Visibility in Ministry By Apostle Arome Osayi

 VISIBILITY IN MINISTRY PART 1

When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, THE HEAVENS WERE OPENED TO HIM, and He saw THE SPIRIT OF GOD descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.   And SUDDENLY A VOICE CAME FROM HEAVEN, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:16-17, NKJV, emphases mine)

Apostle Arome Osayi

Our Lord Jesus remains the author and finisher of our faith – our template and perfect example in the service of our King! The short passage above clearly tells us how and who announced Him: God and God alone!

From the passage above, we see that the following underpinned Jesus’ public ministry:

* i. Open heavens – from whence He constantly drew support and impetus

* ii. The Spirit of God – from whom He constantly drew life supply & strength

* iii. The voice of God – upon which He constantly relied to get His message out

The three resources above flowed constantly into Jesus’ life and ministry because He pleased God!

Though, SUDDENLY, God’s voice came from heaven to announce Him, Jesus had been in the business of pleasing God for thirty years! Yes, thirty neat and slow years.  That His announcement happened SUDDENLY does not mean the process that led to the announcement was SLOVENLY!

It’s been over 3 years since COVID-19 hit the planet! Yes, it pleased the Lord to announce us to the globe around that time and it seemed like it happened, suddenly! But, no, the Lord had told us that the way of the Remnants is to first take root downward before we can bear fruit upward (Isaiah 37:31). 

It pleased the Lord to make us take root downward for fourteen years.  In those fourteen years, we were stretched past ourselves - we were stripped of all human crotches until our trust was anchored in the Lord alone. We sure did not understand it all, but our security was sturdily established in God. It was clear the Lord had us on a leash. Our hearts rejoiced constantly in the fact that we had found favor with Him. Nothing else mattered.

 There was no doubt in our minds that at God’s time, He’d make everything good. Our apostolic labors behind the brassy curtains of obscurity had gone on in the city of Makurdi with no spectacles before COVID-19! Some brethren left us along the way, others stayed put, but that’s how it goes with every journey of faith. Ours was seasoned with lots of patience - the kind that leaves no room for any scintilla of bitterness.

Apostle Arome Osayi 

 We did not change a thing from the example of the Lord Jesus: we operated under open heavens by sticking to our God-given convictions (as unpopular as they were); relied wholly on the supply of the Spirit to grow and also relied solely on the voice of God to get the word out despite being told countless times by friends and those who didn’t like us that our message was too hard (unmarketable). And that our style of ministry was Siamese twins with perpetual penury and irrelevance.  We were under a lot of pressure to cut corners and just give up. But somehow the Lord kept us by the upthrust of His grace.

It was settled in our hearts that if it was God’s voice that we relied on solely, then it was His responsibility to increase its volume anytime He wanted. Pleasing the Lord in all we did and said was our number one priority.

Like the apostles of old, we continued steadfastly in prayer, the ministry of the word, fellowship with one another, and breaking of bread, year after year! The joy of the Lord was and still is our strength. 

So, no, COVID-19 did not make us, God announced us! And we boast only in the grace of God!

One thing I have personally learned through it all is to be more at home with the will of God no matter the pressure!

 Are you in the Lord’s service? Do not replace open heavens with shticks and gimmicks; do not replace the supply of the Spirit with human genius; and please do not replace the voice of God with the internet and complex self-promotion schemes.

 (The internet is a great tool for spreading the gospel of the kingdom. Yes, it is just a TOOL, nothing more, therefore cannot replace the need for God’s voice to announce you to the world to His glory and for His pleasure.)

We plant and water but it’s God who gives the increase. 

Let God announce you. If He does, no mortal can shut you up or shut you down!

If you do announce yourself…hmmmm! The Lord gives you understanding!

Apostle Arome Osayi