Thriving in Ministry with a Full PLATE with Dr. Robert F. Dowell

Uncover the secrets to a thriving ministry life with a "full plate" on this episode of the Five-Fold Food Podcast with Dr. Dowell. Explore how embracing all aspects of your calling, inspired by 2 Timothy 4:5, can transform your ministry into a powerful force for positive change. Drawing insights from the life of Jesus as depicted in Luke 4:18, Dr. Dowell encourages ministers to leave no stone unturned in their spiritual journey. From developing preaching skills that capture hearts to expanding leadership capabilities, this episode promises to inspire you to fulfill your divine calling with greater completeness and dedication.

Discover how impactful preaching goes beyond entertainment—it informs, inspires, and mobilizes. Whether preaching comes naturally to you or not, understanding the balance required can greatly enhance your reach and effectiveness. Dr. Dowell delves into the art of preaching and the importance of being effective at the altar. By honing the skills of preaching and teaching, ministers can ensure they are delivering a "full plate" of ministry to diverse audiences, reaching them on a deeper, more meaningful level.

Focus on leadership's role in ministry. By embracing growth opportunities and breaking free from limitations, ministers can significantly multiply their impact on God's kingdom. From writing to leveraging technology and social media, the episode explores various ways to expand your ministry’s scope. This episode is a heartfelt call to embrace your potential, reminding you that faithfulness leads to true greatness.

Transcript

Speaker 1 0:04

Welcome to the Five-Fold Food Podcast hosted by Dr Robert F Dial, where ministers receive the spiritual nourishment they need to succeed. The Word of God declares and he gave some apostles and some prophets and some evangelists and some pastors and teachers for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. Prepare to receive revelation, wisdom and insight to empower your ministry for victory. Now let's eat.

Dr. Dowell 0:36

Praise the Lord. I'm your host, dr Robert F Dowell. Welcome to the Five-Fold Food Podcast. Welcome to the Five-Fold Food Podcast. I'm so delighted that you've chosen to be with us on today's podcast. I want to encourage you no matter where you may be viewing whether you're on YouTube or on a social media platform I want you to be sure that you like and subscribe so that you can get this podcast whenever it comes out. Also, I want to encourage you if you're listening to Apple or Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts, be sure that you do subscribe so each time that we put out a new podcast, you will be able to receive that podcast. I'm so delighted that you're here today. I believe that the Lord is going to use this podcast to help you live well, because you're going to excel, because you're going to eat well. You're going to live well because you eat well and you're going to be able to excel in your ministry. So that's our goal, our primary goal that we're going to help you eat well, and so I'm excited about today's podcast. I want to be sure also, that you leave us a review. If you're on iTunes, that review will help it get out in the algorithm. Also, look in the show notes you can see some of the resources and materials free. Many of them are free resources that will help you in your five-fold ministry. So be sure that you do look in the show notes. And also we appreciate your support on any level that you can be a supporter of this podcast so we can continue to put it out. I'm excited. I'm excited about this season of our podcast.

Dr. Dowell 2:20

As we go into this season of our podcast, I believe that God is going to do some great things in your life as a minister. Let's get right into today's teaching, for today I want to come in our scripture, but I want to read to start off our time with you today so we can serve up a meal for you as a five-fold minister. It comes from 2 Timothy 4 and 5. It says but watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of the evangelist and make full proof of thy ministry. Come on, you ought to repeat that wherever you are. I said make full proof of thy ministry. And so he encouraged us here to make full proof of our ministry. When it talks about making full proof of our ministry, it means that we want to live our ministry in the fullness, do all that God called us to do to become all that God wants us to become. And so what I want to use for a teaching title in today's podcast, I want to share with you the title Serving in Ministry with a Full Plate.

Dr. Dowell 3:33

Our title, what we're going to talk about today, is Serving in Ministry with a Full Plate, and I want to use for a subtitle Helping your Ministry to Soar and Achieve More. And that's my goal in this message today that we're going to help you learn how to serve in ministry with a full plate. And, as a result of you serving in ministry with a full plate, your ministry is going to be able to soar things in your life, and your ministry is getting ready to take off. Not only are you going to be able to soar, but you are going to be able to achieve more. See, god calls the minister to make foolproof of their ministry, meaning that they ought to fulfill and carry out their calling completely and leave no aspect of their ministry untouched or undeveloped. And so God wants us to make foolproof. That's what it means he wants to leave no aspect of our ministry untouched or underdeveloped. In order for us to make foolproof of our ministry. We need to serve hear this with a full plate. If we're going to make foolproof of our ministry, we need to serve with a full plate, not a half plate. Ministry, we need to serve with a full plate, not a half plate, not a quarter plate, but we need a full plate. And so when we get that full plate, we're going to be able to soar and achieve more. The reason some are not able to soar and achieve more because they don't have a full plate. My question I want you to think through as we go through today's message in this podcast, go through today's message in this podcast what's on your ministry plate? What is on your ministry plate? And so we need to have a full plate.

Dr. Dowell 5:10

Many times, when there's ministers that we admire, ministers that we look at their ministry and we admire their ministry, we aspire not to be like them, but to accomplish some of the things to accomplish. What I want you to know many times is because they are operating with a full plate of ministry. They're operating with a full plate. Sometimes we might not be aware of what's all on their plate. I believe, after today's podcast, you're going to begin to see some of the things that are on their plate and because they have a full plate, that's the reason that they're able to sow and achieve more, and we aspire to be like them in certain aspects and receive the results that they have in their ministry.

Dr. Dowell 5:54

Now, in the book of Luke, chapter four, in verse 18, we see that Jesus operated with a full plate of ministry, a full plate of ministry, with a full plate of ministry, a full plate of ministry. Hear this. It says the spirit of the Lord is upon me because he had anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He had sent me to heal the brokenhearted and to preach deliverance to the captives. This scripture I believe. In essence, it sums up the full plate that Jesus had. He says his anointing is upon me. I'm sent to preach to the gospel to the poor. He sent to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives. And then it goes on to say, in the latter part of this verse, and of recovering of sight to the blind and to set at liberty them that are bruised.

Dr. Dowell 6:46

Let's look at it here. This passage highlights the holistic approach that Jesus took in ministry, fulfilling the different roles that we're going to look at and as we, as ministers, we're called to bring that same fullness in our ministry. Let's look at what I mean ministering with a full plate and this is why I said many times, ministers, they don't have a full plate. What you need to do, the first thing, number one, if you're going to have a full plate, you need to grow and develop in your preaching ministry. See, we're just getting right to where the rubber meets the road. You have to grow and develop in your preaching ministry. The P in plate is for your preaching ministry. We saw here in Luke that it talks about that the spirit was the Lord was upon Jesus because he had known him to preach the gospel. And then we see other places that what Jesus did, that he preached the gospel. And so if we're going to operate a full plate, then we need to grow and develop in your preaching ministry. These, what I'm going to give to you today, are pillars for a successful ministry and this is how we're going to get the full plate of ministry. Why is it important that we develop in our preaching ministry? See what preaching does.

Dr. Dowell 8:08

Preaching brings an inspirational aspect to your ministry, to your message. It brings a flavor of inspiration If you're serving a meal, if you looked at your preaching, your time up before the people, whether you're online or in person. If you looked at your meal as your teaching. As a meal, what preaching does? It adds a flavor of inspiration. What it does? It adds a flavor that energizes people. It adds a dimension. What preaching does that mobilizes people. It gets them to move. It adds a dimension. What preaching does that mobilizes people. It gets them to move. It adds a dimension that motivates people to action.

Dr. Dowell 8:51

What teaching? Through the foolishness of preaching that God saves people. Effective preaching what it does. It touches the heart of a person, it stirs their faith and it encourages a transformation in their life. The Bible says in the book of Romans, chapter number 10, verse 14, how shall they call upon him whom they have not believed, and how should they believe in whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? Now what I want you to do, as in your five-fold ministry, if we're going to operate and have a full plate of ministry, we're going to soar and experience more.

Dr. Dowell 9:31

I want you to think about this. I want you to reflect on your preaching skills. Are you aware of your preaching skills? And when I talk about preaching, I distinguish preaching different from teaching. I have a book that I wrote entitled Foundations for Ministry Longevity. I want to encourage you it's a free resource that you can get it in the show notes or you can get it on Amazon as well. You can get the book Foundations for Ministry Longevity Insight for Ministries to have, for ministers to have a successful and sustained ministry. You can get that book for free, and in it I outline and I detail the difference between preaching and teaching, and so you need to be aware of the difference between preaching and teaching, not just to know it with your head the difference but so that you can be able to implement it in your ministry.

Developing Preaching Skills for Ministry

Dr. Dowell 10:27

So I want to ask you this I want you to think about and reflect on your preaching skill. How full is your plate in this area of preaching? How good of a preacher are you? Are you and does your messages inspire people? Do they motivate people? Does your messages inspire people? Do they motivate people? Are you being effective in your preaching? I want you to consider evaluating and how you can enhance and what we're going to do throughout this season in our Five-Fold Food podcast, in our teaching, in our guests. We want to help you to be able to have a full plate so that you can grow and develop in your preaching aspect.

Dr. Dowell 11:06

And see, I know this is so important because many preachers may not bring a preaching dimension. They say, man, I'm not a preacher, man, I'm a teacher, I'm not a preacher. I don't do that Because sometimes we have a wrong misconception of what preaching is. Sometimes it's based on the kind of church that we grew up in. What we saw and what we labeled as preaching. And so what we labeled as preaching whether it was whooping people, grabbing their ear we looked at it as theatrics. We looked at it as something where people was just preaching and wasn't saying nothing and they were singing. So many times because of the way we view preaching, we are turned off from preaching and we never develop it in our ministry. Then, also beyond that, sometimes we are not. Some people are not naturally gifted preachers. That's not their natural gift, and because they're not naturally given to preaching, then they fail to even try to develop their preaching at all.

Dr. Dowell 12:11

I know in my story regarding this, when I first got in the ministry, when I heard the word of God and I got saved, I almost had an anti-preaching mentality because the culture that I brought, was brought up into it, was that when people preached the word of God, that really didn't help people, and so all the preaching was just a bunch of entertainment. It was a bunch of emotionalism, but we needed to be taught the word, and so, in the earliest days of my ministry, I was not aware or was not trying to develop, or neither had the desire to develop, my preaching ministry, and so I wasn't able to bring a full plate of ministry because I had no desire. I look at it this way that you can be an effective basketball player if you can dribble with one hand, but your effectiveness can only go so far if you're not able to dribble with both hands. You might have a dominant hand that you dribble with, but you need to be able to use your left hand, and so if you're going to be a minister that soars and achieves more, then there comes a time that you want to be able to develop, and this is what we're going to be doing in this season of our Five Food podcast to be able to help you to grow and to develop so you can have a full plate of ministry. That might not be your dominant thing, but you need to be able to grow in it. You need to be able to develop in it, because in your messages people need inspiration.

Dr. Dowell 13:41

Some people have heard the word and they know the word, but some of them need to be energized in the word. They need to be mobilized in that word. They need to be encouraged in that word. Sometimes people need to be exalted. Some people know what to do and they know how to do it, but they need an anointing that comes from the mouth of a preacher that causes them to get out of their seat on their feet and to do what God has called them to do. That's an anointing on the preacher that'll stir a person past their head, because they already got the knowledge in their head. But the anointing of a preacher will stir them and I don't have time to get into it now. That's why you need to look in the show notes, get the free resource or get it on Amazon.

Dr. Dowell 14:27

I talk about how that preaching is. It's not about volume. Sometimes people think it's preaching because they're loud, that you got to be loud, you got to talk real fast, you got to, you got to, you got to. And I know my wife would often say, faye, I don't kind of like that. That's like it hurt my throat while they're doing that. And so and some people look at it just entertainment no, good preaching is not entertained, but what it should do is should grab your attention.

Dr. Dowell 14:58

There's a dimension in preaching that grabs your attention. There's an old preacher that says what makes a good preacher is what he does. He sets himself on fire and people come to watch him burn. That's revival man, preacher. A good preacher man gets your attention. A good preacher tells the story man. It'll draw you in, it'll win you in. Why? Because it grabs your heart, it stirs you, you leave excited and motivated, and so we need good preaching. Oh Lord, bring back the preacher. And so we're going to begin to look at that. And so this is the full plate I want you to develop. I want you to think about your ministry, your full plate and I like to say this as well Sometimes I teach ministers plate, and I like to say this as well Sometime I teach ministers.

Dr. Dowell 15:47

What happens is, if we don't develop the full plate that I'm going to look at today, then what you can do, you can handicap your ministry that you can't soar and achieve more that you can limit doors that you can go in. Why? Because some people saying what we want for this setting, for this particular venue, for this conference, for example, some preachers when they're having a conference and it's a close out conference, then they want someone who may not just be a 100 percent preacher, but sometimes they want someone who has a ministry, that they have a preaching dimension in their message, that are empowering. Why? Because this is a close out thing and so we want someone with a preaching dimension, not just a 100% preacher. So you can cause vinyls to be closed, doors to be closed.

Dr. Dowell 16:39

But sometimes I know my pastor, I know good people who are anointed and they don't preach. That's true, they can be anointed and they can be good at preaching. But I'm saying, if you're going to have that full plate, sometimes there's some people they can be anointed and they can be good at preaching, but I'm saying, if you're going to have that full plate, sometimes there's some people that can be exceptions to the rule. Man, they're so good at what they do but they just do one dimension. But they still also can limit themselves as well, because there's certain venues, certain doors that are not open when someone passes the church that's their congregation, so the congregation going to gravitate to the style and get accustomed to that minister. But everyone's not accustomed to that style and so I want to teach you and how.

Dr. Dowell 17:20

My goal at the ministers that I mentor is that you become ambidextrous. Not to make them like me, not make them talk like me, move like me, do ministry like me no, no, no, no, no, no. You all have your own unique ministry, but your goal is to be ambidextrous so that you can learn to use your other hand. And so you want to develop in our preaching ministry and we'll look at that. But that book will help you. The next thing we want to do you want the L for the full plate. You want to grow and develop in your leadership ministry. You want to grow and develop in your leadership ministry. You want to grow and develop in your leadership. So we'll deal. This is why we deal with leadership.

Dr. Dowell 17:59

Also, several books on leadership that I can help you with. You know a local, one of our friend of the podcast that we often have on here, dr Caniz. We'll be talking with him with his book on leadership to help you develop in your leadership aspect of ministry. Why is this important? See everything that John Maxwell says everything rise and falls on leadership. I like to say it this way if everything rise and fall on leadership, but something is not going to rise at all without leadership, and sometimes, if it rise, it's not going to be able to stay there without leadership, and so it's going to take a leadership dimension, a dimension besides what you do in the pulpit, in terms of you dealing with the text, in terms of you dealing with hermeneutics, in terms of your homiletics. That's going to take a leadership dimension. Hear this again. In order for you to soar and to achieve more, in order for you to make full proof.

Dr. Dowell 18:59

Here we go, to make full proof of your ministry, and so we want you to make full proof. And so my goal and I hope that's your goal my goal for the preachers that I mentor, my goal and I hope that's your goal, my goal are the preachers that I mentor, and my goal and I pray that it'd be your goal too that you want to be a 100-fold, not only believer but preacher, that you want to walk in a 100-fold dimension. The Bible tells us how that the word of God was sown. Some fell on stony ground, thorny ground, wayside ground. But some fell on good ground and it yielded a fruit. And by virtue of you watching this podcast, your ministry is yielding some fruit that you have an appetite to even grow and to listen.

Dr. Dowell 19:37

But then you don't want to just stop at 34 while you're developing your preaching. No, you want to go, not to 64. You want to develop in every dimension. This is my prayer and I pray, this is your prayer as a preacher. That, god, I want to do all that you call me to do. I want to be all that you call me to be. I want it to develop. All I want to walk in the full proof of my ministry.

Maximizing Ministry Leadership Skills

Dr. Dowell 20:01

Now, everybody, we don't compare ourselves amongst ourselves. And what full proof of your ministry is? It might not be what it is in my life, because somebody's saying well, that ain't my goal. I don't want to go to the nations, it's not my goal. I don't want to have a church, it's not my goal. I don't want to have a podcast. I don't want to be on social media, it's not my goal. I don't want to do revivals, it's not my goal to go preach here and there. I just want to serve in my church. I just want to be faithful.

Dr. Dowell 20:35

Listen, that's admirable. That may not be your goal, but what your goal should be that I want to be all that God wants us to be. And for some people, being all that God wants you to be means that you will go to the nations. It means for some of you that you will have masses of people that will be gravitated to your ministry. We see throughout the Bible the principle that he gives some anointing for rulers over 10, for over hundreds, and so he gives God everybody not called to reach the same quantity. But I've often learned it this way that many times you don't compare yourself, that God want me to reach 1,000 because they got 1,000, they reached 10,000. No, don't get into the number that you reach. But your goal should be, god, I want to reach all that you call me to reach. Are you hearing this preacher? Your goal should be I want to reach all that God want me to reach. And so how you continue to develop, you continue to grow. You go from glory to glory, level to level.

Dr. Dowell 21:39

It's like the man with the talents. You use your talents. It's obvious. Some folks got an it factor that they were born with. Man and people gravitate to them, man, people you look at like a TDJ. You look at my beloved, late spiritual father, bishop Nathaniel Holcomb, apostle Holcomb man. He had an it factor man. He had an anointing on him that people would gravitate to him, a call to him. You see some people that it's just like something on them that pill them. Maybe you're one of them, preachers, that something on you.

Dr. Dowell 22:10

So, in order for you to maximize that, you want to operate in the fullness of your ministry. You want to have a full plate of ministry. Maybe you don't have that dimension where you got that kind of it factor, but that is an anointing and you want to reach all that God ordained you to reach. You want to go every place that God want you to go, whether you got one talent or 10. And so that's your goal.

Dr. Dowell 22:33

So don't, don't, don't, don't, don't. Put yourself in a place where you say I don't want to grow and develop because it's not my goal to do that. No, your goal should be I want to do all and become all. I want to reach everybody that God called me to reach man. I want to reach every soul, because souls are at stake. Hallelujah, we bless the name of the Lord. I believe somebody's hearing something today. So we want to grow and develop in your leadership ministry. This is important. This is why leadership is so important, because as the ministers you are touching people one to one.

Dr. Dowell 23:10

You need to realize that as a leader, your influence extends beyond what you can accomplish just in the pulpit, in your preaching. It extends beyond what you can do by yourself. It extends beyond what you can accomplish on your own. But with a strong team, your ministry can impact and have a multiplied significance. My God, as you grow I want to just speak prophetically over your life that somebody's going to get a hold of this and I pray that an anointing be released even now, that something gets down in your soul, that you get a desire that the light bulb go off on the inside, that you begin to see why you need to grow as a leader. Because now your ministry can have a multiplier impact as a leader. Because as a leader, what you do, you're able to in one way duplicate yourself. Not that you make clones of yourself, but you duplicate yourself, that people can do what you. They can do what you. People can do what you. They can do what you can do, and now they can do what you can do. The things that you can't do, they can do it.

Dr. Dowell 24:17

Hear this when jesus the the greatest of all time to go, he had a team, he led a team. As a leader, he was able to recruit a team. He, he recruited the people to be on his team. He was able to lead them, teach them, guide them, pour into them, give assignment to them, vision, cash to them, give them vision, problem solve with them when they're arguing who going to be on the left and who going to be on the right and they want to call down fire from heaven. He lived with them, he journeyed with them. He was a leader. He had to deal with people and problem solve, had put systems together, had problems where people needed to be fed, and he said organize them, put them in the roles, put this thing in a system. He was a leader and it takes a leader to know a leader. And that's why the centurion would come to him and say man, I'm a man in authority, like you. I tell this one to go and that one to go. You ain't even got to come to my house to speak the word. He was a leader.

Dr. Dowell 25:22

And so God, god when God, I mean God wants to bless his people. He does what he does. He raises up a man, god, a man or woman of God. He'll raise them up. And when he raises them up what he does, then he'll draw a people to them so that they can lead the people, because the man won't do all the work. Jesus himself had a team. We see that in Exodus with Moses. The people of God cry out to God and what God does? He raises up a leader, he sends a man of God with a word of God in his mouth and he raises him up as a leader. And so now Moses has to have a team.

Dr. Dowell 26:03

This is why his father-in-law, jethro, comes to Moses and says Moses, man, you got signs and wonders, man, you got the word of the Lord in your mouth. You told Pharaoh let my people go. You're speaking. Thus said the Lord. But, moses, the thing that you do is not good, you're lacking in your leadership skills. He says watch this now. He says, moses, because you have not grown and developing your leadership skills if you don't make a shift as a leader and part of leading is delegating, not having your hands on everything, training other people. He says what happened is? He said it's not good for you other people. He said it's going to wear you out and the people not going to get their needs met. And so Moses was able to develop as a leader through the counsel of Jethro, and I pray that this five-fold food podcast this season that it be like a Jethro alongside you to help you grow as a leader. And so we need to grow as leaders as well, because when God sends you to wherever he sends you, that's going to come a time that you're going to have to have a staff, an armor bearer, more than that, an adjutant, a team, and you're going to need to know leadership principles, especially leading your team and also dealing with other leaders. And so it's important that you go as a leader.

Dr. Dowell 27:23

Leadership is essential for long-term ministry growth. As you grow, you will need a team, build a leadership skills that attract and develop other leaders. So when you have leadership skills that attract and develop other leaders, so when you have leadership skills, you attract other leaders. See leaders, no leaders. They said man, man, this thing is anointed, but it ain't organized. Man, this thing is anointed, but man, it's chaos. This thing is anointed in the power of God and the spirit of God but there's no SOPs, there's no standard operatingPs, that's no standard operating procedures. That's here and there, and you'll lose influence, not only with the people that follow you, but people that you need to connect with you, to be on your team. They won't be able to be with you not because of the lack of the anointing, but because of lack of leadership. I'm trying to help you, and so we want to develop in the fullness of that, and so we need to grow in our leadership skills and so what it does, you'll foster an atmosphere of collaboration and an environment that will strengthen your ministry as a whole. So we want you to grow as a. You need to grow as a leader in the people that you're leading and the other people, and beyond that, just in your own ministry, but in the ministry for many of you five, four ministries in your local church, on your job. The reason many times your ministry is not effective is because, not of a lack of just anointing preaching anointing, discerning anointing but sometimes it's leadership anointing.

Dr. Dowell 28:58

I've seen the impact of my ministry. When I began to develop as a leader, when I first got into this, that wasn't my whole thing about the full plate of ministry leadership. I didn't see myself as a leader. I knew I was a leader, but I was more so. I'm a preacher, I'm a minister of the gospel, but when I became cognizant of the leader that was in me and I began to develop in my leadership, I began to see a greater ministry impact. Because there's a way, a leader flow. There's a way, a leader move man. See what a leader is.

Developing Prophetic Altar Ministry

Dr. Dowell 29:28

I heard one man that God put it this way what a leader is, a leader has a compass in his hand and a magnet in his heart. Oh, hallelujah, that's, that's what. That's what a leader does. My covenant brother, johnny McGee, said that not Johnny L, but another Johnny McGee from the Dallas area. He says what a leader does? A leader has a compass in his hand, meaning that a leader know the way they show you, the way you can follow me. I'm going to lead you People.

Dr. Dowell 30:04

People need leadership. Moses led them out. So we need to lead people to new spears, new influence, new places, and so there's a leadership dimension that I pray that you get, that you begin to develop. Then not only that he has a compass in his hand, but he has a magnet in his heart. Something about a leader. Leader has a charisma on them.

Dr. Dowell 30:27

Our ministry is not just about being charismatic, but there's something that a leader is able to draw people. Why? Because what a leader does a leader that's a good leader he make everybody around him seem and not just seem important, but know that they important, know that they matter. And so there's an attraction that a leader has. Because what a leader does he make? He don't make people around him seem small, he make everybody around them see the bigness of them and so it attracts.

Dr. Dowell 30:54

And so that's some principles that I'm not going to get into in this podcast, that we'll learn in the leadership development and I pray that you begin to hear these podcasts on the fivefold food through these lens that our whole goal it's really like five pillars of ministry development that I'll be giving you is these five pillars, but it's the plate method and the five pillars that we want to always give you something that's going to help you develop in your preaching things, to help you develop in and in your leading. And the next thing, as we get to the P, the L and the A, you want to grow and develop in your altar ministry. That's the A for altar ministry. You want to grow and develop in your altar ministry. And when I refer to if you're going to make full proof of your ministry preaching, leading and so you want to grow and develop you want to always be on an ascension curve in these areas and I'm speaking that over your life. I just feel the prophetic flow and you're not going to stay at the dimension that you are right now in your altar ministry.

Dr. Dowell 31:59

When I talk about altar ministry, I'm talking about the altar ministry, not just what, that which just happens at the end of a service. Yeah, it is that, but it's not limited to that. It's that these dimensions flow while you're preaching. Let's deal with that dimension afterward. So to make full proof of your ministry, you need to be the kind of preacher who, after you give the word man, you know how to work that altar. What do you mean? Work that altar?

Dr. Dowell 32:27

Not just laying empty hands on empty heads and people falling out or just speaking empty words and saying stuff, but having an anointing on you that after you close the book, man, after you bring the people the book, you bring the word of God, but now you're able to flow in a dimension that the prophetic flows through you, that you're in tune, that you can give a thus said to the Lord. See the altar work, what it does when you go in your altar ministry it deals with signs and wonders. This is what Paul said. I didn't come with eloquency of speech and enticing word, but I came with the power and the anointing of the Holy Ghost, with signs and wonders. This is the altar ministry that I'm referring to, that when there's a dimension on your ministry that goes beyond a PowerPoint, that goes beyond an illustration, that goes beyond your hermeneutics and we need all of that which we'll deal with that. It goes beyond your homiletic but there's a dimension on you, man. You're homiletic but there's a dimension on you, man, woman of God, that you can speak of the self, the Lord, that you can deal with a spouse and be able to speak a word that'll cause that marriage to be healed and delivered, to look in a woman's eye that's there and cause the low self-esteem and the brokenness to be removed, to lay hands on people and see them set free, healed and delivered at the altar. To cause people that are in a valley of decision that are stirred, but you speak the word of the living God on them through discernment and word of wisdom, word of knowledge, and just work in the altar and loose fire to know how to loose things and to decree and declare the breakup thing. Man, that's all work in the altar, and so we've seen people work the altar. Some of you are good at work in the altar but you want to continue to grow and develop. Others of you you are not, and that's maybe an area that you need to grow and develop, and so we'll be teaching One if you don't.

Developing Preaching and Teaching Ministry

Dr. Dowell 34:34

I did a book on. It starts all with the altar basics. So if you are new to ministry, I have a book that I've written entitled Altar Ministry Essentials. It's wisdom and practical insight to be an effective altar worker. If you are new to ministry, you have never been trained in altar ministry just deals with the basics, the basis for getting people saved, getting people rededicated, getting people saved rededicated, basic prayer and how to get filled with the Holy Spirit. Those are the basics. And then we build beyond that with a prophetic ministry, and so I did a book, also dealing with prophetic ministry, entitled Prophetic Insights, and I'm not trying to sell a book you can get those on Amazon but I want to help you know that you need to grow and develop in those different areas and so get the altar work essentials.

Dr. Dowell 35:36

If you've never been trained in the basis, you don't know how to get people feel. Every minister should be well-versed, know how to get people feel in a systematic way with the Holy Spirit. And so I give my Holy Spirit breakthrough method in that that I share with you a proven principle that we've done for over 37 years to help people get filled with the Holy Spirit. So that's the base level. Then, with prophetic insight, I begin to deal with some basis of a prophetic ministry. That helps you with that. And so you want to be able to move in a flow and to develop in a prophetic ministry, not just to leave it to other people, not just to come up people to pray, but you want to pray.

Dr. Dowell 36:12

And I know you said well, I'm not a prophet. I'm not a prophet. I'm telling you this is a full plate, but there's still a dimension of the altar. Look what Jesus said. Jesus said the spirit of the Lord is upon me. He anointed me, preached the gospel to the poor. He sent me to heal. Come on, man that's anointing to heal brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captive, recovering of sight, to the blind, to set at liberty man. That's the anointing. That's the anointing, and so not about you being a prophet, and so this is the difference.

Dr. Dowell 36:46

So you see, when someone's called to the office of the prophet, then there'll be a greater flow. They'll flow more in word of knowledge, word of wisdom, discernment. They'll flow more. That gift always seem like it's always on. It'll be flowing. But that's also not only the gift of prophecy, the office of the prophet, but then there's the spirit of prophecy. The office of the prophet, but then there's the spirit of prophecy. And when you're ministering the word of God and the anointing on you, there's a spirit of prophecy that can oftentimes be released on you. And if you don't know how to flow and move in that, then the people of God can miss. So you want to be able to know how to tap into the anointing. So we want to grow and develop in our altar ministry. This aspect brings deliverance and breakthrough.

Dr. Dowell 37:35

Anointing Through prophetic ministry, signs and wonders and healings can flow. Altar ministry offers people an encounter with God that brings them freedom and transformation. Hallelujah, let's do what James said, remember. James says if there's any sick among you, let them call forth the elders of the church and let them anoint them with oil. And I pray in the name of Jesus every minister that's listening to this podcast that there be a greater altar ministry anointing upon you, hallelujah, that signs and wonders flow like never before on you, that you're just not limited in your preaching ministry, but in the altar ministry a greater flow, hallelujah in Jesus' name. Let me say this too we'll begin to deal with it as we develop and help you develop in your altar ministry. When we deal with it, you'll look at that, the altar ministry and I want to share this with you, some of you that's already flowing. It's not limited to afterward and now we do an altar call.

Dr. Dowell 38:41

When you are a not just a prophet, but when you're in tune with the Holy Ghost, then God can speak a word in the middle of your message to somebody, matter of speaking to everybody. He can bring a deliverance dimension. He'll begin to have you say stuff that you didn't plan to say. Stand up, people. You know that God uses and I want to encourage you to let those gifts flow. I know even in my wife there's an anointing. I was just sharing with my wife the other day that she got an anointing man. No matter where we are, she can pray with somebody. They ain't got to tell her what they need to pray, but just because of the gift man she can be able to tap into the anointing and know by the Spirit of God what to pray for people and do that. Now God uses everybody in there.

Dr. Dowell 39:28

But see what we'll teach you as you learn to grow and develop in all areas. Then you'll realize there's some, there's some areas that you have a head start in. There's some areas that you have a greater flow. Meaning, like I said about the preaching, some people just are more natural preachers, so you want to develop that and take that as higher. Then some have a natural leadership. So what you want to do, you want to still build on your strengths and you want to also show up the area that are your weaknesses as well. But when you find out your area, what you're strong at, and now you become a master in that area.

Dr. Dowell 40:09

I talk about it in my book about foundation ministry, that you want to come to a place where you become like some use the term a consummate professional, meaning that you want to cultivate your gifts, you want to know your craft, you want to be able to know it, and so, once you find it, you want to lean into it, and so you want all those streams to flow, some more preaching stream of flow, some leadership dimension, some altar dimension. This leads us to the plate, the tea. You want to grow and develop in your teaching ministry. The Bible talks about how Jesus went about preaching and teaching, and so you want to develop in your teaching ministry as well. 2 Timothy, you know, tells us about how we got to study and show ourselves, to prove unto God and work with that need not to be ashamed, rightly divided, of the word of truth. Why is this important? See, remember I told you in my book Foundations for Ministry and Longevity. You can get that in the show notes for free.

Dr. Dowell 41:14

You listen to this podcast. You can get it on Amazon, but I break down preaching versus teaching, and we're going to begin to deal with this even more through these podcasts how to help you grow and develop in your preaching, grow and develop in your teaching. But you got to have a desire. You got to know why this is important, so that you won't be handicapped just dribbling with one hand. Listen, see, teaching provides I like to put it this way words that we can live by Teaching helps people grow in their faith.

Dr. Dowell 41:44

Teaching get in their ear. Teaching deals with why we do a thing and how to do a thing. Where preaching deals with that, we need to do a thing. Preaching tell you what to do and inspires you to do it, but preaching tell you how to do it. Teaching tell you why to do it, so which all you're getting you can get understanding, and when we get understanding, now we can stand under some stuff because we got teaching. Some people can't stand under something. They got good preaching, they got motivated, they got inspired and they ran out to do what God called them to do. But because they didn't get teaching, they're not able to stand under some stuff because they didn't have understanding and then some. So we need to develop in our teaching aspects as well.

Dr. Dowell 42:33

I want you to think about this. I want you to what teaching does. Teaching brings a depth of revelation to your messages. Preaching brings a depth of revelation or insight, or practical instructions for daily living. So there's different types of preaching. I don't call myself a deep teacher, but man. I believe my message to bring insight that's practical and applicable to everyday living. Well, some people, man, they're teaching man just like a Miles Monroe man. It just has to chew on it, but it brings an insight. And so you want to be able to help people learn and to understand the Word of God, so you want to grow in your teaching.

Dr. Dowell 43:20

And preaching and teaching is not volume. It's not volume Some people, just because somebody's loud, it don't mean they're not teaching. That's why you can move into a place. What I'm doing, I'm just breaking this down, marismos, and I'm just breaking this down asunder, dividing preaching and teaching. But sometimes they intertwine. That's why I say a full plate. Some people are preaching, they're preaching and teaching. That's why I said a full plate. Some people preach and they're preaching and teaching. That's a full plate of ministry. And so what happens when you encounter a minister with a full plate?

Dr. Dowell 43:48

I like to put it this way when I'm teaching and mentoring ministers, it's like this the average person, if we go to a meal, we just enjoy the food. Unless you're a chef, you just enjoy the food and say, man, this was a good meal, I enjoyed it. But when you are a chef or you are a cook or a person that's into cooking, when you go some places. You don't just enjoy the meal, they're able to detail it and say, man, I like the way they had that sweet and spicy. Man, I like the garnish that they put on the plate. Man, I like how this was sauteed. There's the different nuances that they see. It's like a painter. You see a painting. We say, oh, it look good. They see shadows, they see it reminds me of a Van Gogh, it reminds me of this, of that. And so why? Because they see a depth that others don't see. And so that's what you got to be as a preacher, when you don't eat just like everybody else eat when she eat. They just said that was a good word, it was good, that was good.

Dr. Dowell 44:45

My desire to help you in your five-fold ministry that you'll be able to like I like to call it when I'm working with ministers is to break down film. You'll know why it was good. What about it made it good? And so when you know about it, you can look at oh, it made it good. And so, when you know about it, you can look at oh, I can learn now teaching aspect from that man of God. I can learn a preaching aspect. From that woman of God, I can learn a leadership aspect dimension from how they handle that. I can learn an altar ministry dimension in that. And so now you're always adding to your tool bag, not that you copy covet or try to be like somebody else, but no, you're able to learn from them, glean from them and innovate.

Dr. Dowell 45:26

We don't imitate, we innovate. We don't imitate, we innovate. What you do is McDonald's, but what I do is Burger King, because God put a different twist on it. What you do is Taco Bell, but we Taco Brando. We didn't imitate, we innovated. And so God will give you an innovative anointing that you'll be able to look at others and learn when you begin to develop in your teaching ministry.

Dr. Dowell 45:55

And that's what I started off at first. I didn't want to have anything to do with preaching man man. I remember someone was introducing me I think I was about 19 years old in the ministry and they had the music ding, ding, ding, ding. They introduced me and they set up, they teed it up for a preaching moment as I grabbed the mic, which is, you know now, looking at it, that's not a bad thing. You don't want to get the mic and it's cold and it's dead. That's why people sing praise and worship songs.

Dr. Dowell 46:24

But in my mindset then I told them cut all that down. I literally said no, everybody settle down. Why, I'm not no preacher man, I ain't giving them that music was going Minister down. They doing that. I'm like no, no, no, why? Because I'm going to teach this word. And so I shut all that down, not knowing that I was just playing with one hand. That how not that I'm a preacher now, but how I could have exalted in the moment. See if I know how to use that hand. I still have a message that I'm going to teach, but how to flow in that moment. And that's what we want you to learn how to do. And that's my goal and my desire and that has to be your desire. But that's what growth and development is, when you begin to learn how to go in these levels. I hope this is hitting you. Be sure you rate this. I pray. This podcast is a blessing you, hallelujah.

Dr. Dowell 47:24

And the next thing, last one the plate. You want to grow and develop in your empowering ministry. Empowering what I mean? Empowering? That's the plate, that's the full plate. You want to empower people. What do you mean? Power? Empowering ministry this deals with your coaching. This deals with your mentoring. This deals with your masterminds. This deals with your mentoring. This deals with your masterminds. This deals with your tribes that you lead, your organizations, your ministries. That's how you want to empower people for your workshops.

Expanding Ministry Skills for Impact

Dr. Dowell 47:56

You want to empower people See empowering others through coaching, mentoring and training. Empower people See empowering others through coaching, mentoring and training. It enables you to reduplicate yourself, allowing others to carry on the ministry work. This is essential for expanding your ministry reach. So this is how you're going to expand, because you're going to be able to coach others, mentor others and help them do what you do. So you want to be able to empower, you want to be able to help coach and mentor, and so you want to be able to learn to do on those aspects that you're just not limited to what you do behind a pulpit, a podium, you know, but now in other streams, other platforms, and that's you empowering people online, empowering people through booksing people through podcasts, through different projects. Don't mean you don't do all of that, but again, the goal is to make full proof of your ministry, to develop to what God wants you to do.

Dr. Dowell 48:49

But you got to learn these nuances and I come against that. We take the ceiling off you tonight. In the name of Jesus, this day I pray where you listening is watching it that the ceiling come off now you no longer limit yourself To what you can do, where you can go, what you can become, what you can do. You can do all things through christ. We don't stop saying that I don't do technology. Don't stop saying that I don't do social media.

Dr. Dowell 49:16

I'm not a writer, I'm not man. I never claimed to be a writer, but you're a preacher man. When you are a preacher, I believe every preacher should have at least one book in them, because there's a word in you, there's a message in you, there's a mandate in you. I'm not a writer, but I know the word of God. I'm a content creator. I'm not a cut creator, I'm a content creator. That's why God has blessed me to write several books, because I'm not a writer, but because I yielded myself to it. And you'll find now there's people out there that'll help you, there's tools out there that'll help you.

Dr. Dowell 49:49

But you got to take the lemon off and stop saying these things, what you won't do, what you can't do, because you want to reach and equip the fullness of your ministry. And so that's in different platforms and different arenas, whether it's mastermind, whether it's workshops, whether it's training. But see, you have to be taught. Let me say this as I begin to descend and land this plane for this podcast there's some things in ministry that have to be taught. Then there's some things that are just caught. Man. I look at some of my brothers, my covenant brothers man, they're killing the game man. Man, man, they preach and teach got organizations. I look at people throughout the body of Christ. Some people are just natural man, they picked up things and concepts. I look at my friend, dr Kaniya, just a natural leader man. Look at some people. They're just natural, meaning that no man taught them. They just can do things, they can just preach, they can just teach Some people just good, I had to learn these things by the numbers and that's why I want to help you.

Dr. Dowell 50:51

I had to learn, to grow and to develop in my different aspects of ministry. Now there's some things that I wasn't taught, that I was just called wasn't taught, that I was just called. When it comes to empowering people and training people, I wasn't taught, it's just I, it's just God put it in me is when people say well, you come up with these concepts. God gave it to me. How you learn what we things? I teach to help minister developing the preaching. The teaching is like God showed me. No man taught me because I'm empowered. I'm called to empower, so that's an area of my area. When it comes to just doing other things, I had to learn, I had to grow.

Dr. Dowell 51:29

It wasn't natural I say this to say that some things that may come natural to others, it may not come natural to you. That's why you have to grow and develop and you have to be taught these things. And as you taught these things, you're going to get these things and you're going to become all that God wants you to become and you're going to do all that God wants you to do and you're going to make full proof of your ministry. You're going to empower, equip others. And somebody said again I'm not trying to get no tribe, I'm not trying to have no organization, I'm not trying to have no people under daughters. It's not about what you're trying to do, it's about you making foolproof and let the chips fall where they may. You just grow and develop and you become everything that God wants you to become and then you don't feel bad or less than that.

Dr. Dowell 52:12

If you, if you are ruling over 10, if you are leading over 10 and they got a thousand man, you be faithful man. That's the goal. The goal is to be found faithful. I preach and I teach that God is destined you for greatness and I believe that greatness in you. But my goal, my goal, is not greatness, my goal is God. My goal is to be faithful. And as I go after God and as I'm faithful, whatever great is, whatever we call great is, then God makes us great. Hallelujah. That's my greatness upon me. My goal, why? The goal is to be found faithful.

Dr. Dowell 52:49

So you want to be faithful and I'm telling you God's going to do this. You're going to equip people to grow in the callings, online and one-on-one mentorships. You're going to learn how to do these things. This is how we make full proof of our ministry. And as you reflect on your ministry, I want you to consider where your plate is full at and where it could be more complete. Then, through growth and dedication in each area, your ministry will not only soar, but it will achieve a greater impact for God's kingdom. So I want you to evaluate, to think about where you are in your preaching, what's in your preaching tool bag? Where you are hallelujah in your leading, what tools do you have? Where you are in your altar ministry, where you are in your teaching ministry, where you are hallelujah in your empowering ministry?

Dr. Dowell 53:49

And I pray, in the name of Jesus, that you'll come up higher that this season, doing the five-fold food. You're going to grow, you're going to experience more. You're going to live better. You're going to do better. You're going to become all that God wants you to become. This has been Dr Robert F Dowell. I pray in the name of Jesus that no matter where you are, no matter what you're going through, that you'll never forget. God has destined you for greatness. Greatness is upon you. I pray that you do all and become all that he's called you to become. Pray that you've eaten well and now you will excel, and well and now you will excel, until our next time together. God bless you and I love you and we'll see you on our next podcast.