Reverend Dr. Albert Agbi
Meaningful impact, changing lives.
Reverend Dr. Albert Agbi
THE WORK OF MINISTRY
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SPEAKER_00And the theme for our discussion this morning is the work of ministry. Hallelujah. Oh, you are not excited. It looks like you want me to preach on money or finances or blessings or marriage. Hallelujah. But today we are talking about the work of ministry. And when we talk about ministry, the Greek word for ministry is diaconos. Hallelujah. Which is a word or which means servant or minister. So a minister of God or a servant of God is what we are talking about this morning. What it means to serve God or to minister to God. And you realize that the president of every nation has ministers. So when when you see how much honor we give the ministers of states, that is how much honor comes into the life of a person who becomes God's minister. You see, we don't, people don't rush to serve God because to them it's a lower thing. They are going to chase other things. But in the world, what are you? I don't know whether you are getting me. In the normal world, what are you? In the kingdom, you can be a minister of God. Just like we can have the minister of education, we can have minister of health. If you properly position yourself, you become God's minister. And we are saying that the meaning of the word minister is diagnosed, which is a servant. And what it means to be a servant is to serve God. Number one, two serve people. And number three, fulfill divine purpose. In the process of serving, you fulfill purpose. It is the purposes of God that we serve. The ministers of state serve the purpose of the president. So in the area of education, if the president wants free education, it is the role or the duty of the minister to implement that free education. I hope you are getting me. So you realize that there is first a policy by the government. And then now the ministers implement the government's policy. And it is your duty to serve God in that way. So now let's go to the Old Testament. Exodus chapter 7, verse 16. And it says that you shall say to them, The Lord God of the Hebrews has sent me to you, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness. So the biggest salvation story in the Old Testament, which was the saving of Israel from bondage in Egypt, God said, Listen, I'm not just saving you to go and chill in the wilderness. He says, Let my people go that they may serve me. Many people have been saved, and they think salvation is about going to heaven, going to the promised land, so that we can have land for ourselves. No, he says, so that they may serve me in the wilderness. But indeed, until now you would not hear. And that's the state of many people in church. They think salvation is so that I can come, you know, I can have a church, I attend me and my husband and my family, I'll bring my children to church. No. Salvation is an entrance so that they may serve me in the wilderness. The wilderness represents the world. The promised land represents heaven. We are not going to serve in heaven. We serve in the wilderness. And he says this is the reason why God wanted to save them. Not so that they'll be free, so that they can chill for themselves, but so that they can serve me in the wilderness. If you've been saved for 10 years and you haven't served God, you've wasted that salvation. If you've been born into a Christian home and you've been in Sunday school and you've gone to adult class, teen class, and no one has prepared you to serve God in the wilderness, you have wasted your salvation. You are not happy at all. Say amen. I'm not the one saying, he said that so that they may serve me. The purpose of salvation is to serve him. He delivered them from Egypt, from bondage, from serving Pharaoh to serving God because you always serve something. And they were serving Pharaoh. Now God said, I'm delivering you, not to come and serve yourself. Some are not serving any of that thing, but they are serving themselves. That's not the purpose of your salvation. The purpose of your salvation is so that they will serve me in the wilderness. Hey, hallelujah. So there I need a lot of amens from you. Hallelujah. Because it looks like you are angry with me. You know, your salvation is not complete until you start serving him. Until you start serving him. And that's the Old Testament. Now let's come to the New Testament. Ephesians 4, verse 11. Now, this is Paul speaking to the church at Ephesus. And he said, and he himself gave some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors, and teachers. And he says that the reason why he gave all these things to the church, all these people, pastors, teachers, evangelists, apostles, is so that they would equip the saints for the work of ministry. Your pastor is not giving to you to be preaching to you every Sunday. He said, Oh, I was blessed today. Wow, what a service! Wow, because I came telling you God will bless you in the city, He will bless you. No, no, no, no, no. My job every Sunday is to give you tools. When we say equip, it means give them tools, it means train them for the work of ministry. So any church you go to and you are not being equipped to serve God, you are wasting your time. You are wasting your life. The purpose of the pastors being given, the apostles being given, you go on YouTube and you are listening to an apostle. And that apostle is not preparing you, it's not equipping you for the work of ministry. Your time is being wasted. Your time is being wasted. It says for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. That's where we got our name from. Edify Church. And when we say edify, it is the building of the body of Christ. There is no ambiguity about it. It's not now me to I can be in the corporate world. It is to build the body of Christ, not anywhere else. The purpose of pastors, apostles, prophets, and the church itself existing is to equip you, the saints. It is the saints who do the work of ministry, not pastors. The ones who are listening to me today in God's plan are the ones who are supposed to do the work of ministry. Equipping the saints. And you are the saints. For the work of ministry, there are works waiting for you to do. And if you are growing, you are 26 years and you are celebrating birthday without doing those works, please don't cut any cake. In fact, from now on, we will not celebrate you on your birthday again if you are not involved in the work of ministry. What are we celebrating? Now ask your neighbor, those who have had recent birthdays, what exactly are we celebrating? Hey, you are growing, you are 35 years and you are not immense in the work. You are 22 years, you are 18 years. When Jesus at 12, yeah, said, I must be about my father's business. He knew it at 12, what you don't know at 25. Bow down your head. Bow down your head in shame. You are going about your own business. You are going about your own education, which is not bad in itself because God has no problem with Caesar. He said, Give to Caesar what is Caesar. The only problem we have is that we have a problem giving to God what is God's. We don't have a problem going to work on a Monday, being at lectures. We are there on time. When it comes to now serving God, now we have excuses. But we don't give the same excuses on a Monday. Equipping the things. This morning, my job is to train you to serve Him for the work of ministry, for the building or the edifying of the body of Christ. Then he says for 13. Till we all come to the unity of the faith. Hey, hallelujah. Let me just continue. Hey, hallelujah. So that's my job. You realize that what the church exists to do on a Sunday is what the medical school exists to do for doctors. All the people in medical school, there are jobs waiting for you. Then you become a doctor and they send you to the emergents. You realize that there are people sick who cannot wait for you to graduate. So the longer you are an ease, there are people who have truth problems. Immediately you become a doctor, then you realize, or a nurse, then you realize that there are many sick people who are waiting. No matter how many we train, it is not adequate. So you can imagine if you are in medical school for 20 years, someone else will die because you never completed your training. You are in the nursing school. 18 years, you are you've entered nursing schools. That's why I said the training is for three years. So that you can go and serve in a hospital somewhere. Because sick people are waiting for you to minister to them. The medical training is six years. After six years, you are expected to be on the field working. The church exists not just to encourage you to tell you that you will be blessed and you will marry. And no, no, no, no, no. We are equipping you for the work of ministry. Hallelujah. And I want you to know that there were many people in the Bible who serve God who are not pastors. Many of them. Many fulfill the agenda, the purposes, the counsel of God who are not pastors. And maybe in my subsequent teachings, I would be, you know, showing you what those people are. God is not limited to pulpits, He moves through people who are available, faithful and surrendered wherever they are. The first impediment to the work of ministry is people who are not available. We are available for everything apart from God. We are available to watch movies. We are available to chill with our friends, chilling with the big boys and the big girls. But when it comes to God, we are busy. When it comes to God, you know, my education, you know, my education, you think you are the only one in school. That's why when we go to heaven one day, you have no excuse. You're not the only one who has a career. My career. You think you are the only one who has exams to write? No. We do it in spite of. And today I want you to understand this why the church exists. We exist to equip you. So this Sunday, you are supposed to live here with tools to work. Hallelujah. Now let me go to my next scripture, Ephesians chapter 2, verse 10. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works. He says that we are his workmanship. And the purpose of our salvation, or the reason why we were created in Christ, created in Christ means saved. We were saved through Christ. So he said, created in Christ Jesus for good works. There are good works awaiting you. The reason why you were created in Christ, or the reason why you were saved, is for the good works which God prepared beforehand that you should walk in them. There are works that have been prepared in eternity. And God knew that in this period you'll be in Kolebu. In this period, you'll be here. In this period, you'll meet edify church. If you don't know, your coming here is not a coincidence. You see, what one of the things that brings spiritual maturity is a person who comes to a place where they realize that I'm not here by chance. You could have been at Harvard, you could have been at Yale, you could have been at Cornell, but there are works awaiting for you to do here in Kolebu. And that's why God will bring you around like-minded people, a pastor who preaches these things, a church who gives you the platform to do it. So you are here, you saw the people who came to read the scriptures. If you are in another church, you will never read scripture your whole life. Some of you, the opportunities you have to do some things here, if you are in another place, you will never have it. No one will even call you, no one would notice you. So you are here for a purpose. If you don't ask yourself the purpose for which you are here, you will never know. You saw Zoe An leading a song. In another church, there will be some other people who would be there, she'll be shadowed their whole life, she'll never lead a song. But here she is ministering because God has brought her. There are works which God prepared beforehand. God knew that on a Sunday morning like this, she's supposed to be sinking. So God will bring her beforehand three years. And a three year journey, being in the car, managing social media, coming for whatever, would bring her to a Sunday morning like this to perform those works. So it says that God prepared them beforehand, that we should walk in them. There are works you should be working in in this season of your life. If you don't know, you'll be living your life. You'll be wasting your life. And I tell you, please, I plead with you, many of you are wasting your life. There are many things we are immersed in, in the grand scheme of things, they don't stand. We have good works and we have dead works. Dead works have no spiritual implication in the grand scheme of things. Bible says that we will all be passed through fire. The works that will be consumed are the works that are not linked to the souls of men. Anything you do, I'm telling you, sometimes in your own life, you walk to the same company you work in, they don't remember you. I'm telling you. But the impact you have on the souls of men, Kenneth Hagen, his impact is still in the souls of men. Jesus Christ, Paul, Peter, we can see we are gathered here reading a man's letter. He has never died. Those are the works you do for the souls of men. Because souls never die, your works never die. Yeah. God prepared beforehand that you should walk in them. There are good works waiting for you. In this week, there are works waiting for you. You can decide to ignore them, you can decide to live your life as though they are not there. But the Bible says that we are his workmanship. We were created in Christ, or we were saved for good works which God prepared. There are things waiting for you to be done. And I tell you, you could have been in any other church on a Sunday morning like this. You are here for a reason. God wanted you to hear this. You know, some of you hadn't been in church for a while. Today you've brought yourself because in divine agenda, you are supposed to hear that when you are 22 years, when you are 20 years, it is 20 years not doing works that were prepared beforehand that you should walk in them. And I pray for you that this morning grace will be given to you to walk in the works he has prepared. Your life is supposed to be spent working the works of the Father. Hey, hallelujah! He says that we are his workmanship created in Christ for good works. Hey, hallelujah. You are not safe to just attend church. You are not safe to say, Oh, we are Catholics, we are Pentecostals, oh, we we belong to edify. That's not the pride. The pride is the works that you have been saved to walk in. It is not to say, Oh, me, I attend this church. You know, that church we pray a lot. No, the purpose of our prayer, the purpose of our word, the purpose of the music is to prepare us for the works. He says that we work in the field of souls. You see, the songs are supposed to encourage men and women to do the works that God has prepared for them. And when we say the works, it's not only preaching, it is touching a life. It is just like a slave girl who was in his master's bedroom cleaning and said, There is a prophet in Israel. This sickness that you have, that you've gone to top hospitals that has not been healed, there is a God in Israel. If you can go, you see, the beautiful rivers that you have birthing has had no effect. But I tell you, if there is a prophet in Samaria, if you can go, he will heal you. It is too. Some of you said, Oh, I'll pray for my patients. You are in final year, you've clacked thousands of patients, you've never prayed for any of them. We are doctors, we don't even pray for ourselves. How would we pray for the patients? It's a ministry at the marketplace. You are in a marketplace, you are doing no ministry. You see, the first time I walked into my cardiology training, one of my bosses, there was a patient who came in with breast cancer. She was a Muslim. And while she was on the bed, she said, Please can we pray for you? I realized that one of the things people don't reject is prayer when they are sick. They say, Pray for me. And my boss puts the cardiac probe down, laid hands on her, and prayed for healing for her. You should see how she said amen. But you said you were saved, you were in the marketplace, you have become a doctor. You have many patients on your dental chair and knees. You have never offered to pray for any of them. You are you bring up everything in conversations about God. You talk about Chelsea, you talk about Manchester United, you talk about Ukraine War, Russia War, you talk about the Middle East, you talk about Atemist II, you talk about space missions, you talk about telenovelis, you talk about Korean series, you talk about the World Cup coming, you talk about Ghanaian politics, but you have never brought up someone's seriousness with God. You have never brought up someone's love for God, you have never questioned anybody, you have never offered to pray. There are good works waiting for you. And it is our job to prepare you, it is our job to equip you. And this is what I am doing today. I'm telling you, one day when you go to heaven, you can never tell God you don't know. Because this message will be played to you that your pastor told you. Your pastor encouraged you to join the meetings, your pastor encouraged you to come to church and you refuse. You see, someone can play ignorance, someone can say, Oh, we didn't know. You know, I mean, we didn't know we're supposed to. But Pastor Albert stood in front of you and told you that there are works that have been prepared beforehand that you should walk in them. So today, if you have been ignorant your whole life, we are telling you that there are things waiting for you to do in this church. Nobody will come from anywhere to do them. And you must avail yourself, you must be willing to do it. You may not even know what to do. You say, Oh, Pastor, whatever there is to do, I'll do. Hey, hallelujah. You're not saying amen to the things I'm preaching. Then Colossians, hallelujah. Colossians chapter 1, verse 9. Our theme is the work of ministry. And we said that Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus and said, he gave apostles, prophets, pastors, evangelists, and prophets for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry. There are works waiting for you. And whilst you are spent, you know, working your own works, chasing medical school, nursing school, accounting school, University of Ghana, teacher training colleges, you know, your profession, whilst you are doing all that, remember there are works waiting for you. Colossians chapter 1, verse 9 says that for this reason, we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. What many people lack is wisdom and spiritual understanding and knowledge. And it says that that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing him, being fruitful in every good work. The purpose of our prayers for you is not so that you can get visa and go to America. It says that since the day we heard, have been praying that your eyes will open so that you walk worthy of the Lord. When spiritual knowledge comes, there is a way you walk. There are decisions you don't make. I'm telling you, I could have been in America right now. Spiritual knowledge came in my youth. I'm telling you, it's the reason the reason why you are gathered this morning is because spiritual knowledge came. And I'm not lesser than my friends who traveled. By the grace of God, we will not lose in this life. Telling some of you, hey, the path less taken is the path that leads to your destiny. The obvious one, and that's why you must walk close to God. Because there's a path that looks so, you know, you know, bright and it looks green, it doesn't lead to life. The broad way, many are traveling on it, it doesn't lead to life. And he says that the reason why we are praying for you is so that you walk where. Of the Lord. Many of you are not working worthy of your call. You see, when President Muhammad became president of Ghana, he stopped driving himself. When he was not a president, he used to be on the motor and he used to ride bicycles with his family and with his son, right? When he became president, you cannot do certain things. We cannot see you in a truck bar somewhere. Yeah, you want to interact with your citizens. But there are things that there is a call on your life and there is a way you walk. He says that so that you walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing him. I pray for you that your life will fully please God. Because many of you are involved in things that are not pleasing to God. They are pleasing to you, they are pleasing to your family, but they are not pleasing to God. And he says that so that you may walk worthy of the Lord. The purpose of our prayers should be that men and women will be filled with spiritual knowledge and the will of God so that they may walk worthy of the Lord. Pleasing him, being fruitful in every good work. Many of us are barren in good works. You are filled with works when it comes to your you have won many awards in this life. You know, and the thing about awards is that over time we don't remember it. I went to my primary school where I won many awards. I walked through that campus, nobody recognized me. I thought my name would be written in gold. Nobody will, I'm telling you, a generation will come who will not know Joseph. I'm telling you. I'm telling you, good works, fully pleasing him, being fruitful. And my prayer for you is that when we come into your life, you will not be barren of good works and increasing in the knowledge of God. Because the more you increase in his knowledge, the more you become fruitful in good works, the more you become fruitful in the work of ministry, the more you avail yourself to serve. Hallelujah. So ministry is simply good works directed towards God's purposes, his agenda, and his kingdom. His kingdom, not our kingdoms, not our little ambitions, his kingdom. Bible said, I seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all other things. In your youth, you must seek the kingdom of God. Now, Paul's prayer for the church at Colossae, which is the one I'm reading, was not so that they could pass their exams, was not so that they could get a job or to buy a house, but first to be filled with the knowledge of his will. I pray that in this season of your life you will be filled with the will of God. I realize that many people, this is the season of your life where you make many mistakes. Because it's the season of your life you need to work in spiritual knowledge. And many people are not interested in spiritual and you are falling in love. Yeah. You don't know the will of God for your life. You have married the wrong person and you have sabotaged your whole life. But you want to fall in love. You've gone to your father, Papa, I want to marry without the will of God. Because let me tell you something. I can assure you, a prayerless person does not know the will of God. You don't know the will of God. And you don't read the Bible, you don't pray, and you say you know the will, and you are making decisions. Big decision want to travel to America, you know, we'll do residency, we'll do medicine. Hey, you are making all those decisions in the dark. Paul said the reason why we pray for you since the day we had, since the day you were born again, there should have been prayers, serious prayers for you to be filled with the knowledge of his will. So that you don't make decisions in the dark. You don't just choose a fine babe who prays and who fasts and prophesies. You show you shake in this life, if it is not in his will. And that's why I pray for young people all the time. The more you increase in the knowledge of God, you become fruitful in good works, you walk worthy of the Lord. I pray for you. Hey, hallelujah. Walk worthy of the Lord. So Titus chapter 3, verse 8. Titus chapter 3, verse 8. It says that this is a faithful saying. And these things I want you to affirm constantly. This is Paul writing to his son. These are pastoral letters. Paul wrote to a young person. So if you are a young person, you read the book of Timothy, the book of Titus. These are books that have been written to young people who are leading or doing the work of God. And he says that this is a faithful saying. And affirm these things constantly. That those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. The proof that you have believed in him is your good works. So the question is, where are your good works? It's not the works you say, but I feel they're hungry, you know, but you know, I'm a good person. No. Say that for edifying of the body of Christ. Yes, the works. Edifying the body of Christ. It says that they should be careful to maintain good works. Because what happens is that if you are not careful, you never maintain them. Some of you started good works and haven't continued. Some of you offered yourself to serve, but it got to a point where you have now sat somewhere. You say I won't do again. Some of you decided to support the church. You got to a point so the pastor is looking so nice. It looks like our support. But he says that they should be careful. If there is something to be careful of, is to maintain good works. Some of you used to pray, but now you couldn't maintain it. And the devil finds consistency. So he doesn't mind you starting some things, he minds you continuing them. He says that they should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable. If you want profit in this life, maintain good works. When you start that, oh, I'll pray this week, maintain it. I will serve in the church, maintain it. They should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and are profitable. I pray that your life will bring profit. And the profit your life brings comes from you maintaining good works. You giving yourself to serve God in your youth. To serve God. You know, and Titus, who Paul was writing to, was a Greek believer. They are Greeks, they were like Gentiles, they are not Jews. So he came to uh what's the name to faith. And Paul wrote to him that what you have started, continue. The works, the good works you have started, maintain them. You know, and he was a pastor at Crete. That's the name of the city where he was pastoring. He was a young man pastoring. And he says that those who believe in God must maintain, they must be careful to maintain good works. Before you make the next plan for your life, ask whether God is the center of it. Any plan I've made in this life always had God first. If God is not in your plan, say He's not there. If your plan is so that I'll travel to the UK and make some money, you know, so that I can feed my family. It's a good plan, but it's not, it's not a perfect plan. A perfect plan is a plan that has God. There is no way you make any plan, and God is not at the center of it. He said you are going to America, and the reason is so that I can do residence and he ends there. It's a bad plan. Say amen. Huh? I remember Pastor Chris doing his national service. He went to the north. And the reason was to be an evangelist there. So he went to work. Oh no, I'm serious. He went to work, but he preached, he preached, he lied there. They are sent you to Kofredo Pimpa. Catch the people and teach them. Do Bible studies there. Hey. Ask Pastor Bryce when he went to Lagon. I said, go to campus, Lagon Hospital. Many of the students come and see you in your consulting room. Talk to them. Any plan that doesn't have God at the center, you are a nurse listening to me, and they post you to Cape Coast from here. God must be at the middle of that plan. It's not just, oh, Ministry of Health has posted me. Even if there was a natural plan, you have to put God at the center and let everything revolve around Him. Yeah, that's how it works. And me, I tell you, God is the center of my life. Everything else moves. God doesn't move. So if it's time for church, this time you can now come and do. If you want to do something, it has to be before or after. Not during the church as midweek, and that's the time you are having group study. Make you should be the reason why your group study meets at 10 p.m. on that day that you have church. You at least suggest it there. So that the people say, No, we will not agree. But say, Oh, let's meet. Can we meet earlier? Can we meet later? There should be some effort. Someone wants to visit you and they are visiting you on Sunday, 8 a.m. when you have church, and you have agreed. You are a party to something like that. The church has rehearsals. Choir is rehearsing. At the time you are supposed to be with the choir, you are going out on a date with your boyfriend. We are soaking your cane in kerosene. We thank God for your relationship and we want you to marry. But there are immovable parts of life. And there are those things that you can reschedule. Can we do it on a Monday? There are people who want to see me. I say, if you meet me Sunday evening, I don't mind. So why? I mean I said, I have church. If you cannot boldly say, I have church, I have prayer, I have this, I have re-esurance. You cannot bring those in your conversation. You are not growing. Yeah, I have church and I've not lost anything in this life. Many of the things have rescated, they've waited for me. The people have agreed. Many of you, it is not because people have resisted you. You yourself, you are a problem. You are even the one scheduling the things at church prayer meeting times. You are the one offering to come home. No one has asked you. So I'll go. When there are works waiting for you. And our good works. You see, when you look at the three cameras in this room, only one belongs to the church. The one Pastor Christopher is looking. The other two were given by people. SNAM gave one, you know, that another person gave the other one. If you want our sermon, he said, Oh, my father bought this camera for me. Instead of going start seeing in Cape Coast and be snapping beds, he said, Let's use it to record videos that the world will see. It's a good work. Hallelujah. Can you imagine if we now have to save money to now buy a new camera and whatever? I'm just saying that there are many things you can do. Not everyone will preach, but the reason why people watch our sermon is because someone said, Oh, I have this camera that was given to me as a gift. But I think they can use it on Sunday. Maybe Monday, me too, I can use this, but Sunday they should use it. It's a good work. Hey, before someone gets offended, say, Pastor, me too, I gave you the phone. Hallelujah. We recognize all your works. Hallelujah. He said they must be careful to maintain good works. I pray that in your life, when we come to your life, we'll see good works that have been maintained. Romans chapter 14. I have to close. Romans chapter 10. Romans chapter 14, verse 10. Romans 14, verse 10. It said, but why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Hey, hallelujah. Hey, have I jumped something? Oh, okay. Sorry. 2 Corinthians chapter 5, verse 10. They will come here. And the reason why you must be equipped to do the works is that the Bible says that for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body. Yeah, one day you stand before that judgment throne. It is not whether you go to heaven or not, though. It has already been determined for a believer. You see, this is the Bema judgment. Bema is a Greek word for an exalted platform. It is the platform on which Olympic athletes stand to receive medals for the works they do. Bima. B-E-M-A, not BMW. You know, you know they call BMW cows Bima. But this one is the Bhima judgment. And the Bhima judgment is that every Christian will stand in Christ's presence. And the Bible says that you may receive the things that you've done in his body. What are the things that you've done in the body of Christ? What are the things? Those of you who take the bus to church, Akosia rose up and said, I'll pay for the bus. Those who come to church who pay the driver every day for you know, Gabriel also reached out a few weeks ago. He said, Pastor, I want to pay. You're not even in Ghana. But he reached out. He said, People take cars from Kolebu to church. Can I pay? You may not have money all the time, but there's some big money lands in your account. You have to think about others. You have to do something for the body. And someone must teach you. How much does it take for people to come to? You say, Oh, it's 200 Ghana City. But you've landed some 20,000 and you are feeling yourself that you are a rich man. You have not taught about the church. And the work. I'm not saying come and buy food for me by the grace of God, God has fed us. I'm saying think about the body. Think about the work. And many people have done different things. And sometimes the reason why I say these things is to encourage people to work. This place that we fellowship in, Lady Jane in Tamali, is the reason why we have one of the reasons. Many people here, they and quote different people. And they rose up and said, How much does it take to meet here per Sunday? Let us be the reason why people come and hear the word of God. And I'm saying that in your youth, there are people your age, there are people who even have less resources and money who have done things for the body. There are people who have less opportunities. This morning they say, Oh, they can use my car to bring people to church. Pastor Bright wrote on the page, anyone who needs a lift, I'll bring the person. I pray that when you finally get the car, you will not ride in it alone. Me and my family and my sweetheart alone. You will think about the body because you have the judgment, the judgment seat of Christ. He says that there are works, there are things you do. And there are things that you can do. Not everyone will play the keyboard, not everyone will edit a video, not everyone will take a video, not everyone will do drama in theater. But there is something you can do. Whether you are present or not, there are things you can do remotely. Lady Jane is in Tamali. She is leading yesterday evening the church intercession. She led from Tamali. Hey, and you are in Accra. You have no offered that what can I do? Say amen. He said that we may receive the things done in the body according to what he has done, whether good or bad, whether whatever you are doing, one day we'll stand before Christ. Not so that we enter heaven. This is for those who have already passed from death to life. When we came to Christ, we have already passed from death to life. The judgment is not whether we want to enter heaven because we are already there. It is to know where we would be in heaven. He says that we will stand before we must all appear. You would appear. And me, your pastor too will appear. And they'll ask whether you equipped them. They'll ask whether you that's why some of you after church are asked you, join this department. Join that department. So that one day you can never tell God, I didn't know I was supposed to do something for you. I have told you. Someone said it. We bring the QR code, that department, that 25 ways of serving God. You couldn't find one. And even the one you found, you were dumb months, you don't respond, you're on the page when they put that message as if you've not seen it. Yeah. As if you've not seen it. And you know, I'll say it. Those of you who are members of things, as if you are not members of them, you lose many things. So I there was a scholarship opportunity that came out. I put on the page. People saw it three months down the line. Because you see, when we look at edified church on your phone, there are 300 messages you've not opened because you are matured. And you are not interested in all these conversations that happened. So although you were in need, there was an opportunity to pay your fees because God knew that when He was bringing you here, it was the fees, the opportunity will come. But you never saw it. And it was a quick opportunity. The person said, We are doing it right now. Can you submit the names? People saw it five days later. People saw it three months. Oh, Pastor, we saw your message on the page three months ago. Or someone now told them that there's a message on the group. Because you have now committed yourself to things you don't do. We must all stand. The things I'm supposed to do, I'll be judged for. The things you are supposed to do, ah, you'll be judged. You will stand before Christ. You alone, not with your mother, not with your father, not with your uncle, not with your wife or husband. You will stand before Christ and receive the things done in the body. Now let's go to Romans and close. Romans 14, verse 10. He says, Ah, but why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. We all of them, you have no right to judge another person because you will be judged. So what right do you have to say he's not preaching well, she's not singing well, and the thing is out of key. Oh, what does he think she's doing? You are judging someone. How about the things you must do? He said, The church is being too aggressive. What have you done? What have I done? 11. For it is written, as I live, says the Lord, every niche about me and every tongue will be judged. And this is all different from the judgment in Revelation. Because the judgment in Revelation is the judgment of the world, those who don't know Christ, they will be judged to see whether they will go to heaven or hell. But we in the church, because these letters were written first to the church at Corinth, and secondly to the church in Rome, that we will still be judged. So the church will be judged, the world will be judged, but our judgments are different because we will be judged for reward. There are people who have no reward because they did nothing for the name of Christ. They they did not serve, they did not edify the body. But this morning, their knowledge is a way of equipping. Medicals, could they just give you knowledge as a way of equipping you? When you see someone who is unconscious, do ABC. This morning I've come to give you knowledge as a way of equipping you to wake up from your slumber because the night is spent. The night is spent. We are growing, big things are happening, but this is the time to make God central to your life. Hey, hallelujah. So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. What account would you give for what you have done for God? I pray for you that the way you are supposed to be equipped, you will give yourself up to be equipped. We've spent the whole week to do things for ourselves. Sunday, Pey, you are still busy. Monday to Saturday, we've been doing things for ourselves. Sunday, we we can't give to God. It is not right. And as a pastor, someone must say it. I pray you are not offended. But I'm telling you that one day when you stand before God, you'll be reminded for today that there are things you can do. Some of you can even bring ideas. Because someone looked at our church services and said, We must sing hymns. There are not enough hymns. That's why we are singing hymns. Oh, hallelujah. We have opening hymn and closing him. Because someone said, Oh, Pastor, I think the curtains, something can be done. Someone said the place doesn't smell good. The reason why we have those fragrances plugged is because someone said the place doesn't smell good. The father's house must smell good. Hey, hallelujah. There is a lot you can do. It's not only preaching, it can be your ideas, it can be a comment on the video. So the video, someone said they were too fast. Because they've been watching it. They said, Oh, can we slow it down? We slowed it down. Maybe because of that, someone will be born again. Someone will watch it and be blessed. Someone said, Oh, the video is too bright. I'm just saying that there are works you must be doing, advancing the kingdom. But beyond that, you must offer yourself a hallelujah. If you forget everything I have preached, remember that it says that let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness. The purpose of the salvation from Egypt is that there are works waiting for you in the wilderness to do. And I today I pray a reminder. Many of you should fall in love on the field, working the works of the Father. Hey, hallelujah. Jesus Christ Himself said, I must work the works of the Father whilst it is day, because night is coming when no man can work. There is a season of your life coming that things you cannot do, even if you want to do them. And I pray for you that whilst you can, and you see, we will never become free. We will progressively become more busier. When I cost you, I was in school, I used to come, you know, we are busy, you know. But even now, Saturdays, you don't have now, Saturday you have work. Sunday, the all the doctors you see here, they are not here because there is no way. They have to negotiate. David told me I have to negotiate after a month to get Sunday morning free. But even now, when they're close, they are going to work. You are never going to become free. If there is something you will do for God there, you have to find a way of doing it. You see how medical school looks busy? Multiply it by three. Doctor, should we tell them? Nurses, should we tell them, you are never going to become free? But you must find a way of doing the things that are important. Hallelujah. We are never going to become free. We are never going to have a season. Lord, should we tell them, do you work on Monday? Do you work on Tuesday? Do you work on Wednesday? Do you work? You know, when you were in medical school, there were days you decided not to go. You had some lecture B, they say it's online, then you don't log in. So I'll read the notes later. But can you do it at my general? Because there are patients waiting. Someone will die. I think Acosta uh Adwa is going to work. She just left. She's going to work. She's going to do reviews. There's a season of your life where there is no lecture on Sunday. You are telling yourself you are busy. Someone has just left church. She's going to work. And it's going to be time step. When children now come in, you store me. The nyan are carrying the child around. Now there is no junior. There is no junior. You see, Mrs. Nyan is a fool. She's still doing the work she's doing, and there are two babies at home. Last middle they called me. They said, Hey, Braha is not well. We have to take care to the hospital. Now there is no one you are taking to the hospital and you say you are busy. It's a lie you've told yourself. You are not busy. Hello, tell your neighbor you are not busy. Because life is going to get busier. Hallelujah. It's going to get more complicated. But if you are going to do anything for God, now is the time. In the middle of all the things that you must do, you must make time to do the works of the one who saved you. Father, I pray for your church. I exalt your name. I pray for our hearts that somewhere in the crevices of our hearts, we would attest that this sermon is true. It may be hard, but it is true. It may be uncomfortable, but it's true. And help us, Lord, to avail yourself, to avail ourselves and to be available to work your works in our youth. We know the night is coming when we cannot work. So in this season of our life, may we be given to the Father's work. May we be given to do something little that changes a life. May we be given to work his works, no matter how little, in the name of Jesus. We give you praise, we give you honor, we give you adoration in the name of Jesus. Oh, hallelujah.
SPEAKER_01Thank you for listening to the sermons of Reverend Dr. Albert. Be sure to follow us on Instagram at edify. Listen to more of the sermons on our telephone.