives a supernatural life with great happenings all around him.

In the Old Testament, men like Moses, who wrought great signs and wonders in Egypt, Elijah, and Elisha, who wrought so many supernatural feats, had supernatural faith. The Lord Jesus also operated with a supernatural faith. In Luke 4:29, the Jews out of hatred forced the Lord Jesus out of the temple and to the boundaries of the city to cast him down headlong. The Bible says in Luke 4:30 “But he passing through the midst of them went his way”. This was an impossible moment of facing death, yet by faith, he passed through them without them seeing Him. He did not panic but had to believe the word that God protects him and delivers him out of trouble. This is a supernatural faith or the gift of faith.

Apostle Paul also operated in the gift of faith. It takes the gift of faith for man to go through the kind of things he talked about in 2nd Corinthians 11. This kind of gift can operate in any child of God who yields to the control of the Holy Spirit as we saw in the experience of Stephen

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, the gift of faith is your delight for your children to walk in. I receive by faith this gift into my life today.

FURTHER STUDIES.

Hebrews 11:33 “Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,”

Hebrews 11:30 “By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven.