Serving Gifts: The Power of Helps

The gift of helps stands as one of the most misunderstood and undervalued spiritual gifts in the modern church, yet it may be the very foundation upon which every great move of God throughout history has depended. This supernatural endowment goes far beyond simple volunteer work or church maintenance tasks. The Greek word antilēpsis reveals its true nature - to come alongside someone who is carrying a weight they cannot bear alone and take hold of that burden with them.

Biblical examples powerfully illustrate this gift in action. When Moses grew weary holding up his rod during Israel's battle against the Amalekites, Aaron and Hur supported his hands from morning until night, enabling victory for an entire nation. In Acts 6, the early church faced a crisis as rapid growth overwhelmed the twelve apostles with administrative duties, causing widows to be neglected. The solution required seven men with the same spiritual qualifications as the apostles themselves - full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom - to serve tables. This reveals that serving in practical ways with the Spirit is just as sacred as preaching before thousands.

Those with the gift of helps possess a unique ability to see what others overlook, identifying needs before anyone else recognizes them. They find deep satisfaction not in applause but in accomplishment, feeling most alive when something broken is fixed or someone overwhelmed finds peace. This gift operates as the invisible architecture of ministry - the load-bearing walls that support every great work of God. When activated faithfully, it doesn't just supplement ministry but multiplies it, creating conditions for others to step into their destinies while unlocking recognition for the helper's own gifts.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:08

Like you, I was born destined for death because of sin. Sin is anything that goes against God, who is perfectly just and good. We've all sinned, and the result is separation from God. That is true death. God desires restoration. He sent Jesus, who is both God and man, perfect in every way. Being perfect, Jesus died for my sins, paying the debt I couldn't pay, repairing the separation between me and God. By his death, I am made clean. I am a new creation. The unbearable weight of my sin is gone, and I can begin a new life free from sin and true death. This is only the beginning. Because of who Jesus is and what he's done for me, I choose to follow him. My outward self is washed as a display of my inward faith. I eagerly give him my obedience, declaring this gift to the world. God refuses to leave me scarred by sin. His desire is for me to have the humility, kindness, and love of Jesus. To fight the temptation, pride, and laziness of my fault. Knowing this world is still broken, I cling to the hope that is coming when I am with God. Finally. And this hope I have in a future with Jesus brings me great joy. This is what God has done. I deserve death. Jesus died in my place. I am made clean. In obedience, I follow him. I grow in faith. And my future hope brings new life. This is amazing grace. This is the gospel.

SPEAKER_01 2:38

That God is a gift-giving God. Somebody say amen to that. And here's the kicker. Every believer has been graced with a spiritual gift. You just didn't get saved. When you got saved, I remember when I was in the bank, uh, for those of you who were not aware, once upon a time I was in the corporate world and uh I was a business manager. And one of the things that we used to tell our business customers, if I wanted to, and if I wanted to convince you to open 10 accounts, I would tell you that it comes with. Amen. So you don't need to go the extra mile. This comes with that. So it's we use, I remember when I said fifth third, the word came out called bundle. You have to bundle your customers, praise God. So it comes with. One of the things you need to understand as a believer is that the gifts of the Holy Spirit comes with your salvation. Amen. Most of our thing that you get saved and then you have to get on your knees and pray and fast and scream for God to bless you. No. The Bible says that we look at it, we took a deep dive into Romans chapter 12, that it says having the gifts according to the grace that has been afforded you. And so God having those gifts according to the grace. So when you got saved, the grace of God allocated a portion of Himself in you as a gift. Amen. And so we established that foundation last year. Every believer has been grazed with a spiritual gift. So you just didn't get saved. Okay? Now, if you were to ask me to uh summarize the whole study last week, I'll put it in these three sentences. This is a takeaway. You were not born again empty. You were born again with something God equipped you when you go born again. Amen? And so we don't, it's not about trying to spend the rest of your Christian journey looking for what God has already equipped in you. When God saved you, he equipped you with whatever he needed you to fulfill for him. It's just a matter of discovering those things and putting them to fact. Okay? Now, this week we're going to move from the theological aspect of the gifts to the territory of one specific gift. Now, during my study this week, this is so interesting. I'm so pumped up to teach this. Uh we're running behind time a little bit, so I do apologize out of time, but I need to get this thing through today. Now, it's critical that the church has misunderstood, number one, minimized, number two, or tragically misclassified this gift. And this gift we're about to talk about may be the very foundation, the hinge upon which every great move of God has swung. When you look through history and you look through the dispensations of, we we've this we have really experienced some really great moves of God if you study church history. And what is interesting is that if you look at the foundation of every move of God through every dispensation, you find this gift hinged somewhere. Amen? And yet, still we we kind of mischaracterize this gift. We don't truly understand what this gift means. And I'm hoping that today God drags some of you here today to listen to this. And that you are going to live this place, change with a different perspective. What it means to be a member of a church, what it means to serve God in the community. Amen? So the gift we're focusing today is the gift of helps. Now I tried my best to give you this participating guide. So, in your guides, uh, some of these things are aligned, just take notes as we go along. Again, welcome to Bible School. Amen. You didn't you came to Bible school? Born again. Let's go to our main text today. I'm excited to. We've we looked at this text last week and we're gonna go to our main text today. Isaiah, you're ready to go. So go with me to Romans chapter 12, and I'll read from verse 6 to verse 8. And again, my reference point is the New King James version. Um, whatever version that appeals to you, please follow along. He said, having these gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us. Let us use them. In other words, don't sit on the testimony, don't sit on a gift. Because last week we established that your gift in operation is what blesses everybody. The Bible says that God gave you the gifts for the benefit of all. So if you have a gift, use it. That is where we come from. It's so it's if it's prophecy, let's prophesy in proportion to our faith. Okay, our ministry lets us use it in ministry. Well, ministry here also means uh what's it called, uh service. Okay? So it's minister of service, use it in our service. He will teach us in teaching. If you're a teacher, use your gift. He will exalt in exhortation. Good preacher man, use it. He will give with liberality, he will leads with diligence. I love that. He will lead with diligence, and we think we spent uh some time last week uh defining that. He will show mercy with cheerfulness. Now, the word mercy here can also be looked at help. So who shows help with cheerfulness? Now, there's something very interesting in this text that we just looked at. If you take a look at it again, if you look at it, Paul, this this is so interesting that this text or the gifts that Paul just outlined here, it's not ranked. In other words, he didn't say prophecy ranks better than helps or ranks more than teaching. Paul puts all this thing together and he lists, if you take a look at it closely, prophecy is list in the same breath as the Ministry of Helps. Okay? And so the first thing we need to understand is that this is not in scale of preference or in order of supremacy. Paul just lifts all these gifts together as a cluster. In other words, every single one of these gifts are relevant and important. And the way you need to understand is this in God's economy, the person that intercedes in the prayer room holds the same value as the one who preaches behind this pulpit. God measures things differently with them. So many times people desire to pick a microphone and desire to preach because they think that that is where the, you know, that's what impresses God. But in God's economy, God that's in arrange or God that's in not supernaturally places other things before others. In God's economy, the person who stays overnight preaching, praying in the prayer closet, it's as equally as important as the person standing here delivering a message today. So let's look at, go with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 12, verse 20 very quickly. And at this time I'll read from the King James version. And there's a reason for my follow me. That's a word that it's interested in used differently King James and the New King James. So here Paul says in the translation, he says, and God hath set some in the churches. Now, this verse we're about to read, it's actually a hierarchy of God's hierarchy in his ministerial system. Okay? So Paul says the first apostles, second, prophets, third, teachers. After that, miracles, then gifts of healing, helps, interesting, governments, diversities of things. So here Paul is providing the church with the with a ranking of ministry offices. But what is interesting is that he goes from apostle to to prophets to to uh what's it called? Uh uh what is the theater to teachers, and then he jumps to miracles and then the gifts of healing, and then with between healing and governments, he puts the word helps. Okay, and diversity okay. Now watch this. Now, the word my Greek scholar is back today. Praise God. The word helps here. Let's go. What is it?

unknown 11:18

Antilepsis.

SPEAKER_01 11:19

Antelapsis. So Paul uses this Greek word antelopsis, and it's from the foundation of antilomia. Oh my God, I've said it. The verb is antilombanomia, right? And it means something different. Now, you know, most of the time when you look at our English language, the way it means to us and the way the Greek means are sometimes two different things, okay? And so the word used there for helps means to come alongside someone who is carrying a weight that can that they cannot carry along. Okay? It means to take hold of something on behalf of another. And so, and it means to bear the weight with them. Now, what comes to mind, you remember Messiah on the road to Calvary? This uh uh Paul of Sarini, what is Simon of Sarini, came so came, came alongside to help Jesus carry the cross. Why? Because he could not carry it. It was heavy for him, okay? Because after all the things you're going through. So the way you need to understand it, this ministry that Paul is talking about here is taking hold of something on behalf of another person. Okay? It's you coming alongside to carry, to help me carry a weight that I cannot carry alone. All right? Now, watch this now. This is different from what we understand in ministry, like the ministry of volunteer. This is a picture of someone who shows a burden, right? Steps in and then changes the outcome. Make sense? A person who sees a burden. Many a time you don't need to be approached to be told that there's a need in a house. The ministry of health is such that you identify a burden, okay? And then without being asked, you step in and you change the outcome of that. Now, write this down. This will help you. The gift of health is the grace to assist, the grace to support, the grace to sustain, and serve in a way that releases others into their God-ordained purpose. Amen. Should I say that again? The gifts of help is the grace that God has given you that you come along to assist something, to support a vision that is not necessarily a vision, to sustain a vision that God has given someone, to serve in a way that releases that person into their God-ordained purpose. In other words, we're going to look at a couple of references in scripture today. The person being left on his own will be difficult for them to do both things that God has assigned to them. And so the gift of helps, which is the foundational gift of ministry, this is why it revolutionizes everything that God does, comes alongside to release the burden so that the call, and we'll look at an example in the book of Acts in a minute, the call of God will now be able to advance because of what you have stepped in to do. Let's talk about the scope. The gift of health is not merely setting up a church, which is important. You know, some of us come early in the morning, we come to set up a church here, you know. It's a, you know, some of us run errands for the church. It's not just that, though it might involve that. But the gift of health, it's listen to this carefully, a supernatural endowment, a Holy Ghost grace that enables a believer to serve in practical, tangible ways that produces spiritual results far beyond what the act itself would naturally accomplish. Amen. So, what is a gift of grace? Watch this now. It is the grace to see what others overlook the need before anyone else has a name for it. The gift of grace that helps is a grace to serve without requiring recognition, to work in obscurity, and to find joy doing that. Gift of grace is to sustain a vision for another person, to uphold what God has called someone else to build. It is a grace to be the hand behind the miracle, the stage behind the spotlight. You know, especially young Christians, young guys that are called in faith, the only thing they look at is an opportunity to pick up a microphone and preach. And they think that if they don't have the opportunity to do that, then someone is sitting on their gifts. And I'm not saying there's anybody in this room this way, so I'm not looking at anybody. But what you are refusing to understand, and you know, there's certain times I'm I'm passionate about the things I teach because I had to learn it the hard way. I had to learn these things the hard way. Because guess what? 20 years ago, my mind said wasn't this at all. But the truth is that when you study God's word, it reveals there's a pattern, there's a there's some practical steps that God has put in place. That God never changes those things. And when you understand those and you begin to implement those in your life, the study process really shortens. Amen. Now watch this. God says that your calling has already been issued. You have been called to help. There is no way that God is going to give you something of your own. I remember many years ago, there's a young man, I'm putting myself on the blast now. There's a young man that came to me and he asked me a very profound question. He says, Who are you pouring water? Whose hands are you pouring water on? And I had to kind of sit back to think about the question. Because literally, who are you really serving? Because what you are looking for in life will come as a result of the person you are serving, or the helps, the place that you are, emptying everything that God has given you to build his kingdom. That's how you discover how God pours down the grace on your life. It's not about praying and fasting. You're not hearing me. You know, let's if you read Exodus 17, there's an interesting story there. Most of us know this. Moses goes to war with Amalachites, right? And God tells him that hey, sit up on a hill and then lift up your rod, okay? Now, as far as this rod is lifted up, you guys are gonna win this war. Moses was human, okay? You were supernatural as human. So Moses lifts up this rod, and Israelites are winning the war. And he gets tired. And so he lowers his hand, and the Malachi starts whipping them. And he has to lift up the rod. And so it got so tired that there were two guys around him, Aaron and Her. They uh Aaron stood on the left and her on the right, and they lifted up Moses' hand. Okay? So from morning to night, his hands were lifted up, and the Israelites were doing a great job. Now, what is interesting about the story is this Aaron and Her never threw a javelin that day. They never commanded the army, but they held up the holy hands, and because of their help, a nation was delivered. Now just imagine that those guys were not around Moses. A whole nation would have perished. But it wasn't them that were commanding what was going on. Doesn't make sense to anyone. So listen, the gift of helps help the prophet. The gift of helps assure the victory. What we should be aware of this morning is that we should never despise what God's grace you carry to be able to make a difference. You might not be the center person, you might not be under the spotlight. You might be doing things behind the scenes that nobody sees and nobody knows. But it's because of the things you're doing behind the scenes that's why God's kingdom is moving on. Many years ago I had this vision, and God told me something so interesting. There are certain people in the house of the Lord, they are like these pillars that we're looking at. They are like these pillars. Those people, not there, the whole structure will fall. But those people are the people that you don't hear or see, but the things they do behind the scenes are so pivotal to God's increase in everything He does. So that was the Old Testament. There is a story in the New Testament, and most uh Bible students here will know where I'm going with this. In Acts chapter six. It was an interesting thing. Acts chapter six, verse one to four, please. We are going to see how when a gift is recognized and appointed and released, it changes everything that God is about to do. In Acts chapter one verse, Acts chapter six is wonderful, it's a long read. It says, now in those days when the number of the disciples are multiplying, it's a big problem here, there arose a complaint against the Hebrew against the Hebrews by the Henalist, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. Big Red in church didn't start today. It's been going on for 22,000 years. Then the 12th semmoned, the multitude of disciples and such in a place, please, place paper quotation we're about to read. It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and save tables. Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may. Point over this business, but we will give ourselves continually in prayer and to the ministry of the word. So there was a problem. The Jerusalem church was outgrowing rapidly. The first day that Peter went out to preach, the Bible says that 3,000 men gave their lives to Christ. And if you read towards the end of it, what's it called? I think chapter 3 or 4, it says that God added to the church daily. The church was growing rapidly. And remember at this time there were only 11, and they added Matthews to it. So there were 12 people. And imagine 12 people taking care of initially 3,000 and then growing to about 10,000 people. It's just impossible. Okay? So in the midst of that challenge, you know, some people felt neglected. But here's what we need to understand: growth is a gift, but growth with that structure produces chaos. Okay? And so they were in the midst of growth, supernatural growth, but there was chaos because human beings the way we are, someone is going to feel like, okay, I'm being overlooked in this. And remember, when the church is growing, everybody's a new believer, so there's so many things that we don't understand, right? So people feel personal towards things. Now, the disciples were finding out that the responsibilities of administration, care, and distribution were consuming their time. It takes so much time from you. It takes so much time that, you know, and in our current day, um, you know, 2020, 2026, church ministry structures, uh, social media, posts, writing blogs, writing uh what's called sermons, and participating, you know, the things you do. It takes so much time from you. And I can imagine, with this small congregation we have, the amount of time that I put in, I can imagine what was happening to these guys who had like God knows how many people they had to overlook, they had to supervise. So the widows were not being taken care of, they've been overlooked in the daily distribution, and so there was a crisis in the camp. Now, here's what most of us miss. This was not a fail on the apostles' hat. It was a limitation on their capacity. Many a time people come in expecting things from you. But, you know, unfortunately, even with us, yeah, some of the services needed had to be kind of re-evaluated, right? Because simply we just don't have the cap I don't have the capacity to be able to do all the things I want to do. Okay? And so what is happening is that it wasn't that the apostles were trying to neglect these women, these Helen's Jews, you know, by design. It was just like they were too overwhelmed to do that, okay? And they were trying to carry an assignment that God had never designed for them to carry along. You know, it's interesting the way God's economies, okay? The world was too great for one group of people. God's design was always multiplication, not just in numbers, but in ministry. Folks, there are certain times that I'm telling you, Dr. Gogo said the same thing to you. The work of ministry is very, very demanding. And what these guys were doing was basically they were, and it's the same thing that Moses was facing in the Old Testament until Father in law told him, Listen, you're gonna kill yourself. You know, call these guys and then set these guys in different places so that they overlook some of the things that you are doing. And so again, but God, it is, you know, what is one thing interesting about God is this he never came and told them, stop what you're doing. You're gonna kill yourself. Because through all these things, we learn the economy of God. And we're gonna find out as a result of the steps they took, the move, the move of the word of God changed entirely as a result of the steps they took. Now, watch this now. God is interested in modification, not just in numbers, it's important. Numbers are critical, but also in the ministry. Now, the solution was spirit filled, so watch this now. Notice carefully the qualification the apostles set for those who would serve in health ministry. You would have thought that apostles were asking to ordain new apostles. They needed people to do the administrative work, but the qualification for administrative work was equally as the qualification for the apostles themselves. Amen. This tells us that the way God structures these things. Now, watch this. They said to them, now if you look at the text again, seven warm bodies. Oh, is that what they said? Seven warm bodies. In other words, they said to them, I need seven people. Anybody who can warm me a sleep call them here. No, they said, see from among you seven men of good reputation. They said, full of the Holy Spirit and full of wisdom. The requirement of serving tables, the same feeling that empowered Peter to preach the day on Pentacles was a qualification standard of distributing bread to the widows. Many times there are folks who sit in church, and there are those who don't want to serve at all, so they'll mind their own business. And there are those who want to serve, but they are not matured enough to do that. And they say that, oh, we've been sitting in church for 10 years, 20 years, and we have not been given the opportunity to serve. The question is though, do you fit this qualification to be in leadership? That's the question. It's not about being in church for a long time or, you know, how well have you grown? Are you in the position to lead others? Are you filled with the Holy Spirit? Just look at the qualification again. Are you of good reputation? If they ask about you, what would they testimony about you? Are you filled with the Holy Spirit? Do you have wisdom enough to lead others? That was the qualification. So God does not have a tiered system of spiritual requirements. Seven tables in the spirit is just as sacred as preaching before thousands in the spirit. In other words, God does not look at me or any preacher man says that preacher man is more loved more than you because of what you do behind the scenes. It's never that in the kingdom. Because God knows that every part that everybody plays enhances his work and grows his work. And so, guess what? The man preaching, the man serving, the man arranging the tables, the man who does administration, everything is done behind the scenes. God has equal. What did Peter say? God is a respectable person. But to every nation who works righteousness is accepted by God. God is not grading folks because you're not preaching, He's grading you because you're not doing anything. Now, one of the people that were chosen was Stephen. And the Bible says that the scripture says that this man was full of faith and the Holy Spirit. So he went, performed great wonders among the people, and became the first martyr of the church. He wasn't an apostle, he was the first, one of the first deacons. And guess what Stephen started from? Stephen started from the Ministry of Health and he became part of the heroes of faith. You read Hebrews chapter 11, his name is there. But he started from the Ministry of Health, seven tables. And you know what happened? So that the apostles could go about doing the work that God has handed to them. You see, your service are often the training ground for your greater assignment. Say this to me. My service is my training ground for my greater assignment. You see, God has called you for great things, but it begins with where it begins from, where you start serving. Now, what was a result of that? The move that the apostles made. They realized that they couldn't do it by themselves. They realized that they were limited in what they could do. 12 people serving 10,000 people, it's impossible. So they brought you more help. They brought you administrative help, which is critical. Okay? Because they are, they realized one thing they realized was that the move of God was going to spread based upon the time they gave in the study of God's word, in the preaching of God's word. The move of God was not going to increase based upon them seven tables. But them, you see, this is what we call division of labor. Them focusing on what they were called to do. And these guys coming along with that just out of being taken care of. Every basis was covered. And so now the work was going to grow. Does it make sense? So the result of what they did, if we look at Acts 6, verse 7, then the word of God was the word of God spread. And the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem. And the great many of the priests were obedient to the faith. Do you know why that happened? You know, at the same time, the church is praying for growth, and God is never going to produce that growth. You know why? Because God cares about the people He's bringing. And because the structure is not in place to accommodate that growth, He's not going to give you that growth. And even though here we saw the growth, the growth was limited. Because God knew that if another 20,000 people came, they would not be taken care of properly. And so God waits until they sort themselves out, and then he does what? He spreads because now he knows that the structures in place to support the growth was there. This is God's work. So when the seven were appointed and the helpers took their place, something extraordinary happened. The word of God spread. Why? Because God knew that he was going to bring people, and the people that he was going to bring were going to be taken care of. It was not just about a desire that I want to grow. Do you have the structure in place to take care of the people that God is sending you? So this is what we need to understand. The growth was not in spite of the administrative solution. The growth was because of the administrative solution. It was not in spite of it, it was because of it. Because the growth came, because now the chief administrator, the Holy Spirit, knew that all the bases, because remember this, you've got to understand this. God is in partnership with us. You know, hearing me. God is in partnership with this church. Amen? There are things that God does and there are things that we need to do. And if we do not put those things in place, it limits God from what he can do for you. Because what God is doing is not because he wants to do, it's because he knows that he wants the best for the people that he's trying to send you away. And so the administrative thing that God, these people put in place was the result of the growth. Because God now knew that listen, these people are going to be taken care of. I've got some smart men. And this is why he asked for wisdom. You're not hearing me. Good reputation. People who had brains to be able to figure out how to move the work forward next. It wasn't necessarily the apostles telling them what to do. Because they had wisdom and they were full of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit could talk to them as well. So they knew exactly how to administer to the people. And then when everybody was satisfied, the work grew. Amen. The apostles were free to pray and to preach. The helpers were free to serve and to sustain. See the partnership there. The apostles were free to pray. They were free to preach the word. The landlord wasn't calling him every morning, hustling him, hey, you haven't paid the rent. You're not hearing me. Because I knew that there was somebody who was in charge of that. And this is the perfect ministry of health. Do you know why? Because with that mission, if the person who's supposed to preach, the person who's supposed to fast, the person who's supposed to seek the face of God is boggled down with that creative stuff, he's not doing as a human being, he's not praying the way he's supposed to. You're not hearing me. And it's so sad that Christians don't understand this. That when you withhold the ministry of helps, you're withholding your own blessing. You don't understand that. God is never going to circumvent the processes put in place because you're not in a position to do it because you've chosen not to do it. Does it make sense? Okay. Now watch this. Every person was in their lane. And everyone is in their when everyone is in their lane, the kingdom advances. When the great accountants are putting their accountant skills in place, when the great administrators are doing that, the great musicians are planning. Everybody's planning for God's work. And those who are called to preach and to study are doing, the result is just growth, people. When everybody is in this lane, seven gifts do not complete, they do not compete with speaking gifts, they complement them. People who sit in church, they think, oh, we are not being recognized because we're not preaching. You know, the same times, honestly, Bishop, the same time I feel like I'll probably be a better person sitting here behind the scenes than standing up here. Anyway, every time someone in health ministry for fear faithfully serves, they are making room for the word to go further. You are not behind the scenes, you are behind the breakthrough. Does that make sense? Every time somebody in the Ministry of Health steps forward to do something, you are actually helping for the advancement of God's work. Why? Because it releases a burden. You see, God, the great administrator, the Holy Spirit, has kind of divided everybody's responsibility. A preacher man's responsibility is to preach and study God's word and spend time before God. Do you know? I always share this here. You know, some of these, if anyone has had the ministry of the tabernacle of David before. The tabernacle of David, it's recorded in history that that was the greatest uh uh economic boom in the history of Israel when David was king. And David did something that was very, very strategic. When he decided to bring the Ark of the Covenant back, he brought the Ark of the Covenant back, but he just didn't kind of leave it somewhere. The calculator covenant was in the tent. You know what David did? David hired musicians. Okay? Paid musicians, 24-7. So let's say they had about three different rosters in a day. People come from 9 o'clock to 1 o'clock, and then another batch will come paid. And all they did was they come before the Ark of the Covenant, and then they stand before the Ark of the Covenant. Talented musicians. God gives them a song from heaven and they sing it back to God. 24-7. There was something that David was aware of because he knew some 100. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. You want to invite the presence of God in a situation, it begins with worship. When David was doing that constantly, the presence of God was in the land. And when the presence of God is in a place, everything increases. Amen. When the preacher man is not doing what he's supposed to do and is wearing 25 different hats, the person who struggles, it's you. Because what he's supposed to do, he just doesn't have the time to do it. Let's talk about the multiplication principle. When God assigns helpers to a vision, he is not supplementing it, he is multiplying it. This is the economy of the kingdom. God does not give one person everything they need to accomplish his purpose. God is smart. He's never going to give every man. There are preachers who are the best prophetic ministers around. Listen to them preach, you run away. They just don't have the ground to stand on to share God's word. But they are gifted. So guess what? The preacher gives the prophet needs the teacher. That is God's economy. He distributes gifts intentionally across the body so that we cannot advance in isolation. We need to function together. Okay? The gift of help is not just about what you do, it's about what you serve unlocking in somebody else's. Let me read this again. The gift of help is not just about what we do, it's about what you serve unlocks in someone else's. When we carry what another person would never meant to carry alone, you free them to reach the level God intends for them. And in doing so, you create the condition for your own gift to be recognized and released. Amen. And you release me to do what God called me to do. There's something happening to you that you're not even aware of. God is also positioning you for somebody to do the same for you. God's economy is this we are not isolated. Everything we do is integrated. You help, you know, what did God say? Giving it shall be what? We always use it for money. It's everything else. Giving it shall be given to you. Okay? Now, this is the uh I want to talk about the invisible architecture of every great ministry. Behind every great move of God, there is an invisible architecture. Faithful people doing things that never make the highlight real. The intercessors who pray through the night before revival. The deacon who shows up at 5 a.m. to set up before the congregation arrives. The administrators who keep the system running while the leader focuses on the vision, the givers who keep lights on, they're what's called the servants who keep the windows, the widows fed. You know, every ministry, the people that you don't see, there are people you don't see. I'm telling you guys, these are the people that keep the lights on. A preacher man doesn't keep the lights on, you know. I do one thing, I preach your word. It is there are people behind the scenes that sacrifice everything they have to keep the lights on every single day. The rent are paid so that every single person else in the church enjoys the benefits of that. Okay, they are no lesser assignments, they are load barren walls for the kingdom. When you remove them, the structure falls. So these people behind the scenes are doing these things. When you remove them, the structure falls. God's eyes, the most vulnerable real estate in ministry is often occupied by people whose names are not known. Isn't that interesting? I think it was a Dr. Yangacho story I had once that this woman in a church, old woman, who always goes to the church and pray. He wasn't known in the world.

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Dr.

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Yangacho is known everywhere. But the people that made him know, nobody knows them. They have this old woman behind the scenes, praying every single day for the man of God, for God's work to be able to advance. Those is what we call the most vulnerable real estates in God's kingdom. There are things that people are doing behind the scenes that nobody seems to know. But those are the very things that are carrying God's word forward. We put everything on preacher. That 45 minutes an hour man and the preacher man will pray. No, no, no. Before the preacher man came to stand here, there were things that have gone behind the scenes. That though without those things, the preacher man wouldn't be able to stand here. Imagine if the light wasn't paid, the rent wasn't paid, would you be able to come and sit in church? You wouldn't be able to. But somebody had to sacrifice that to be done. So the preacher man here is not the real. Highlight real. It is those that are sacrificing, those that can go to Chick-fil-A and say, We're not going to Chick-fil-A today. You know, hearing me. And sacrificing every single penny there. Those that can go to the shop and buy all the clothes that you are wearing today, but they decide, I'm good with one pair of shoes because God's work needs to advance. Those are the people that you don't see, but those are the people that the eyes of God is on. Those are the people in the ministry of help. Now let's let's think about this for a minute. There's an orchestra, right? And a conductor. Now, the certain time I remember when I was growing up, and you look at these uh symphonies and these conductors, and they are so gifted. Like the the stroke of the uh, the the the uh what's it called, the stick they're holding. You know, if India is playing violin, India knows how to you know play the call, the the key and violin, the the the uh what's it called, the keyboard player. Everybody plays the tune because the conductor is conducting them. But just imagine the the gift, the most gifted conductor in the face of the earth stands here to conduct a symphony and he throws his hands up and there's no instruments. What are you guys gonna think? This guy is a nutter, he's a crazy man. You know what I mean? It's like so the violins, the drama, the everybody else in the symphony is what makes this conductor gifted. Amen? And the way we don't seem to understand is that the gift of help is not a supporting cast of the ministry, it is the orchestra that makes the music possible. Because without the gift of helps, nothing else will stand. And this is why, if you study 1 Corinthians chapter 12, Paul says that we think less honorable when we should clothe them with great honor. The things that we don't see are those people that we should clothe them with great, great honor. You see, God builds honor into the invisible place, and the church must learn to do the same. Let me tell you, man, the people that God hold esteem in most ministries is not a person standing on the pulpit all the time, you know. I'm telling you, man. This is where preacher men, so sometimes preacher men are misled. You know, God uses you to do something, you think you are the most hottest of face of the earth. No, don't lie to yourself. The truth is that God uses you because of the person who's sitting down there. God needs to be God's to touch them. And the fact is that God builds honor in invisible places. There are people that God builds honor, God holds them in so high esteem that the spotlight is not on you, man. And the check needs to know that there's nothing minuscule in the kingdom. Whatever you're doing to advance God's work, the sacrifice of time, finances, and the prayer that you pray, God looks at those things and God says that this is the real estate I'm interested in. Okay? So we got a few minutes to talk about this. How do we activate the gifts of help that we pray? Number one, identify the gift. Somebody's identified the gift. It's gonna this is the serious part because everybody needs to listen to this. If you are constantly drawn to a practical need of others, if you notice what is undone, unmaintained, unattended, before anyone else says a word, you are likely carrying the gifts of health. If you don't always need to be told to do something, you're always looking out, you know that there's something that's not right, you're always looking to fix things, not because you love God and you know that you want his work to go on. They perhaps you have the gifts of help. If you feel deep satisfaction, not from the applause of ministry, but from the accomplishment of ministry, the gift of help is activated. Number two, if you are most alive when something that was broken is now working, when someone who was overwhelmed is now at peace. When a need that was unmet is now met, you are a helper. Let's talk about the steward of gifts faithfully. And if you look at Luke chapter 6, verse 10, the Bible talks about he who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much. So the gift of helps is not a destination, it is a school. Every faithful act of service is a deposit into a divine account that God draws from when He's ready to expand your assignment. You do not climb into kingdom by positioning yourself for visibility. Listen carefully. You climb by planting yourself in faithfulness. The least you do, it compounds something great with God. So serve the vision, you are under as if it was your own. You know, the certain times that God was intentionally, man, intentionally set you up. He will intentionally set you up, he will intentionally place you in an uncomfortable situation to see what you do. And when you understand and you're aware of what you're doing, not because of the man that you are serving, but because you're serving God. And you serve faithfully, you'll position yourself for great things. Because spiritually, it is yours anyway. So the fruit of ministry, the fruit of the ministry you faithfully support will carry your name in eternity, even if it carries someone else's name on earth. That is so that's so deep. That is so deep. On earth, it will be Augustine Poco, but in heaven, they say Kwame, because of the things you do behind the scenes. What you do to expand that work has eternal consequences. Number three, serve without requiring a title. Because if you require a title, it's all about a title that you've been given. One of the greatest tests of the gifts of help is whether you can serve without a title. A person who would only help when they have an official role has not yet discovered the joy of the gift. The true helper does not need a stage, they need a need to give them a problem to solve, a burden to lift, a task to complete, and they are fully alive. That is the gift at work. You know, the same times that somebody would do something in the church, and if they are not recognized, they get offended. They want to be recognized and they want the preacher man to tell you how great they are doing. You see, Jesus even had a parable for that. He says, and when you do those things, you have no reward in heaven. If you expect man to reward you, you have no reward in heaven. But when you do things behind the scenes that no one sees but God sees, he said, when you pray, go into your closest shutter door and pray. And the God that sees his secret will reward you openly. Some people have stepped back from serving because you felt your contribution was invisible. Because you are not recognized, you think that you are you don't have your contribution, it's invisible, and so you step back. You know, there are certain people in churches who anyway, I'm not gonna go there. So watch this now. God records things, and I'm telling you, your service is never wasted. So today, my you know, we'll conclude it. My message very simple come back to the altar of health, please, because the kingdom needs it. Not because someone will see you, but because God has already seen you. Amen. Let me bust a myth today and we pray. A church is never gonna advance because of one gifted leader. It's never gonna do it. And God has designed it to be just that way. Because if it's all about one person, then why does God need everybody else all hands on deck? And I just explained to you that God, in God's economy, He's intentionally done those things. He reholds certain things away from people so that we can be interdependent on one another. That's how the body works. Imagine today the eye says I'm closed. You're in trouble. But because every organ in the body is interdependent of one another, everything functions properly. That is the analogy that Paul uses in Corinthians. So the church is not going to advance because of one gifted leader, the church advances because a body of gifted believers, such as some of you sitting here, will take their place. They serve the assignment and they trust God to do what only God can do: a spirit-filled service. Every great revival in church history has been fooled by helpers, people. People who set up the chairs, who feed the hungry, who prayed through the night, who kept the doors open. The gift of helps is not the background noise of a kingdom, it is the backbone of the kingdom. So, in conclusion, I charge you today, you are not just a volunteer, but an answer to a calling. You know, the same times that we have and we do things and we have an attitude towards it. There's no joy, there's we do things and we want to do them, you know. It's no, dude, you you you just lost it, man. Your reward, you know, some of us, the sacrifice we're doing, we might as well just stop doing them. Because there's no reward. If you take the person behind what you're doing, you need to understand that you're not merely filling a role, but you're carrying grace. Not merely helping someone out, but you're helping someone into their destiny. Because when you serve faithfully in the gift God placed in you, you become a catalyst of the faithfulness that God has ordained for this year, for this church, and for this city at this time.