Surviving Success

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Luke 5:4-7

John 21

The boat didn’t sink.

It’s important to prepare for success.

If you think the devil has set a trap for you now, wait till you are on the World Stage.

When the media is upon you and when you see millions of dollars coming in, then you really need to be protected

I was part of a ministry that became successful overnight. But they were not ready for their success and their nets broke. And I saw from inside how the nets broke and the church was destroyed.

When the nets break

– 1 step forwards, 2 steps backwards

– No lasting value to show for your efforts

– Souls are lost with the nets break

Behind the scene, there are a lot going on. It’s not just a man preaching on stage.

It’s what happens behind the scene, not on the platform.

1) 1st story, they were divided. 2nd story, they were united

Net torn in Greek – Scizo, meaning – schism. Arguments, rebellion among the staff. Etc.

If the devil cannot bring the preacher down, he’ll bring division among your staff, family, children.

‘If you’re at the altar and you remember that your brother has something against you, Leave your gift and go be reconciled to your brother’

Jesus tend to put the emphasis on different places.

There’s something very different on the relationship with your spouse, children.

Some Pastors become too busy with the administrative task for the ministry, that they don’t have time to be relational.

Eph 6 – Armor of God

All of these armour are forward facing

I’ve this one thing. Every time I don’t understand something, I ask the Author.

Eph 6:18 – We’re supposed to be guarding each other’s back.

We’re not to fight this battle alone, but with our brothers and sisters

The 5 ministry Gifts – Eph 4

It seems that these 5 ministry gifts, although given by God himself, can’t work together with each other.

The devil knows that if he allows the Pastors and Evangelists to work together, they’ll shake the nations!

If God’s going to use you, he’ll use many others that will stand alongside you.

It’s not God’s will that this church is a one man show.

He’s going to use many people. However, we’re often jealous and critical of people not like us.

The gifts are actually aspects of the ministry of Jesus himself.

Pastor – The Good Shepherd

Evangelist –

Apostle – the chief cornerstone

Prophet – God told Elijah and Moses to listen to His son

Teacher –

Why did Jesus distribute the gifts than to give it all to one person?

For us to work together.

None of us have all 5. We all have a facet, a portion.

v13 – The Ultimate Purpose

The unity of faith, knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.

v7 – Unto each one of us is given grace, according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

Grace is supernatural enabling. The batteries to make the gift work.

It’s powerful to have the gift because God has given you the power to make the thing work

God has made it easy for what is difficult for others.

Many times, people told me that my marriage won’t survive. But my marriage was going so well.

Then I understood that they don’t have the grace for evangelism and they don’t understand.

But when God calls you to something, He gives you the grace to do it. And you’re able to do what seems impossible to others, easily

100% of what a Pastor can offer, is only 20% of what the church needs. Because he doesn’t have the other ministry gifts.

And as he continues to work himself out, burning the candle on both ends, he gets burned out.

Rather than trying to supply 100% of the needs with only 20% of the gift, he should connect with others with the 80% of the gifts.

And when he does it, he is able to tap upon their gifts, and the church will grow!

Phil 1 – You have become partakers of my grace!

You can tap and receive the grace upon your life of others.

Because the gifts are different, the grace are also different

And because of that, when we partner together, just like me with Reinhard and the rest, we tap upon each other’s gifts.

When you try to operate outside your gift, it is difficult, burdensome and tiresome, because you don’t have the grace to do it.

Paul had the gift and the grace for celibacy. But he recognised that he has the grace that not many have. That’s why he said, do not forbid marriage.

1) Don’t make the mistake of trying to force people to do what you are doing.

Don’t force people to be an evangelist, just because you are

2) If you think everyone should be doing one particular thing – chances are, that’s what you should be doing. Stop forcing everyone to do what you should do. But appreciate the gift that God has given you and called you to do.

Each person that is part of the team, has been invited because they’re the finest in what they do.

The danger is that you can look at these men and women and look down on yourself in light of your success.

We did not bring these speakers, so that you can evaluate yourself compared to them. But so that you can receive from their grace.

But each of you have your gifting and calling which He designed and created you, which is totally unique.

If you try to be Teresa, you’ll fail.

The Lord never called me to fill the shoes of Reinhard Bonkke, but the shoes he has made for me.

He has called you to fill the shoes He has made for you.

We must stop competing with each other, but tap unto each other’s giftings and grace.

One of the greatest gifts you’ve received from this School of Evangelism, is the person sitting next to you. Not the classes you received, or the books you bought.

John and Peter was very different personalities.

They complimented each other that two Johns and Peters couldn’t have. Why wasn’t John competitive or trying to establish his own ministry?

John knows he’s the disciple that Jesus loves.

When you know how God sees you, what else is there to fight for? In that place, we can promote others. What is there to fight for?

Jesus told them to let down their nets, but they let down their net.

Delayed, Partial, But attached, And attached, Disobeyed obedience, is still disobedience

We need total, exclusive, immediate obedience!

If He doesn’t change the orders, we stick to the original one.

The reason CfaN see great success, is because we’ve obeyed the original vision for the last 40 years.

1 word, obey!

If you want your nets to not break, bring your catch to Jesus.

If you try to bring your fish into your boat, it’ll break.

If you’re the one that’s receiving the Glory, your nets will break.

Where we point the people to Jesus, and about His Kingdom, Glory and Fame, you’ll never fail!

We would point the people to Jesus and you’ll never go wrong.

‘Feed my sheep’, Jesus said

Peter’s ministry to the sheep, is motivated by the love to Jesus, not the sheep

I preach the Gospel to the lost, not because I love the Africans more than the Asian, but because I love him. Otherwise, we’re wrong.

Today I pray that we’ll be so infused with love for Christ, that it’ll be our main motive in life.

Jesus points towards anything in your life – education, business, ministry, and ask

‘Do you truly love me more than all of these?’

One good way to find out how is

If your motive and love for Christ, is more than your love of ministry, success, the lost.

And if you say yes, everything that comes out from your ministry would be pure, for it comes from your love for Christ.

Someone from a ministry that failed said, ‘We created a monster that the Lord would not feed, so we had to feed it ourselves’

Do you love me more than evangelism, or preaching? If it ever becomes about ministry than about Him, you’ve failed.