Prophetic Prayers For The Month Of November (Starting, Tuesday 1st of November 2022.

Theme: HARVEST OF PRAYERS

Text: Psalm 126:1-6, Isaiah 55:5-13.

Thanks be to God Almighty Who has been empowerng us to triumph over every situation this year. Alleluiyah! No doubt, the LORD has continued to be with us even in the midst of all our challenges.  And like He did with the three Hebrews (Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego - Dan.3:13-26) in the midst of the burning fiery furnace, He has continued to grant us resounding victories. His promises are in Him "Ye" and in Him "Amen". He has never, and can never, fail us (2Corinth.1:20, Isaiah 43:1-2).

God has asked us to come before His presence for a HARVEST of PRAYERS. It is indeed a Bountiful Harvest for us this new month, as we come together to seek His face in unity of faith. I am highly persuaded that, it shall be a testimony galore for us, in Jesus' name.

Remember, with Jesus Christ, your testimony is sure!

Prophetic Prayer Points

1. Give thanks to God for His enduring goodness and mercy over your life and entire household. Psalm 136:1-26.

2. Glorify the Almighty God for His Sure Promises this month and this year.. 2Cor.1:20, 1Cor.2:9.

3. Confess and ask for forgiveness of all sins that may hinder bountiful harvest of your prayers. Psalm 66:18, Hosea 7:1

4. Every sin committed on my behalf, which repercussion is now hunting/hindering my life, blood of Jesus, wipe it off in Jesus' name. Coloss.2:14-15.

5. Ask that His mercy will speak for you in every dimension. Romans 9:14-16.

6. My Father and my God, open my eyes to see, so I can avoid all hindrances to bountiful harvest of my prayers, in Jesus' name. Isaiah 55:1-8.

7. Every curse that causes stagnation in my life, be removed by the blood of Jesus Christ. Coloss.2:14-15.

8. Every accuser, standing against my Harvest of Prayers and my testimony, be consumed by fire, in Jesus name - Revelation 12:10-11.

9. Every evil spirit, contacted against my prayers and testimonies, be consumed by fire, in Jesus name. 1Cor.16:9, 1Thess.2:18, Dan.10:1-13, 2Cor.10:4-6.

10. Spirit of unbelief, hindering my testimony, I renounce you, in Jesus' name - Matt.13:58, James 1:5-7.

11. Spirit of disobedience, bringing curses into my life, I renounce you, in Jesus name. Deut.28:1-6, 15, Mal.3:8-11.

12. Every generational curse of cankerworm,  eating/wasting my harvest, catch fire and be consumed in Jesus name - Joel 1:1-4, Joel 2:23-26.

13. Every prayer that has been sown by my parents and I concerning me, begin to produce bountiful harvest for me, in Jesus name - Psalm 126:1-6, Isaiah 55:10-13, Joel 2:23-26.

 

Ministers Church Management Seminar (Continued)

Theme: CHURCH MANAGEMENT (Part 4)

INFORMATION MANAGEMENT

The sanctity of salient information within the body of Christ requires a high level of confidentiality. It is not every thing you see or know about the church that should be discussed openly; this might discourage young or new converts and wreck their faith. Also, God forbids busybodies and indescriminately or publicly disclosing the weaknesses of the church to outsiders. Paul said he saw certain things in the third heaven that are not lawful for man to utter - 2Corinth.12:1-4. Let us examine the following scriptures in the light of information management:  Proverbs 20:19, Proverbs 11:13a; 16:27, 28; 17:9b. Romans 1:29; 2 Corinthians 12:20, 1Timothy 5:13; 2, 1 Timothy 5:13; 2 Thessalonians 3:11, Proverbs 25:9-10, Matthew 18:15.

GIFT AND TALENT MANAGEMENT

As leaders, we are expected to spot  and harness with love, the spiritual gifts and talents of our members for growth and development of the church and God's kingdom in general. Spiritual Gifts are bestowed by the Holy Spirit to profit for the kingdom of God; e.g. gift of Prophecy, revelation, healing, etc. Talents are special abilities given to us by God; e.g. ability to draw, sing and dance wonderfully well. Talents can be inherited, learnt and developed while gifts are given by God and received by a child of God to profit into His kingdom. Exodus 31:1- , 36:1-2, 31:1-7.

While managing their gifts and talents, leaders should have no reason whatsoever to be jealous of what their members possess. Rather, they should guide in love and help members or workers who possess such gifts towards maximizing such potentials to the glory of God and the blessing of humanity. Knowing fully well that every good and perfect gift comes from the LORD, leaders should be well positioned to properly manage those gifts and talents. 1Cor.12:1-6, Ephes.4:1-8, Rom.12:6-10, 1Corinth.14:26.

MATERIAL AND FINANCIAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Do not be a waster of God's resources; be an astute manager of all resources in God's kingdom, as a steward. Resources such as landed property, buildings, vehicles, money, etc, must be properly managed with utmost accountability, towards the advancement of God's kingdom. They must be held in high esteem, not as personal but as God's own property; that way, church leaders will be cautious of the way they treat or handle church resources.  John 6:1-13, 12-13*,  Lk 9:12-17.

TIME MANAGEMENT

When you have sought and got the mind of God on a matter, do not be a sluggard or a time waster in implementing His directives.    "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might... Eccles.9:10. Paul's zeal for the tradition of the fathers in persecuting the church was translated into positivity when he encountered the Lord Jesus; he wasted no time in carrying out the Lord's directives - Galatians 1:13-17. Do not procrastinate. Do not waste time in unnecessary, minor things. Concentrate on what is major and reduce focus on the minors. Col.4:5, Ephes.5:15-17, James 4:14-14, Eccles.3:1-8, 11, Prov.6:6-8, 27:1, Psalm 90:12.

"Time is our most precious gift because we only have a fixed amount of it" - RICK WARREN.

"Serve God by doing common actions in a heavenly spirit, and then, if your daily calling only leaves you cracks and crevices of time, fill them up with holy service.”  CHARLES SPURGEON.

Also, time must be properly managed in all we do at the pulpit - in preaching, in teaching, in announcement, in giving testimonies, etc. This is to give time for other activities in the church, especially after service closes. However, there are services in which "Time" can not be preset. such include: Deliverance and Healing Services, Prophetic gathering, Anointing Service, etc.

PULPIT MANAGEMENT

The pulpit is part of the "altar of sacrifice" for ministration unto God. The presence, that is, the fire of God, radiates from the altar into the congregation. We are to manage situations on the altar and around the pulpit so as avoid unnecessary distractions during services (Leviticus 6:9-13). Pulpit ministers are to ensure Spiritual and ethical decorum on the altar and at the pulpit as mistakes on the altar can easily be noticed by the congregation. 

RISK & CRISIS MANAGEMENT

By the Spirit of God, Joseph assisted Egypt to manage crisis (Gen.41:1-44). Also, Paul the Apostle had to manage crises many times in the Corinthian Church. 1Corinth.3:1-9, 8:1-11. In all organizations, the church inclusive, risk management is central to the success of leadership and management.

PERSONAL HEALTH MANAGEMENT

Manage your health. It takes a healthy spirit, soul and body to do ministry effectively and successfully. Jesus demonstrated this during His ministry on Earth. Even though God has promised us sound health, yet we have to manage our health to be effective for the advancement of His kingdom and to the glory of His name (3John1:2, Jerem.33:6, 1Corinth.10:31).  If God rested after His six-day work of creation, then we all need rest. Jesus needed to rest (or sleep) after tidious ministry activities; let us learn from Him (Genesis 2:1-3, Matt.8:24, ). The Day of Rest (Sabbath) is sanctified, not only to worship God in spirit and in truth but also to have enough time to rest on weekly basis.

Eating good and hygienic food, drinking good water, eating fruits and vegetables, as well as bodily exercise, are very necessary for us to maintain good health Acts (27:34). Also, maintain a healthy heart by not keeping grudges or malice but find a reason to be merry and happy always, even in the face of challenges. Pray and seek counsel, if necessary, instead of getting worried over your challenges (Proverbs 17:22, 3:7-8).

Physical training, exercise and relaxation/rest improve and benefits our health (1Tim.4:8).

Ministers Church Management Seminar.

Theme: CHURCH MANAGEMENT (Part 3).

Topic: HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN THE CHURCH

Gen.6:5-6, 3:1-24, 2Kgs6:1-7, 1Cor.3:1-6, Lk 9:12-17, 1Corinth.14:26.

Humans are the most difficult entity to manage in any work place. God Almighty attests to this in Genesis 6:5-6. Leaders are accountable to God on how effectively they manage God's own business ( i.e. the flock/church). Jere. 23:2, Ezek.34:10, 15. Failure of the leadership to effectively manage the human resources of an organization can lead to underproduction, losses and crises, in the entire organization. Prov.29:2, 11:14. As leaders, we must be diligent to feed the flock and know the state of the flock. Prov.27:23*, 1Pet.5:2, Acts20:28*, John21:15-17*.

Just as God describes human nature and character in Genesis 6:5-6, Management Theories X and Y (by Social Psychologist,  Douglas McGregor) describe how leaders should manage their human resources, so as to get quality results.

McGregor Theory X of Management opines that no human being is ready to work unless they are (forced in some ways) to do so and that motivation should be by "carrot and stick" approach. "Carrot" for faithfulness and excellence; "Stick" for unfaithfulness and laziness". Here, managers are pessimistic about human behaviour. That is, management assumes that human beings generally (and naturally) have the following characteristics:

*Dislike their work.

*Avoid responsibility and need constant direction.

*Have to be controlled, forced and threatened to deliver work.

*Need to be supervised at every step.*

Have no incentive to work or ambition, and therefore need to be enticed by rewards  to achieve goals.

Theory Y of management has an optimistic opinion of workers, that you can bring out the best in them by allowing them to be self-motivated and encouraging them to apply their own initiatives in improving/increasing productivity. Management is optimistic about their workers' ability to deliver with very little or no supervision. Unlike Theory X organizations, theory Y organizations encourage open communication rather than controlling the staff forcefully.

Theory Y organizations also give employees frequent opportunities for promotion.

This style of management assumes that workers are:

*Happy to work on their own initiative.

*More involved in decision making.

*Self-motivated to complete their tasks.

*Enjoy taking ownership  of their work.

*Seek and accept responsibility, and need little direction.

*View work as fulfilling and challenging.

Solve problems creatively and imaginatively.

All these reflect workers' increasing desire for more meaningful careers  that provide them with more satisfaction than just money.

The Disadvantages of Theory X and Y.

Both theories have their challenges. The restrictive nature of Theory X, for instance, could cause people to become demotivated and non-cooperative if management approach is too strict. This may lead to high staff turnover or  members leaving the church for other places, which could damage leadership reputation or that of the church in the long term.

Theory Y approach gives people too much freedom; this may allow them to stray from their key objectives [ in this case, Christian virtues and obligations] or lose focus completely. Less externally motivated individuals may also take advantage of this more relaxed working environment by not following the rules to the latter.

Hence, for effective Human Resource Management, both theories X and Y should be harmonized. By implication, as Managers of God's resources, Pastors, Leaders and other ministers within the church system should carefully and consciously apply these theories for optimum results.

MINISTERS CHURCH MANAGEMENT SEMINAR

Venue: VictoryLand Apostolic Chapel Obada-Oko, Ogun State, Nigeria.

Date: Saturday, 19th March, 2022.

Theme: CHURCH MANAGEMENT (Part 2) 

Topic: IMPORTANT AREAS IN CHURCH MANAGEMENT

We have examined the meaning and the need for church management. We shall now explore more to broaden our knowledge on this subject matter. 

Management” is another word for “stewardship”. Stewards in the Christendom ( i.e. Managers) are: Ministers-in-Charge, Coordinating Ministers, Ordained Elders Superintendents, and Overseers. They have certain responsibilities entrusted to them by God through their leaders. As believers, each of us are managers of spiritual resources with which God has entrusted us. And as a church, leaders are managers saddled with the responsibility to ensure proper organization and appropriation of all resources towards lasting (quality) growth and development in the church. The ultimate goal of Church Management encompasses GROWTH, DEVELOPMENT and ADVANCEMENT of God's kingdom.

A serious problem with many Christian organizations and their leaders today is that of organizing and managing the spiritual, physical and material resources at their disposal. If labourers for spiritual harvest are few  as Jesus declares in the scriptures , then they should be properly organized and mobilized to satisfy the Plenteous harvest or unlimited needs of the church (according to Economic Principle).  Matt. 9:36-38, Lk10:2.

Management is a teamwork, as God Himself demonstrated at creation when He made a call to the entire host of heaven, namely the twenty-four elders and the angels: "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fishes of the sea..."  (Genesis 1:26). In like manner, Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 says "Two are better than one, because they have a good reward (or return) for their labour: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. The best teams do not have people with similar skills – they combine the diverse talents and backgrounds from a pool of diverse individuals and appreciate the gifts that each one brings to contribute.  Great teams have people that know their role and appreciate others as well. More relevant passages of the scriptures on church management teawork include: Proverbs 27:17 ( "iron sharpeneth iron", so team members sharpen another), 1Corinth.14:26, 1Peter 4:8-10, 1 Corinthians 12:17-20.

Let us examine some important areas of management that will foster lasting growth and development of the church:

*1. Human Resource Management

*2. Information Management

*3. Gifts &Talent Management

*4. Material/Financial Resource Management

*5. Time Management

*6. Risk Management

*7. Pulpit and Altar Management

*8. Health Management