HOW TO INCREASE IN WHAT WE DO – PART 1: DR MENSA OTABIL – SPECIAL SUNDAY SERVICE, 15TH MAY, 2022.
SPECIAL SUNDAY SERVICE BY DR. MENSA OTABIL (GENERAL OVERSEER INTERNATIONAL CENTRAL GOSPEL CHURCH (ICGC) CHRIST TEMPLE, ACCRA GHANA)
TOPIC: HOW TO INCREASE IN WHAT WE DO – PART 1.
DATE: 15TH MAY, 2022
TEXT: PROVERBS 27:23-27
Let’s rise up together as we take our DECLARATION OF INCREASE in this Year of Increase:
Are you ready? Say with me:
I confess today that Jesus Christ is my LORD and Saviour. In Him I have life, His Abundant Life.
The Lord is my Light and Strength. As He is, so has He made me. By His Spirit I Increase in Word and in Wisdom. In Faith and in Favour.
The Lord has said: “In Blessing, I will bless you. In multiplying I will Multiply your Seed.”
So, I can boldly say: My God shall Increase me more and more. What I Place in God’s Hands grows into Overflow.
Though I begin small, my end shall Greatly Increase.
In this Year of Increase, I grow in Grace and in Strength. To be all that God wants me to be.
In Jesus’ Name – AMEN!
Today I am going to share one of the Verses that had shaped my attitude towards the work that God has called me to do. It is a Verse from the Book of Proverbs.
When I started Full Time Ministry in the early 80s, I discovered that several attitudes shaped the way People who were Called by God did the work of God. I was a Young Man at that time.
And I noticed that People did not seems to focus on the work God had Called them to do, they were not intentional about their work and their Ministry.
For example, there were Pastors who could travel for long Periods of time, and they would leave their Congregation unattended to. I also noted that a number of Pastors failed their “Spontaneous Speaking” – Speaking without Preparation was a Sign that you were anointed by the Holy Spirit.
So Sermon Preparation (especially among Pentecostals and Charismatics) was not done. You just stand, open your mouth and trust God to fill your mouth with something. And normally, what came out was not good!
And then a lot of Pastors also specialized at that time (from the late 70s to the early 80s) in what was called ‘Blasting People’ – That means that the Strength of the Pastor and Ministry was based on how much he can criticise People.
So they spent time criticising their Members – Their hair styles, dress code. And basically been Negative against their Members.
Other Pastors just allowed anyone who was in town to come and Preach for them. And so sometimes the Pastor would go to Church on Sunday and just called Somebody or another ‘Guest Pastor’ just comes in and they say: ‘Oh, Please can you just come and share God’s Word briefly with us.’
… So there didn’t seems to be much seriousness in the way People did Ministry.
Then there was the troubling situation of Sexual Immorality which affected the reputation of quite a few People.
And so when I grew up as a Young Pastor (from the late 70s into the early 80s); I observed these conditions and I was determined that God would help me not to repeat the mistakes I came to meet and help me do the right thing.
You know, seeing the wrong thing and doing the right thing is always very difficult because the wrong thing can be so common and so established, that the right thing would be foreign.
And the Passage I am about to share with you within this week (15th May, 2022) and next week (22nd May, 2022) was one Verse that helped me to understand how to do the work that God has given to me.
So I have Titled my Message today: “HOW TO INCREASE IN WHAT WE DO – PART 1”.
No matter what you do, what I do, what we all do, God wants us to increase it, grow it, Excel in it and do it well.
This is a Two-Part Message – I will start today (15th May, 2022) and I will finish it next week (22nd May, 2022).
My Text is from Proverbs 27:23-27 (Passage has helped me a lot) and it says (NKJV):
23 Be diligent to know the State of your flocks, And attend to your herds;
24 For riches are not forever, Nor does a crown endure to all generations.
25 When the hay is removed, and the tender grass shows itself, And the herbs of the Mountains are gathered in,
26 The Lambs will provide your clothing, And the goats the Price of a field;
27 You shall have enough goats’ milk for your food, For the food of your household, And the nourishment of your maidservants.
… I’m sure you are wondering “how could such a Verse help you?”
So I am going to explain what I have learned from this Verse and what it means to us.
Now, you have to understand that the Bible was written within a certain Culture. And this would be thousand of years removed from our world.
But sometimes it is important to pay attention and try to bring the meaning to our Present day.
In the Old Testament days, the wealth of People who lived in the Palestinians area consisted of their Livestock – The animals they rared. And if a Person managed his Livestock well, then they would become Prominent in the Society.
For us to learn from this, we have to understand what the Livestock means.
If you read the Passage, it says – Be diligent to know the State of your flocks, And attend to your herds. (Proverbs 27:23).
WHAT IS FLOCKS AND HERDS?
It represents what we have to make us Productive.
For the Person living at the time, their flocks and their herds are the animals they had, which they would use to make their lives Productive.
Flocks referred to goats and sheep; and Herds would refer to any other animal.
Sometimes it refers to cattle and other animals.
Basically flocks and herds were the animals that the People reared.
Flocks and herds, then would be like Stocks today. The Stock that People trade in (In the Stock Exchange).
It is Wealth that you use or you trade in, in order to make your Life very good.
Of course, most of us today, we don’t have flocks and herds. I don’t how many of you own goats, sheep, cattles, camels, squirrels.
Here we have the flocks and herds; and it represents what we have to make us Productive.
Today when we talk about flocks and herds it doesn’t mean much to us because we don’t own flocks and herds. So we have to take the Principle and bring it down to where we are today – And I am applying this Principle to our day to day works.
Flocks and Herds represent Three (3) Things:
- First, it represents what we do.
What we do – Our Vocation.
Your Vocation is your flocks and herds; your Vocation is the thing that occupies your time and your attention.
My Vocation is that I am a Pastor – That’s my vocation!
Your Vocation maybe a Teacher, a Nurse, a Doctor, a Mechanic, a Tailor – That’s your Vocation. It is what you do.
So my work as a Pastor, your work as a Tailor is similar to a man in that era who owned flocks and herds because that is what you are going to us to Produce what you want.
… First, it represents our Vocation – What we do.
- Secondly, the flocks and herds there can be applied to where we work – our Company.
Our Company is the organization we work for – We may work for an organization we started or an organization that Somebody else started.
So think of it, your work Place is your flock and your herd – It’s your Treasure, your Stock and you need to Value it.
Sometimes I get the impression that People do not see the link between the Company they work for and the kind of Life they live – Especially if they don’t own the Company.
Many of us hate the Place we work. It’s one of the things I have come to Note in our part of the world – People hate the Place they work.
You go to a Shop and there are Shop Attendants and their Salary is paid on how well the Shop functions. But if you are a Customer coming, they start talking down their Shop.
Sometimes they actually want to teach you how to cheat their Company and sometimes they want to direct you to somewhere else. And the People forget that if this Company goes down, I go down.
Somehow we think that Company is very different from our lives. But I want you to think of the Place you work for as your herd and as your flock.
… Your Vocation is your herd and flock. Your Company is your herd and flock!
- And the third thing that is your herd and flock is your Reputation – How Others see us.
Our Reputation is our flock, herd, goat, cattle. So if you always deliver results, People will trust you with what is important to them and Reward you accordingly.
Now when I got into Ministry – I wasn’t a Cattle Rearer, I didn’t have goats. All I had was my Vocation – The Calling that God had given to me. That’s all I had. And I have a Church that God had allowed me to start. That was my Company.
That’s all I had. That’s my herd and flock.
And my Reputation – How People would see me. If People thought I was a “Bad Pastor”; they wouldn’t come to my Church. If they thought I was “Lazy Pastor”; they wouldn’t come and listen to me. If they thought I didn’t take time to Prepare what I was going to say, they wouldn’t Value what I say.
So, this is all I have! – This is my flock and my herd.
And for you, this is also all you have – These are your flocks and your herds (Your Vocation, your Company, your Reputation).
The Company may not be yours, it may belong to Somebody else. But if it goes down, you are going down with it.
And in these days where it’s very difficult to get a job, you must Thank God when Somebody employs you.
I’m telling you! If Somebody employs you, every day in the morning, you must kneel down and Thank God for that Person because if that Person or Company has no Capacity to employ you any longer, you are in big trouble.
Anybody who is able to pay you every Month deserves your “Full Time Prayer” – I’m telling you that!
Don’t take it for granted that you get up in the morning and say: ‘My Salary is not enough’ – That’s not what I am talking about. What is not enough, if you don’t have it, you don’t even have something to say ‘It is not enough.’
So that’s all you have! – Your Vocation, Company, Reputation.
That’s how I saw my Calling – That was all I had.
And for me it was very Significant because of my History and where I was coming from and the situation of my Life.
And I just Thank God that I have a Calling – That He has allowed.e to start a Church.
Although we were Meeting in a classroom but that’s all I have.
There was no Electricity in the classroom but that’s all I have.
Just a few People there but that’s all I have.
… Those are my flocks, those are my herds. And if I took care of that, then God will give me something Significant.
So what does the Passage say we should do with our flocks and herds?
What should we do with them?
I will read the Verse again, then I will tell you what the Passage says we should do.
It says, “Be diligent to know the state of your flocks” – Proverbs 27:23
What is it saying?
- First, know the State of your flocks – Know their State.
It means to notice, to listen, to learn – Pay close attention to them.
The Hebrew word used there is ‘Yadah’ – Yadah means to know something experientially. It’s not sitting afar to know information.
It’s getting down there to know it for yourself – Having first-hand experiential Knowledge about your Vocation, your Company, your Reputation; your flock and your herds.
In this Particular Verse, the word “Yadah” and the way it is used is very interesting;
It means to be aware of the voices and the faces of your flock.
Can you imagine, you are a Shepherd in those days; and the Passage says, if you are going to do well, you must not just know your flock, but you must be aware of their voice and faces.
How can the Shepherd know the voice and the faces of his Sheep? Because, as far as I know, all Sheep look the same. Don’t you think so? Except if the colour is different.
If it’s black, I will say ‘thats a Black Sheep.’ If it’s white, that’s the White One. If it’s a black and white, I will say that’s the Black and White One.
But the Passage doesn’t even talk about their colour; it just talk about their face and their voice.
So the Passage is saying you should be able to tell.what is happening to your flock – That’s what it’s saying. Pay attention to their voice and faces.
In other words, the goat would not look the same.to you – Each one must be known! You must know each one; Pay attention to each one.
That is what helped me when I started as a Pastor. I had a small Church, meeting in a small classroom.
We didn’t have Electricity in that classroom; we didn’t have a drum set, equipment, we didn’t have anything; we didn’t have a Sponsor, we didn’t have money and Nobody in the Church had a car (including the Pastor). How am I going to take care of these Flock?
The Passage says: Pay attention! Know them intimately. You cannot sit, fold your legs, arms, issue instructions and think thing would work. You have to have “Experiential Knowledge.
This Proverbs tells us that we must pay attention, we must list and learn if we want to improve our Vocation, Place of work or our Reputation.
How well do you know your work? How well do you know the Place you work for? How well do you know the People you serve? – Know them well.
- Then the Second thing it says is that: Attend to them.
It means to be always ready to serve.
The Hebrew word that is used there means to Stand at attention, ready to go to work.
It says that is how you should attend to your herds – Stand at attention, ready to work. Interesting! It means you cannot be Passive and Casual about what you do.
The closest situation I can apply this to is to a Doctor who is on Call – A Doctor on Call.
For all of you Doctors and Nurses – God bless you!
A Doctor on Call is one of those things that is so facinating.
I remembered when my wife used to get Pregnant (laughs)! – We have come out of that train a long time ago.
When my wife used to get Pregnant, especially when it comes to Delivery Time, and we will talk to her Doctor. Within the week of Delivery, the Doctor would say (there was no Cellphone then) anytime of the Night if so and so happen, call me (that is Landline Call).
… Anytime of the Night!
And if you can’t even call, come.
Can you imagine! Now you have Phones, Somebody can give you Notice that I’m coming.
Those days you just pop in! And the Doctors would say, anytime.
And it used to facinate me. The Doctor, just like everybody else, he also wants to sleep. Everybody gets tired, he also gets tired. His family needs him. But he says, at this Point you are my flock, and I Stand ready (to my own inconvenience) to serve you.
That is what the Writer of that Proverbs mean – Attend to your flock, Stand ready at anytime, Morning Noon and Night, to take care of your flock. No excuses! Take your work seriously.
And of course if the Doctor says you can call anytime, don’t take advantage of it!
And most times you may never have to make that call. But just to show you it’s a Mindset that the Doctor has.
And there are few other Professionals who have that Mindset. Who would say, I’m working in this Project for you, call me 24/7.
Now there are People who say, call me 24//7, but when you call them, they never respond or reply your Messages.
If that is how you work (we would learn that later) you are not going to do well. And it will not be the devil, it will not be demons, your grandmother, a curse; it will not even be that the Nation is hard. It simple means, you didn’t apply yourself.
You know, when I started ICGC it was during the hardest time in Ghana. Those of you who are old enough to know, those day we had chain that were attributed to our President at that time. People were growing lean, People emaciated.
We were eating yellow corn. I mean, People would go to queue for corn before it is cooked. We were having our bath with some miserable soap (corrosive). The Stores were empty, Shelves were empty.
That’s the situation I was called to. You can’t even talk to your Members about Giving, because you look at their faces and you know that this one, you can’t even tell him to Give! All you have to do is pour your heart because it’s not Reward time.
Attend to them!
And why does the Passage say we should care for our flock? Why did it say that?
“For riches are not forever, Nor does a crown endure to all Generations” – Proverbs 27:24.
- It is because money can easily be wasted.
As good as money is, it can easily be lost. When you seek for money without diligently working for it, you will waste it.
I can guarantee you that any money we make that we did not work for it would be easily wasted.
You see, the reason why thieves continue stealing till they are caught is because they go and take People’s labour, and they don’t go and invest it. They steal the money, and overnight blow it! They have to go the next night to go and steal again.
Because when you don’t earn something, you waste it.
Anybody who sweats for their money doesn’t waste money. People who make money easily waste their money.
And you can apply it in different ways. Anybody you see frivolously using money, wastefully using money; they are earning the money in an easy way. Because if you earn it and it is your blood, you won’t go and buy things with it that you don’t need.
The Passage says money can easily be wasted.
Although we all need money, although we want money, that should not be our focus.
If you Pursue the money and never Pursue work, whatever money you have will be wasted.
But if you Pursue work and labour, whatever money you have will be invested.
… Money can be easily wasted.
- It says the Crown is not for ever.
What does that mean? – It means Position and Privilege are not enduring.
Crown refers to high Position, Privileges. If you are looking for Crown, you will be disappointed in Life.
You know, when I started this Church (ICGC) right from the beginning I was called Senior Pastor. And the reason was very Practical, because there were other Pastors with me.
Our Church was small but we had a couple of other People who were Pastors. And to distinguish the Pastors; I was called the Senior Pastor and the others were the Pastors.
And then when we started Planting Churches few years down the line, I was called the General Overseer, because I was overseeing Churches – It is not a Title or a Crown to aspire to.
My Position as Senior Pastor is secure. I have been in this Position for Thirty-eight (38) Years, I have never been Promoted – Same Title for Thirty-eight (38) Years.
There’s nothing like ‘Senior, Senior Pastor’, ‘Chief Senior Pastor’ or ‘Major Senior Pastor.’
No Promotion, same thing for Thirty-eight (38) Years.
General Overseer, probably for about thirty-two (32) Years – No Promotion.
That make me then say well, I have the Position. But my Mindset which I have had all these years is that, although I am not interviewed for my job, and nobody determines my Promotion. I must justify my inclusion.
So everyday when I am Preaching in Church, I am on trial. If I don’t do well, you will leave.
Are you following what I’m saying?
I can not say well, I have been a “Successful Pastor” for Thirty-eight (38) years, so the People of course, must come here!
Yes, they must appreciate what I have done for Thirty-eight (38) Years but that is not guaranteed.
The only guarantee is, I must take care of my Vocation, so that when I Stand here I will be given another week.
And next week I have to come for test again, and I will be given another week. And I go week by week justifying myself.
Now there are People who see Life as a Title. And you give them a Title, the worst will come out of them.
Sometimes there are Pastors who take on “High Sounding Titles”, and all of a sudden dress a certain way, walk a certain way, talk a certain way, behave a certain way. And never think about the voice and the face of the flock. And they think they can eat Title – But nobody eats Title.
Listen, you can call yourself the Managing Director, Global Director, Intergalactic Director. You can call yourself President of the Universe – Choose it, it’s free!
But this Passage says, the Crown does not endure.
That is why I don’t accumulate Titles, because it is totally irrelevant to your future. I can call myself by whatever Title, it doesn’t matter!
Your work will have to speak! And if your work does not speak, Title will not endure for you.
And those of you who get facinated with Titles and Positions, and want to walk a certain way because he has been made a Bishop. Foolishness has entered his head.
Listen, don’t be in a hurry to impress People with your Titles and with your Crown. Even if somebody Promotes you to an office, you must justify the Promotion.
… You must justify it!
You know, in this Country when Somebody wins a Position – Maybe went for a Parliamentary Election and then he wins. And the People would rob white Powder on him (laughs). In other words, it’s finished!
Somebody is made a Minister of States, we Pour him white Powder – It’s finished! Because something we think is that Title is the job.
But I learned from this Proverbs – The Title is not the job and the Money is not the job.
My job is to attend to my flocks, pay attention to the Vocation, to the Company, to the Group I belong to, and to the Reputation I am building. So that I can have a Reputation of Someone who can be trusted at everytime to deliver.
If I don’t have that Reputation, I may be called Senior Pastor, Zonal Pastor, Global Pastor, Universal Pastor, Galaxy Pastor (laughs)! – Choose whatever you want, it’s a free world, Adjectives are free.
But we don’t rule the world with Adjectives and with Titles. All that God done is, He has given you something small and He says, take care of it and if you take care of it you will be fine.
So, take good care of your Vocation, Protect the Place of your work. Protect it, even if you hate the Person who gave you the job, Protect that job because it is the Source of your Revenue.
And Protect how People see you – Your Reputation. Let them see you as a Doer, not just somebody who shows up.
And if you do these three (3) things, then next week we will see how they will benefit you.
So basically this is the Verse that helped me to get my thoughts sorted out when I started Ministry as a very Young Man.
Let’s us Pray!
CLOSING PRAYER
Father Thank You that You teach us Wisdom and You teach us Lord, not to waste what You give to us.
You teach us Lord not to be foolish but wise. To be Present Minded and to take care of the things that You have given to us.
So, I Pray for every man and woman listening to me today (or reading now on the Label of DMC), whom you have entrusted some flocks to and some herds to. It may not be much, but You have given them something.
Help them Lord to have the heart of Wisdom. That with the heart of Wisdom, they will not sabotage what You have given to them.
That they will not take Positions for granted; they will not take Titles for granted; they will not take themselves and their work for granted.
But that each one of us here and all those reading this Message now on the Label of DMC, with what You have given to us, we will labour and make the best to what You want it to be.
So that we can live the Life that You have Promised us; that our lives will increase in every sides, because we took care of the flocks and the herds You have given to us.
In Jesus’ Name – Amen.
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