Imrah Ministries

By Alwyn Matt at Coffee and the Word

This has been the mandate that I have been embracing all of last year and especially this year – 2008. There is something about the season that we have been released into.

In this writing I wish to focus primarily on Christians, but if you are a non-Christian, go ahead read and see the enthusiasm of this group of radical people!

Due to limitation of time, space and thought, I will only put in the most urgent thoughts and points for now.

In my opinion even if we have the five-fold ministry it does not mean we burden the role of winning souls only to the evangelist. Residing in a nation like Kuwait, I have the privilege to attune myself to the best of food, hotels and service. One thing I have noticed when I have been at any hotel or restaurant is that, at urgent moments when the waiter, the barista, the customer service or the executive is away for even the moment, the range manager would step into the shoes of the waiter. Why so? Because they understand the value of each customer!

The Manager in some cases may be earning a higher pay or even holds a higher status than the person being served but regardless of who is who, the corporate society has learned what it is to represent a brand name! My explanation to some level may be a bit too vivid yet it drives home the point!

I believe this system has been stolen from the Christian faith, the system of value for a soul; this must be brought back into the Church. Every moment is a moment to win, evangelize, cast out, cast in, and heal or whatever for Jesus. Few years back the Holy Spirit challenged me to take my “ministry” outside the church. I was shocked to hear what I heard. I replied, but Lord, we need music for the souls? We need the “atmosphere” We need the booklets, we need men in suits….Where did all this come from? Christianity started with men whose hand’s stunk with fish, but when laid upon the dead brought back life!

Since then, I have taken this with huge enthusiasm. Living in a Muslim country has brought in challenges but I still go ahead laying hands on the sick and even seeing them healed.

Preaching the full gospel

In many ways I believe the spreading of the gospel has been so limited because we are not preaching the full gospel. You may ask ‘what is the full gospel?’

Romans 15:19 says ‘by the power of signs and miracles, through the power of the Spirit. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ’.

This is the full gospel of Christ; we must step out, lay hands on people and preach the gospel. The Spirit of the Lord will not step out until we step out!

It is when we release the full gospel that we bear the full harvest. I do not know about you but I wish to preach the full gospel of Christ that gives me results for the kingdom.

I dream to see the day when I minister at packed auditoriums, stadiums. When I see a soccer game and I saw the magnitude of audience, I cry out “Jesus that is what I want!” What has happened to mass evangelism? I can literally count in 1 hand the number of top level, impact creating, result producing – mass evangelists. What has happened?

So much of principles, pointers and theory has stepped into the church. We need an army, it is not about big names, it is about the need of the hour.

We need an army of on fire, anointed evangelists who walk in integrity.

There was this one time, when Reinhard Bonke was invited for a group meeting, which got turned to a discussion, 2 hours passed by and Bonke said, “Alright, I need to go”. The top officials said, what happened, we are still in the middle of this huge theological discussion, what we talk now can change lives. To which Bonke replied, I am sorry but I do not have time for this, souls are perishing each second, the nations need the gospel.

We have spoiled the mission field because many people sit uselessly putting comments on things people spent hours and years in labour. Never judge a man of God, but instead if you see something wrong, learn from that and do it a better way than them and increase the results you get.

We must never forget, that Christianity was introduced during a time, when pagan worship was huge and the roman Gods were considered powerful. Why is it that, the Romans who followed their mythology, inspite of conquering half of the globe did not spread like Christians, who kept dying back in those days?

Again, because the full gospel was being preached.

We must evangelize or we will fossilize.

Be aware, you could be a mass evangelist like me or just a person called to share the gospel to your news paper boy or the one who serves your meals at the café, you will never know where you belong, if you are called for mass or not until you start with one soul at a time. I like to put it this way, atleast preach to the cat down your street!

The nations are waiting; see you at the field of harvest!

By Sidharth Mohandas

A while back I was at the hospital for some check up and there was this other guy who was waiting to enter the MRI section who started talking to my dad. He told my dad that he had a series of 4 brain tumors. I just knew I had to share the Gospel with this man. But since my dad was with me and since he wasn’t a believer I had to distract him from the scene. So I asked my dad if he could get me some chewing gum from the car. When my dad went out to get the chewing gum I spoke with this man and prayed with him. As soon as I finished praying, my dad came back and this man turned and told my dad, “I feel so much better after he prayed”. And to my surprise this man sat there preaching to my dad! I kept quiet while all the talking went on and then as he was about to leave, he told me, “Thank you thank you. I feel so much better”.

Friends, there are two important things that Jesus told His disciples before He ascended back to heaven. One was to receive the baptism in the Spirit and the other was to preach the Gospel to all creatures. Let’s not get into a discussion about the former, even though the former is empowerment for the latter. However, God has given official accreditation to every believer to go and preach His message.

Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. [Mark 16:15]

Many believers are waiting for God to give them special approval to preach the Gospel. I often hear believers say, “I will not go and preach until the Lord tells me to.” That is nothing but some super spiritual talk friends! Now, don’t get me wrong, we are to listen and obey the Spirit’s promptings. But what I’m saying is unless you step out in obedience, you need not expect the Holy Spirit to guide you.

Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. [Acts 16:6-10]

Some may read the above passage and say that Paul was instructed by the Spirit not to preach the Gospel in the province of Asia and Bithynia. Yes, they are right, but that kind of instruction was offered to Paul and his companions only as they stepped out in faith and in obedience to preach the Gospel. Friends, only a moving vehicle needs direction. If I was sitting there in that hospital waiting for God to speak to me afresh what He had already spoken to me, and that is to preach His Gospel, I would have missed the opporunity the Spirit gave me.

Be on the move for the Lord 24 hours around the clock! We have a full-time ministry of reconciliation, brethren. Don’t just stand there, put out the life-line. Don’t hesitate, just do it!

By Robert Pennington and Sidharth Mohandas

A number of months back my grand mom shared with me a vision she had. In the vision she saw 5 men approaching her and then heard some one behind say, “These have been sent to equip you”. She said the Lord led her to a verse in Ephesians 4: 11-13

It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Those five that she saw were the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and the teachers. This is what we know as the five-fold ministry. I felt it was important that I share with you the role of these five ministries in the Body of Christ. I can say that not many Christians in our day know why these five ministries are present. Scripture says it is to PREPARE GOD’S PEOPLE FOR MINISTRY, and to build up the Body of Christ and the final goal is: Unity in faith. Don’t you think that’s exactly what’s lacking today in the Body of Christ? God has ordained these five not so that people can come every week and listen to what they have to say, but so that they can be equipped to minister the Gospel to others wherever they are.

Today there are a lot of people who take pride in saying, “Oh I’m in the ministry… In the full-time ministry…” Well, be sure to knock their heads and tell them God does not have part-time jobs for anyone!

In the early church every believer was a minister.

Don’t ever think that you’re not a minister of God just because you are not among the five. You see, God is no more proud of the Apostle than He is of the Janitor, all He looks for is obedience to the call. You can be a Janitor or a Business man and still be a minister of God. And so don’t try to be the Apostle if you are called to be the Janitor!

Pauls statement here proves it:

I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong—that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. [1 Corinthians 1: 11-12]

The great apostle Paul encouraged by normal believers!? Yes! Do you see those two words I see? MUTUALLY ENCOURAGED…? I say again, every believer is a minister of God. God has a position for you in the Body of Christ that only YOU can fulfill, do not belittle your calling, my friend. And this is why God has ordained these five…to equip you to fulfill your calling.