Abraham demonstrates how to stay faithful to God’s ministry even when
the going gets tough. Abraham didn’t always see a lot of fruit in his
ministry, but he remained faithful to God, so faithful in fact that he
was known as the friend of God.
Abraham shows us how ministry gets started. How we can go from humble beginnings to prosperity if we are faithful.
The Call and the Promise:
Abraham’s ministry started with the call of God.
Now the Lord said[a] to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” [Genesis 12:1-3]
The LORD specifically called Abram. His first order was that Abraham had to leave everything he had known and journey to a place he had never been before. This call set the tone for Abraham’s ministry and his faithfulness.
We cannot serve God while we hold on to the things of the flesh. Abraham was called to purposefully leave his family and friends so that God could work with him. And Abraham did so – he took all his belongings and did as God asked. He believed God.
The second thing we should notice is the promise: God promised Abraham success. God promised Abraham that He would make Abraham a great nation. When God promises us something we ought to take Him seriously.
The Focus: Immediate Gratification or Spiritual Watchfulness?
Take a look at this passage:
8 Then Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen. 9 Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left.”
10 And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11 So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other. 12 Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom. 13 Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord.
14 The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, 15 for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. 16 I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted. 17 Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.”
18 So Abram moved his tent and came and settled by the oaks of Mamre, which are at Hebron, and there he built an altar to the Lord. [Genesis 13:8-18]
Lot was focused on the immediate gratification of Sodom. The bible notes that the men of Sodom were known to be wicked. In other words they didn’t just start raping random men who came to the city – this was their common practice.
Lot chose Sodom – he wasn’t tricked into it. He wanted the good land, the water, the immediate growth; but Abraham was spiritually watchful. He noted how wicked Sodom was. He wasn’t naïve. When Lot took the best land Abraham turns to God for Wisdom.
In our times of Spiritual Watchfulness others may seem to sprint ahead of us. It is very important in these times to find our wisdom and comfort in the Lord. Abraham talks with God and then he worships. He knows that Lot has the better land – for now – but he focuses on God’s ways and his Wisdom, not man’s.
Handing over the Ministry:
At some point we will all have to hand our ministries over to another. Abraham eventually got old. He had been successful and he had been faithful, but he didn’t stop working. He began to focus on who would come after him.
Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years. And the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. 2 And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh, 3 that I may make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell, 4 but will go to my country and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son Isaac.” [Genesis 24:1-4]
Abraham focused on the spiritual. He didn’t want his descendants tied with the Canaanites. The Canaanites represent the wicked, the worldly; the things of the flesh. Abraham made sure that his descendants had nothing to do with them.
Conclusion:
There are many other things we can learn from Abraham. Our limited time together would run out before we could mention the ability to make tough decisions (sending Hagar away), training faithful men to work beneath you (passage above), be willing to fight (rescuing Lot), recognizing those who have something to teach us (meeting Melchizedek), learning from mistakes (lying about Sarah), and how God protects from our mistakes (same incident as before), be willing to give all for God (sacrifice of Isaac) but we can learn the basics of the ministry simply by following the few points raised above.
Ultimately Abraham was successful in his ministry because he was faithful through hard times and good times. When he was promised children he was faithful. When he had waited over twenty years for that child he remained faithful. He believed God and he proved that he believed God throughout his life.
Do you prove that you believe God? How do you work in the ministry? Are you faithful enough to be counted on? Do you thrive under pressure or wilt under it?
Abraham shows us how ministry gets started. How we can go from humble beginnings to prosperity if we are faithful.
The Call and the Promise:
Abraham’s ministry started with the call of God.
Now the Lord said[a] to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” [Genesis 12:1-3]
The LORD specifically called Abram. His first order was that Abraham had to leave everything he had known and journey to a place he had never been before. This call set the tone for Abraham’s ministry and his faithfulness.
We cannot serve God while we hold on to the things of the flesh. Abraham was called to purposefully leave his family and friends so that God could work with him. And Abraham did so – he took all his belongings and did as God asked. He believed God.
The second thing we should notice is the promise: God promised Abraham success. God promised Abraham that He would make Abraham a great nation. When God promises us something we ought to take Him seriously.
The Focus: Immediate Gratification or Spiritual Watchfulness?
Take a look at this passage:
8 Then Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen. 9 Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left.”
10 And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11 So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other. 12 Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom. 13 Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord.
14 The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, 15 for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. 16 I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted. 17 Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.”
18 So Abram moved his tent and came and settled by the oaks of Mamre, which are at Hebron, and there he built an altar to the Lord. [Genesis 13:8-18]
Lot was focused on the immediate gratification of Sodom. The bible notes that the men of Sodom were known to be wicked. In other words they didn’t just start raping random men who came to the city – this was their common practice.
Lot chose Sodom – he wasn’t tricked into it. He wanted the good land, the water, the immediate growth; but Abraham was spiritually watchful. He noted how wicked Sodom was. He wasn’t naïve. When Lot took the best land Abraham turns to God for Wisdom.
In our times of Spiritual Watchfulness others may seem to sprint ahead of us. It is very important in these times to find our wisdom and comfort in the Lord. Abraham talks with God and then he worships. He knows that Lot has the better land – for now – but he focuses on God’s ways and his Wisdom, not man’s.
Handing over the Ministry:
At some point we will all have to hand our ministries over to another. Abraham eventually got old. He had been successful and he had been faithful, but he didn’t stop working. He began to focus on who would come after him.
Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years. And the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. 2 And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh, 3 that I may make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell, 4 but will go to my country and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son Isaac.” [Genesis 24:1-4]
Abraham focused on the spiritual. He didn’t want his descendants tied with the Canaanites. The Canaanites represent the wicked, the worldly; the things of the flesh. Abraham made sure that his descendants had nothing to do with them.
Conclusion:
There are many other things we can learn from Abraham. Our limited time together would run out before we could mention the ability to make tough decisions (sending Hagar away), training faithful men to work beneath you (passage above), be willing to fight (rescuing Lot), recognizing those who have something to teach us (meeting Melchizedek), learning from mistakes (lying about Sarah), and how God protects from our mistakes (same incident as before), be willing to give all for God (sacrifice of Isaac) but we can learn the basics of the ministry simply by following the few points raised above.
Ultimately Abraham was successful in his ministry because he was faithful through hard times and good times. When he was promised children he was faithful. When he had waited over twenty years for that child he remained faithful. He believed God and he proved that he believed God throughout his life.
Do you prove that you believe God? How do you work in the ministry? Are you faithful enough to be counted on? Do you thrive under pressure or wilt under it?
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