[pullquote]‘The Person Who Is Joined Together With The Lord Is One Spirit With Him’ — 1 Corinthians 6:17 (NLT)[/pullquote]
We are one spirit joined together with God and manifesting His power in our various ministries. The key thing is that God has called each of us together to serve and carry out the Call that He has placed upon our lives. As members and workers, we are all united as one body concerning the local church, New Covenant Church Wallington (NCCW). Receiving from one source God the Father, we find our roots in Jesus and flow in harmony in obedience to the Holy Spirit to produce a beautiful and blessed outcome to the glory of our King.
The 6 P’s
Just as there are many peas in a pod, each one of us is significant, important and essential to achieving the God ordained purpose for NCCW. I believe God is asking us to play our part towards the building of a glorious church and below are some of the ways it can happen.
Our Prayers Matter:
We must continue to intercede for the church locally and worldwide. As we stand in the gap with persistent, powerful prayer, we will see God’s Kingdom manifest in our midst. Ephesians: 6:18 – ‘With all prayer and petition, pray at all times in the spirit and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.’
Our Participation Matters:
Be active in the House of God. This can be reflected by our being part of a group or groups in the church so we can exercise our ministry gifts. As you serve, you may also feel that there is a gap you could fill by starting a service ministry that is required but not yet in existence. 1 Corinthians 12:7-8: ‘But each is given a manifestation of the spirit for the common good…’
Our Presence Matters:
Our collective worship is important to God. Coming together to lift up holy hands to The Lord and celebrate His goodness must not be neglected. There is power in Collective worship that cannot be found anywhere else. It strengthens the church, causing it to grow. See Acts 2:46-47: ‘They worshipped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity— all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.’
Our Pronouncements Matter:
Our words and declarations are important. They have life and power to make things happen. Whatever we say about ourselves and the church will effectively become a reality. We need to constantly prophesy God’s eternal grace, mercy, favour, increase, majesty, miracles and strength into the foundation and fabric of our life as a church. Ephesians 5:19-20 says, ‘Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. Always giving thanks for all things in the name of the Father’.
The bible commands us to encourage and honour each other at all times. 1 Thessalonians 5:11–13 tells us: ‘Therefore, encourage one another and build up one another just as you are doing’ Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.’ On behalf of the leadership, we would like to personally thank all of you who work continually in the House, watching and praying to see the ministry fulfil its God given purpose. May the Lord bless you richly.
Your Presents Matter:
Every gift, offering and tithe brought to the House of the Lord irrespective of its size, is significant. They are prayerfully applied by the pastors to the many needs that we have as a church. These resources build the house and ensure that it flourishes and does not lack in any way. Without your kind gifts, the church will not survive. Paul commands us to purposefully set our gifts aside. In 1 Corinthians 16:2 we are told: ‘On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.’
Your Patience Matters:
As with most things, building takes effort, time, skill and patience. The vision God has given us a church is a large one and it may take some time to come to fruition, but it will surely come to pass. Habakkuk 2:3 says: ‘Though the vision tarries, wait for it.’
Conclusion:
there is a part for each person to play. No one should feel left out of the great things God is doing in our midst. We will continue to do the work God has assigned to us joyfully, with much singing, dancing and praising. Revelation 19:5: ‘Give praise to our God, all you His bondservants, you who fear Him, the small and the great.’
We are confident that the Lord who has promised us a year of uncommon miracles will bring our desires to pass in the name of Jesus!
By Ola Okoro
[Message shared at the Workers Retreat]