The Five Heartbeats (Professional Development)*

Read Ephesians 4:11-12

Prayer & Subject

Introduction

The Church today has become handicapped by people who have misunderstood and misinterpreted their assignment within the Kingdom. The Church has become divided because we have sought to put God in a box, rather than allow him to be bigger than our situations and ideas. For decades we have slowly allowed God’s house and his kingdom to fall into disarray as each one of us attempts to pursue our own interests and motivations.

We, as the People of God, have kicked God’s will to the curb and tried our best to stamp our own mark in our churches, communities, neighborhoods, and families. Increasingly, ministry has become about pleasing people and doing our own will rather than doing God’s work here on Earth as we wait patiently for him to return for us.

It’s not about how many people get saved its about how many people I can get to fall out at the altar call.

It’s not about how many people I can feed at the shelter, its about how much air time on the news I can get through my ministry.

It’s not about how many bills I can pay, its about how many people I can get to join the Church and eventually pay tithes.

It’s not about leading that flock, instead its about how fast I can make Bishop in my diocese.

The Church has become an echo chamber for prosperity Gospel where Pastor’s try to convince people that being saved is all sunshine and rainbows when the Bible tells us that, “a man’s days shall be numbered and full of trouble.”

The Church is losing ground because we are not willing to do everything we have to do for the upbuilding of God’s kingdom.

Evidence can be found all around the country, everywhere you look.

Drive around the city. You will find churches on every street corner and on every block.

In the right shopping centers, you will have 2 churches next to each other having service at the same time.

The Church is so divided that we cannot possibly succeed in ministry because no one wants to be submitted to anyone and so people go out to start a Church in a little storefront and they spend 20 years in a storefront, wondering why they never expanded, not realizing is not going to bless that which he did not ordain.

We have this mentality that because we are saved we can do what we want and expect God to bless it and you have to ask yourself how can you expect God to support your idea when it is contrary to his will and his idea.

At the height of the pandemic, I remember seeing on social media, HUNDREDS of Pastor’s making requests for people to bring in their tithes and offering to the Church. They made sure people brought their money into the house but never once did they openly advertise outreach or ministry going out to the people of God.

People have become so obsessed with making a name for themselves they are buying titles online and having themselves consecrated by only the Lord knows who and then showing up with a new title but they have the same foul spirit that hinders God doing work through them.

Ephesians 4:11-12

We see in the text that Paul is witing a letter to the Church at Ephesus.

In his letter he is helping to encourage them to be united in their faith

He encourages them in their ministry to operate together in all things