NEXT LEVELS IN THE MINISTRY REQUIRE A HEALTHY FAMILY.
GENUINE MINISTRY STARTS FROM HOME.
IF THE FAMILIES ARE STRENGTHENED, THEN MINISTRIES SHALL BE STRENGTHENED.
SUCCESS IN THE MINISTRY CAN BE TASTELESS AND FRUSTRATING WITHOUT A HEALTHY FAMILY.
DIVORCE IS NOT PART OF THIS FAMILY TREE.
THE BIBLE IS THE KNOWLEDGE BANK FOR BUILDING A HEALTHY FAMILY.
SOME YEARS AGO, I MADE TIME TO SEARCH FOR PROVEN AUTHORS IN THE AREA OF FAMILY THAT HAVE TESTIMONIES TO MATCH.
FAMILY FAILURE IS KNOWLEDGE FAILURE. DON’T JUST GATHER KNOWLEDGE, PUT IT TO WORK.
IF YOU KNOW THAT THERE ARE SPECIFIC CASES IN YOUR LIFE AND FAMILY, PLEASE DON’T KEEP QUIET.
BEING A MINISTER OF THE GOSPEL IS NOT AN EXCUSE FOR YOUR FAMILY TO SUFFER.
‘IT IS BETTER TO TRAIN A CHILD THAN TO REPAIR AN ADULT’!
AS A MINISTER OF THE GOSPEL, DON’T BE GENEROUS TO PEOPLE OUTSIDE AND BE STINGY AT HOME.
A HEALTHY FAMILY IS NOT A GIFT, IT’S SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TO WORK FOR.
YOUR MARRIAGE AND FAMILY LIFE DEMAND COMMITMENT FOR IT TO BE HEALTHY.
WHAT A SPINAL CORD IS TO THE HUMAN BODY IS WHAT COMMITMENT IS TO THE HEALTH OF YOUR FAMILY.
-Pastor Mrs. Faith Oyedepo on ‘HEALTHY FAMILY FOR NEXT LEVELS’ at 2023 International Ministers Conference || Covenant University Chapel || 11th May, 2023.
In this First Session right now, we are looking at a subject captioned, ‘HEALTHY FAMILY FOR NEXT LEVELS’. Next levels in the Ministry require a healthy family. By way of introduction, it is important for us to understand that every Ministry whether you are an Evangelist, Pastor, Teacher, Prophet and Apostle is made up of families, because there is a member of your Ministry that represents a particular family. Church Gist. Therefore, it is very easy to understand that if the families are strengthened because they make up Ministries then Ministries shall be strengthened, isn’t that simple enough? And vice versa.
Now, coming to talk about a Minister and his health in 1 Timothy 3:5 and 12, if a man doesn’t know how to rule his house which is a smaller unit how can he rule the Church of God? Genuine Ministry starts from home – Charity they say begins from home.
-Therefore, in this ‘Next levels’, I pray for everyone under the sound of my voice today whether you are on ground or you are online, that the grace of God for each one of us never to fail in this assignment shall be multiplied.
It is said and I believe it is very true that the Light that shines farthest shines brightest at the base. Church Gist. This is so important that we find in the Scriptures at the beginning of the miracles that Jesus did, showing forth His glory.
-In our marriages and families beginning from today, greater glory and grace shall be released.
It has become a commonplace even on the altar, the things that were so far-fetched in those days are happening today. They say to themselves, ‘This is my Sugar, this is my Honey’! They call each other all kinds of names on the altar but before they got to Church, they got themselves involved in a heated argument that the neighbours heard them. It is even so serious including physical abuse – You beat each other, you punch each other. Church Gist. Please you do this as a Teacher and as a Prophet and you want the unction to flow? Let’s get back home. In the words of Mother Theresa, ‘You get to Heaven and your spouse is not there’? God forbid! You get to Heaven and your children are nowhere to be found? God forbid!
Minister of the Gospel, you and your spouse are keeping malice, you don’t talk to each other for days? Church Gist. I read a story of a particular woman who after a particular Service went to the altar, sat down there and refused to go back home – What is the matter? You know what she said? That she knows that at home, there is trouble.
-We shall make it! Together we shall make it! The grace is released unto us!
There are things that happen even in the home as Ministers of the Gospel which are not proper. You can’t leave one (Either the husband or wife) in Kenya and the other one in Nigeria, before you know it, the husband will have a deputy wife and before you know it, the wife will have a deputy husband and then you will start binding the devil, you opened the door to him. Church Gist. The rate of separation and divorce used to be in the world but now it is so rampant – Not only Honey, your Sweetie, your Love and a few Sundays after you come with somebody else, it is not so in this family tree.
-Grace to mend the fence is released in Jesus’ Name!
In the Scriptures, you will find out very clearly that the Apostles led their wives about Matthew 8:14. Church Gist. Peter, a man of depth and revelation – You find out that his house was conducive for Jesus during his Ministry. And so his family members were partakers including Peter’s Mother-in-law and they were beneficiaries of the Ministry of Jesus Christ. How about Noah? Genesis 7:1.
-No matter the evil in the world today, you and your family shall be exempted.
How about Eli in the Bible, sad story! A Minister of the Gospel! 1 Samuel 2:12. Church Gist. His children did not walk in the ways of the Lord and so the end was very devastating, he died a death that was so shameful, we all know the story and we preach about it.
-That will not be our portion in the Name of Jesus Christ.
How about Samuel, a Prophet whom the Bible tells us that none of his words fail to the ground but because his children did not walk in the way of the Lord, the people went to him and said, ‘Give us a king, because your children are not walking in the ways of the Lord’! Too late!
-By the grace of God, for everyone under the sound of my voice today, it shall not be too late for us.
Very importantly, and I want to make this statement with every sense of responsibility and that’s the fact that success in the Ministry can be tasteless and frustrating without a healthy family. Church Gist. I read the biography of a great Man of God in this great Nation – A very powerful and anointed Man of God but he had a very very unhealthy family life, at the end of the day, his life was cut short – He didn’t live too long, probably and who knows? This was one of the reasons.
-You will live long! And in case there is anyone under the sound of my voice now, I don’t know who I’m speaking to that is being tormented by the spirit of the fear of death, I curse it right now in your life and I decree your total freedom and liberty.
-And I decree and declare to you, ‘You shall not die, you will live and declare the works of the Lord’!
Our Covenant Fathers showed us the way. The great Man of God, Kenneth Hagin has a stable home, he’s one of our Covenant Fathers and of course, even when he is on the road most of the time, he keeps his family close to him. Church Gist. He enjoyed a stable family life, with his greatness and popularity in his days, he held on and ensured that his family was in place.
-Your next level is available and we are getting there. Church Gist. By the time each of us returns here, we will begin to enjoy a healthier family life in Jesus’ Name!
So to enjoy next levels in the Ministry, you and I need a healthy family. Church Gist. And being a Minister of the Gospel is not an excuse for your family to suffer.
-Your families will not suffer in Jesus’ Name.
What is a healthy family?
No assumption! It is one that is run the same way Christ rules the Church, where the needs of every member – Spiritual, emotional and physical are adequately met.
Now, I want to share with us three of the keys to a healthy family:
1. Go for knowledge
We heard so much about this from the first night and so much again from yesterday. And I want to reiterate the fact like God’s Servant said to us on the first night that there is no substitute for knowledge in the adventure of life Daniel 11:32b, Luke 11:52. The Bible refers to knowledge as the key, please understand me, knowledge is not a gift, it’s a choice and it has to be acquired. Church Gist. And no matter your anointing and my anointing, if we are not knowledgeable about the principles of God for a healthy family, there is no way to enjoy it. Many of us preach at wedding ceremonies, we counsel people concerning marriage and family life but the question is, how much of it are we applying to ourselves in our own family and marriage? This is a question for us to answer.
Where can I get this knowledge from?
i. The Bible
The Bible is the knowledge bank for building a healthy family John 5:39. By the grace of God, these are the things that have helped and have kept on helping us in our own marriage and family including many others – I made time to sit down to read from the Bible. Everywhere you find the word ‘Family, home, house and household of marriage and the likes’, you must find out what the Word of God says about this. Knowledge they say is power. Church Gist. So we find this knowledge primarily in the Bible which is the Word of God.
ii. We can acquire this knowledge from materials of proven authors whether in print form or electronic form. And thank God that today, we have access to the internet, several materials are available at our disposal. Church Gist. However, it is important for us to be selective in what we read, make sure we read from proven authors. Some years ago, I made time to look for and search for proven authors in the area of family that have testimonies to match.
Our Covenant Father, Kenneth E. Hagin, I read materials from him such as, ‘The House that God builds’ – He wrote a book on that with Kenneth Hagin Jnr. Materials from Oral Roberts and Evelyn Roberts, about how they ran their family, materials from T.L. Osborn, Oswald J. Smith and other great Men of God. And I can never forget this book titled, ‘Holy Wisdom for happy homes by Jack Hayford’. Church Gist. That book set fire in my bones and made me begin to take steps in the right direction to begin to make investments into the future of my marriage and my family. And what a joy today, the fruits are here for all to see.
-Your own testimony shall be stronger.
Benjamin Franklin said, ‘An investment in knowledge pays the best interest! So let’s go for it!
iii. We get this knowledge from observation
Personally, I observe things a lot more than I talk. I can never forget, many years ago we went to Benin City and we were in the Service with the great Apostle Benson Idahosa, a name I can never forget in my life. I looked around the Sanctuary that day and I saw a hanging and that has left an impression on me. It says, ‘It is better to train a child than to repair an adult’! And I began to take steps – Please write it down. Many of us have children that are very young and many other children who are growing up. Let’s get back home and put this to work. A dry fish is very difficult to bend, if you can bend it, it’s most likely that you will break it. It is better!! Therefore, let’s keep observing.
iv. Through counselling
If you know that there are specific cases in your life and family, please don’t keep quiet. Church Gist. When you share a problem it is half solved but if you keep quiet about the problem it will continue to magnify itself.
-None of us shall be destroyed in Jesus’ Name!
However, we must understand that a healthy family is dependent on adherence to Scriptural principles. Church Gist. The future of your family depends on how you adhere to the principles of the Scriptures. Family failure is knowledge failure. Don’t just gather knowledge, we have been told to put it to work.
-We shall make it in Jesus’ Name.
2. Get committed.
Just as the Ministry demands commitment, in the same way, your marriage and family life demand commitment for it to be healthy. What is commitment? It is the state of being dedicated to the well-being and robustness of your family. And this has to be done deliberately, you have to be intentional about it. It’s not something that will happen on its own, we don’t wait for it, it’s a choice that we have to make to stay committed. Church Gist. Many of us are committed to preaching and talking to other people but we are not committed to the marriage and family that God has given us. As Ministers of the Gospel, commitment requires giving your time, energy and the likes to build a healthy family – It’s not a gift, it’s something that we have to work for.
And what a spinal cord is to the human body is what commitment is to the health of your family. Without a healthy spinal cord, the body will be paralyzed, isn’t it? In the same vein, without commitment, the family or marriage will not function effectively.
-That will not be our portion in the Name of Jesus!
You know? Those vows that you make with your spouse on your wedding day, are part of the things that show that we must get back home and get committed. Church Gist. Commitment is the adhesive that holds the marriage and family together and that’s why when commitment is lacking in a home, the chances of that marriage and family surviving are very very slim.
Somebody may ask, commitment to what?
One, commitment to the well-being of your family members and this can be done by being committed spiritually to your family members, your spouse, your children and those who live under you. What is their spiritual status? Are they born again? Are they safe? How are they growing spiritually? Do they really love God the way you do? Do they study the Word? Do they pray? Do they have character? These are the many more questions we must get back home and answer.
You must show commitment to the spiritual well-being of your family members. For instance, many of us don’t have our spouses right here in this meeting and I know that for many people it’s for genuine reasons probably children are in school or something but if you are really committed to the spiritual life of your spouse, one of the things you will make sure you do is that the teachings in this Conference, your spouse must have access to them to listen and put them to work. Church Gist. And when you get back home, share some of these things with them, this shows that you are committed spiritually to the well-being of your family members.
Two, commitment emotionally. Be committed to their mental development, be kind, don’t just be kind to your Church members, be kind to the members of your family. Church Gist. As a Minister of the Gospel, don’t be generous to people outside and be stingy at home. Don’t come out in the open and make people laugh and demonstrate your sense of humour but once you leave and get back home, it’s another person entirely. Let’s refuse to join the company of chameleons who come out in the open as Ministers of the Gospel for show and then we get back home completely as different individuals.
-That shall not be our portion in the Name of Jesus Christ.
Don’t be irritable to your family members and be kind in the open. Don’t be respectful in the open and be disrespectful to your family members.
-The grace of God to help us in this direction is released in the Name of Jesus!
Three, be physically and materially committed. Be committed to the welfare of your family members, don’t deprive them of the basic necessities of life, make available to them at your own level what you can afford. And also let’s remember to always cut our coat according to our cloth. Church Gist. Some say because somebody else is doing this and sending his or her children to a particular school so I have to do the same thing. Listen, we are not competing, you are unique and so are your children. There is no need to borrow money for school fees for God’s sake, after graduation, the child now begins to pay back the debt.
-That will not be your portion!
And we have several examples in the Scriptures. Ruth, for instance, was so committed to her mother-in-law and thank God, it paid off for her. At the end of the day, she came in the lineage of our Lord Jesus Christ.
-Somebody’s story is changing.
Zechariah was committed to his wife Elizabeth even when they didn’t have a child till their old age but thank God that their commitment paid off for them at the end of the day and they had their child.
-In case you are here today as a Minister of the Gospel believing God for the fruit of the womb, don’t lose hope because there is no closed case with God. God will settle you and you will testify.
How about Priscilla and Aquila in the Bible, they showed their commitment to the work of God and of course, it paid off at the end of the day.
Commitment one, to the wellbeing of your family member, then commitment to the marriage institution. Daniel 11:32b. Commitment to the marriage institution is very critical. Church Gist. We must remember that the institution of marriage was set up and ordained by God. The individuals in that marriage are not perfect, just like you and I are not perfect. However, the institution of marriage in itself is perfect. Church Gist. So, when you disregard Scriptural principles, you’re not just doing so against your spouse, you’re doing so against the institution of marriage and that’s where the problem comes but the grace of God for us to be obedient in this way is being released afresh in Jesus’ name.
3. Keep sowing into your marriage. Galatians 6:7. Please understand that sowing and reaping are universal laws of nature and this law applies to family life as well. Church Gist. So, marriage and family is a kind of a garden and what you sow determine what you reap. What kind of seed therefore am I expected to sowing to my marriage and family? Basically two types of seeds – Spiritual seed. We talked about that a while ago.
Spiritual seed; you pray for Church members, do you remember to pray for family members? You counsel your Church members, do you counsel your family members at home when they require such? You show love and spiritual concern for your Church members but do you do the same thing back home? Church Gist. Spiritual seed is very crucial and important. Get books and materials. When our children were growing up, they had books that they had to read per month depending on their ages at that point in time and learning how to make them to grow in the things of God and the Kingdom. Church Gist. Sowing Spiritual seeds. Then at Raji Oba, on Sunday evenings, everybody knew, services had closed, everyone is going home, all of us would enter into the bus to avoid distraction. We would get to the last floor of one of the buildings and then we begin to share, read and ask questions and what a joy today, it’s paying off. Church Gist. Sow spiritual seeds, it may not be convenient but the harvest is guaranteed.
– your testimony shall be stronger.
Finally, sow practical seeds of character and kindness. Nurture your relationship, ensure that your family members grow in character, behaviour and attitude. Church Gist. In our home, when all our children were there, you’re not permitted to do what you like, you had to do what is right. Ministers of the Gospel are expected to administer character, ensure that your family members live in the ways of God and as we do so, they become worthy examples for others to see.
– For each one of us, our tomorrow shall be greater than today.
I know that there’s so much demand on your time and attention but remember, you can schedule it. Make priority of your family members so you can build a healthy marriage. Church Gist. Healthy families, I have come to discover, they don’t find the time to be together, they make the time to be together. You won’t find it, you have to make it.
– Grace from this moment to begin to make it release unto us in Jesus’ name.
This is my drive right now, a healthy marriage can produce generations of healthy descendants. That’s what I’m after, that’s my focus and goal. Church Gist. A healthy marriage can produce generations of healthy descendants and vice versa.
– may that be our testimony.
Thank God, God has given us children biologically that are living proofs that the Word of God works and that you can enjoy a healthy family and they also are raising children after that order. Church Gist. I’m looking forward to generations and descendants in that order.
– your own too shall be there.
In case anyone is here today with any kind of challenge in your marriage and your family, as you have heard this word today, I speak peace to your marriage and I decree and declare that every storm in your marriage and your family life be over.
In conclusion, never forget, next levels remain a day dream in ministry without a healthy marriage. Church Gist. The light that shines farthest shines brightest at the base. I stand here therefore to give glory to God after 40 years of marriage, the Word of God has proved to be more than enough. It’s working for us in our own marriage and family, it will work for you much more. Church Gist. That grace is available in this house and you’re here in this house, it is yours for take.
– say with me, “I take it, I receive it, it’s my portion, say a loud Amen”.
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