WHAT I HAVE LEARNED IN 33 YEARS OF
MINISTRY
I. WISDOM
WORKS
Proverbs 4:5-9
5 Get
wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my
mouth. 6 Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you; Love her,
and she will keep you. 7 Wisdom is
the principal thing; Therefore get
wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding. 8 Exalt her, and
she will promote you; She will bring you honor, when you embrace her. 9
She will place on your head an ornament of grace;
A crown of glory she will deliver to you.”
1. It
helps you solve problems
1 Kings
3:23-28
23 And the king said, “The one says, ‘This is my son, who lives, and your son is the dead one’; and the other says,
‘No! But your son is the dead one,
and my son is the living one.’ ”
24 Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a
sword before the king. 25 And the king said, “Divide the living
child in two, and give half to one, and half to the other.” 26 Then
the woman whose son was living spoke
to the king, for she yearned with compassion for her son; and she said, “O my
lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him!” But the other said,
“Let him be neither mine nor yours, but
divide him.” 27 So
the king answered and said, “Give the first woman the living child, and by no
means kill him; she is his mother.” 28 And
all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had rendered; and they feared
the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice.
2. Wisdom gives special insight into
the nature of things
1 Kings 4:32-34
32 He spoke three thousand proverbs, and his
songs were one thousand and five. 33 Also he spoke of trees,
from the cedar tree of Lebanon even to the hyssop that springs out of the wall;
he spoke also of animals, of birds, of creeping things, and of fish. 34 And
men of all nations, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom,
came to hear the wisdom of Solomon.
3. Wisdom gives you special skill
Exodus 31:1-6
Then
the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 2 “See,
I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of
Judah. 3 And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in
wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, 4 to design artistic works,
to work in gold, in silver, in bronze, 5 in cutting jewels for
setting, in carving wood, and to work in all manner of workmanship. 6 “And I, indeed I, have
appointed with him Aholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and I
have put wisdom in the hearts of all the gifted artisans, that they may make
all that I have commanded you.
4. Wisdom Promotes you
Ex. Joseph’s promotion
was because of Wisdom not just revelation.
II. WHEN
I GROW MY CHURCH/FAMILY GROWS
James 4:3
Yet you do not have because
you do not ask.
Mathew 25:14-29
14 “For the kingdom of heaven is
like a man traveling to a far country, who
called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. 15 And
to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each
according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. 16 Then
he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made
another five talents. 17 And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. 18 But
he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. 19 After
a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 “So
he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying,
‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents
besides them.’ 21 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you
were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter
into the joy of your lord.’ 22 He also who had received two
talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have
gained two more talents besides them.’ 23 His lord said to him,
‘Well done, good and faithful
servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over
many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ 24 “Then he who
had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man,
reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered
seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the
ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’ 26 “But
his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that
I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. 27 So
you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would
have received back my own with interest. 28 So take the talent
from him, and give it to him who has
ten talents. 29 ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given,
and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has
will be taken away. 30 And cast the unprofitable servant into
the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
III. PLANNING
IS VITAL
Hab 2:2-3
2 Then the Lord answered
me and said: “Write the vision And make it
plain on tablets,That he may run who reads it. 3For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the
end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because
it will surely come, It will not tarry.
IV. UNITY
IS IMPORTANT
Psalm 133
1Behold,
how good and how pleasant it is For
brethren to dwell together in unity! 2 It is like the precious oil upon the head, Running down on the
beard, The beard of Aaron, Running down on the edge of his garments. 3
It is like the dew of Hermon, Descending
upon the mountains of Zion; For there the Lord
commanded the blessing—Life forevermore.
V. DISCERNING
SEASONS IS CRITICAL
1 Chron 12:32
32 of
the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought
to do, their chiefs were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their
command.
VI. BELIEVING
GOD IS BETTER THAN STRIVING
Hebrews 4:
Therefore, since a promise
remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come
short of it. 2 For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well
as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed
with faith in those who heard it. 3 For
we who have believed do enter that rest.
VII. HUMILITY
IS GOLD
James 4:6
6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.”
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