STEWARDSHIP: THE KEY TO MANIFESTATION

                                                             

                                                               Exodus 17:8-16

Stewardship simply implies ministry or service. In other words, a steward is a minister, custodian or servant.

The Bible calls us servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God (1 Cor. 4:1). Moreover, God has placed a demand on every kingdom oriented steward – faithfulness (1 Cor. 4:2; Heb. 3:1-2).

A man who sees himself as a true custodian of God’s resources will never seek his own glory, rather he seeks the glory and the praise of God (John 7:18). Such a person’s life will always command the presence and the glory of God.

Today’s anchor text gave us a brief introduction into the life of a young man called Joshua. Moses chose him to select some men and lead them to the battle against the Amalekites. What a great task!

Let’s quickly examine the pedigree (ancestry) of Joshua the son of Nun. He was a descendant of Ephraim, the second son of Joseph, who was the eleventh son of Jacob. He was formerly named Hoshea, but Moses renamed him Joshua (Num. 13:8, 16).

In Genesis 48:5-7, Jacob prophetically declared the two sons of Joseph (Ephraim and Manasseh) as his own children. These two had to be engrafted into the commonwealth of Israel for specific assignments to be fulfilled in the future…

Known unto God are all His works from eternity (Acts 15:18).
I believe God deliberately allowed these two children of Joseph to be infused into the patriarchal order, so that they could partake of the suffering that would later be inflicted upon the Israelites. The suffering was indeed part of the syllabus (process) which God was taking them through… (2 Tim. 2:11-12).

Moses might have had a background information about Joshua before they left Egypt. Perhaps he received a divine instruction from God to start observing, encouraging and nurturing the young man.

On his own part, Joshua remained a truly committed man to this glorious mandate that seemed humanly impossible. He automatically signed on as ‘the servant of Moses’ while he was still in a ‘strange land’…
Are you still holding on faithfully to the Word of God even in the midst of your ‘strange land’ experiences?
All the words that were being professed as the promises of God seemed not to be forthcoming, yet, he held on to the master and his words jealously.

All this while, nobody knew or mentioned the name of Joshua. As a young man, he was spiritually sensitive enough the see the grace of God upon Moses. He was not in a hurry to come into limelight. As a descendant of Joseph, who was supposed to dwell in wealth and luxury, he was subjected to servitude alongside with other young men like Caleb and others... Yet, they still found a place in their hearts to serve the Lord with gladness. 

The time came for Joshua to be made known to Israel. However, this wasn’t going to come on a platter of gold. Israel had just been waylaid by their enemy – the Amalekites. Without prior experience of warfare, Moses told him to choose some men and lead them to battle against the Amalekites. In absolute obedience to divine instructions, Joshua led Israel to the battle against Amalek while Moses stood on the mountain, with his hands lifted up, interceding with the rod of God in his hand.

Moses in this scenario, represented Christ, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession (Heb. 3:1), while Joshua in this scenario, was a type of Christ, the Captain of our salvation, who was perfected through sufferings (Heb. 2:10).
And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword…

Hallmarks of Stewardship:
Service
Commitment
Loyalty/faithfulness to God

                                             PASTOR NATHANIEL SADELA

                                                       Resident  Pastor

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Manifestation of God’s glory – beyond a natural realm

Bible reading: Exodus 33:13 -23

God’s glory cannot be divorced from His person. To have His glory is to desire His person. It is not possible for anyone to claim to have or enjoy God’s glory without having an intimate relationship with Him. God’s glory is not in any way equated to wealth and riches. Wealth and material blessings are true representation of God’s glory, they are only the attribute of His glory. That a man has wealth and riches, honour and prestige does not necessarily mean he is reflecting God’s glory.

What then does it mean to reflect God’s glory?

Firstly, I think we should understand that there are different types and levels of glory. There are glories of this world, which are glories that fade away. Devil also has his own glory which he gives to as many as will do his bidding. Individuals are also born with glory and this is expected to be activated by the individual owner of the glory. But unfortunately, not everyone will activate their glory because this can only be done with the help of God. God’s glory rubs off on us to help bring ours to the limelight.

2Co 3:18 

God’s glory transcends any other types of glory we can think of in this world. God’s glory is spiritual. It is the essence of God. God’s glory brings His presence to man. Everyone is a product of God’s magnificent glory.

How can you possess the glory of God?

Everyone who must manifest the glory of God must possess His glory to manifest. The glory you possess is the glory you can manifest.

Therefore, to possess God’s glory you must:

1.      Thirst absolutely for God, nothing else must satisfy your thirst – Psm. 42:11

2.     Be willing to do all it required for you to win God through His son Jesus Christ. Your relationship with God must not be debateable. You cannot manifest the glory of whom you have no relationship.

3.     Seek to know God through His word. Your ability to manifest God’s glory is a function of your knowledge of Him

4.     Give your heart wholly (totally) to God – Rom. 12:1, Prov. 23:26

After you have done all that it requires of you inclusive of the above points, then you can begin to manifest His glory. His glory shall then be seen upon you and people will glorify your heavenly father.

Finally, what are the signs that you are manifesting God’s glory?

1.      Your willingness to speak and share with others about the goodness of God in your life – Rom.1:16-17

2.     Your responsiveness and sensitivity to heavenly agenda for your life

3.     Your desire or willingness to add value to others in the place of service

4.     You’ll become a blessing to the world around you and joy of many generation – Isa. 60:15.

PASTOR RAPHAEL ATODE

     

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MANIFESTATION - LOCATE YOUR PLACE IN DESTINY

 

                                                      2 Kings 7:1-10

 

There is a place called the right place or the place of destiny, which everyone must locate, in the fulfilment of God’s purpose for his or her life. In order to show forth the glory of God, you must be rightly positioned. You must be in the place God has assigned for you, in order to manifest His power…

God is omnipresent, yet His glory will only be revealed in a place where He sends you. Manifestation of God’s glory is the reward of absolute compliance to divine guidance.

Let’s quickly examine the story in our anchor text. The prophet, Elisha, through divine inspiration, made some prophetic utterances that sounded strange (quite unbelievable and unreasonable). And of course, the words spoken by this man of God didn’t make any logical sense (1 Cor. 1:25). Even one of the king’s officers got himself into trouble while trying to critically analyse Elisha’s statement in comparison with the economic situation at hand…

God is not a respecter of persons! He can use anybody to show forth His Majesty on the face of the earth. On this occasion, He decided to use lepers; four lepers whose destinies had been reduced to the gate, outside the camp (Lev. 13:45-46). God can indeed use anyone He chooses (and any available and worthy vessel) to showcase His glory! (1 Cor. 1:26-31).

They said, one to another, ‘Why do we sit here till we die?’…

Prior to the time that the Word of God came forth, they had been dwelling at the gate and they probably saw nothing wrong with that. They had simply accepted this as their own fate! They became so non-challant about life that the gate became a place of comfort for them.

After all, they could still live on possible stipends they would hopefully get from passers-by. 

However, the moment the Word of the Lord came out from the mouth of the prophet, something came alive in them, and instantly, they began to get uncomfortable with the gate. 

Please, don’t get stuck at the gate. Don’t become comfortable with the gate…
Many folks want to enter into the presence of the Lord, but they stop at the gate. There are diverse kinds of people at the gate. There are folks who have been rejected by men (like the 4 lepers), there are people who have simply given up on life, etc.

And they rose up…! The moment they rose up in alignment with destiny, God began to move on their behalf. The Lord began to order their steps (Psalm 37:23). They enjoyed the company of God’s presence such that the Syrians took to their heels. Lo and behold, when they got to the Syrian camp, there was no single person there, and the whole place was filled with abundant supplies – divine provision.

These men gathered as much as they could! They enjoyed the blessings and provision of the Lord beyond measure. They became great men all of a sudden! Their lives had just been transformed! But more importantly, they became agents of economic transformation in a nation that had once rejected them. They must have eventually become national heroes! Through these feeble men, the Lord delivered Israel from the oppression of the Syrian army and ultimately from economic depression.

The Lord will use you to manifest His glory, as you rise up and take your place today, in the name of Jesus Christ!

Shalom!

                                                  PASTOR NATHANIEL SADELA

                                                       Resident  Pastor

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