Crisis Manager

Ministry Wednesday: Crisis Manager

The ministry makes you a crisis manager by default. The minister is a manager of troubles and tribulations. He had better be, than be overthrown by terrible troubles.
The instant he is called into the ministry, he's given the instruction to endure hardness.

2 Timothy 2
3. Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
4. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.

Just as a friend said, you aren't even called to enjoy it, you are to endure it. It will put pressure on your durability. It will test the strength of material you're made of. It'll come with stress and strains and push you to your elastic limits but you must not break! You were made not to break, don't!

How does this work?
2 Corinthians 1
3. Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;

4. Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

5. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.

6. And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.

God sets up a comforting system, like a cooling system in engines. For the engine to work, heat will be produced. If the heat produced becomes excessive, which will always happen for engine effectiveness, it'll burn the engine itself and damage it, so a cooling system is developed alongside to bring the temperature down so that the engine can keep producing within the heat and still survive.

So also, there is a comforting system in the system of ministry, whereby God by His comforting Holy Spirit, who is ever with us, comforts us in all the tribulations. He will never leave us nor forsake us, the work will always come with its stresses, but the Comforter is ever with us.

Now, there's was this fuel economy system being developed in the automotive industry whereby the heat produced by those heavy engines are tapped to be converted to other forms of energy to be reused in the vehicle, to reduce the quantity of fuel used to power the vehicle.

That's how the comforting system of the Holy Spirit works with the minister of God. The comfort the minister receives in the tribulations he passes through becomes the raw material for his own ministry of comforting others.

In immunology, people are injected with a small portion of the very virus, the body then react by producing antibodies that fight the virus. These antibodies become soldiers who fight the virus whenever it attacks again.

The comfort we got when we got attacked doesn't only work for us afterwards, but is also used to comfort others in their own tribulations.

If we have no tribulations of our own, how do we receive comfort from the Holy Spirit by which we comfort others?

It is the challenge we go through and overcome that equips us to be able to help others too to overcome.

It is true that we aren't the one who died. Jesus Christ did. But in ministry, we fill up some part of the suffering of Christ, this aspect is often hidden to many since there's no other sacrifice outside of that of Christ but for ministry sake, for love sake, we have areas of filling up, to help believers overcome the challenges that come with believing in Christ Jesus.

Colossians 1
24. Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church:

These come in form of trials of faith. The things we believe and preach will be tested and tried. That's how our faith becomes the shield by which we hold off the attacking fiery darts of the enemy.

It should not be counted as strange that these things happen to us. Our relationships and love shall be tested, our healing and health shall be tested, we'll be tried financially, our peace shall be tested, our salvation and redemption shall be tried, our victory over the world and the dark kingdom shall be tried, these should never be strange to us. We should not panic.

In all of these, the Comforter is there to coach us to victory already won in Christ Jesus. We are then equipped on how to hold up our shield and sword in the face of challenges till victory comes to be able to teach others also... This aspect of ministry isn't such that Christ would have done for us. It is our portion so that we can comfort others also.

He will make a way of escape that we'll be able to endure it as we learn about the faithfulness of God and how to look out for the way of escape.

1 Corinthians 10
13. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

Paul, the apostle could say that because he's been there and had seen God's faithfulness.

Don't count it strange. Develop the attitude of champions and trust that through the power of Christ, the comfort we receive will keep us and those who hear us.

1 Peter 4
12. Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:

13. But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

At the end, the experience, the testimony and the hope will be same as that of Paul...

2 Corinthians 1
10. Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;

God has made us servants through whom He manages the challenges around His people. But it starts by how we manage those we face daily. If we do as we should and endure, the testimony of deliverance will be ours also.

Good morning. More grace and strength to you!

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