“Servant, Steward and Ambassadors are three important words used by Apostle Paul to describe the minister of God in the New Testament. To be effective and practical in ministry, you must note and understand these descriptions of a man of God.”
These were contained in the presentation made by the Berekum Area Head, Apostle Anthony Kingsley Miah, at the Ministers and Wives’ Session of the ongoing Konongo Area annual Ministers and Officer’s Retreat, generally referred to as “Apostolisation” in The Church of Pentecost.
Speaking to the topic: “Practical Ministry”, Apostle Miah quoted four key passages of scriptures; 2Timothy 3:10-17; 1Corinthians 4:1-2; 1Peter 4:10 and 2Corinthians 5:18-21, to establish the fact that the Christian minister is a man of God, servant, steward and an Ambassador of Christ.
“Servanthood denote being in bondage to another. So Paul describing Timothy as a servant of God suggests Timothy was a slave of Christ. The minister as a servant does the will of the Master who owns him and not his own will. Any gift the servant is endowed with should be used genuinely in the service of the Master. The aim of the servant should be pleasing his Lord. Practical ministry requires practical service. It requires that the Christian worker submit his will totally to God without any reservation. It demands hard work and diligence in duty,” he said.
Stewardship, according to him, refers to the management of a home, adding: “That is to say what has been given to his charge, he manages according to the orders of his master. The Pastor as a Steward should make all the ministries under him functional.”
Apostle Miah explained that the Pastor manages people and resources. He further noted that since the steward is accountable to the master, there is the need to be faithful in all his dealings.
“The minister as a steward is accountable to the Lord and to his earthly master. He acts on orders to carry his master’s instructions. The steward distributes resources to those entrusted to his care according to the master’s orders,” he stated.
He explained that the whole assignment of Christian minister is to present all members entrusted to his care blameless on the day of the Lord’s return.
Touching on the minister’s responsibilities as an ambassador for Christ, Apostle Miah explained that as a representative of the Lord Jesus Christ on earth, the minister is expected do what Christ would have done in person.
“Practically, Christ preached to all manner of persons, taught about living right with God and Man. He motivated people and trained them to be leaders. He was kind and gentle. Christ was a man of prayer. These should be what all Christian workers have to follow,” he noted.
Concluding his message, Apostle Miah intimated that being a true man of God requires that one remains fully committed to God, faithful to Him, never underestimate the power of prayer, and to practice what one preaches.
Report By: Overseer Musa Yahaya
